How to Create Engaging Content for Your Nonprofit
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a thousand words need to be engaging and provide valuable content to readers in order to gain a following. Whether you’re a nonprofit or a for-profit business, many often have trouble with creating content. Conveying your ideas into print can be exhausting and time-consuming, but it is necessary for surviving in a competitive world and for building relationships with your audience.
Here are 5 tips for creating more engaging content for your nonprofit (or for anyone who could use a few more pointers):
Be Human. For nonprofit organizations especially, there needs to be emotion in the content you build. You’re trying to build trust with your audience, promote change, and attract donors. It is key to be human and connect with your audience on an emotional level. If you can create content that goes straight from the eyes to the heart, you’re going to begin engaging your audience immediately. Think of those commercials that always fill your eyes with moisture (whether they be sad or happy tears). Those organizations have made effective content.
Tell a Story. Part of succeeding at building relationships and engaging your audience right to the end is your storytelling abilities. Is the content you build more sales-oriented or are you creating intrigue and curiosity with the right format, syntax, and color to get those minds swimming?
Give Something of Value. If your nonprofit’s content isn’t providing something of value to your audience, then they’re not going to engage. It’s simple science. You need to do your research, find out what it is your audience wants to read, and answer the tough questions. If you can’t figure out if your content is valuable, ask yourself if it provides something educational, inspirational, or informative, or better yet ask friends to give you honest feedback.
Share More than Once. So many organizations and businesses around the world create amazing content, share it once, and then consider it a failure if it didn’t get the engagement they were expecting. So, they move on and write something else and it ends up happening again. There needs to be consistency. Build your content, share it on Facebook one week, Instagram a few days later, and then again on Facebook a couple of weeks after that. Social media is finicky. You can have hundreds of thousands of followers and yet only have it reach 1,000 people. Perhaps some were too busy to view on Monday but the reminder you send a month later comes at a more convenient time.
Trial and Error. Perhaps your audience is far more engaging on Saturdays, more available on Instagram, or prefers video over written blogs. Keep trying different scenarios using various A/B Testing techniques or by hiring an outsourced professional who is experienced in finding the best way to reach your target audience.
Looking to learn more about creating more engaging and share-worthy content? Reach out to a member of our team today at info@nmblstrategies.com and find out if an outsourced CMO is right for your nonprofit.
