Let’s set the stage. You’re a nonprofit marketing professional. It is your responsibility to manage the website, the blog, the digital ads, the print ads, and the emails. You need to learn some HTML & CSS, all about SEO, whatever Google Ads are doing now, and a million other things. And you crush it, because that is what we do in the nonprofit world.
But then as you are exploring Google Analytics, you look at the conversion rate of your landing pages. You are paying money to have people click on the link that sends them to your page, and they’re just… disappearing. Now you have another thing to learn?
I could pontificate about how nonprofit marketing is half science, half art – but I know you’re busy. Let’s just dive right into the guide for an awesome landing page for nonprofits.
THE DESIGN
Keep it simple.
One of the biggest mistakes people make in creating their landing page is overcomplicating it. They shove in their mission statement, the history, every program they offer, the community need, their impact, testimonials, and a dozen other sections. They want anyone who lands on their landing page to know the ins and outs of their food bank or nonprofit.
Instead, focus. What is the ad or content that brought them here in the first place all about? If it is to solicit donations, it would be helpful for them to learn about the community need and the impact of their dollar. If it is to raise awareness for the cause, share some statistics and your nonprofit’s mission to address them.
Inundating them with information won’t turn them into bigger believers. Offer them exactly what enticed them to click your ad. If they want more, a good website will make it easy for them to navigate to additional information.
Incorporate compelling visuals.
A picture is worth a thousand words. I know, I know – so cliche. But given that you want your landing page to tell a compelling story and you should under no circumstances be writing thousands of words, images work best. Use your most powerful, most impactful, most tug-at-the-heart-strings picture or video as your hero image, and let it speak. Add an urgent CTA, but don’t layer it with too much copy. The simplicity will make it more impactful.
As they scroll down the page, keep up that momentum. A grainy, low quality image or one that doesn’t vibe with the rest of the page will disrupt the impact you are trying to make.
Last cliche, I promise. Take a picture. It lasts longer. Avoid that schoolyard tone, but aim for that lasting impression. Even if they don’t take action on your page the first time, the right image will stick with them.
Make your CTAs count.
Everything about the landing page for nonprofits should drive people to some sort of action – donating, learning more, signing up for a newsletter, etc. That is why you have to take your CTAs very seriously.
THE COPY
Know the power of a headline.
People skim content. I bet there is a good chance you are skimming this blog post right now. While every word on a food bank landing page is important, the headlines can make or break it. Grab their attention and keep them interested.
Demonstrate the impact:
Your partnership creates a more just world.
Create a sense of urgency:
The world's- plants
- oceans
- animals
need help now
- plants
- oceans
- animals
Make an appeal:
Change everything for a person impacted by domestic violence.
Create a sense of urgency:
Lack access to clean water.
Help us
change that.
For as much as I shouted about the importance of images, that does not mean you should neglect the words. When they are drawn in by the visuals, you must make sure that the copy doesn’t let them down.
Let them know how their money is spent & the impact.
Ask any potential donor what their hold up is and the answer will likely be about how their money will be used. Since you’re asking people to give you money in exchange for “nothing,” they want to ensure it is going towards the cause.
You might have a profile on a site like Charity Navigator that gives the public an idea of how your budget is allocated. Why not cut out the middleman and slap that data right on your landing page for people to see? Be honest. Be upfront. Let them know what percent of their donation goes directly to the cause. It will pay off.
Then take it a step further and show them the impact of their donation.
$5 a month
Live-saving medicine for a sick child
For $5 a month, you can provide vaccines and other medicine that could save the life of a child.
$10 a month
A week of meals for a food-insecure person
For $10 a month, you can provide a week’s worth of food to someone who is food insecure.
$25 a month
30 Meals to the food pantry
For $25 a month, you can provide 30 complete meals to the community food pantry for those in need.
Share real stories from real people.
Testimonials can boost the conversion rate of any page. Think about mainstream marketing. When a product or service has more positive reviews, it gets more business- more people buy that product, request that service, or visit that restaurant. It is the same in nonprofit marketing. A passionate, honest testimonial from a client who has been positively impacted by your organization is far more influential than you trying to tell people how awesome you are. Let the people who have escaped poverty, survived hunger, beaten cancer, or whoever’s lives have been improved because of your amazing organization, speak for you.
“Food security is the foundation for everything. If you have that, you can think about getting a better job, helping your kids with homework, working on your relationships, etc. The food pantry gave my family a better life.”
Louise SmithMother
THE TECH STUFF
Alright, your landing page looks good. It sounds good. But does it function good well? This will hit you on both sides if not done well – Your audience will get frustrated and leave your site. And Google will rank you lower for not meeting these basic criteria.
Psst, over here. There are ways to check on some of these without investing in every device or using a stopwatch while you load each page. Check out PageSpeed Insights by Google to see how well your load speed is, and use the “Inspect” option when you right-click a page to see how mobile friendly it is.
How can Mittun help?
The landing page for food banks and nonprofits is a big deal. Yeah, we know how to make them look and sound good, and we know how to make them function well. But just as important is ensuring that they are an effective marketing tool for your organization. That is where Mittun really steps up. We do thinks like for food banks and nonprofits across the country:
- A/B testing
- Optimize images
- Google Ads
- Heat map testing
- Thank you pages
- Email responses
And more. We know your website is your biggest, most important marketing tool. We can help you make it more efficient and effective – which makes your whole organization more efficient and effective.