The article below shows how search engine marketing, SEO and pay-per-click can be a massive boost to charities. It highlights the importance that you need to be fast off the mark and focused to achieve an increase in donations.
I suppose it stands to reason the faster a charity can put a facility in place to accept donations the easier it is to give to that cause.
We particularly agree with the statement at the end of the article that “digital” or online doesn’t sit in a vacuum but it is the fastest and easiest media to put in place to gain the most empathy from the public.
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International Fundraising Congress hears how SEM played a crucial role in bringing in funds for Haiti
Charities should make greater use of search engine marketing as a fundraising tool because it can generate “awesome” returns, delegates to the International Fundraising Congress have heard.
The method is a way of promoting websites by increasing their visibility to internet search engines, such as Google, using measures such as paid advertising or ‘optimisation’, which makes them appear higher on search lists.
Anita Yuen, global digital fundraising specialist at Unicef, said: “The returns on investment are out of control – they’re awesome.”
She told delegates that search engine marketing played a crucial role in Unicef’s fundraising efforts during the emergency campaign after the earthquake in Haiti.
“Those offices that got pay-for-click ads on search engines up and running within the first 24 hours of the disaster were the ones that raised the most money overall,” she said.
She said that in North America Unicef spent $691,000 (£436,000) on search activities during January 2010, and this generated revenue of $5.3m (£3.3m).
In a separate recent test campaign with virtual gifts, which was run in four countries including the UK, Unicef spent $5,000 (£3,100) on search and this generated revenue of $288,000 (£181,000).
Yuen said that SEM should be used in conjunction with offline events and fundraising methods to maximise returns. She said it should be pushed when events occur that would increase the likelihood of people searching for particular terms.
“Digital doesn’t and can’t sit in a vacuum,” she said.
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Robert is the MD of Tigerfish Interactive, a Cheltenham Web Design and Search Engine Optimisation company working with a wide range of clients, including the charity sector, to improve their online marketing.