Cost of living crisis, inflation soaring, wages falling, rising costs and uncertainty, batten down the hatches. These are just some of the phrases that we have all been seeing with continued frequency over the past couple of years.
Whilst non-profits and charities look for ways to keep the costs down during these challenging times, there is one area where it is important to keep the pennies flowing… Marketing.
What Does Investment Bring?
Whilst the first instinct might be to cut down on directing your funds towards this area, during these uncertain times it’s even more important to help build support for your organisation and reach new people who might be interested in your cause.
“You have to spend money to make money”… not really. “You have to invest money to make money” would be more accurate and sometimes investing that money doesn’t mean you will always make money straight away. However, that investment might bring new volunteers to your cause, spread the word of your work further afield or open more doors to new fundraising opportunities, which all eventually bring in those sought-after funds.
It’s always a work in progress and slashing your marketing budget can be harmful to your organisation in the long run. There’s a very popular saying in the marketing industry: “When times are good, you should advertise; when times are bad, you MUST advertise.”
Getting the Support for Your Cause
It’s the donors and the volunteers that every non-profit and charity is looking to attract to help their cause move forward. However, if people are not aware of your mission or are unable to find your presence online, then they are never going to know that you need their support.
It’s also a fact that it can be tougher for non-profits to gain support and donations, since you may not be offering a product or service in return for those donations. Ultimately, you are asking them to support your mission and organisation and to give you their time and/or funds based on that mission, rather than a tangible product.
While there can be a drop in support of donations or government funding, getting new supporters on your side with marketing can increase awareness of your goals and bring in more resources.
Marketing in a Recession Works
When you think of a recession, it’s easy to see why the first instinct is to pull back from marketing your charity or non-profit. Maybe you are worried that you are going to be wasting money since everyone around you is tightening their belts and budgeting down to the penny. Whilst some companies might take this course of action, this leaves the door open for you to nab those prime advertising spots, relinquished by the competition!
Customers need to see that you are maintaining your presence, since they need a reason to keep trusting your brand and know that your cause is continuing to flourish, even through difficult times.
That being said, people do tend to band together during tough times and will continue to give to worthy causes and can even increase their levels of donations, so it’s not all doom and gloom!
It’s a Digital World We Live In
Out of sight is out of mind. By making sure your digital presence is a constant, you won’t be forgotten or pushed aside by those other organisations keeping up with technology and pushing themselves on the digital platform that has so integrated itself into our everyday living.
Make sure your website is relevant and kept up to date and has a refreshed and modern look. People are more likely to donate to a website that has a current look and feel, rather than a tired and outdated appearance.
Charities should focus on digital marketing since it is more affordable and at the same time can reach more people than other traditional methods. Online paid advertising can be an effective way to reach your audience and as long as your ads are targeted carefully, you won’t be wasting money on ads that no one will see.
In Conclusion
It’s important to remember, that even as a charity/non-profit, you are still a brand and your donations are your sales. Marketing is still marketing and recession or not it’s an important part of keeping you relevant, growing and maintaining your course over the short term and long term.
So, if you can sustain or even increase your marketing budget to reach those people who can give or gain from your cause, you’ll be able to raise more money and reach more people. And that’s always a good thing!
As experts in the field of online marketing, specifically for non-profits and charities, we can offer you information on gaining access to free Google Ads grants (Up to £7000 per month) for paid search advertising, free tools, discounted tools, community building and more!
Check out the below link to find out more:
