Self-contained:<\/strong> The prescriptive action or answer must include all necessary information so that the reader can act or deliver that answer without additional research. If you have existing content that could clarify an answer, you should link to it. Ask yourself: Could the reader comfortably act on your advice without using Google?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nHow you decide what content to produce should depend on two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your website objectives and business goals<\/li> What your users want from your website<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nIdeally, you should blend both options when making content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if you want to increase dog adoptions, you’ll create a page for each adoptable dog. On that page, write about the dog’s personality and answer common questions people ask in person. Also, provide multiple photos of the pooch, and let people know when and where they can meet her. Last, include links to resources about the adoption process and the lifestyle people should be prepared for if they adopt a dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Content production can be a long and tricky process, but it’s necessary if you want to provide a positive user experience. When you’re ready, the following guides will walk you through content ideation and creation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hubspot’s Guide to Content Creation<\/a><\/li>How to Fill an Editorial Calendar<\/a><\/li>The Best Content Research Tools<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nStep 10: Monitor Your Content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The last step is also one that never ends. You should evaluate your content’s performance on a regular basis to know if it’s performing to your expectations. The first step is to choose content KPIs to evaluate<\/a>. Next, determine how often you want to audit your content<\/a>. Last, update any underperforming content, so it better abides by the high-quality guidelines in step nine. If the content can’t be updated, remove it from the website and set up a 301 redirect<\/a> to a relevant page.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you have existing content and want to check its performance, try Animalz Revive<\/a>, a free tool that syncs with your Google Analytics data to highlight blog posts and other web pages that suffer from content decay (stale, stagnated, or out-of-date content) and should be updated.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want to dive deeper into content strategy, here are two more of our favorite resources:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nHow to Choose a Content Hub: 6 Types and Examples<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nThe Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide to Content Strategy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nBack to table of contents<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nPay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC) for Nonprofits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n PPC advertising is a crucial tool to drive user engagement, increase donations, and build brand recognition. PPC allows nonprofits to target potential donors, volunteers, or advocates while they browse search engine results, explore a website, or watch a video.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBest of all, nonprofit businesses are eligible for the Google Ads Grants<\/a> program, which awards $10,000 per month to advertise on Google’s search network.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep One: Sign Up for a Google Ads Account<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Sign up for Google Ads<\/a>, formerly known as Google Adwords. It’s free, and Google has the most robust paid advertising platform around.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you’ve never used Google Ads or any PPC platform, I suggest enrolling in Google’s free paid advertising academy<\/a>, which teaches newcomers everything they need to know about Google Ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep Two: Sign Up for Google Ad Grants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n As previously mentioned, nonprofit businesses are eligible for the Google Ad Grants<\/a> program. You should sign up for it. Small-to-medium nonprofits may not even eclipse the $10,000 per month the grant provides, effectively letting you run a PPC campaign for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are terms and conditions which you must agree to, and there are strict guidelines<\/a> you must abide by if you use this program (e.g., quality score requirements, CTR requirements, click cost ceilings).<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep Three: Download Google Ads Desktop Editor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n In 2021, nonprofit spending on digital ads increased by 19 percent compared to the previous year.¹<\/a> Most digital ad spend went to direct fundraising asks, accounting for 52 percent of all budgets. ¹<\/a> Branding, awareness, or education advertising made up 32 percent of ad budgets, and lead generation consumed 15 percent. ¹<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\nEvery dollar earned and spent online should be part of a larger plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before allocating any money to a campaign, you need to ask yourself one question: what is the goal of this specific campaign?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For most nonprofits, the best goal is to efficiently acquire direct leads to a donation or volunteer page. Hopefully, this exposure introduces new potential members or donors to your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you choose this goal, the ads you run should show users why your organization is important, how it affects causes they care about, and encourages them to keep in touch to get more involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step Five: Learn PPC Lingo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Much like Analytics and SEO, PPC has its own lingo, and knowing common phrases will make creating ads and going through Google Academy significantly easier. Below are the most important terms for you to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Metrics<\/h4>\n\n\n\n CPC:<\/strong> cost per click (cost divided by clicks)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCTR:<\/strong> click-through rate (clicks divided by impressions)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCVR:<\/strong> conversion rate (leads or conversions divided by clicks)<\/p>\n\n\n\nCPA or CPL:<\/strong> cost per acquisition or cost per lead (cost divided by leads or conversions)<\/p>\n\n\n\nImpression Share:<\/strong> your visibility or “share of voice” (impressions divided by total search volume)<\/p>\n\n\n\nOther Key Terms<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Campaign:<\/strong> a collection of ad groups that has a daily budget assigned to it. These are typically differentiated systematically by keyword category (for example)<\/p>\n\n\n\nAd group:<\/strong> a collection of keywords and the corresponding text ads which are eligible to show to users when one of those keywords is triggered by a user’s search query<\/p>\n\n\n\nQuality Score:<\/strong> a measurement of a keyword’s quality (ranging from 1-10) that directly factors into how much you pay for a click<\/p>\n\n\n\nAd Rank:<\/strong> a value assigned by Google in an auction that determines your ad’s position on a SERP (or if it shows up at all)<\/p>\n\n\n\nBid Strategy:<\/strong> an automated bidding option offered by Google. There are several; advertisers can choose those that make the most sense based on their campaigns’ goals<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep Six: Brainstorm Keywords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n After you’ve determined the campaign goal, your next step is to consider which phrases people will most likely search for that are relevant to your organization and can result in a lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I recommend you work your way from the bottom of the funnel to the top. Users who search for your organization’s name are typically the most likely to convert, so start with these branded phrases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After accounting for branded search terms, take a look at your website and use your main category pages (navigation categories, core product or service pages, etc.) as starting points. Each of these categories can be its own PPC campaign. Plus, you can evaluate the organic keywords that are directly relevant to each category to get inspiration for your paid keyword strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, let’s say you run a local food shelter and need more volunteers. Your website has a volunteer page, which contains all the information users need to sign up for volunteer work. You can create a PPC campaign focused on keywords potential volunteers might search for, such as “food shelter volunteer.” The ads would send users to the volunteer page on your website and hopefully get new sign-ups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step Seven: Verify PPC Keywords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Once you have a list of initial keyword ideas, use Google Ads’ keyword planner<\/a> to determine if those terms are searched for in volume. Ideally, you want to target keywords that have high volume and low competition scores. Afterward, you can sort the chosen keywords into ad groups and campaigns, which you can then add to your Google Ads account and expand upon.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBefore you move to step eight, read this keyword volume guide by WordStream<\/a>. The resource delves into everything you need to know about keyword search volume, which is relevant for PPC and SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep Eight: Add More Keywords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n After you’ve determined the base keyword list, including branded terms, you’ll want to move up the funnel and expand your keyword selection to target concepts tangentially relevant to your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider what phrases apply to your user demographic but are not directly related to your nonprofit. If you want to target users who are interested in food scarcity but don’t currently volunteer, you might research the keyword volume for terms like “hunger statistics in Seattle,” and then build campaigns around the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep repeating this process until you’ve exhausted your keyword opportunities or surpassed your target budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want a more in-depth look, read WordStream’s guide to researching and developing a PPC keyword strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep Nine: Choose Destinations for the Ads<\/h3>\n\n\n\n If you have a great website with robust content and high conversion rates, it’s feasible to use topically relevant pages on your site as landing pages for your PPC campaigns. However, if your site is lacking content specific to a campaign topic, then you should consider developing a custom PPC landing page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unbounce has a good guide you should read if you are interested in developing custom PPC landing pages<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 10: Choose Your Ad Types<\/h3>\n\n\n\n The ad format directly affects click-through rates, conversion rates, cost per lead, and cost per acquisition. Which format you choose and how much budget you dedicate to each method depends on four factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nOnline advertising budget<\/li>\n\n\n\n Campaign goals<\/li>\n\n\n\n Keyword volume and competition<\/li>\n\n\n\n Remarketing efforts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\nFor display advertising, like banner and video ads, how much money a nonprofit spends to earn a donation depends largely on the organization’s size, reputation, and recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of the industry jargon term of cost per lead, let’s consider your goal to be the cost per donation, which refers to how much a nonprofit has to spend on online ads to generate a single donation. The following chart shows the average cost per donation by industry and ad type.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
Source: M+R 2022 Benchmark<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe significant difference boils down to budget, industry, and name recognition. Smaller nonprofits have less recognition and smaller budgets to raise awareness; consequently, users often perform more research before donating to the cause. Whereas large nonprofits already have an established trust factor, bigger budgets and require less scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Budget-wise, large nonprofits spend four times more than small nonprofits on digital ads. Small nonprofits invested $0.02 per dollar of online revenue, while large nonprofits invested $0.08 per dollar.¹<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\nFor small nonprofits, text and search ads are best used to build brand awareness or remarket to users who have previously interacted with your website. Check out PPC Hero’s guide for more information about remarketing purposes and strategies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf your campaign goal is to target high-intent users who are looking for a specific cause or nonprofit, you’ll want to use search ads because the conversion rate per donor will likely be better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Small nonprofits also likely have small search pools with limited keywords and low to moderate keyword volume. I recommend that small nonprofits (and some medium-sized) max out their budget on the best search keywords and search campaigns. Despite the average cost of $46 per conversion, the conversion rate will likely be higher because the leads are more qualified and lower funnel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If search alone proves to be too cost-prohibitive or if you’re competing in an extremely competitive space, a blend of display and search ads can be a viable solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After you’ve optimized your search opportunities, use remarketing to target users with display ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 11: Write the Ad Copy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Once you plan your campaigns, make sure you write ad copy that speaks directly to the terms present in each ad group. The copy should be concise, convincing, and have a clear call to action, so the users know what to expect if they click your ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you use Google Grants, you must maintain a high CTR threshold, so ensure your ad copy is relevant and direct. Read this Google ad copy best practice guide<\/a> by Unbounce and Portent’s blog post on ad directness<\/a> to ensure your ad copy is in tip-top shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 12: Publish the Ads and Monitor Results<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Publish the Google Ads campaigns<\/a> that you want to run. Once your campaigns begin generating impressions, clicks, and (hopefully) leads, you want to analyze and optimize the campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDoes one specific campaign have lots of clicks but no leads? Consider decreasing this campaign’s daily budget, changing its bid amounts or bidding strategy, altering keyword match types, or pause a keyword that’s wasting money, and so on. Eventually, you should see your conversion metrics improve and your profitability increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you bound further down the optimization burrow, read the following blog posts for more PPC strategies and techniques:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWhy Your Average Cost Per Click is So High and How to Fix It<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nImprove Your Quality Scores With These Simple Tips<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n6 A\/B Tests for PPC You Have to Try<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\nFunnel-Based PPC Account Strategy: An Overview<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nBack to table of contents<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nPaid social media advertising is a powerful way to introduce your brand to a pool of new but relevant users. You can use paid social to target users who fit your target demographic or interact with your company’s social media profile by using personalized and interactive creative content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although PPC and paid social use similar strategies, PPC is a “push channel,” while paid social is a “pull channel.” Unlike PPC, which targets people’s intent and pushes them toward taking action, social media users aren’t actively looking for a certain nonprofit or want to learn about a specific cause. But you can pull users toward your brand by serving them the right creative at the right time. Using this tactic, you can convert these users into new donors, volunteers, or advocates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step One: Choose What Social Media Platforms to Use<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the best social platforms for nonprofits to use for paid advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What type of content your users find engaging is the most important consideration when you choose a social media platform because each platform is tailored for specific content. We suggest you chat with your donors, volunteers, and staff about what content they want to interact with and then decide if you have the resources to produce that tailored content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you’re doing this research, here are a few pros and cons to keep in mind for each social platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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