How to create an effective nonprofit marketing plan that speaks to your members and donors and gets them to engage more.  Marketing Activist Lindsay Lashell tells us what works and what does not.

#014 – Lindsay LaShell is a self described “marketing activist”.  Her mission is to help organizations increase justice, equity, and sustainability by making their marketing more effective.

Lindsay shares with us how important it is to be clear on what our audience wants from us and deliver that.

It is ok for there to be a whole bunch of people who are NOT your people.  Any marketing strategy that is set up to say we don’t want to alienate anybody, is going to do a terrible job of connecting with the right people.

Lindsay is running a Pro Bono Marketing Bootcamp in December.  If your organization’s budget was less than $200k in 2019, you are welcome to apply and snag a free spot.

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Resources

Diamond and Branch

Marketing Bootcamp

Trello

5 Key Takeaways  

#1 A marketing plan is vital because it lets you know where you’re making the most impact;

#2 Your easiest donor is an existing donor and your 2nd easiest donor is a referral from an existing donor; 

#3 If you truly believe the thing you are doing is valuable, you should have no problem offering new people (eg new members & donors) a unique way to get involved;

#4 Put your people at the center of everything you do; AND

#5 If you understand your people correctly, they will connect to your messaging.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[2:30] A marketing plan will allow for consistency and efficiency.
[2:54] Who do we need to talk to? Where do we need to talk to them? What do they need to hear from us?
[3:32] The marketing plan tells you where you're making the most impact.
[4:13] Does that 1 tweet a day help you?
[4:47] We click and engage with the things that are most meaningful to us.
[4:55] Don't blame users for not engaging with your content.
[7:08] Put them at the center.
[7:25] Consider their journey.
[8:20] What do they care about? Why should they care about your organization?
[8:45] What language do they use to recommend you?
[10:04] You're competing with other interests, including Netflix.
[10:43] Be a flywheel vs a skateboard.
[12:25] Your campaign would be more effective if it kept your donors' attention all year long.
[12:45] Communication depends on your audience.
[14:27] Newsletters are good if you are super clear on what your audience wants from it.
[15:06] Good marketers empathize with their audience.
[17:00] You need to know who you're NOT for to know who you are for.
[18:40] Get within 1 degree of the people who can help you on social media.
[22:56] Brand Pillars.
[24:46] If you ask someone for their impression of your organization, what will they say?
[25:15] If you understand your people correctly, they will connect to your message.
[25:50] How to figure our your brand pillars.
[28:30] Should we focus on getting referrals?
[29:40] Your 2nd easiest donor is referral from an existing donor.
[30:35] If you believe the thing you're doing is valuable, you're offering them a unique way to get involved.
[31:53] Pro Bono Marketing Bootcamp

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