5 Time-Saving Marketing Strategies for Nonprofits: Maximize Impact on a Limited Schedule
Time is a precious commodity, especially as a nonprofit leader. Being pulled in so many different directions makes it hard to know what to focus on. It also makes it critically important that where you do spend your time is helping you increae your impact and reach your goals. Even if you have a small team, you want to know that the efforts going out are worthwhile. How can you make the most of the time you spend on your marketing? Well, this blog post will share 5 time-saving tips for helping you get more out of your marketing while also making the most out of your time.
Use a social media tool
You are probably on multiple social media platforms. Trying to post to them all the time can be overwhelming.
Start with creating a regular posting schedule that clearly lays out what category of post goes out on which platform on which day. Take a look at the frequency you’re posting to see if a social media tool would make things easier, or if simply having a calendar is enought to streamline your process. Then you can evaluate what type of tool you might want to use.
There are several tools you can use for auto scheduling your posts. You can also start by using the scheduling options native in the app. You’ll need to take into account what you need, pricing of the software, and your social media goals in relation to your choice.
One other thing to consider is how you are tracking the effectiveness of your social media strategy. Some tools offer more engaging reporting. You can also create your own dashboard or spreadsheet to track. Part of saving time on your marketing is putting effort into activities that are making an impact. Having your data pulled for you how you need to see it so you can make decisions is a great way to save time.
Create evergreen content
Evergreen content are blog posts, long form content, emails, that are always relevant. They aren’t time-sensitive. This is great because you can repurpose it over and over again.
Think about the core elements of your organization. Do you have seasonal elements that you can write about? Are there pillars of the work you do that are consistent? Are there tools or resources you often share, but they aren’t on your website yet?
Having evergreen content allows you to pull from it and share on other marketing channels, like social media or email, regularly without having to spend time writing or creating longer form content.
Invest in email marketing software
Now before you skip over this – we’re not talking a major investment here. Don’t forget that for every $1 you spend in email marketing it averages to $36 in return.
By using an email software you can limit the time you’re spending on sending individual emails. Or sending the same emails over and over that you have to retype. You can create automations that welcome new donors to your organization or let people know critical details about an upcoming event.
Plus, you can use it to nurture your existing audience and increase the likelihood they’ll give another gift in the future.
Finally, the ability to schedule emails out in advance means you can batch your work to be more effective and effecient.
Have your audience create content for you
User generated content (UGC) is a great way to get content you need from people who are already raving fans. Here are a few ways you can get this content to use:
- Run a monthly contest with your followers. Ask them to share a photo and tag you in it. At the end of the month, pick a random person to get a swag bag or discount on an upcoming event, etc.
- Put a QR code on tables at your events. Link it straight to your social media and ask people to share photos. Want to approve photos before they go out? There are apps you can use to collect photos so you have them to go through.
- Ask! Reach out to your audience via email and social and ask them to share their photos/videos and thoughts with you.
At the end of this, you’ll have a stockpile of photos that are aligned with your organization that you can use for future marketing efforts.
Collaborate with influencers
The term ‘influencers’ is very vague. In order to have impact it doesn’t have to be someone with millions of followers. Instead, approach it from the stand point of partnering with someone that has similar values as your organization and would be an authentic partnership that your followers and theirs would understand.
When you partner with an influencer you can set up specific parameters for what you’ll get from the partnership. For example, is it an Instagram story and a Facebook post? Is it a YouTube short and a Reel? Be specific about what you’re looking for and the program, event, and/or service you’ll want them to promote.
Then they get to work!
Don’t forget at the end to debrief and ensure the partnership was valuable on both sides and that you saw impact from it.
Conclusion
With a little creativity and some systems you can come up with some ways to streamline your marketing and be more effective. A mix of automation and user generated content will help you get more out there that’s authentic without taking more of your time.