Inbound Marketing Insights

Question:  What marketing techniques do you use when marketing your non-profit? 

Answer: We use social media platforms, online content, testimonials, and every level of traditional media including print advertising, television, and Public Service Announcement (PSA) advertising. When other people speak highly of your organization, especially those with local Tucson community influence, this builds people’s confidence in supporting you instead of another organization. In addition, we use online efforts such as e-mail marketing and content promotion to help raise funds and overall brand and organization awareness.

Question:  How crucial is marketing to you and your team in order for your non-profit to be successful?

Answer: Marketing and exposure are very important for a non-profit.  It provides familiarity to your audience and confidence for people and organizations to donate and support your cause. Marketing is everything to a non-profit, just as it is to a for-profit. For us as a non-profit, potential donors and volunteers want to see who is in charge. They want to feel confident that they are going to follow through and that the non-profit will give them the best results for their donation. The network I have created spans over 20 years of traveling and hard work. When you help people with no expectation of getting anything in return, they tend to remember you. In addition, we also use video and other online tools to help us reach places and raise awareness about our organization around the globe that would otherwise be more difficult to do.

Question:  How has your marketing strategy changed since starting your non-profit? Do you find yourself marketing more online than you had in the past? 

Answer: I have learned a tremendous amount about marketing for non-profits. When you start your business or non-profit, you have to work on building relationships. Now that we are established as a non-profit emergency response group, the media comes to us for events with local connections. We have a good relationship with the media, and an open-door policy for them to connect with us when there is a crisis or tragedy that needs our assistance. It helps get the word out and they can get some great stories to help in the recovery.  

I think you also have to evaluate your prime audience, or buyer personas, to understand what marketing strategy you need to consider to most effectively attract them to your non-profit, and keep them in the information cycle of your business. We have used online marketing campaigns to attract donors and raise awareness on our website.  We have done this through email marketing, landing pages, and donation pages for people to have an easy way to give back.

Question:  With so many non-profits having an online presence and seeking donations, what does the future look like for online marketing in this sector? 

Lisa Hopper: I feel very confident about online giving, especially with the younger generation. You will see more hybrid business models emerge. With this also comes a challenge in strategy to capture the donors’ support because competition for that donor will become more intense. So I believe hybrid marketing delivery is going to incorporate traditional and new-age techniques such as inbound marketing.

One of the biggest hurdles is going to be how to get people engaged and to act. There is a big difference between PR and Call to Action marketing. For us, PR is making people aware of your organization and building a reputation. Call to Action is that you want your audience to respond to something like a collection for a disaster or fundraising event etc. Call to action marketing is very similar to inbound marketing because it is providing the information necessary for individuals to take action and donate or volunteer, etc., and become part of the organization in their own way.

Question:  What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs today?

Answer: I have a lot of advice for young women however, confidence breeds success.  Be the best you can be and know that life is a journey filled with an immense amount of opportunities and experiences waiting for you to explore.

Professor Hopper’s organization has grown tremendously since she started it in her garage almost 20 years ago. As her marketing efforts have shifted throughout this time, she and her team have utilized online marketing in order to raise awareness and funds. In order to attract visitors with inbound marketing, they continue to provide content that is meaningful to those prospects. Lisa has done just that by showing potential donors and volunteers what her efforts mean, and what the tangible outcomes of her World Care’s work have been.