It is not always intended to generate a profit when marketing a product. Some organizations "sell" services or ideas in order to create global benefits throughout society. Nonprofit marketing is the vehicle for achieving this purpose.
The purpose of the majority of companies in the world is to generate profits that report benefits for all their partners and thus continue with their activities in the best way and without any inconvenience and with the help of marketing to bring this end to fruition. However, there is a section within it that refers to how it can also be used in non-profit companies.
Remember that the particularity of marketing is to generate an exchange in the field of goods and services, however, this can also occur in the field of ideas. Next we will present how marketing can be used in non-profit organizations, without losing its essence of trying to “sell” something, showing its main characteristics.
NON-PROFIT MARKETING
We will understand it as the marketing of non-profit organizations generally of a private nature such as religious, scientific, sports associations, etc. The product that is delivered is mostly a service and there is no price as such when purchasing it. For example, when we go to a church to participate in a Eucharist, the priest shares his ideas with us, the parishioners, who are the ones who receive this “service”.
Given their non-profit nature, these organizations subsist on donations or fees that are delivered by taxpayers (in the case of the mass, alms or in recreational associations, membership fees) who can also contribute resources or raw materials for the good functioning of the organization.
An important characteristic is that given the intangibility of the exchange (services or ideas), it is very difficult to quantify the benefits achieved by both the "client" and the company and in the absence of a competitive market situation, it is almost impossible to determine whether the objectives they have been achieved since there is no point of reference when it comes to results.
SOCIAL MARKETING
Surely on television we will have seen a commercial in which we are shown what can happen if we abuse alcohol or another in which we are invited to donate blood for people in need. This is the idea in this type of marketing, where it is about modifying the customs or attitudes of the general public and leading them towards more beneficial states for the entire society.
Non-profit marketing. The product that is delivered is mostly a service and there is no price as such when acquiring it
The main idea is to stop performing acts that go against human welfare or to do others that bring satisfaction to people who need help or collaboration, trying to generate an ideal state for both the recipient and the donor or the person that he refrains from doing something that threatens his physical and moral integrity.
Parallel to the message that is given, there must be mechanisms that help to achieve the desired response. For example, if you want to avoid the abuse of alcohol, there may be regulations that prohibit its consumption by certain people or in certain places. If what you want is that people do not throw garbage on the streets, you should try to ensure that there are bins or containers where the papers can be thrown.
The specific purpose of this type of marketing is to generate discipline and awareness that benefits the entire society.
Exchange of services or ideas: basic assumption of nonprofit marketing
PUBLIC MARKETING
They are the actions carried out by public organizations in order to provide a service to us citizens. The clearest example is when we have access to water, electricity or telephone service in our own home, paying a price that will go directly to government coffers.
This money (is supposed) should serve to generate more mechanisms that bring greater benefit to the whole of society. Likewise, the State is autonomous when regulating the use of the services it is providing so that abuses or injustices are not committed.
POLITICAL MARKETING
As its name implies, it is used by all those who seek to be elected by popular vote. The benefits for society are directly related to the candidate or the winning program, since they will be in charge of providing everything that was offered during the campaign, which in most cases remains a dead letter.
In this type of marketing, it is very important to promote both personal (rallies, debates) and non-personal (billboards, commercials) of the candidate to seek to be chosen, transmitting a message and an image that is as favorable as possible for the achievement of its objective.
Social Marketing. It is about modifying the customs or attitudes of the general public and leading them towards more beneficial states for the whole of society
As a final conclusion, we can say that in the world of marketing there are endless mechanisms and possibilities to try to exchange products, services, or ideas. The most important thing is to implement the correct methods that always generate benefits and reach us in the most comfortable and easy way: the end consumers.
