Running Google Ads is an often-overlooked marketing strategy for small- to medium-sized nonprofits. However, an effective Google Ad campaign can be a key component of a well-rounded marketing plan designed to help a nonprofit grow its impact.
What Are Google Ads?
Let’s start off with the basics: What are Google Ads and how can they be used to promote a nonprofit organization?
Google Ads is Google’s advertising platform. It allows organizations to promote themselves by placing ads on the search engine, which show up in a user’s search results. These ads are some of the first results someone will see when they do a Google search (although they are labeled as “Sponsored,” so a user understands that the organization has paid to have their ad appear above other results).
A Google Ads campaign utilizes keywords, which are chosen by the advertiser. So, for example, if a nonprofit that helps foster families wants to promote its counseling services for children in foster care, they would choose keywords that people use to search for this type of service. They might use keywords like “free counseling for foster kids” and “mental health services for foster children.” People who type in these phrases will be shown an ad for the nonprofit, which they can click on and be taken to the nonprofit’s website to find out more about their counseling services.
In short, Google Ads can help drive more traffic to a website, which can lead to increased awareness about an organization, and can eventually lead to greater engagement.
A Completely Managed Solution for Nonprofits Wanting to Utilize Google Ads
For nonprofits who have never used Google Ads before, getting started with them can be a bit overwhelming. There is a steep learning curve that must be overcome before a nonprofit will start seeing good results.
At Beeline, we offer nonprofits a completely managed solution for their Google Ads campaigns! Our service allows nonprofits to take advantage of all the benefits of Google Ads, while we do all the heavy lifting! We take care of the setup of your Google Ads account, work with you to choose the best keywords to include, craft the ad copy, and then monitor the ads for effectiveness. We provide you with monthly reporting and analytics on all campaign results.
Our team is made up of experts in the Google Ad ecosystem, as well as nonprofit marketing experts who know how to deliver the type of results our nonprofit clients need to grow their organizations!
The Google Ad Grant
If you are considering running Google Ads as part of your nonprofit’s marketing strategy, you will want to look into the Google Ad Grant. The Google Ad Grant is a program that provides qualifying nonprofits with up to $10,000 per month in free advertising on Google. Beeline can help you determine if your nonprofit qualifies for the Google Ad Grant (or you can take our short quiz), and if it does, we can also help you take full advantage of it through Google Ad Grant management.
For some of our clients, the Google Ad Grant provides them with all the advertising they need to promote their nonprofits. However, others decide to supplement their Google Ad Grant with paid Google Ads. This is because they want to advertise over and above the $10,000 monthly credit provided by the Grant, or because they want to run Google Ads that don’t fit within the Grant’s guidelines.
Whether your nonprofit chooses to only run Google Ads paid for by the Google Ad Grant, or only run paid Google Ads, or a combination of the two, Beeline can help with your campaign’s management!
Landing Page and Donation Page Creation
Creating effective ads on Google is important, but just as important are the pages that visitors land on once they click on the Google Ads!
Beeline specializes in creating compelling landing pages—pages that inspire visitors to take action! Different Google Ads can have different landing pages, which can include pages that drive visitors to sign up for your email list, donate to your cause, sign up for the services you provide, or take whatever other action will help further your nonprofit’s cause.
Beeline will work closely with you to design pages that will help turn visitors into supporters and/or clients.
Digital Resource Creation, Including Interactive Quiz Creation
In addition to creating landing pages that inspire action, Beeline can create digital resources that will attract new visitors to your website and help them engage with the work your nonprofit is doing.
Some examples of digital resources can include research reports, interactive quizzes, or eBooks/guides. We help nonprofits create resources that not only encourage visitors to subscribe to your email list, but that also allow you to share your mission and tell your story. Let’s face it, very few people will provide their email address to sign up for a newsletter. Offering them something of value is key!
Digital resources can help establish your nonprofit as an expert in its field, which can inspire potential supporters to get involved! Targeted Google Ads can be used to drive visitors to these digital resources.
Using Google Ads to Build Your Email List
For many of our clients, running Google Ads is an effective way to build their email lists with very little effort. However, once people add themselves to your email list, it’s important to actually stay in touch with them! If your nonprofit doesn’t already have a clear strategy in place to regularly connect with its email subscribers, Beeline can help you create one. Our email marketing services help nonprofits nurture their subscribers and turn them into donors. We can help you create a series of automated emails that will go out to new subscribers, in addition to any other updates you provide your subscribers.
Getting Started with Google Ads
If you are ready to start advertising on Google, or if you’d like to learn more about digital advertising and how it can help grow your nonprofit, contact us at Beeline today.
