A blog is an indispensable digital marketing tool.  Many businesses and organizations use blogs to share compelling stories and connect with their audience. Blogging should be part of most nonprofit’s content marketing plans. Used properly, it can leverage a nonprofit’s efforts by engaging its target audience with stories that speak directly about its mission and cause. All without having to rely on external sources to spread awareness. The following are some best blogging practices for your nonprofit.  

If you’re about to start blogging for your nonprofit organization, there are a few hard-and-fast rules to follow, but here are some of the best practices you need to adopt in order to make it the best blog it can be.

Match content to your target audience.

The language, tone, and style of your blog posts should match your organization’s intended audience. For example, if you’re writing to humanitarian NGOs about a new outreach project, you can write more than just an announcement for a fund-raising event. 

Mix up post length.

When creating a content marketing strategy, make sure to include blog posts of varying lengths. Short-form posts, those containing only 300 to 500 words, can be read quickly and are a great way to keep your readers engaged.

Meanwhile, long forms, posts that consist of 1,500 or more words, boost credibility, and allow you to include relevant keywords that will help increase SEO ranking. While this type of posts tends to be less mobile-friendly, studies show that long-form blogs receive the most shares on social media. 

Write engaging content. 

Your blog posts should show your nonprofit’s existing needs and how it’s able to meet them – in an engaging manner. This could be anything from sharing quality stories, videos, photos, etc. More importantly, make sure that each post provides value to your readers.

Make it useful and relevant.

Your blog posts need to show that your nonprofit organization is an authority. You can do this in many different and creative ways:

• Add stats and facts into your stories
• Highlight past successes
• Post news, updates, and press releases related to your cause
• Share helpful information, resources, and how-to’s

The possibilities are virtually endless. But if you don’t know how to get started, you can always get a field expert to write for you. If not, get the help of a professional writer to keep you on the right track.

Share compelling stories.

If you want your content to truly connect to your audience, they need to be able to evoke powerful emotions. You can do this by sharing compelling, personal stories related to your organization. 

Another excellent way to inspire your audience is by sharing these stories through visual content, videos, or audio. 

Choose attention-grabbing images.

According to statistics, visual content can generate up to 94% more views, with a projected 37% increase in engagements if an article contains compelling visual elements. 

Share photos that capture the true essence of your organization’s mission. These are images that are not just visually pleasing, but also capture the cause and effort of your nonprofit. 

There are plenty of online resources to create attention-grabbing visuals for your blog posts. You can find thousands of templates to use for your marketing materials, infographics, social media posts, etc. Canva for Nonprofits, for example, provides qualified nonprofits with free access to premium-quality images. 

Let your volunteers shine.

One thing that’s just as important as highlighting the cause of your organization, is giving equal importance to its volunteers.

Whether it’s people volunteering to your fundraiser, a committee member, or even a guest blogger, it pays to highlight them and show your audience how they have been helping your cause. 

The great thing about letting your volunteers shine is that it validates them for the effort and time they’ve put in, inspires others to get involved or become part of your cause, and encourages others to share their volunteer efforts with family and friends. This will not only direct people to your blog, but will also spread awareness about your organization and its mission. 

Update your blog regularly.

Blogging should have a rhythm. Whether it’s daily or four times a month, your readers should be able to rely on fresh and relevant content on a regular basis.

Running a blog for your nonprofit organization is a noble cause, but it’s even better if you make it a stellar success. Simply follow the best blogging practices we’ve discussed above and you’re well on your way to taking your blog from grassroots to movement. 

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Source Taken From: Nonprofithub.org