By: Nate Haines, Digital Communications Specialist
Sometimes it can be overwhelming for nonprofit organizations to try and reach their audiences, especially in the early stages of brand development.
With the right marketing strategy, nonprofits can easily stand out from the crowd and quickly increase brand awareness. By starting with just a few important steps, you can begin to build a brand that people will come to know and trust:
1) Use a great brand name
It seems simple, right? Too often, nonprofits use a generic or weak brand name, making it difficult to stand out from other organizations with similar goals and values. Be sure to think long and hard about your organization’s name.
2) Choose a focus
Now that you have a solid brand name, what will your nonprofit’s focus be? With a desire to help as many people as possible or to make an impact on the world, it can be difficult for any nonprofit to find a singular focus. However, when a brand concentrates on a particular area, it is easier for audiences to recognize an organization and what it does best.
And if your nonprofit has been around for a while, it’s ok to scale back and take a more direct approach to your goals.
3) Establish your position
The unfortunate reality is that many nonprofits are competing for limited resources. And it can be very competitive for organizations whose missions are similar.
This is why it is important to differentiate your organization’s position from others! Some ways you can begin to do this include:
- Targeting a more specific audience.
- Providing unique interactions with donors and supporters.
- Personalizing your message (Example: “John was able to help save eight lives through organ donation, so can you when you register as an organ donor.”).
- Using consistent communication through events, blogs, social media, advertisements, etc. – many nonprofits have inconsistent communication with their audiences and lose supporters over time.
- Challenging traditional thought processes in your sector and establishing more efficient methods.
By differentiating your nonprofit from others, your brand and messaging can quickly gain support.
4) Logo and color scheme
A clean logo and strong color scheme can help audiences associate your brand with your cause. Well-planned branding will also allow you to easily create marketing materials in the future for web design, graphics, social media, printed assets and more.
Interested in learning more about building a strong brand for your nonprofit? Contact us to learn more about how our team of experts can help.