In the first blog post on the 2021 Nonprofit Trends last week we talked about the benefits that digitization of the charitable sector can bring. Looking for ways to work more efficiently and embracing new technology designed to simplify and streamline work processes can not only free up more time and reduce costs for nonprofits, but also give them an opportunity to access new audiences and expand their reach.

However, simply adopting innovative software, tools or apps is not enough. It should come with an effective marketing strategy. Digital marketing in particular is now stronger than ever as during the pandemic accompanied by quarantine, more and more people turn to social media and email communication.

It is reported that existing social networks have grown significantly over the last year, and there are even new available platforms or features to explore and use.

Today, we’ll focus on a few popular trends we have observed in the digital marketing space and see how these affect not-for-profit organisations.

Video content is on the rise

This could be seen in both the newer apps that gained popularity (TikTok) or in the existing apps rolling out features that encourage creation of video content (Instagram Reels and IGTV). Facebook and LinkedIn both provide video sharing options from Youtube or Vimeo. Instagram Stories can be duplicated on Facebook feed. Lastly, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn all support Live streaming. The reason for all this is that video content receives the highest level of engagement from the audience as people see it as most informative, authentic and inspiring. Diversifying your content and including video in your marketing, advertising and fundraising strategy will surely guarantee success in 2021.

Short lived content is gaining popularity

While many organisations prefer producing posts that can stay relevant for a long time, disappearing content that is only available to viewers for 24 hours often receives higher attention. Check the stats for your IG Stories and posts: chances are that your Stories get twice the engagement compared to the posts that stay on the grid. The thing is, being more raw and “unfiltered”, disappearing content helps your audience relate better with you or your team and makes them feel connected to your mission and purpose as they see your behind the scenes. Additionally, there are many interesting ways to engage your audience on Stories that include creating polls and quizzes or asking questions, and the donation sticker allows you to raise funds directly from Stories. Since 15-second videos are not very time consuming or challenging to create, they are definitely something to try in the new year! And of course, there’s always an option of making them permanent by adding them to Story Highlights at the top of your IG profile.

Personal communication takes centre stage

We all know that strong relationships with our members and supporters are crucial, and to maintain these relationships we need to keep them well-informed and engaged. With a reliable email service provider it is easy to send personalised emails to make each of your subscribers feel valued, do audience segmentation to send relevant information to the right people on your list, and automate campaigns that take your audience on a well-crafted journey with your organisation. In addition to emails, SMS marketing is now getting stronger as it is considered the fastest way to reach your audience, and with a good strategy behind it it can be a powerful way to communicate. There are effective tools and apps that allow not only sending blast text messages, but also putting together campaigns and opt-in programmes for potential donors.

All of these arising trends are definitely worth exploring if you want to up your marketing game in 2021, when creating high-value content will be essential.

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