It’s easy to get caught up in opens, clicks, keywords, and other marketing metrics and jargon. However, psychology-based marketing can help you cultivate long-term relationships with current and potential supporters.
The purpose of marketing, especially for nonprofits, is to create a connection with your audience, whether donors, volunteers, board members, strategic partners, or those who benefit from your mission. Different types of connections can touch them in different ways.
It could be a visual connection when they see your video. It could be an emotional connection when stories of impact touch their heart. It could be a logical connection when they understand how exactly their dollars will be spent to make a difference.
When people support a nonprofit, they want it to feel right. They want to be able to relate. They want to feel like they belong. They want to have confidence that their support will have a meaningful impact. Then they’ll take action.
Let’s discuss how to use psychology-based marketing to build awareness and boost fundraising and support for your nonprofit!
Visual Connections
Faces and Eye Contact: Marketing that uses photos with faces is noticed 11 times more than marketing without. Faces that make eye contact with the viewer establish a direct connection, express relatable emotions, create trust, and capture and hold attention, making your nonprofit more memorable.
Color Psychology: Use colors to evoke specific emotions. For example, people tend to associate the following colors and attributes:
- Blue: Trust, stability, and professionalism.
- Red: Urgency, passion, and excitement.
- Green: Growth, health, and balance.
- Yellow: Optimism and energy.
Before you develop fundraising and marketing strategies, make sure the color palette used in your nonprofit’s branding aligns with your tone and goals.
Contrast and Focus: Make key elements stand out from the background with bold colors, larger text, and call-to-action buttons, and even white space. This will guide the viewer’s focus to the most important information and stories and increase response rates!
Logical Connections
Social Proof: Highlight testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content. When people see that others trust, benefit from, and believe in your nonprofit, they’ll view your organization as credible and trustworthy. And they’ll be more likely to engage with your content, register for an event, or donate.
Scarcity and Urgency: When there is limited time to sign up for an event or donate to a campaign, products are in short supply, or there is a fixed number of seats for your webinar, tell your audience! When they see specific phrases like “only three days left” and “five spots remain,” they’ll be more likely to act without delay.
Clear, Specific Call-to-Action (CTA): Instead of using vague language like “click here” or “learn more,” tell people what the action will enable them to do. “Get your free guide,” “take a tour,” and “purchase your VIP ticket” are examples of clear, actionable language that increase conversions!
Emotional Connections
Storytelling: Share relatable, real-world stories that connect with your audience and align with their values, struggles, and aspirations. Stories create empathy, inspire action, and make your nonprofit more memorable.
The Zeigarnik Effect: This refers to the tendency to remember incomplete or interrupted thoughts. For example, using a headline like “the secret to doubling donor engagement” drives people to read because it subconsciously creates a need to learn that secret. They want you to finish the story after the cliffhanger! The Zeiganik Effect can also contribute to fear of missing out (FOMO) – the risk of losing something if they don’t act.
Reciprocity Principle: You give them something, and they’ll be more likely to give you something. For example, if you provide your audience with something of value for free, like a coupon, a 30-day trial, or an e-guide, this builds goodwill with your audience so they’ll fill out your form, donate, or share information about your event.
There’s so much more to effective nonprofit marketing than clicks and likes. Use these psychology-based marketing strategies and tactics to build lasting connections with your audience and make a bigger difference!
