Launch
May 2022
Online marketing in times of crisis
Expand your organization’s reach
Success
Setup of emergency campaigns in just two days
Act faster in times of crisis
It’s a dilemma: NGOs want to make the world a better place. But it’s during bad times that they often have the biggest impact. During times of crisis compassion and a sense of humanitarian responsibility compel people to donate larger sums or even for the first time. It is precisely in moments like these thatNGOs need to build on this willingness to donate. When it comes to fundraising in times of need, the ability to react quickly is critical. This is where digital fundraising and online advertising via Google, Facebook and co. come into play: they offer the flexibility organizations need to act fast. While a small budget or the need to respond rapidly can be a challenge, it can be mastered with the right advice. That is why we have prepared an emergency backpack for you. It includes all the digital tools you need to successfully run Google ads in the context of a crisis. Some of our clients are already packed and on standby. Will you join us on the front lines? We’ll show you the ropes!
Challenge – When things suddenly have to move quickly
Our years of NGO experience show us over and over again: In times of crisis, non-profit organizations have to react immediately. Especially in digital fundraising, NGOs must not miss the right moment.But when is this moment? When are people ready to donate? In order to recognise this moment, you must always be up to date with current world events. Then there’s the challenge of selecting the right communication style. . It is the responsibility of organizations to communicate respectfully, empathically and authentically in urgent situations. When things have to happen quickly, this can be tricky. Another aspect is the budget. After all, media pressure increases when the world is up in arms. For example, certain crisis-related keywords become very expensive because everyone is bidding on them for their news value. . So it is worth thinking about what the goal of the campaign is, which channels should be used to ask for donations and which keywords are the right ones to get relevant traffic to your own site. There are also technical challenges, such as Google’s constantly changing guidelines. In the context of the corona pandemic, for example, Google introduced a 2-factor authentication for Google Ads, which ensures more account security. In addition, a great need for information arises in times of crisis. To protect the veracity of this information, it happens again and again that Google blocks certain keywords to prevent the spread of fake news. This was also the case with the keyword “Corona”. These changes seem to be minor. But only those who stay on the ball can avoid unpleasant consequences such as account blocking, loss of donation income or a failed emergency campaign.
Solution – Preparation. Is. KEY.
In order to be prepared for an unexpected, rapidly changing situation, organizations need a plan of action. Think of an emergency backpack that contains everything you need to react quickly and appropriately. The basic equipment should include Google ads in both search and display networks. Ads in the meta network (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) and native ads placed semantically in news portals (e.g. via Outbrain or Taboola) can also be relevant. Depending on the campaign goal and channels available to your NGO’s ads can also be placed via Google Ads or via Google Ad Grants.
To generate attention and increase the motivation of emergency donors, banners in the Google Display Network or Native Ads are worthwhile. Website visitors who have not yet been fully convinced can be finally motivated to donate via a retargeting campaign. A display banner set created in advance makes it possible to react quickly and to continuously adapt the ads as the crisis unfolds:
Phase 1: An appeal for donations, that doesn’t name the crisis.
To make your organization visible in the event of a crisis, we develop generic banners and ad sets that do not name the specific crisis but include a call for donations. Through semantic targeting with keywords related to the crisis, the generic banners show up in the context of the crisis. This allows the first wave of donors to be reached just in time.
Phase 2: Donation-ask specifically naming the crisis.
As the crisis progresses, the ads are supplemented with contextual information such as the name of the crisis or disaster and the location of the event. Here we pay particular attention to the wording in order to communicate authentically and deal with the situation respectfully.
Phase 3: Contextual ask, with strong reference to the crisis and the organization.
The organization is in action. Now it needs organization-related, human ads with a strong reference to how one’s own organization reacts in times of crisis. The ads should have a visual appeal that motivates people to click and lead potential donors to a landing page that tells them more about the crisis response. On the adverts as well as the landing page there is the possibility to include pictures of the organization’s response and to place a specific appeal for donations.
«Working with organisations in the context of a crisis has shown us that they face a big challenge: On the one hand, they depend on donations and must not miss people’s willingness to donate, especially at the beginning of the crisis. On the other hand, they are also aware that crises are times when the placement of advertisements has to be done with the necessary degree of sensitivity. This is exactly where we can help!»
Aline Flückiger, Customer Success Managerin, getunik AG
Implementation – How is the emergency backpack properly used?
For us at getunik, it is part of our daily routine to be informed about world events as well as important changes that affect our clients. Through constant contact, it is easy for us to identify needs quickly. If it makes sense to place ads for a specific situation, we advise on the appropriate course of action. The implementation of the appropriate strategy strongly depends on your organization’s means and the goals of your campaign.
If you run ads through Google and you have two accounts, we will design a clear strategy between your Google Grants and Google Ads account for optimal performance: Campaigns that are in both accounts will not necessarily be active at the same time. We run tests to find out in which account the keywords perform better. However, you may also be considering ads across other channels such as Facebook, Instagram, native or programmatic. We can help with this. First, we check which campaigns you are already running and how these can be combined with ads around the current crisis topic. For example, if you have a display campaign that is already generating awareness and traffic, it may be worthwhile to combine this with a retargeting campaign.. This way, campaigns with different goals can run in parallel and even complement each other.
It is also important to have an emergency landing page that explains the purpose of the donation and provides further background information. If such a page already exists, we analyze it in order to optimize the placement of the calls-to-action. We determine how to appeal more effectively to visitors and encourage them to donate. If an emergency landing page does not yet exist, we help you create one based on best practices. Following the analysis or landing page setup, we provide feedback and adjust the campaigns if necessary. By doing so, we ensure that there is a high level of relevance between the ad, the targeted keywords and the corresponding landing page.
Effect – You can achieve more with Google ads
Being well-prepared for a crisis increases the chance of responding appropriately and therefore, in the spirit of your organization’s values, ensuring a better mission. Employing tried-and-tested measures can save time and ensure success. We have helped our nonprofit clients create suitable and successful Google ads and digital fundraising campaigns in a crisis context including::
Corona
- On the topic of loneliness, we ran a Programmatic Display Ads campaign for the Salvation Army Switzerland during the Corona Pandemic in 2020 and assisted with the Facebook Lead Gen activities. Over the course of 45 days, we generated almost 6 million impressions and about 15,000 clicks using Google’s Programmatic Ads Facebook was also very successful: We reached almost 300,000 contacts and acquired over 1,200 leads.
Afghanistan
- In the context of the withdrawal of the German Armed Forces from Afghanistan, we were allowed to create a native ad campaign for Pro Asyl in the period from July 2021 to February 2022, which we continuously ran with new content adapted to the current situation. As a result, we achieved over 4.6 million impressions and a CTR of 1.17 %. In tandem with the Nattive Ads, we ran a Google Ads and a Grants Search campaign, which was equally regularly updated with various new topics. The native ad and the search campaign positively influenced each other in their interaction and ensured a significant increase in traffic.
Ukraine
- We created a search ad campaign for Pro Asyl via their Google Ad Grants account, with the aim of raising funds for a project that spreadawareness about entry requirements into the EU and the application for the right to stay for Ukrainians. With this campaign, we achieved a traffic increase of over 140 per cent in the Paid Ads section compared to the same period last year, as well as a 440 per cent increase in traffic to the overall website in the period from 20 February to 30 April 2022.
- For “Ärzte der Welt” we already created new and updated Google Search Ad Groups within two days at the beginning of the Ukraine war. As a result, we achieved a click-through rate of 7.65 per cent. In the wake of the increased website traffic, we also relaunched an existing retargeting campaign with Ukraine content. For the entirety of the Ukraine-related ads, we achieved a CTR that averaged 5.2 percent. In the period from 20.02. to 30.04.2022, the organisation was able to achieve a nearly tenfold increase in online donations compared to the same period of the previous year through the activation of various online and offline measures and the strong solidarity of the donors with the Ukrainians. This situation has clearly shown us how important a quick response and a digital emergency backpack are, especially in the event of a crisis. This can ensure high visibility and a significant increase in donations.
- With Amnesty International Germany, we were also able to place search ads via the paid Google Ads account in the context of the Ukraine war. The goal was to collect donations for the research project with which Amnesty is investigating human rights violations in Ukraine. By booking suitable keywords, we achieved a significant increase in the click rate to a value of 5.02 percent within a very short time. For the research project, almost 57,000 EUR in donations were collected within the campaign period of 6 weeks, approx. 31.6 percent can be attributed to the Google ads, among other things.
For Save the Children Switzerland, we responded to the start of the Ukraine war within two days with a social media campaign. The basis was an already active and well-tested Always-On campaign, to which we were quickly able to add an Emergency variant. In addition to the top-of-mind awareness, the campaign was particularly convincing with a ROAS (Return on Ad Spent) of 130 percent and conversions.
Don’t have an emergency backpack yet? Or do you already have your own, but perhaps want to repack it? At getunik, we work closely with our clients to advise you on every situation according to your needs and goals! Feel free to contact us.
«By having an already well-functioning campaign as a foundation, we were able to quickly adapt our content to the urgent situation. The cooperation with getunik showed us how important it is to have competent support in times of crisis in order to be relevant and discoverable at the decisive moment.»
Nora Schneider, Dialogue Marketing at “Ärzte der Welt”
getunik-Services
In these steps getunik can support organisations in times of crisis:
Google Display Network Retargeting Ad for “Ärzte der Welt”
This display ad was created for “Ärzte der Welt” as part of their retargeting campaign. It is an example of a phase 3 ad, naming the crisis, using an outreach image of the organisation and explaining the specific purpose for which donations are being collected.
Representation of a fictitious Google search ad (own illustration with nordicclick.com)
By running search ads, you can draw the attention of potential donors to your organisation and your issue, and encourage them to donate. Optimally, these ads appear above the organic search results.
