R.C.A.? Yup. When building a blog, you want to be Relatable, Conversational and Actionable. In Part I of this series I encouraged you to think like an RCA Victrola. You want your content to get people singing your song. And, heck, you can’t sing unless you know the words. So, today let’s put the “C”…
DetailsI heart you. From the bottom of my heart, I want you to have a successful nonprofit blog. I know that if you master blog engagement strategy and practice it will transform how you do business. In a good way. That’s why Clairification is interrupting its three-part R.C.A. series to take you to a Special…
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R.C.A. That’s the three things. Yup. When building a blog that’s not only worth reading but also worth sharing, you’ve got to think like an RCA Victrola and record. A great recording captures our attention. It transports us. It carries us away. It brings us into the music/story in an easy flow. It gets us tapping our toes and up on our feet dancing. Woo-hoo… it’s a party!
And don’t you just want to share a party? To get your readers to share your party you’ve got to make sure your blog posts are Relatable (they find common ground with your readers); Conversational (you speak directly to your readers), and Actionable(you achieve your blog post’s purpose).
Once you understand the three principles of R.C.A. you’ll be well on your way towards having a blog your readers will share with their networks. Today, let’s begin with the first principle: how to put the ‘R’ in R.C.A.
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Here comes this month’s *SMIT (Single Most Important Thing I have to tell you):
I’m still using the word fundraising. In fact, my most recent post was To Sell is Human; To Give, Divine – Why We’re All in Fundraising Now. I received a lot of feedback (mostly embracing) on the first post in my 2013 Series: Philanthropy; Not Fundraising. But there’s evidently some confusion. So, let’s clairify.
If you want to move from a culture of transactions to one of transformation don’t get bogged down worrying about semantics! You say potato; I say potahto… a rose by any other name… It’s the concept I’m hoping you’ll grasp. The point is to come from a place of love; not need. A place that centers on our donor; not us. A place that is deeply relational; not one-sided.
Let me share a few comments I received and contribute my thoughts:
DetailsPhilanthropy; Not Fundraising
I recently attended an inspiring talk by Daniel Pink, author of To Sell Is Human, and found myself furiously taking notes. Next thing you know I was impulsively buying the book (autographed, of course)! Do I have buyer’s remorse? Absolutely not. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Everything he has to say is so directly applicable to fundraising and the nonprofit sector that [IMHO] it’s a ‘must read’ for those of us in the philanthropy business. Here’s why:
We erroneously think “selling” is bad. In fact, it’s probably even more of a taboo word in nonprofits than the word “fundraising.” People just don’t like it. Pink did an experiment where he asked people to give him the first word that came to their minds when they thought of “sales/selling.” They answered with such words as:
DetailsI have a dream for 2013 – and beyond. I have a dream this is the year your organization will move beyond defining yourself by what you’re not (nonprofit) and will begin to define yourself by what you are (social benefit). I have a dream this is the year your people will move from an…
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They want you to show them that you know them. And we do this best by listening.
I’m compelled to add this coda to the C.P.A. series because there’s some breaking news that pertains to what was one of my favorite listening tools. In Part I we covered the fact that key to writing a post folks will want to read is first finding out what folks want to hear! One of those tools, sadly, just kicked the proverbial bucket. Yet I’ve also discovered a host of new tools that may be extremely useful to you in your research. Yup, the universe taketh away; the universe giveth.
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C.P.A.? Yup. In my last two posts I introduced you to the ‘accountant’ theory of an effective blog content strategy. C for constituent-centered. P for plan. A for accessible. You can review the ‘C’ and ‘P’ posts here and here. Today we’re going to talk about the ‘A.’
No one is going to read your blog unless you make it accessible. As in “easy to approach, reach, enter, speak with, or use.” So, let’s start at the beginning. Getting found and getting opened.
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C.P.A.? Yup. In my last post I introduced you to the ‘accountant’ theory of an effective blog content strategy. C for constituent-centered. P for plan. A for accessible. You can review the ‘C’ post here. Today we’re going to talk about the ‘P.’
For starters, you’ve done your market research and you know what your constituents care about (if you haven’t done this, look at the 6 actionable tips in the previous post). Now, take all the great topics you’ve researched and brainstormed – all the questions you’ve been collecting from your constituents – and build an editorial calendar for your blog. I’m going to give you some tips and tools that will make this really simple. Promise.
DetailsC.P.A. That’s the three things. Huh? Your accountant? Well…. sort of. What do you want from an accountant? My guess is that you want someone who is:
Gosh, golly… that’s exactly what your blog readers want from you! So if you’ve got passion and authority (and I certainly hope you have that about your mission and the work of your organization) then you’re already ahead of the game. Woo-hoo! Now you just need to package everything, and make sure you’re Constituent-centered (focused on your readers); Planful (you know what your blog’s goals and objectives are and how you can use your blog to be of value to your constituents), and Accessible (folks can easily connect with you and understand what you’re sharing with them).
Once you understand the principles of C.P.A. you’ll be well on your way towards having a blog with content that knocks the socks off your readers. Today, let’s begin with how to put the ‘C’ in C.P.A.
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