Remarketing is one of the most effective ways to move supporters along your spectrum of engagement, although it’s also one that many non-profits neglect or even dislike. In this post, I’ll explain what remarketing is, outline the benefits, and provide directions on getting started.
Most non-profits and small businesses know they need to send out regular e-newsletters, but for many it can be a daunting and overwhelming task. If you’re not running an e-news program already, it might seem like a huge new responsibility. If you already have an e-newsletter, it might seem like a drag on your week or month.
I understand the limitations non-profits and small businesses have, like finite staff and resources, but e-newsletters are the #1 way to reach out to your fans, even above social media. To clarify: storefronts and websites are the #1 and #2 ways to be found, but e-newsletters are the #1 way to reach out to your core audience, and social media is the #2 way to reach out to your core audience, given that social messages can easily be buried in the News Feed of time. If someone gives you their e-mail address, they’re inviting a conversation and indicating some level of commitment to your cause.
So how do you reach out to these folks without diverting too much time from your other work? And how do you prevent it from becoming a drudge?
The answer is: utilize an editorial calendar.
I’ve been told I could/should be a professional organizer. So when the Board Chair for the IMPACT Conference came to me wanting a website redesign, for a website with nearly 100 pages, it became a fun marriage between my organizing and WordPress skills. By the end of the process, we went live with 20 pages and a look that better expressed the youthful activism of the national conference.
Here are the details of how that happened.
Many non-profits have e-newsletters, but they’re often thought of as something that just “must” be done. Maybe you inherited the e-newsletter from a predecessor or your marketing team has decided to “keep in touch” with donors and supporters. But there are many purposes a non-profit e-newsletter can have and it’s important to identify the primary and secondary purposes so you can evaluate the success of your e-newsletter program.
So let’s take a look at three possible purposes for an e-newsletter and ways to improve given those purposes.
Google AdWords provides a great tool which helps create image ads for free. They’re not the most creative ads, but they will certainly do the trick if you 1) want to run a quick test to see if Google AdWords serves your organization or 2) you don’t have the budget to hire a graphic designer.
Here’s a quick tutorial on creating free Google Image ads:
Along the spectrum of engagement, an e-news subscriber has taken the first very real step toward supporting your organization. But do you actively give all of your fans and supporters the opportunity to subscribe? Consider all of these points of entries and your e-news subscriber list could grow 218%, like the one I managed for three years at a statewide non-profit.
YouTube offers a nice option to overlay text, videos, or polls on your own videos. A card, which used to be called a Call to Action overlay, can be added to any video with the click of a button and a few options for customization.
For example, if your non-profit or business wants to add a poll, that’s an option. Or if you want to direct people to your best video or your website, the Card is a great way to add a layer of interactivity to the video.
Here’s a brief tutorial on adding cards to YouTube videos, after which I’ll describe when your non-profit or small business should insert the Card in the video to keep viewers on the video for longer: