Over the last few years, I have come to realize the impact of partnering with others to move my nonprofit consulting business. I thought hiring out meant I was losing control, but the reality has been that I have created space to enjoy time away from the office. As a nonprofit leader, you are probably like me and have a laundry list of tasks to complete. It’s likely creating content for your website isn’t one of them, but I am here to tell you content is still king.
Hiring a content writer can change your organization for the better, and you may find yourself having more time to spend with the ones you love.
Content is still king.
I like to say content is queen, but the fact remains it is an important part of marketing your nonprofit. From newsletters to social media, to utilizing the website to attract the attention of your ideal clients, donors, and volunteers, you’ve got to produce relevant content consistently.
Since hiring a content writer and interviewing content creators on the American Nonprofit Academy podcast, I’ve learned:
● Google recognizes websites that are structured a certain way. When was the last time the website was updated? It might be time.
● Search engines like Google give more weight to websites that are consistently adding content. When was the last time any changes were made to the website? One of the easiest ways to add content is to add blog posts to the website.
● Consistency is key. How consistent you are, depends on the resources available. One to two times per month is good for many organizations.
BUT you can’t add useful content to a website that hasn’t been updated in a few years. It won’t have the same impact on search engine results as an updated website.
Anne McAuley Lopez, Agency Content Writer, says, “I can’t in good faith write content and put it on a website that isn’t optimized for Google. Everything must work together, beginning with the structure of the website.”
That’s just one of the reasons I’ve loved working with Anne. She understands more than just writing content. She understands how Google reads websites and recognizes when sites need to be updated. She also knows she isn’t the expert and refers website design work to her partners.
When hiring a content writer, think about how you would answer questions like these:
● Who are your target clients, donors, and volunteers? This will drive the audience for each piece of content.
● What is the budget for hiring a content writer? It’s worth the investment to create the consistency for search engines to notice the site and to have a consultant who can teach you best practices. In this way, you can have them write one or two articles per month and have a staffer write another piece as needed.
● What is the writer’s experience in writing for nonprofits? It may cost less to hire a less experienced writer, but will the writing be as impactful? It is a consideration.
Understanding your nonprofit and goals is key to hiring a content writer. They will take your lead, making suggestions along the way where they see an opportunity for content.
The benefits of hiring a content writer are to get more eyes on the website, bring more attention to the mission, and give you more flexibility in your schedule.
You’re focused on the nonprofit; let a content writer share the story of your nonprofit with all the bells and whistles so you can continue to build community relationships.
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