Hundreds of Facebook likes per post. Tens of thousands of Twitter followers. A blog publication schedule that rivals media outlets. Not only has The Nature Conservancy invested in content marketing, it’s following and creating best practices.
Many nonprofits, like TNC, do amazing work that the for-profit businesses can use as a communications blueprint. And given the primary B2B content goals are to drive Web traffic and improve sales lead quality, should that come as a surprise? Nonprofits undoubtedly want the same things.
Some challenges are universal
Considering that content and social media help brands win attention and drive revenue, it makes sense that these goals transcend brands and industries. Content, though, has proven particularly difficult to master.
Only 24% of nonprofits believe their messaging connects with target audiences. Only slightly better, 38% of B2Bs consider their content marketing effective. Similarly, only a quarter of nonprofits have a documented content strategy, 10 percentage points lower than the number for B2Bs.
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The for-profits in these examples have a leg up, but both could stand improvement.
As an example, let’s take a look at The Nature Conservancy and analyze the motivation behind its strategies.
Why TNC? The organization has saved 120 million acres and thousands of miles of river across 35 countries. The results date back to their inception 60 years ago, but have been buoyed by their relatively recent content and social strategies. They produce content across platforms, mixing multimedia and feeding content geared to scientists and everyday environmentalists. TNC’s efforts aren’t just applicable to environmentally focused marketing and PR. Its best practices will drive results in any industry from manufacturing to professional services and anything in between.
Developing a strategy
The old saying “Failing to plan is planning to fail” holds true in communications. But as discussed above, planning and developing a content strategy is a bugaboo for a significant number of brands.
“Having a promotions plan is key,” said TNC Digital Marketing Strategist Katherine Sather. “Set benchmarks and lean on analytics to inform future strategies. It’s easy to skip this step if you’re short on time and resources, but it’s so valuable.”
Having an overarching plan is a step in the right direction, but to really drive results you need to identify the strengths and limitations of each platform you use and tailor your plans and goals to them.
“We set goals for each platform based upon what growth we saw last year on those platforms and where we see the platform growing next year,” said TNC Social Media Marketing Manager Trevor Martin.
One goal, multiple messages
No one will ever say outright that you shouldn’t save the whales or coral reefs. However, people have different agendas for supporting certain causes, just as they have different reasons for wanting a product.
To nurture target audiences to conversion, communicators need the right social and blog content. TNC uses a wide variety of contributors and content aimed at its audiences. They develop monthly content themes and tackle issues related to those themes from a scientific standpoint and through emotional appeals.
“TNC’s content shows balance by conveying personality through nature, while showing situational gravitas on trending topics or discussing environmental topics through a scientific lens,” Martin said.
Taking different angles on topics helps TNC reach different audiences while nurturing them to the same end goal: to learn more, donate or volunteer. This same tactic also drives customers toward conversions.
It’s not just angles that matter — it’s also platforms. TNC has an impressive multimedia library across its owned platforms that entertain, educate and discuss trends and industry news.
These days the best way to reach audiences often is multimedia, but the how and where ultimately depend on the audience. Even the most engaging content might not resonate with your audience if it’s not on their preferred platform. Don’t assume that they’ll come to you, make sure you bring your content to where your audience is already. Content competition means that if you don’t provide what they want, they’ll find it elsewhere.
Having a content strategy that covers narrow and broad topics helps TNC reach different audiences and set them on a more customized engagement path.
The more content connects with target audiences on an individual level, as TNC’s often does, the better it will perform. The content has to go deeper than focusing just on the cause; it needs to match the mission of the organization it represents. In TNC’s case, its mission is “protecting nature, for people today and future generations.”
As VanguardDirect noted, “A strong mission can unite your team, instill loyalty, and engender endless advocacy.” Why not try to convey that through content?
Broadening audiences
The average TNC member is 67.5 years old. TNC wants to appeal to a younger audience. The target? Millennials.
TNC understands that pushing out the same content on typically younger platforms like Snapchat or Instagram won’t engage younger targets. It needs to customize content, right down to the language it uses.
For example, TNC Digital Editorial Manager Megan Sheehan said they have found that millennials don’t like terms like “our earth” or “our planet” because it makes them feel separate from the world they live. This influences how they construct the content they produce, but understanding the millennial viewpoint gives insights into how they will search for environmental information on search engines, potentially vaulting TNC near the top of results.
It’s critical to monitor performance after deploying insights. Communicators always have room for improvement.
“The launch isn’t the success,” Sheehan said. “You need to be a parent to your content, not a babysitter. You have to want it to grow and thrive.”
Yes, nonprofits call successful conversions “donations” or “volunteers” while for-profits use “sales,” “customers” or “subscribers,” but when it comes to communications many of the differences end there.
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Mark Thabit is CMO of Cision.
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