Nonprofit digital advertising: why it works

Digital advertising gets a bad rap from some nonprofit folks because it feels a bit commercial (pun intended). We’re sometimes hesitant to “buy” attention, preferring it when relationships emerge more organically.

The desire to be credible and to build trust comes from a wise place. Ads don’t have the same credibility as word-of-mouth or media coverage because audiences know that you paid to communicate with them. You see the ads at the beginning of a movie and think, “Didn’t I already pay for my ticket?”. Ads pop up in your favourite streaming service and you say, “I thought streaming was going to save me from all this!”.

If you’re not in the advertising world, you may see ads as intrusions. But, is that always the case?

Ads you want to see aren’t that annoying. You like learning about a new show or being reminded that your favourite singer is coming to town. It’s helpful to hear about that 15% discount on pet toys. You definitely wanted to know about the deadline for a public consultation or a hearing about an important new law. When you are the right audience for an ad, ads make you feel seen and engaged.

Advertising exists because it works. People pay for advertising because their ads bring in new customers or public participants, re-engage old contacts, and ensure people remember their products and services and issues.

If you need to engage a group of people to help achieve an important goal, then advertising may be the cheapest, fastest, most effective place to get their attention. This is especially true when it comes to digital advertising.

Digital advertising is the most popular

Of all the types of advertising out there, digital (aka, online ) advertising is by far the most popular. In 2022, advertisers spent about $616-billion was spent on digital advertising in the US — roughly 80% of all ad dollars.

Online advertising is popular because people can see your message and act immediately: click on the ad and go to your store, make a donation, or sign-up to your mailing list. Digital advertising is flexible, in that it can be text, video, images, audio, or logo placements, and it can be used to achieve a wide variety of goals.

Online ads are also safer investments than print or television ads — their content and targeting can be updated often. A TV spot might be planned for a year and run for several years afterwards, but online ads can be created and published in a matter of minutes. Even after an ad campaign starts running, advertisers can adjust their audience targeting and messages in real-time.

Online ads are much cheaper to create and even cheaper to run. One online ad can cost a few dollars to run, compared to print and television ads in major media that can easily cost over $100,000.

Should your nonprofit use digital advertising? 4 reasons to try it

There’s a lesson here for nonprofits: if you need to reach new supporters or clients, bring people back to your community, or promote engagement, advertising is a powerful tool.

Online advertising is the cheapest, easiest way to get started.

You should consider advertising online if these four conditions describe your organization’s needs:

1. There is a specific action you want people to take.
   
   Ads work best when you can communicate exactly what you someone to do in a short statement, graphic, or video.
   
2. That action can be taken online.
   
   Online ads work well when you want people to do something online: donate, register, buy something, subscribe, etc. They can take action as soon as they see your message, with no friction.
   
3. You are trying to reach a group of people.
   
   If you only need to reach one person, it’s much easier to pick up the phone or send an email. Advertising is ideal for getting a message out to a group of people who all have the potential to act. You can target ads at people already in your community, or find new audiences with similar interests and values.
   
4. The people you want to reach are spending time online.
   
   The number one rule of outreach is always “Go where the people are”. Online ads reach people who (you guessed it) are online. In the digital world, social media or search engine feeds are virtual highways (places where people travel), and ads are their billboards (messages they see along the way). When they see your sign, they may want to see you.

One other time you should consider online advertising

Even if the above conditions don’t apply to you, you should consider advertising online if you are planning a big campaign or entering a period of organizational growth. In a noisy world, it’s hard to campaign successfully or grow sustainably when people don’t know you and your brand.

If you have a low profile or people don’t know what you stand for, investing in campaigns boosting your profile will help ensure that whatever you do next is more successful. You won’t always see immediate return on investment, but it can make the difference when you launch your campaign.

Where to start advertising online

Very generally, there are three places you can advertise online: search results, on social media, and in display (ads that show up on YouTube banners, newspaper sidebars, etc.).

If you are completely new to advertising, search is the best place to start. Prominent search engines like Google (making up 91.5% of global traffic) may be the right place to billboard your organization.

Search ads offer value

Search ads don’t require any design expertise, don’t need complex goals, and the advertising tools even help you write the copy. They are the easiest kind of ad to create and some of the cheapest to run.

Search ads reach the exact group of people who are looking for you. Search ads are shown to people typing in keywords directly related to your message, reaching only thh people who are most interested in what you have to say.

For example, if you run a food access program and bid on keywords like “Canada food policy” or “food access”, you are guaranteed to reach people in those areas who are interested in your work.

Search is also the best place to start for organizations that don’t have an advertising budget. The Google Ad Grants program provides nonprofit organizations with up to $10,000 per month in free ad credits. All you have to do is register, then set up your ads, targeting areas relevant to you.

The advertising tools may be unfamiliar at first, but acquiring donors, donations, or campaign supporters is well-worth the investment. There are people out there looking for you. Make sure you’re found.