5 Tips for Writing Nonprofit Marketing Copy That Works
- Be reader-centered, not writer-centered.
Many brochures, websites, and direct mail I see from
nonprofits is focused on how great their services,
products and organizations are. Hello? Audience, anyone?
Consider your reader thinking, "What's in it for me?"
If you can, talk with some of your current donors,
volunteers, members and clients and ask them 1) why they
chose you, and 2) what they get out of your product, service
or giving.
HINT: To instantly make your copy more reader-focused,
insert the word "you" often.
- Focus on the benefits – not just the features.
The fact that your program, service or giving and volunteer
opportunities offer a lot of neat features is great, but
describing these features is not enough. Focus on benefits –
what the features do for your audience.
Let's say your organization provides health services to
the uninsured and to Medicaid and Medicare patients. Feature/
benefit sets to incorporate into marketing materials might
include:
| Feature: |
Access to healthcare services for everyone. |
| Benefit: |
You'll be healthier, feel better and have more energy.
As a result, you'll miss less time from work and
family responsibilities.
|
| Feature: |
Appointment times guaranteed within 15 minutes. |
| Benefit: |
You have to take off less time from work and can
accurately predict when you'll return.
|
| Feature: |
Medical staff is skilled in environmental health
problems in the local community. |
| Benefit: |
Peace of mind. You can rely on the medical team's
skill in diagnosing and treating health issues that
are unique to your community. |
- Draw audiences in with a whammo headline.
The first line your reader sees means the difference
between success and failure. Today's promotions are
typically clever headlines that play on words. They're
cute, but most of them aren't effective. There are many
ways to get attention with a headline, but it's safest to
appeal to your reader's interests and concerns. And again,
remember to make it reader centered. That's what counts.
Blah: "Nonprofit Leadership Center Offers Unique New
Accounting Training Program."
Better: "Turn Your Nonprofit's Finances Around in 60 Days!"
- Use engaging subheads.
Like mini-headlines, subheads help readers quickly understand
your main points by making copy "skimmable." Read through
your copy for your main promotional points, then summarize
those ideas as subheads. To make your subheads engaging,
it's important to include action or sales elements.
Bad: "Our Organization's Success Stories."
Better: "Meet Three Clients Who Won Their Legal Battles
With Our Help."
- Be conversational.
Write to your audiences like you talk to them. Don't be
afraid of using conversational phrases such as "So what's
next?" or "Here's how you can join today." Avoid formality
and use short, simple words. Why? Even if you think your
copy can't be misunderstood, a few people won't get it or
take the time to decipher it.
About the Author
Nancy E. Schwartz helps nonprofits succeed through effective marketing and communications. As President of Nancy Schwartz & Company (www.nancyschwartz.com), Nancy and her team provide marketing planning and implementation services to organizations as varied as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Center for Asian American Media, and Wake County (NC) Health Services.
Subscribe to her free e-newsletter "Getting Attention", (http://www.nancyschwartz.com/getting_attention.html) and read her blog at http://www.gettingattention.org for more insights, ideas and great tips on attracting the attention your organization deserves.
NOTE: You're welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the copyright and "about the author" info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint.
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Revised April 12, 2008
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