Tag Archives: internet marketing solutions

Google’s One-Stop Shop for Nonprofits: What is Google+ ?

One of the ways nonprofit organizations can promote their cause through interactive media is by joining the Google+ community. Here you can talk to other nonprofits, share best practices for social media marketing and find new donors and volunteers. Follow these steps to create a thriving Google+ Page for your nonprofit organization.

  1. First you will need a Google account and a personal Google+ profile, so open an account and log in. On your Google+ profile, select “Create a page” and fill out the details about your nonprofit including an introduction, contact information and website.
  2. Now you’re ready to post updates for your nonprofit. Be sure to post frequently and to keep your profile fresh so that more people are likely to engage with your organization.
  3. Create different circles for different audience members of your organization. For example, you can grow circles of volunteers, board members and donors. Encourage people to add your nonprofit to their circles so you can in turn add them to your circles.
  4. Start a Hangout on Google+ where people can gather live to discuss topics your organization cares about. Let your followers know when you’ll be hanging out and what topic you will be discussing over video chat.
  5. As with any social media platform, it’s necessary to monitor conversations for reputation management. Your followers will appreciate timely responses to their comments. Even if some of their comments are negative, they can always be steered towards a deeper conversation.
  6. When you’re ready to share your Google+ page with more people, select “Spread the word.” This will allow you to share your page in a post with people from your personal Google+ profile.
  7. Tell everyone including your donors, volunteers and clients about your Google+ page in your newsletters and on your website. Add a Google+ page to your website by grabbing HTML code here.

If you have any questions about setting up or managing your Google+ page, contact us at Blue Interactive Agency. We offer internet marketing solutions including social media marketing services, SEO strategy and link building for companies to increase their online visibility. Call us at 965-779-2801 to see how we can help.


Google’s One-Stop Shop for Nonprofits: What are Google Apps?

In our last blog post we shared with you some free or discounted services Google is offering nonprofits, such as grants for online advertising. In this blog we’ll go over how nonprofit organizations can save time, money and resources through Google Apps. Google Apps offer a suite of communication, collaboration and publishing tools so nonprofits can decrease their cost of ownership and operate efficiently even without a designated IT staff.

U.S. nonprofit organizations of over 3,000 people qualify for Google Apps for Business at a discounted price of $30 per user per year. U.S. nonprofits smaller than 3,000 users can apply for free Google Apps through the Google for Nonprofits site. Here are some of the free tools included in the suite:

Gmail for Business- Each user receives 25GB of email and IM storage, which is 50 times the industry average. With less spam and a 99.9% uptime reliability guarantee, Gmail gives nonprofit employees more time to be productive. Nonprofits can customize the look of Gmail for Business to reflect their logo and colors, and email can be synced with Android, iPhone and Blackberry.

Google Calendar- Google Calendar is integrated into Gmail, and can be shared company-wide or with select individuals. The calendar syncs with mobile devices so users can receive notifications via text messages.

Google Docs- Powered by the web, files stored on Google Docs are always accessible and backed-up online. Nonprofits are able to share spreadsheets, drawings, presentations and documents that can be edited online so users always have the latest version.

Google Groups- This communication tool allows employees to share docs, calendars, folders, videos, etc. with a group instead of an individual. Control membership and archive groups for easy organization of messages.

These, and many more Google Apps, require no hardware or software administration, translating to more time and cost savings for nonprofit organizations. Remember, these tools are free to nonprofits of fewer than 3,000 people, so apply on the Google for Nonprofits website today. If have any questions or concerns regarding set-up of Google Apps, Blue Interactive Agency can help. We are a Florida website design company offering search engine optimization consulting, email marketing services, and internet marketing solutions to companies of all sizes. Contact us to see how we can help your organization reach its goals.