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Strategy

Nonprofits Make It Tough for Content Marketers: 25% Don't Even Have a Strategy

Research from the Content Marketing Institute reveals several challenges that content marketers have in the nonprofit sector.

Resources and time are always at a premium in the nonprofit sector, but new research suggests nonprofit marketers face additional hurdles.
Research from the Content Marketing Institute reveals just 26 percent of nonprofit marketers feel their content efforts are effective. Marketers identified three hurdles that keep them from achieving success.

Undefined success

The majority of nonprofit marketers aren’t sure how their organization defines success in content marketing. When asked if they have clarity on what content marketing success looks like, 30 percent of marketers said no and another 39 percent said there were unsure.
Without a clear definition of success for content marketing, how can anyone strive to meet it? Every organization needs to spell out how they plan to measure success. Is it through traffic data? Conversion rates? Frequency of updated content?
Sixty-one percent of the most effective nonprofit marketers have a clear definition of success.

No documented content strategy

Research shows the majority of nonprofits have a content marketing strategy, but few have one that’s on paper. Some organizations have a “verbal strategy” that is communicated to people on an as-needed basis.
A documented, tangible strategy that outlines the organization’s mission and covers the dos and don’ts of content creation does have an impact on the overall effectiveness of content marketing. Research suggests 42 percent of nonprofits with a documented strategy consider their content effective.

Lack of communication

Nonprofit marketers say carving out time to talk about content on a regular basis is tricky.
Research suggests the most effective nonprofit marketers are meeting daily or weekly to discuss content marketing. Discussions focus on what’s working, identifying challenges and making adjustments as needed. These meetings ensure that everyone creating content is on the same page.
While nonprofit marketers are strapped for time, it’s important to arrange scheduled meetings to discuss content to ensure long term success.
Only by identifying the most common problems that nonprofit marketers face can changes be made to solidify success.

The Numbers

Percentage of nonprofit marketers that clearly define content marketing success
Yes: 30%
No: 30%
Unsure: 39%
61% of the most effective marketers have a clear definition of success.
Percentage of nonprofit marketers with a content marketing strategy
Yes, but not documented: 34%
Yes, and it’s documented: 25%
No: 25%
Unsure: 16%
42% of nonprofit marketers with a documented strategy consider their content effective.
How often nonprofit marketers meet to discuss content
Daily: 2%
Weekly: 30%
Biweekly: 13%
Quarterly: 6%
When necessary: 20
Other: 10%
50% of the most effective nonprofit marketers meet daily or weekly.

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