Non-profit pages had a very low representation on the internet till a decade back – online marketing and visibility campaigns were very futuristic concepts for this segment. The early non-profit sites were information-centric and mostly gave a sense of monologue – Customer conversation and interactivity was not on the agenda. Conversation is the precursor to sales and with very little ground for CTA (Call-To-Action) spots, the non-profit sites of yesteryears were not suited for marketing.

The new web 2.0 setup
The last decade has witnessed the gradual maturating of the digital marketing tools and the online environment itself. Every web entity today exists in a socially active web – This is also true for the NGOs and at present they are an indispensable component of the online economy. NGOs encompass a diverse segment of organizations and include social change, mutual-interest, public service, cultural integration, global peace and unity and various other types of philanthropic organization.

Any NGO cannot live in a social isolation mode as far as online existence is concerned and this is realized by the NGO decision-makers of the current era – The rules of online engagement have to be adhered by one and all. Like any other corporate, NGOs have an annual marketing target – whether it is fundraising, collaborations, memberships, project procurements or any other service specific goal.

The approach…
In the case of NGOs, a one-dimensional marketing approach or even a mash-up marketing (SEO+PPC+SMO) might not fit the bill. Some of the vital pieces of a NGO marketing campaign are …

• Audience characteristics
• Demographic considerations
• Cultural and Social values
• Geo-political setting.

A non-profit organization operates in a much more complex marketing mix than an ecommerce site. While the presence of an interactive website and a content-rich blog is indispensable for a great marketing platform, an agile and flexible online marketing approach will be the key to a sustained ROI.