Marketing musts for not-for-profits

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A huge thank you to Split Spaces for having us Launchpad Studios to record this episode – such a treat, you should def check it out.

Marketing musts for not-for profits
In this ep, we’re joined by the lovely Nicolette from The Neighbourhood Hub (TNH) as we tackle marketing for not-for-profit organisations and the challenges they encounter. They’re proof that when your budget, time and resources are limited, social media can be a massive pot of gold – if used correctly.

Who is The Neighbourhood Hub?
They’re a not-for-profit organisation who provide our local Mackay region community with support in the following areas:

• Family support

• Emergency relief

• Financial wellbeing

• Migrant settlement

• Parental support

Their social media mix
The team at TNH have been focused on using Facebook as their primary channel, and Instagram as a secondary. Nicolette says their goal was to do what was manageable, and once they felt comfortable that they were doing it well, they introduced Instagram too. We obviously love this approach – doing what works for you in a sustainable way so you can be super consistent and, therefore, super profesh. Seriously, gold stars all round!

 The pros and cons of social media marketing
Pro: With budget and time constraints, social media has made it so easy for organisations like TNH to create awareness and speak directly to their target audience. Not only is it cost-effective but, with a little practice, this can be a big time-saver too.
Con: Marketing is only a very small part of what they do, and sometimes it can feel confronting not always knowing the “right way” to do it.  
Their solution: Consulting a marketing professional and taking on feedback from the community and their audience. They also host quarterly team meetings to have a closer look at their insights and analytics. By paying attention to reoccurring trends and patterns, TNH easily saw what works for them and what doesn’t. Honestly, we’re so proud of them - it’s like we wrote this answer ourselves.

The lessons they’ve learned

1. Trial and error
The only way to see if something is effective, is to try it out and see how your audience reacts. If something works well, tailor content to give your audience more of what they want to see.

2. Utilise the entire event
Instead of just focusing all marketing efforts on the lead up to the event, make sure to get the most out of your event with during and post-event marketing also. You’re putting in all that time and effort – show people how well the event goes, and create a little FOMO for next time.

3. Use your audience to deliver your message
It’s no secret that one of the most powerful forms of marketing is word of mouth, and when your audience becomes a conduit for what you do, you know it’s a job well done. TNH have found a lot of success in people referring others to their organisation, especially in community groups, making it clear that people trust them and are aware of the work they do.

4. Keep it simple
Sometimes marketing is as simple as getting to know your audience – and then running with it. This means learning which hashtags or emojis work best and the types of content your audience responds to, and utilising different platforms for different audiences. For example, TNH use their Instagram as more of a fun, behind the scenes look into the organisation, as opposed to educating their audience on their services etc – like they do on Facebook.

5. Create a content bank
There is not a stock photo in the world that could compare to taking your own photos. For TNH, it required initial effort to remember to take their own photos. Before they knew it, they started creating a good habit of taking photos and collecting content and sharing this in a group chat for everyone to access. We’re now trying to get them to save all of those images into a proper folder as a content bank but, you know, baby steps.

The end goal
While social media has played a significant role in their marketing, it was never the end goal. Their goal is to continue building awareness and ultimately, keep doing the amazing work they do to strengthen our local communities.