Hire a Professional

Since starting 4Z Digital, I've worked with a lot of businesses and nonprofits, and I've picked up on a few things along the way. The biggest one is pretty simple. The organizations that get the most out of their marketing pay people who are good at what they do. A lot of the ones that struggle are trying to save money in the wrong places.

I know money is tight. For nonprofits especially, anything that isn't going straight to the mission can feel hard to justify. But if there's something you want to get better at and you won't put any money toward it, it probably isn't going to get much better.

Content is where I see this the most. Good marketing needs good content, and that means good photography and, more and more, good video. Not for everything. Your weekly reminder post doesn't need a professional photographer. But if you have an annual event you plan to promote again next year, get someone there who knows what they're doing. Whatever you capture this year is what you'll be using to sell next year's event.

I'd also have one person at the event whose whole job is getting content. When the person taking pictures is also handling registration or talking with sponsors, you can see it in what you get back. Usually it's a handful of photos and maybe one shaky video. With someone focused on it, you'll have enough to keep posting for weeks, plus material for your website, newsletter and grant reports.

Then there's who's running your marketing. It often lands on whoever has some free time or seems comfortable on Instagram. Posting is part of it, sure. A marketing professional is also thinking about who you're trying to reach and whether what you're putting out actually gets them to show up, donate or buy. That's a different job than keeping the page active.

This goes past marketing too. Get a good bookkeeper. Get a good assistant if you can, even a virtual one for a few hours a week. I've watched plenty of executive directors and business owners try to do all of it themselves, and something always slips. Usually it's the stuff that would help them grow.

You can start small. Hire a photographer for your biggest event this year. Bring in a bookkeeper a few hours a month. See what changes and add from there. I've seen those small moves pay off for a lot of the organizations I work with, and the ones that stick with it are usually in a much better spot a couple of years later.