Chicago AMA | For Marketing Professionals

Practical Internet Tips for Not-for-profit Marketers

"IT'S A FLUID environment," Bob Yovovich, writer, editor and consultant on the impact of technological change on individuals and organizations, tells marketers from not-for- profit organizations. "Don't get hung up on the idea that you have to do everything perfectly right from the beginning." A not-for-profit's Web site can be simple and still be effective, he explains, and a phased approach -- beginning modestly and gradually deepening and broadening the scope -- may work best. After all, he says, "Everyone is learning about this."

According to Yovovich, author of New Marketing Imperatives: Innovative Strategies for Today's Market Challenges, marketers can begin by visiting other Web sites and thinking about ways to put the medium to work for their organizations.

In building the Web site, "Try to put yourself in the position of a person who would visit your site. People need to know what's on the site and how to get to it. Think about why they would come to the site."

Site layout should be consistent throughout with a link back to home on every page, he says. "Remember: people may not enter through the front door; so be sure to have buttons that will steer them there." And a news feature that gets updated regularly will keep them coming back.

How should not-for-profit marketers address the build-buy decision? "Consider the goals of your Web effort and your organization's resources."

Tim Mills-Groninger, Associate Executive Director and Research Manager of Illinois Technology Resource Center (a resource for NFPs on computer and telecommunications technology), emphasizes that the Internet is a natural for nonprofits because "Information is the most important renewable resource in the not-for-profit world," and marketers can "do a lot to establish the organization as an authority in a particular area."

Web site content, he says, should match the organization's overall communication strategy. "And providing links to related pages increases the value of your site."

Where should not-for-profit marketers start? Says Mills-Groninger, "Look at your needs. Look at your barriers. Find help."

Steve Yahn, President and CEO of Media Web, a Web development and marketing service company, and former Editor of Advertising Age and Founding Editor of Crain's Chicago Business, advises, "Whoever builds your Web site must have a penetrating grasp of how your organization works and what it is dedicated to accomplish -- now and three years from now...which of course means that you must be able to clearly state those organizational goals and objectives."

Other key Yahn Rules of Web Site Building Order:

Fully integrate the Web site with the rest of your organization's marketing plan
Answer the overriding question "What do you want out of this Web site?"
Give visitors (and their colleagues) value and good reason to visit and revisit your site
Give freely of such things as proprietary survey/study results, pamphlets, position papers or books of use. (Later on, there may be opportunities to sell these things.)
Blend brevity, enticing cleverness and compelling in writing your Web content. Study Web writing which attracts you, then put your personality and attitude behind your own Web writing
Look for ways to make your Web site as interactive as possible. Use the technology to create a lasting bond between the site and its patrons.
You don't have to pay for showy graphics. But the site must look great and represent your organization's the style and philosophy.
Designate a Web site director to manage the process, from electronic blueprint through additions, deletions and renovations.
"You must have someone riding herd," he says, "because seamlessly integrating the Web into your overall marketing plan is your highest priority."

These remarks were shared during a recent Chicago AMA workshop on Internet Marketing for Not-for-profits.

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