How To Market Your Mission With Nonprofit Storytelling
4 min to read ✭ Developing a compelling campaign story is a great start but have you considered nonprofit storytelling with video to market your mission?
Top-tier storytelling is by far one of the best ways to market your mission. Developing a compelling campaign story that hits home is a great start but have you considered nonprofit storytelling with video or using ads to further market your mission?
If you haven’t, you’re missing out. But don’t worry, we will show you how to craft a compelling campaign story and market your nonprofit!
Craft A Compelling Campaign Story
A compelling story puts your supporters in your shoes. It should have a concrete and specific message and be able to capture and engage audiences. Our storytelling framework provides a deeper look at how to craft a campaign story but it should include three basic elements:
- Frame the Problem – what are you trying to solve?
- Frame the Solution – how do you intend to solve it?
- Pose a Call to Action – what do you want your audience to do?
The Three T’s of Nonprofit Storytelling
A powerful nonprofit story is one that touches, moves, and inspires people. The best stories hit on the three T’s – they have to be tangible, they have to be transparent, but most of all, they have to motivate people to take action.
1. Tangible
A compelling story is much more than presenting stats and numbers; it’s presenting a problem in a concrete and tangible way so your audience is able to relate.
2. Transparent
Make your story clear and succinct. Being able to articulate your organization’s impact fosters connection and trust.
3. Take Action
Now that you’ve introduced the problem, what do you want people to do? Include a strong call to action that encourages your reader to act.
Start Storytelling With This Marketing Plan
Nonprofit Storytelling With Video
According to a Google survey, 57% of people who watch a video for a nonprofit, go on to make a donation. In today’s day and age, video storytelling isn’t just trendy, it’s a powerful catalyst for action.
An impactful video is one of the most effective fundraising tools at your disposal for rallying support. It’s the kind of video that creates an emotional connection by highlighting a problem and how a person or group has had their lives changed because of you. It’s a short glimpse into their journey and concludes with a clear call to action.
Storytelling With TikTok and Instagram Reels
When it comes to storytelling, TikTok might be one of the best platforms. With over 80 million active users each month (and growing!), TikTok can be used to build brand awareness, fundraise, and connect to audiences across all age groups. Storytelling with TikTok is simple. With the ability to create videos up to 10 minutes in length, you can talk directly into the camera or upload footage from an event. After you’ve filmed your content, add music that complements your narrative and you’re ready to rock.
Another great alternative for storytelling is Instagram Reels. First introduced back in August of 2020, Instagram Reels are short-form videos (15 – 30 seconds long) paired with some type of audio (song, voiceover, etc.). These videos perform best when the content is educational or inspiring, which means it’s perfect for nonprofit storytelling.
Although we tout TikTok and Instagram Reels for marketing your mission, they’re certainly not the end-all-be-all. You can always create videos and upload them to Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media channels where your nonprofit has a presence.
Using Ads to Market Your Mission
To make your nonprofit stand out from the noise, consider using ads that’ll create a lasting impression on your audience.
Video Ads
Video ads are by far the strongest way to connect with your audience. Compared to static content, videos have higher engagement, particularly among Facebook users. Even if the user didn’t intend to watch the video, the auto-play feature starts the video even as the user is scrolling through their newsfeed. This means that if you have a compelling message and can catch someone’s attention within the first few seconds, they’re more likely to watch the entire video and support your mission.
With a well-planned storytelling strategy, you can strengthen brand awareness and spin up successful fundraising campaigns.
Youtube & Display Ads
As the 2nd largest search platform with 2 billion users worldwide, YouTube and Display ads is an extremely worthwhile, low-cost investment with the potential to reach a ton of people.
There are several types of YouTube video ads:
- In-feed Video Ads – video thumbnails that show up on YouTube’s homepage, on search result pages, or as related videos on YouTube watch pages.
- In-stream Ads – ads that play before, during, or after the video. These are available in both skippable and non-skippable formats. With skippable ads, users have the option to skip the ad after 5 seconds. Non-skippable ads are typically 15 seconds or less.
- Bumper Ads – short 6-second, non-skippable ads that play before the start of a video.
Youtube Display Ads on the other hand is advertising that appears to the right sidebar of the video player. They’re great for driving clicks and while they come in multiple sizes and formats, they’re only available on desktops and do not support autoplay sound.
When creating YouTube and Display ads for the purpose of nonprofit storytelling, give the viewer a reason to click to your ad. Make sure they’re eye-catching and include a strong call to action. When done correctly, Youtube and Display ads are great to tug on heartstrings, telling your story, and keep your nonprofit top of mind for viewers.
Microsoft Ads for Social Impact
Another great opportunity to leverage ads for nonprofit storytelling is Microsoft’s Ads for Social Impact. Through this program, eligible nonprofits receive a $3,000 USD monthly grant for digital advertising across sites owned and operated by Microsoft including Bing, Yahoo, Microsoft Edge, and more.
Although the amount might seem small in comparison to the generous $10,000 ad grant offered by Google, Microsoft Ads reach up to 40% of the entire U.S search market, making it a pretty powerful tool to further your nonprofit’s reach.
