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AdWords for Non-Profits 2018:
What You Need to Know Part II

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Today’s blog post is written by Skye Hughes, Client Administrator, PatronManager. 

In part one of this blog post, we discussed the recent changes Google made to its Non-profit AdWords Ad Grant program, why it made them, and what the implications are for your organization. In this post, we’ll dive into the nitty-gritty of the new requirements and what you’ll need to do in order to meet them. Let’s jump right in:

  • The $2 bid cap has been eliminated (this is good news!) Non-profit grant recipients used to be limited to bidding a maximum of $2 per keyword. Although the auction system takes into account quality of the keywords and ads as well as the dollar amount bid, this cap was a significant barrier to winning placement of ads. With the cap eliminated, non-profits are better-equipped to compete.
  • Campaigns have to make use of geo-targeting. So, a theatre in New York will have to market to people in New York, not the whole country.
  • Campaigns have to be mission-based. Every ad and keyword must reflect your primary mission. Using branded keywords from other organizations is no longer permitted (“Pepsi” is off limits for example… unless you are Pepsi), along with generic keywords (“dance” or “theatre”).
  • Keywords must have a quality score of 2 or better. This is Google’s rating for how well each keyword performs, taking into consideration the expected click-through rate (CTR), how relevant the ad is to a user’s search, and the landing page experience. This is another piece of the AdWords auction system. A higher quality score brings your cost-per-click down for that keyword and gives the ad a better position on the page.
    • Mirror keywords, ad copy, and landing page copy to each other.
    • Create small, tightly-themed ad groups.
    • Remove low-quality keywords.
  • Single (one word) keywords are no longer allowed. Despite its rather misleading name, a keyword isn’t limited to one word. A keyword is a string of characters that a user might type into a search bar to find information, also known as a search term. Usually, it’s more of a phrase. For instance, how often do you search for “take-out?” More likely you’d specify what kind of food, your neighborhood (although Google might already know that), etc. Single-word keywords are unlikely to match a user with a relevant ad. You don’t need them.
  • At least two site links are required. Site links allow you to specify link URLs to choose where you’re sending users. If you’re marketing for Shakespeare in the Park, send them to the Shakespeare in the Park ticketing page! It’s rare that you’d send users to your homepage because the goal is for the user to take an action (buy a ticket). You don’t want them to have to click multiple pages deep to find those tickets.
    • Make sure your landing pages are fast, functional, and relevant to the user’s search. Google takes your website content into consideration, so compelling copy on your site is important.
  • Maintain a 5% click-through rate (CTR). CTR is the number of times your ad is clicked on per the number of times it’s shown. It’s the culmination of all your detailed efforts in the elements above. If the 5% minimum isn’t met for two consecutive months, your account will be deactivated. Ok, this sounds scary, I know. But we’ll go into what this means more below.

Now, these new practices are all going to make your AdWords account successful, so what are the cons?Read the Article

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Improve Patron Loyalty by Asking One
Simple Question

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I’ve been chatting with the folks at Wootric and realized that the services they provide for free to nonprofits might be of interest to our blog readers. I invited Lisa to write this post to introduce the idea of NPS surveys and explain how to get started. – Michelle Paul, Managing Director, PatronManager

Today’s guest blog post is written by Lisa Abbott, VP Marketing, Wootric. 

Regular, repeat attendees are the lifeblood of arts organizations. Ensuring that they have a positive experience keeps them coming back.

One of the easiest ways to monitor experience and address the challenges of patron loyalty is to start a customer feedback program, which helps your organization build a relationship with your patrons through communication and listening.

Customer Feedback Programs for Increased Patron Loyalty

Modern customer relationship management doesn’t have to be complicated or involve annoying customers into filling out long, drawn out surveys for feedback. An effective customer feedback program allows you to gather useful information about your customers’ experiences simply and enables you to follow up on comments conveniently.

This feedback cycle will improve the experience your audience has and demonstrate to them that you take their comments to heart. People who know their voices are heard are more likely to become loyal customers. Loyal customers spread positive word of mouth and bring in new patrons.

All you have to do to reap the benefits of an effective feedback program is ask a single, evidence-backed question: the Net Promoter Score question.Read the Article

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AdWords for Non-Profits 2018:
What You Need to Know Part I

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Today’s blog post is written by Skye Hughes, Client Administrator, PatronManager. 

Did you know that Google offers an enormous benefit to non-profits in the form of AdWords Ad Grants? Through the program, Google donates a monthly budget of $10,000 to eligible non-profits in in-kind advertising on their AdWords platform; and any 501(c)(3) can apply to receive it. (Don’t really ‘get’ AdWords yet? Check out this video intro)

Given that the program provides $120,000 per year of free advertising on the biggest digital marketing platform out there (dominating almost 40% of the U.S. digital marketing economy in 2017), it kind of sounds too good to be true. But, it is true. Well, it was true… No, no. It still is true, but it’s a little more complicated now.

In January 2018, Google introduced some major changes to their AdWords Grant policies. The policies require non-profits to meet new standards, and non-profits are looking alive to adjust.

So let’s talk about what these changes mean for your organization overall, and what the landscape of digital marketing means for users. Stay tuned for Part II coming soon, in which we’ll get specific about what the new AdWords grant policies are, and what you and your organization can do to handle them.Read the Article

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Navigating Networking in the Non-Profit World

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Today’s guest blog post is written by Rachel Hands, Director of Client Administration, PatronManager. 

Do you naturally love networking? Me neither. I’m a reluctant networker and an introvert, and I’ve never been quite comfortable with the usual reasons for networking.

Many of us go into the non-profit sector because we feel passionate about the work. “Networking” is sold to us as a thing we should do to advance our own career, but sometimes the idea of self-promotion or self-advancement can feel at odds with the mission we’ve set out to support by choosing non-profit work. Plus, as part of a non-profit organization, economic pressure to have a unique mission can make it feel like there’s no one else doing what you do, and that you’re alone in facing the kinds of challenges that your organization deals with.

What I’ve been focusing on recently is the idea that networking can and should also be about improving my ability to do my current job by introducing me to challenges that are comparable to my own, if not identical. That allows me to approach networking from more of a “what can I learn” attitude and less of a “what can I gain” attitude, which to me is part of what makes the idea of networking feel so icky.Read the Article

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No I Won’t Marry You, We Aren’t Engaged Yet

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Today’s guest blog post is written by Kevin Patterson, Senior Account Executive, PatronManager. 

As both a person who has spent a career leading and working for arts organizations and a dedicated patron of the arts, I understand the challenges and struggles of building a sustainable arts organization. Recently, while on vacation, my family attended a performance by one of the finest orchestras in America today. For the purposes of this blog, I will leave them anonymous, but suffice to say, we had an absolutely incredible experience. My teenage daughter, a violinist and violist, was particularly blown away by the soloist in the Brahms violin concerto.

Several weeks later as I was taking my daughter to her weekly violin lesson, my phone rang. It was a volunteer from the organization. The caller asked me for my name, to confirm my mailing address, and then launched into a two to three-minute appeal about an educational program they were doing in their community (how many students it serves, how valuable it is to keep this program going, etc.) I was then asked if I would consider making a pledge between $150 and one million dollars!

I was utterly gobsmacked by this; the organization had completely set this volunteer caller up to fail. I had attended a single performance, was from out of town, and the organization hadn’t yet tried to engage me in a meaningful way. So, seeking to learn more from the volunteer (who was extremely helpful during the call), I asked if she would share some information with me:Read the Article

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