10 Ways to Save Money on Your Marketing

1.   Be consistent to foster recognition. This will save your audience from having to “decode” your message every time they encounter your organization.

2.   Conduct your own research – do interviews over the phone and surveys online with Survey Monkey.

3.    Have a Brand Manual that features your message points and design templates so that you are not constantly re-inventing
the wheel when it comes to grant applications, newsletters, and other marketing.

4.    Use colors wisely. Digital printing typically becomes cost effective at quantities of 1,000.

5.    Get support online. Join a discussion forum on LinkedIn.

6.    Talk to your printer before you start your project — or better yet, at the beginning of the year, so they can find efficiencies.

7.    Tap into volunteers for marketing functions such as photography. You won’t know what you can get until you ask.

8.    Empower your board as brand ambassadors to speak about your organization. Give them the tools and make them aware
of this role.

9.  Make your fundraising event budget go further by adding “mission awareness” as part of your events so that donors
are aware of what your organization does.

10.   Plan your marketing for the year. It’s worth taking the time to determine your goals and the best way to reach them.

Howard Adam Levy discusses how Red Rooster Group developed Friends of Karen’s website. and then interviewed Jill Gold, Friends of Karen’s Communications Coordinator.

Read the full Nonprofit Branding Case Study on the Friends of Karen branding process.

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Is your website doing all it could to explain your mission, galvanize members and generate support? I addressed this issue at a seminar at the Support Center for Nonprofit Management yesterday. We reviewed the participants’ websites and looked at common cause of homepage failure for nonprofits:

1. The site is unclear about what the organization does. It is important to clearly describe your mission on the homepage, particularly your organization’s uniqueness. Complete this sentence: “Our organization is the ONLY organization that does____ better than anyone else.” If this demonstrates a meaningful benefit in society, then you are in a strong position to appeal to donors. If not, then you need to work on your distinguishing strengths.

2. Cluttered, unfocused design. The world has shifted to receiving information through images rather than words, so make your homepage visual. Provide a main focal point – preferably an image that conveys the impact you have. Use a grid structure that emphasizes your most important points to your key audiences and keep the main information “above the fold” – the part visible in the browser window without scrolling.

3. Written from an institutional point of view. A common mistake is to organize the site around the organization’s structure rather than your user’s needs. Understand what audience you are appealing to, what their concerns are, and organize and write the content to address those needs. Also, take advantage of the opportunity to convey your organization’s personality through the language used on the site, whether portraying the passionate dedication of your staff or your organization’s rigorous standards of excellence.

4. Lack of impact. To attract funders, you need to show the relevance of your mission to a broad population and the impact that you achieve. Tell this story through images as well as statistics to demonstrate that you are essential to the health of the communities you serve.

5. Lack of  interaction. Once visitors get to your site, involve them by asking them to take an action – whether signing a petition, attending an event or signing up for a newsletter. These are all good ways to capture information and engage people in your organization’s mission.

6. Donate Now! What you don’t have a donate feature on your site? I don’t think I need to say more.

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Held in New Haven, CT, the workshop helped nonprofits understand how to marry their mission with their fundraising event so that event attendees would leave the event as advocates for the organization. Using case studies for a house salon party, walk-a-thon, dinner gala, and conference-type events, we explained how an organization’s brand can inform the look of the marketing materials for the event, how to highlight the organization’s name so that donors know what event they are supporting, and ways to maximize your marketing budget,

A Few Takeaways:

• Create a theme for your event that reinforces your mission.
• Employ graphic techniques for establishing a consistent visual look for allmarketing materials for the event – from the invitation, to the journal, the emails, as well as the signs and presentation at the event.
• Look for every opportunity to promote your mission and create a consistent brand.
• Have your speakers reinforce your mission as part of the theme of their speech.
• And don’t forget a podium sign with your logo!

The seminar can be adapted for different audiences and different lengths. To bring this session to your organization, contact Howard Levy at 212-673-9353 or howard@redroostergroup.com.

Red Rooster Group is a New York based graphic design firm that creates effective brands, websites, and marketing campaigns to increase your visibility, fundraising, and communications effectiveness. Contact us at info@redroostergroup.com.

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