Why your marketing agency should be a not-for-profit expert
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Niche agencies have a deeper knowledge of the industry that they market in, resulting in stronger strategies, stronger communication and ultimately stronger results.
According to advertising strategists, the current marketing and advertising agency model is broken. One of the reasons this is the case is because agencies focus too much on their own needs ahead of their clients’ needs, trying to get ahead in their own industry by winning awards rather than getting to know the industry their client works in.
“A deep understanding of the organisation’s processes, concerns, member or donor behaviours, products and services, and the sector it functions within is crucial to effective marketing,” says Third Sector Services Manager Candice de Chalain, marketing, events, graphic design and publishing company for not-for-profits (NFPs).
Marketing agencies that specialise in particular sectors, such as Third Sector Services, are starting to come into being as a result of traditional agencies’ unfocused marketing knowledge. Niche agencies have a deeper knowledge of the industry that they market in, resulting in stronger strategies, stronger communication and ultimately stronger results.
Here are five ways that NFP organisations can benefit from using an agency with third sector knowledge.
1. Strong results
Research recently conducted by The Fournaise Marketing Group found that 67 per cent of agencies in Australia are creative-driven, and that these types of agencies don’t know enough about the market of client with which they are working. Furthermore, the research highlights that most marketing agencies don’t spend enough time and money investigating their clients’ market, meaning the agency doesn’t know enough about their client’s customers, such as their behaviours and motivations, which can be detrimental to marketing outcomes.
On the other hand, agencies that know the sector that their clients work in are results-driven and are therefore able to deliver stronger results. Intimate knowledge of the intricacies and market of the third sector creates stronger strategies, and therefore more effective marketing and communication.
2. Expertise results in efficiency
Agencies that are already familiar with the third sector don’t have to spend precious time researching, as they already have all the necessary information, and more. The result is efficiency, a higher professional standard of work, effective and informed strategies and, most likely, a cheaper cost for the NFP.
3. Communication that works
Strong knowledge of the sector also means a deep knowledge of a NFP’s target market, such as their behaviours, motivators, needs, influencers and persuaders, which goes a long way in creating an effective communication piece. This is because the communication is steeped in strategy. For example, knowing the sector’s media consumption behaviours means knowing which media to use to reach them.
4. Strong networks
Marketing agencies that specialise in the NFP sector have direct links to people who will be valuable to your marketing initiatives. These networks include influencers and thought leaders in the sector, and can be leveraged in a number of different ways. For example, the networks’ expert knowledge and insights can be tapped into in order to create more persuasive messages.
5. Understanding of how your services fit into the wider market
Knowing the external marketing environment is fundamental for an effective strategy. Understanding how your NFP is placed in the wider market means you know how much work is required to get to your organisation where you want it to be, and when your audience is most likely to be interested in your communication message.
By using a marketing and communication agency such as Third Sector Services, which has strong NFP knowledge and networks, your organisation will have an agency that truly understands your needs and is able to help you reach your goals.
