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8 P's of Strategic Social Marketing for your Non-profit

Guest post by: michelle crossley

Article Overview: Marketing for your non-profit is not just about raising funds. The larger goal of marketing is to create a sound image for your non-profit, deliver the right message about the causes it espouses, and a meaningful difference. Strategic Social Marketing your non-profit is, therefore, based on the same principles of marketing as any other business organization, but also something more.

8 P's of Strategic Social Marketing for your Non-profit

Marketing for your non-profit is not just about raising funds. The larger goal of marketing is to create a sound image for your non-profit, deliver the right message about the causes it espouses, and a meaningful difference. Strategic Social Marketing your non-profit is, therefore, based on the same principles of marketing as any other business organization, but also something more. The first 4 P’s of social marketing are the same as the marketing mix of any other business organization: Product For your non-profit, your product is the cause or the mission that you are supporting. Therefore, it is most important that the mission of your non-profit should be of acute current relevance, and there must be an inherent need in the society for an organization like yours to pursue and fulfill that mission. Price The price in the case of a non-profit will refer to the magnitude of effort and cost that it will take to achieve the goals and mission of the organization. The aim must be to achieve maximum results at the minimum of cost. Therefore, operational efficiency of the non-profit must be very high in order to deliver optimized results with low overheads. Place If people wish to support and join hands with your non-profit’s cause or mission, they should know how and where to do it. Therefore, easy accessibility of your organization to the potential supporters, and convenient facilitation for their donations or other material support should be in place. Online presence of your non-profit also plays a vital role in fulfilling this goal. Promotion To promote your non-profit, you need to devise and evolve innovative marketing strategies. Instead of opting for paid advertising like a business organization, the non-profit must rely more on social marketing options. Online SEO marketing, conducting events and programs, media management, collaborative cause-related marketing, and other forms of non-paid publicity and promotion are key to the success of your non-profit. The following are the 4 additional P’s of a social marketing mix: People People within the non-profit organization, people who provide outside support to the non-profit, and associates and donors of the non-profit are all key to success of your non-profit. Mobilizing their support, coordinating and communicating with them properly is a crucial part of the marketing strategy of the non-profit. Partnerships Strategic partnerships, tie-ups, and associations with other organizations and individuals can help the non-profit reach its larger objectives. It could be partnership with professionals, business houses, government agencies, or other social outfits that can be strategically useful for the non-profit’s goals and mission. Policy Changes Favorable government policies can be critical to achieving the goals of your non-profit in many cases. Therefore, pushing for necessary policy changes may become an integral part of your non-profit’s marketing campaigns. Paid Marketing Creating dedicated funds to support your non-profit’s marketing activities is an important part of your organizational goals. The non-profit cannot solely rely on unpaid publicity and promotion. Sometimes it becomes necessary to raise funds and promote a cause through innovative paid sources of publicity that may cost a bit of money, but create a high impact towards the non-profit’s goals and mission.

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Article Tags: Marketing for your Nonprofit



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