At the dawn of the internet, websites were a sign of prosperity for a nonprofit organization. It showed your nonprofit was ahead of the curve, a forward thinker, and was ready for anything. Today, they are a necessary element to any successful organization.
In recent years, analytics have added an all new dimension to the website. Simply having a website is not enough. You have to ensure that more visitors are arriving to your site this month than last. The website must be intuitive to use, be feature rich, and attractive to the viewer. The truth is, websites grow stale very quickly, and it is important to ensure you are offering a web visitor something in return for their page view time. Unless you’re rewriting your home page copy, tagline, and call-to-action on a daily basis your website needs a blog. And fast.
Here are 4 reasons your nonprofit needs a focused content marketing blog sooner rather than later.
1. Website content does not change
So a constituent, donor, or volunteer arrives at your website, clicks through all the pages, then leaves. That’s it.
Because the content on your nonprofit’s website never changes, those visiting your website never feel the need to return. They do not see a reason to return because they are not gleaning anything after their first visit. They’ve seen it, and now they’re ready to move on.
By adding a blog, your nonprofit’s website is constantly changing. Individuals arriving to your site are learning new and pertinent information. And your website is not only relevant again, but it is offering website visitors information and content they did not originally have access to.
2. Few and waning links
So your nonprofit built a website that has all the bells and whistles. It has 5 pages, impeccable copy, and even a few links to social media sites.
Big whoop! You’ve created 5 links, one to each of your main pages, that have the potential to lead web viewers to your nonprofit in the midst of trillions of other links that are on the internet.
Those 5 links will become static and antiquated within the next 24 hours or sooner. Your site will field fewer and fewer web viewers every day because your content never changes. Adding a blog adds new links every day, featuring fresh content and new information that viewers did not have access to previously. More clicks, more views equals more exposure.
3. Websites teach, viewers are not listening
Chances are good you’ve had a discussion where you’ve thought of your nonprofit’s website as a teaching tool. An online beacon where visitors can come to learn about all the great work your nonprofit is doing to solve a problem potentially millions of people are facing every day.
The problem is, once viewers have arrived at your site, learned all there is to know, there is no reason for them to come back. And they won’t.
Starting a blog that’s updated daily offers reader information they never had access to before. All of a sudden you are not only teaching viewers about the importance of your nonprofit’s mission, but you’re also offering the same viewers information they can use, and creating mutually beneficial relationships.
4. Donate or leave
All too often, the only interaction a nonprofit’s website offers a web viewer is the ability to donate. This turn your nonprofit’s website into a donation basket that is either to be added to, or disregarded. Your profit has worked hard to build a reputable and trustworthy brand name. Do not let that name be tarnished by having a website that only allows visitors to give you money.
Adding a blog builds a mutually beneficial relationship with web visitors that would not be possible otherwise.
