Websites are the advertising tool non-profit marketing departments have been awaiting for decades. An effective digital marketing campaign or strategic website overhaul are so much more affordable than the old alternatives of print adverting, direct mailings or media campaigns. But a surprising number of non-profit organizations are not taking advantage of these tools to their full potential. This series is designed to help more non-profits, not only get on the digital bandwagon, but to take the reigns and drive it down the path leading to success.
Step 1: Know your Web Audience
It seems obvious, but you’ve got to know who you’re talking to in order to speak effectively. You may know who you’d like your audience to be, but are those the people actually visiting your site? There are lots of tools to help you find out who is visiting your site. The first and most popular is Google Analytics. After a few months with Google Analytics installed on your site, you’ll be able to see where your audience is geographically, what website’s they were on before yours, what browser they are using and what type of internet connection they have. Some of these factors can be linked to more marketing specific demographic information.
It’s a great tool, but Google Analytics is not enough; it generally does not tell you your visitors’ age, race, gender or other important marketing demographics. So how do you find out the specifics? Ask, and you might just receive. Slip a question or two into the registration process if you have one or add a question during the signup for email marketing. Make it clear that you’re not going to sell this information, it’s being collected to actually make their lives better, by better tailoring the marketing they receive. Make the whole process as pain free as possible. And of course, the better the dangling carrot is for them, the better results will be for you.
Lastly you have to follow up on your promise and actually use the information you gather to target your website and digital marketing. More on that in Part 2!
