Nic Abraham | Marketing Director
As technology evolves, so must we, and this means reaching people where they are (i.e. their laptops and smartphones). But all digital marketing tools are not created equal.
For the past ten years, Facebook has been an easy, affordable way for small organizations to boost their presence online. But in light of recent efforts to hold Facebook accountable for the harm caused by hate speech and misinformation, it’s helpful to know that social media isn’t your only option. #StopHateforProfit
The use of SEO and Google Ad Grants is also a cost-effective way to get your message in front of more people — and, more specifically, in front of the right people. One of our clients has done a great job with this, and their progress deserves recognition.
For the past few years, Good Cause Creative has helped Cleveland Transformation Alliance (CTA), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting school choice and high-quality public schools, grow their online presence with SEO and keywords. By tracking the organization’s Website traffic through Google Analytics, we’ve provided regular reports and suggestions on what is and isn’t working. This includes top pages, traffic sources, and some demographic information, among other things.
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The top pages let an organization know where people are going on a website, and we can also benefit from knowing how many pages people visit and how long they stay on the site.
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The homepage is usually the top hit, especially if it’s frequently linked from other places, thanks to organic searches.
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Traffic sources give insight about where people are coming from to reach your site (direct links, social media, organic searches, website referrals, and more).
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Demographics include age and gender which can help shape content and strategy.
To put it in perspective, CTA’s 2019 users increased by 23.94% over 2018, and new users by 24.97%. Women represent over 65% of their visitors, and most users find the website through organic search. What’s more, we know that the organization’s top page (outside of the homepage) nearly doubled in traffic for 2019 compared to the year prior.
These efforts help CTA get recognized in search engines and increase web traffic. One thing to remember is Content is King — the more consistently you publish fresh, quality content, the better.
Another complement to CTA’s digital marketing plan includes the use of Google Ad Grants. With this, qualifying organizations are eligible to receive up to $10,000 in in-kind advertising each month. Earlier this year, CTA started this process to increase website traffic and, more importantly, help Cleveland families find the “right fit” school for their children.
Similar to Facebook ad setup, these campaigns must have a focus. Ads can be designed for sales, leads, website traffic, product and brand consideration, brand awareness and reach, or app promotion. Once complete and approved, these ads will appear in Google searches above the regular results. Those keywords used in SEO are also suitable for Google Ad Grants.
Additionally, a clear goal and message are necessary. If your ad pops up when a customer searches a keyword that matches your organization’s keyword, it needs to be clickable. The chosen headline, description, and links need to be informational yet concise. They should include products, services, and resources. Everything a potential customer/client would need.
CTA is just six months into using these grants and has tracked hundreds of new visitors. And we are just getting started.
Good Cause Creative started our business providing communication support to nonprofits. It has always been our mission to empower people and organizations that make the world a better place. We do this by connecting nonprofit organizations with skilled independent contractors who can fill the talent gap and help our clients reach their most ambitious goals. Click here to schedule a call to learn more.
