Marketing

Know Your Client

Successful nonprofits are “client-centric” – focused on understanding and serving their clients’ needs. Organizations may have many important stakeholders, such as funders, members, customers, patients, or partners. But one group will represent the core client, or the consumer or end user of your core service.

Nonprofits need to have a clear definition of their core client, including demographic information, but also the client’s likes and dislikes and unmet needs and desires. Many organizations have difficulty focusing resources on their core client. Board/staff consensus on who is the core client is important for effective service delivery, fundraising, and marketing.

ESC’s market research services can help by clearly identifying your clients and their views. We can then help you develop a marketing plan to reach and influence those stakeholders.

Market Research – Good Data is Important

Do you want to know what your donors, members, or clients think? Do you need opinions from thought leaders throughout the state or region? ESC’s network of consultants can use its region-wide reach and survey capability to get you the answers you need.

Our market research services include:

• Collecting information via secondary sources published on the Internet
• Survey design, data collection, and analysis
• Online or paper-based surveys
• Focus groups
• In-person interviews
• Survey design, collection and analysis

ESC has consultants with over 30 years of experience in market research within large organizations and survey research vendors. We bring this expertise to the needs of nonprofit agencies in northern New England.

Marketing Plans

Armed with an understanding of your core client, important stakeholders, and strategic goals, ESC can help you develop a marketing plan to reach and influence those stakeholders. A marketing plan may include:

• Strategic goals and marketing goals
• Market segmentation/ audience analysis
• SWOT analysis
• Competitive analysis
• Positioning statement
• Key messages/value propositions
• Media selection
• Communications plan
• Budget

An ESC marketing plan lays out specific action steps that the nonprofit organization can implement.

ESC Resources

Learn more about ESC’s Market Research Capabilities.
Read ESC’s Market Research Capabilities Brief