When people think of online marketing they typically envision corporations and small businesses using online tools to sell products and services, but it turns out some nonprofits are using online marketing with great success.
The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization which empowers women affected by the disease, has been able to triple the number of teams signed up for some of its events using online marketing tools like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
Although the organization has used traditional marketing techniques like email blasts and brochures in the past, it is finding that online marketing is allowing it to reach more people quickly, which means more donations.
Jean Sachs, executive director of the group, says the use of online marketing and social networking tools has allowed the organization to reach toward even more lofty goals than in past years.
"It has tentacles," Sachs said. "You have so many more people you can reach. . . . If we can get donations, even small amounts, from lots of people, we can continue to grow our goal."
This year Living Beyond Breast Cancer has set a fund-raising target of $100,000, twice the number of last year.
A study last year from researchers at Pepperdine University found that nonprofits and charities can benefit from using online marketing to increase brand awareness at a price that is typically lower than traditional means.
