Other Ad Media
Warning! If you’re savvy with Google Ad Grants, you don’t need to read this. This article is basic stuff. But it’s written from the perspective that while speaking with nonprofits about their Ad Grants, not all really get what it is. Or more specifically, they think it’s like something else. And usually the “something else” is a more common type of ad media. So, with the intent of really ensuring a firm grounding of the basics, let’s review some fundamentals.
ADVERTISING MEDIA
Different types of advertising media have unique characteristics that need to be respected to maximize performance. Google Ad Grants (part of digital advertising) is different from traditional media and if your way of thinking does not embrace how it may be best utilized, your nonprofit isn’t getting its message out to the world as effectively as it could.
OVERLY SIMPLIFIED EXAMPLES
- TV and video messages benefit from audio and moving visual components.
- Radio, of course, relies solely on audio.
- Magazine print ads can connect better to the viewer if they align with the specific magazine’s reader demographics.
- Billboards work best with fewer words.
- Google Ad Grants requires the proper use of “Keywords” and “Topic” as part of your overall marketing story. A best practice is to use Google Ad Grants to build a community that relates to your nonprofit mission. That’s done by offering a “free giveaway” so that people will provide their email in exchange for the information. However, determining “what” free giveaways to develop is critical. Stop. Read that last sentence again and make sure you are mindful of the meaning behind “critical.”
This is articulated more completely with the Google Ad Grants Story Triangle. In brief, if you select a topic and free giveaway related to keywords without sufficient search volume you will not get your message out to the world. It’s like putting an ad in a newspaper that very few people read. In such a case, it doesn’t matter how great your ad or free giveaway is. There’s simply not enough people who will ever see the ad to make a meaningful impact.
STORY VERSUS TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION
Many nonprofits get perplexed by all the technical details of Google Ad Grants. And make no mistake about it, the technical details do need to be professionally administered. But no matter how well you handle the technical aspects of Google Ad Grants, if you don’t have the right story, your advertising will not yield impressive results.
Think of “story” and “technical implementation” as two partners that need to work together to make Google Ad Grants effective for your nonprofit. However “story” is way more important. Way. More. Important. You can get meaningful results with a good story and mediocre technical implementation. But you can have the most superb technical implementation possible and have abysmal results without the right story. Of course the ideal scenario is the right story with superb technical implementation.
The solution is the Google Ad Grants Story Triangle.
GOOGLE AD GRANTS STORY TRIANGLE
Use the Google Ad Grants Story Triangle to develop the type of marketing story that will allow you to build a community around your nonprofit cause. The community is then continually informed and nurtured with ongoing information about your nonprofit. Of course a necessary role the community serves is supporting your nonprofit with fundraising.
Using the Google Ad Grants Story Triangle to constantly expand your online community is an important foundation for your nonprofit’s future success.
Regardless of whether Nonprofit Fire manages your Google Ad Grants, or you do, or anyone else does, the best way to maximize your results is by using the “Google Ad Grants Story Triangle.” This will help you craft the right messaging, keywords and giveaway to gain the greatest exposure for your nonprofit mission via Google’s advertising.
Put the Google Ad Grants Story Triangle to use and your Google Ad Grants performance will markedly improve.