Content marketing has been instrumental in enhancing customer engagement, increasing website traffic and driving sales for businesses. Now, not-for-profit organizations are also reaching out to their target audience through relevant, branded content. A new study conducted by the Content Marketing Institute and Blackbaud, a company providing software and services to non-profits, points to the increasing use of content marketing among non-profit professionals in North America.
The findings of the study reveal that 92 per cent of professionals working in non-profit organizations have relied on content marketing campaigns for their public outreach efforts. As evidence of the effectiveness of this form of marketing, 65 per cent of non-profit professionals are producing more content than they were a year ago.
Not surprisingly, Facebook is the top content distribution channel, with 91 per cent of non-profits using the popular social media site to get in touch with their audience. Many also admit that eNewsletters and in-person events have worked effectively in attracting the attention of clients and supported their marketing goals significantly. Blackbaud’s digital marketing director Frank Barry says non-profits who haven’t yet leveraged content marketing can use the study as a reference point to try out tactics that have worked for their peers.
The study also shows the extent to which content marketing has become an important constituent of a non-profit’s overall marketing and outreach efforts. 69 per cent of non-profit organizations have a dedicated professional or a team overseeing content marketing. However, just 25 per cent have a documented content strategy. 45 per cent of non-profit professionals admit to lacking the knowledge or training about content marketing, while the number drops to 26 per cent for non-profit marketers. Also, only 26 per cent seem confident in their content marketing abilities, while the rest feel they need to step up their game in creating and distributing rich content in multiple media formats to maximize returns.