Kelly@KellyRobbinsLLC.com.
Best regards
Kelly Robbins
http://www.kellyrobbinsllc.com
How nonprofit organizations compete
According to the book Successful Marketing Strategies for
Nonprofit Organization by Barry McLeish, nonprofit groups
compete with each other in roughly four areas: quality of
programs or technology, positioning of programs or
products, quality of support services and price. Let's take
a look at each of these areas and compare them with regard
to how a for-profit company competes.
Quality of programs or technology: Many times in a
for-profit company, better technology is what puts you
ahead of others. R&D departments work continuously to
improve existing products and to be the first to roll out
new products and services. While your nonprofit probably
doesn't have an R&D department, you can - and should -
always be evaluating products/programs and creating new
ones. Keep improving on what you've got, even if you're
"the best." Don't take the status quo as acceptable,
because it won't be tomorrow.
Positioning of programs or products: There are many ways to
demonstrate high quality for a business, regardless of its
profit status. For example, if you have a strong, large
competitor you can position yourself as being smaller. You
can use being smaller to promote the message that you have
more one-on-one contact with constituents. Being smaller
could also demonstrate your ability to do high-quality work
because you pay attention to the smaller details in your
organization. Have you been in business longer than your
competitor? Is your staff more credentialed or more
experienced? Use these facts to showcase your experience.
Quality of support services: Simple things like quickly
turning invoices or receipts around, immediately responding
to phone calls and correspondence and accurately processing
paperwork - all of which can be accomplished by putting
systems in place - speak volumes about how an organization
is run and managed. These are things people are more likely
to experience rather than things you tout. And actual
customer experience is key to how a reputation of high
quality is built and maintained.
Price: An interesting point I took from McLeish is how
accustomed American consumers are to price increases. When
a nonprofit organization says that it has saved money or
kept costs down, people hear it because it is so opposite
to what they are used to hearing. You can use this "cost
savings" technique in solicitations to donors, as a news
story, to recruit volunteers - use your imagination.
Like in any business, the key to uncovering your
competitive advantage as a nonprofit is to evaluate your
competition's strengths and weaknesses and to position
yourself accordingly. How does your organization compete?
What do you do better than your competitors? Do you know
what they do better than you?
----------------------------------------------------
Author of Healthcare Copywriting Secrets Revealed, Kelly
Robbins is an award winning copywriter and marketing
coach/consultant. She also publishes The Healthcare
Marketing Connection
(http://www.healthcaremarketingconnection.com), a free
e-zine on healthcare marketing tips. Contact Kelly to
receive her free report, "5 critical things you must know
when writing for the healthcare industry" -
info@KellyRobbinsLLC.com or 303-460-0285.
