So you have a wonderfully designed website: beautiful images, a donor-centric point of view and clear navigation -- all stellar. Now, where are the visitors who would appreciate all of that? Create a plan to draw people in and actually get them to visit and revisit your page to learn about your cause and support your mission. Start with these simple methods of integration:
Printed Materials: Don't forget to include your Web address in all of your printed materials - your letterhead, business cards, newsletters, annual report, and direct mail. Take full advantage of your existing communications by including an article or advertisement that highlights what's available on your site - or what's new. Add some contextual information so that people will understand the value that your web site adds. For example, on a flyer that advertises an upcoming speaker, don't just say "Visit our web site," but instead say: "Visit our web site for a complete biography of Jorge Jimenez and a complete bibliography of his written works."
Consider giving people incentives to go to your website. For example, tell them they can register there for a drawing, or you can pose a question in your newsletter and tell them to log on to your site for the answer. It also makes sense to send a press release to on- and off-line media when you change your site significantly or add a new feature. They may write a sentence or two about your site, or they may simply make note of your Web address for future reference.
Email: Email is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your website. Include short pieces of information with links people can click on to get more details from your site. This "click-through" effect will drive much traffic to your web site. Another suggestion for driving traffic to your web site is to place content on email newsletters of affiliated institutions. You'll have to seek out opportunities one email newsletter at a time, so start keeping an eye out for interesting email newsletters that can help you promote your site.
Viral Marketing: Viral marketing can be very powerful. Encourage viral marketing by putting a line at the end of your e-newsletter asking people to forward your news on to their friends and family. Or create clever stand-alone videos on YouTube, for example, to really spread the word about your organization.
Newsgroups and Listservs: Another way to drive traffic is to post information about it to newsgroups or listservs related to your cause. Listservs are email discussions or newsgroups that allow members to post messages to all of the other members. Encouraging your staff to join and participate in these discussion lists can help increase the visibility for your organization and your site. When you do post your message, etiquette requires that you not post blatant self-promotion. Make sure your message is relevant to the conversation and of genuine value to the members.
Links from local Web sites and portals: As people surf the Web, they often bounce from one web site to another looking for information, and use links between sites to move around. Getting these links placed is an important effort worth your time. Local Web sites are operated by your city or region, a local newspaper, TV or radio station, or a local institution like a museum or a foundation.
You may already have some obvious sites in mind, or you may have to do a little research to track them down. Once you've identified these local Web sites, approach them with an email or a phone call and request a link. Use your charitable mission as your calling card to appeal for a prominent link. Whenever possible, make your request contextual to an event, a holiday or an issue. Maybe you're promoting an advocacy campaign that could be linked from the website of a local TV station or alternative weekly newspaper.
Social media: Use social media to compliment your outreach and encourage supporters to spread the word. Create a Facebook page or Twitter account to help recruit new volunteers, donors and supporters. Share photos of events or people you help on Flickr. These can help draw new eyeballs to your nonprofit's website, and in turn, to your cause. Social media outreach can also provide your supporters with new ways to help you spread the word.