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Growing brand awareness and digital fundraising are two of the top digital marketing challenges for non-profit organisations surveyed in a European focused report from Salesforce.org.
Salesforce.org’s Nonprofit Digital Marketer Report examines how non-profits are using digital marketing and the challenges they face. It surveyed more than 100 non-profit leaders across Europe and the Americas, with its European reach covering Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, and the UK.
Main challenges
It found that the top three digital marketing challenges facing non-profits last year were finding the right technology or platform, identified by 48%, building brand awareness (47%), and growing digital fundraising (46%). GDPR, measuring ROI, audience targeting and increasing web traffic were also seen as challenges.
The report shows too that 57% believe that while their digital marketing efforts are okay, there is still work to be done, yet 40% also do not have a dedicated person responsible for digital marketing.
The majority of non-profits are using digital to raise awareness of their brand or cause, with 75% using it for this, while 59% also use it to engage with their community, and 57% to fundraise. Almost half (47%) use it to showcase impact.
Social media usage
Most are taking advantage of social media with 91% saying they use it and 61% saying it is their most valuable digital channel, followed by email (56%) and video (21%). Within social, Facebook and Twitter lead the way, used by 91% and 79% respectively, followed by LinkedIn (56%) and YouTube (54%). 51% of non-profits currently use Instagram, which is the fastest growing social media channel.
Low use of paid search
However, only 40% of non-profits are using paid search as part of their digital marketing mix, while only 17% said that it added any value to their mission. The report recommends that non-profit organisations make greater use of paid search and the Google Ads Grant, which it says can provide up to $10,000 a month in free online advertising.
Among its other recommendations, the report also includes advice on how to get more out of social media, such as through using different mediums and activating advocates, and how to improve donor engagement, including through greater transparency, personalisation, and more meaningful content.
