While you probably aren’t the only nonprofit working in your field, you could be the only one providing a certain kind of information on a specific topic to a specific type of participant or supporter. That’s your niche.
Think about restaurants. Sure, there are a few places that serve cuisine from all over the world and do it well, but they are seriously outnumbered by the ones that specialize in Mexican, Chinese, surf-and-turf, or bar food, etc. What type of cuisine (content) are you going to serve?
As you create your niche, focus on a handful of keywords. These are the specific topics that you want to be known for. For example, an animal shelter’s keywords might include words like Lost Pet, Find Pet, Dog Care, Cat Care, and Puppy Training. A food bank’s keywords might include Free Food, Food Drive, and Donate Food.
Now that you have gotten started, it’s time to get even more specific by turning your basic keywords into what we call “long tail keywords.” For example, add a geographic element, such as “Free Food in San Francisco” or a participant/supporter element, like “Puppy Training for Families with Children.”
Try to pick a set of keywords that excites you, because you’ll be writing about them just about every day. Think about topics that are of great interest to your participants and supporters, and where you want to position yourself as an expert or leader.
By picking a limited set of keywords, you can focus the majority of your content around those general topics. That will improve your search engine position on those keywords, while also giving your participants and supporters very clear concepts to associate with you. The same goes for the media: reporters will be begin to think of you as the expert on those topics and will call you when they need a source.
Can you list up to ten keywords or phrases that represent your content niche?
