Charity Advertising Tips
In this digital age, one of the most important ways for charities to gain visibility is by having a strong online presence. A well-optimised website invariably leads to more engagement with the charity; raising awareness and important funds to help the cause. However, if your charity isn’t getting the online visibility you think it should be getting, it could be time to rethink your advertising and marketing strategy.
At Beyond Your Brand, our marketing services are here to support charities in need of an online “lift”. We have a proven track record of helping charities with a range of different aims and goals. This article covers some of our top tips for advertising a charity online.
Why Is It Important for Charities to Have an Advertising Strategy?
Having a strong advertising or marketing strategy is crucial in getting a charity to connect with its intended audience. However, there are several other reasons why a charity needs a sound strategy, including:
- Raising awareness
- Driving donations and support
- Attracting volunteers
- Building credibility and trust
- Educating the public
- Standing out in a crowded landscape
- Adapting to changing needs and opportunities
- Maximising impact
Top Charity Advertising Tips
Know Your Audience
By understanding who you’re trying to reach, you’ll be able to tailor your content for your target audience, meaning your message will resonate more with them than with an untargeted audience. Aim to understand their demographics, interests and concerns, and consider how you can utilise these to connect with more like-minded philanthropists who could support your cause.
Craft a Compelling Story
People tend to connect well with stories, as they may resonate more with them. Share personal anecdotes, success stories, statistics and testimonials that represent the impact of the work your charity is doing. If you’re a charity working to provide clean water in Africa, for example, discuss the issue; give compelling statistics and talk about some of the ways that you have supported local people, making your impact report a more personable story.
Strategically Use Keywords
Utilising keywords is important for your advertising efforts, helping you connect with the right audience. Create pages for high-value keywords so that the search engines and your users understand the relevance of the page to the search. Define what it is that you as a charity do; who you help and ensure there are dedicated pages for those keywords that have high search volume so you can specifically talk about that area of your work.
Highlight the Problem You Want to Address
People will be more willing to engage with a charity if they understand the issue that your charity is trying to address. By using visuals and language that evokes emotion, the problem you’re addressing becomes more relatable, encouraging people to support your cause. If your charity is supporting research into a rare disease, for example, you want people to understand the emotions experienced by those with the disease.
Showcase the Solution
Outline how your charity is making a difference to people and the wider community around them. Share concrete examples of the positive outcomes your charity has achieved, connecting people with the idea that their donations or volunteering really does make a difference. People are far more likely to engage with something if they can see the real-life results of their actions.
Create an Encouraging Call To Action (CTA)
For a charity, your ultimate goal for your advertising strategy should be to get people to engage. A compelling CTA should prompt viewers to do just that. Whether it's volunteering, donating or spreading awareness, your CTA should make it clear what you would like them to do next. For example, if you’re looking for volunteers to educate abroad, encourage viewers to sign up for more information on how they can get involved.
Utilise Visuals
Did you know that videos are predicted to account for 82% of internet traffic by 2025? This highlights the need to create engaging visual content as it is a powerful tool to convey a message. Ensure your visuals capture the essence of your charity’s mission, using emotion to your advantage. Try a blend of videos, photographs and infographics to visually stimulate your audience.
Be Transparent
Build trust with your audience by being transparent about how donations are used, explicitly mentioning that your charity is non-profit, for example. Share information about your charity’s finances and impact to reassure potential donors that the funds raised are going to the right places and really are making a difference.
Create Content That’s Designed to Be Shared
This may be something that escapes the minds of a lot of people when it comes to their advertising strategies, but develop content that people will want to share with their networks, encouraging social sharing to extend the reach of your message. This comes back to the need to utilise visuals - how could these be designed to make someone click the “share” button?
Work on Multiple Channels
Don’t rely solely on one advertising channel. Utilise Google Ad Grants, set up email campaigns, optimise SEO strategies and brush up on your social media. This is referred to as “multi-channel marketing”. Within social media, there are a whole host of different social platforms to utilise, from Facebook and Instagram to TikTok and YouTube. Using as many as possible will create a wider following and form a more diverse audience. Facebook is a key player for advertising your charity - 93% of NGOs worldwide have a Facebook page, with 62% of donors saying Facebook is the most inspiring.
Monitor Analytics
Track the performance of the work you do across each channel and be prepared to adapt based on the results. Tag your URLs for specific campaigns so that you can filter by the campaign in analytics. If the results aren’t what you expected or hoped, experiment with different messaging and tactics to see what resonates best. Otherwise, enlist the help of a digital marketing agency that has been proven to help charities; sometimes, third-party support from experts can be the best route for digital success.
Be Consistent with Brand Values
Maintain a consistent brand voice and messaging across all your advertising efforts, regardless of the platform(s) you’re choosing to use. This helps build brand recognition and trust over time, meaning people are more likely to recognise your charity across different platforms. Think of some of the most well-known charities out there - how do they stay consistent with their branding?
Celebrate Milestones
People love a success story. Use your advertising to create content that celebrates milestones and achievements, such as the total amount of villages your charity supported in 2023. This can help inspire donors and volunteers to continue supporting your charity’s mission for years to come. The kind people who donate will want to be a part of the next milestone you achieve, so never be afraid to shout about this!
How Does Beyond Your Brand Support Charities?
At Beyond Your Brand, our charity-based services are designed to help charities hit their goals, through search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising including Google Ad Grant management. We’re a Google Partner specialising in delivering digital marketing for charities, guiding you step-by-step to raise awareness, engage supporters and drive donations. The main ways in which we work with charities are via the following channels:
- Online fundraising campaigns
- Email marketing
- Google Ad Grant management
- Paid advertising (PPC)
- Website design
- SEO
- Content marketing
Recently, we helped a Ugandan kids club charity with their Google Ad Grant management. The charity, which supports young Ugandan children by providing for their immediate needs and strengthening their futures, was looking to broaden their engagement through online advertising, aiming to raise more awareness about the work they’re doing and connect with like-minded people. The statistics below represent how our work has helped the charity through ongoing optimisation over the last 6 months - as you can see, conversions have increased by a staggering 680%!
Together, We Can Help Your Charity Connect with Your Desired Audience
If your charity is struggling to make the most out of your online campaigns, we’re here to help get you back on track and get you reaching your target audiences. Get in touch today to discuss how we can help your charity reach its digital goals!
