How to Revamp Your Nonprofit's Blog For Better Results

Does your nonprofit organization's blog get less visitors than a remote island in the south pacific? Or maybe your nonprofit is just struggling to write the perfect posts, let alone any posts at all. If your organization's blog has fallen off, it's time to get it back on track. By creating a strategy that you can rely on, blogging will be less overwhelming and easier to maintain.

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A strategy will also reveal what you should (and shouldn't) be writing about and why. This will make your blog feel like it truly has a purpose that will make a difference for your organization. Here are a few questions to help you determine a strategy that will revamp your nonprofit's blog:

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Why are you blogging?

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If your nonprofit organization isn't consistently blogging, there are plenty of beneficial reasons why you should! Each blog post adds one more page to your website so that people are more likely to find it. Blogging also allows you to showcase your volunteers, events, and current events relating to your cause. You could also blog to add keywords to your website that you can't incorporate elsewhere.

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For example, let's say your nonprofit mainly helps teachers, but it also supports students. If you don't explain this on your website, your blog can be a great place to share this. This will help you include more keywords on your website that tell users more about you while also increasing your website's SEO. Whatever your reason may be for blogging, make sure that all the content you decide to produce relates back to this main intention.

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What's the story that started everything?

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Let the story behind your nonprofit's existence fuel your content. This is important because this story affects and reveals your mission, your motivation, and your reason for going to work every day. Your story also affects your organization's culture, its brand, and its values. If your organization's story isn't on your website yet, it better be your next blog post! If you already have it somewhere on your website, consider sharing it in a different and more creative format--such as an interesting video or an easy-to-read interview.

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Either way, you should always consider the story that's at the heart of your organization and make sure this is conveyed in your content. If your content always ties back to who you truly are, you will show commitment and consistency to your readers. This will encourage readers to get onboard with your organization.

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Who are you writing for?

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Once you have a direction as to what you should write about, don't forget to decide who you're writing for. Knowing your blog's purpose will really help you discover this, but you'll need to think about the "big picture." If your blog's purpose is just to drive more traffic to your website, think beyond this.

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Who do you want to find your website and why? Do you want to attract more volunteers, are you trying to get more donations, or do you need event sponsors? Each of these target audiences are very different, so you need to narrow your focus. Once you do, you can learn more about these groups with primary and secondary research or by creating personas. Then you will be able to write content that's more relevant and tailored to the people you want to connect with most.

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How will you get readers to respond?

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Adding a "Donate Now" button to your blog post pages can make it easier and more likely for visitors to donate.

Once your readers read your content, what do you want to happen next? 

Unless you make a point to encourage your readers to take action, they might just leave your site and never come back. This is known as a “call to action,” which is crucial to have if you want your readers to do something for your organization.

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So if you're hoping for a donation, you better have an appealing "Donate Now" button easily noticeable on your blog page! If you're looking for volunteers, consider ending your blogs with "Learn more about volunteer opportunities by signing up for our email alerts!", and include a form fill that allows you to capture leads. Deciding how you want your readers to respond will also help reveal what content you should be writing. Whatever your content topics are, they should encourage your readers to respond in the ways you originally planned for.

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Once you answer these questions, deciding which kind of blog posts to write will be much easier. Your blog strategy will offer you guidance and will ensure that every blog post you write is valuable and successful. So instead of feeling lost and/or writing random blog topics, you can refer to your strategy! If you need help creating a strategy, StringCan Interactive can help! Connect with us today.

Image by Patricia Marques via Flickr CC