Anne Towne, Bob Duffy Content Marketing Slideshow for Annual Conference of Maryland Nonprofits, November 2014

1. How your nonprofit can become a compelling
online publisher in your stakeholder community
Anne Towne & Bob Duffy
Towne Group, Inc. - Columbia, MD
www.townegroup.com anne@townegroup.com bobduffy@insight-hq.com

2. What are these organizations doing well (as online publishers)?

3. It’s not just about brochures and fundraising collateral any more.
You have unprecedented outreach resources at your command.
Your ace-in-the-hole: Your stakeholders’ thirst for
information / knowledge / inspiration

4. • Creates cost-effective expansion of engagement.
• Encourages contributions (financial, knowledge, energy)
• Builds your reputation as a subject matter expert and can
have earned media implications
• Inspires & informs employees, volunteers, expert authors,
potential partners, third-party media
• Builds competencies that can lead to organizational growth
… and what else, audience?

5. CARE
American Heart Association
American Cancer Society
GreenPeace
National Audubon Society
National Education Assn

6. • Choose a subject area and “own” it intellectually, rhetorically and
visually (Operate like a magazine editor)
• Think real people, real stories (and go for the heartstrings)
• Choose your content tools: start small, build out
• Better to use outside resources in a focused and economical manner
rather than to open up the initiative willy-nilly to your workforce
(possible exception: photography)
• You don’t have to be an original content producer to be regarded as
an authority; you can curate, solicit guest contributions.

7. Use your content management initiative as a
premise…
• for attracting experts to your cause
• for fostering interaction, dialogue
• winning earned media coverage

8. Mission: Promote awareness and utilization of
the nation’s 1750 community colleges.
Strawman Questions:
Who cares about this topic? (who’s in your audience?)
What’s the organization’s value proposition? (Why do they care?)
What publishing tools should this NPO use?
Exercise: If we put up a home page carousel, what stories do we
use? What illustrations?

9. WEB: www.townegroup.com
E-MAIL (Anne): anne@townegroup.com
E-MAIL (Bob): bobduffy@insight-hq.com
PHONE (Anne): 410.952.0310