This week’s Clairity Click-it – your eclectic array of easy to-“click-it” links to posts I’ve found thought provoking. With, of course, a few comments of my own.
Leadership:
Click-it: To Move Ahead You Have to Know What to Leave Behind. I love this article from the Harvard Business Review. It points to the number one reason organizations have difficulty with change:
I know your budget is tight and I understand you’re struggling to pay for your existing staff, but you can no longer afford to ignore the number one way people find out about you – social and mobile. Digital is the future, it’s increasingly important and increasingly multi-layered, and the time to start building your online community is now. Before it’s too late. Before you’re left behind.
Does Your Nonprofit Need a Social Media Manager? This is a question I’m asked a lot, and my recent post on Maximize Social Business addresses it. I think it’s a kind of funny question for 2013, given the fact that we’re in a digital world, social media is frickin’ huge and people today expect professional online communications and fundraising campaigns.
Before you hold your next fundraising event, ask yourself one simple question: WHY?
Take a minute, right now, to jot down all the things you’d like to happen by virtue of you having held your event.
I’ll wait.
Seriously, do it. Jot.
I’m waiting.
Okay, there are a few of you who don’t yet have pencils and paper in front of you. Yes, I can see you. Remember ‘Miss Nancy’ from Romper Room? [I know; I’m dating myself on this one].
Now, let me guess what you’re writing (and/or thinking).
Here’s my return-from-vacation Clairity Click-it – and I’ve got some stuff that’s a little outside the box of your basic fundraising and marketing advice. Why? It’s good to take a little trip away from the usual every now and then! So… here come some easy-to-“click-it” links to posts I’ve found thought provoking. With, of course, a few comments of my own.
Let’s begin:
It’s the new plague. And a highly contagious epidemic, from which no one is immune.
Are you showing any symptoms? I feel like:
If you checked off three or more, you’ve got the disease. 8 or more and we need to rush you to an unplugged vacation. All of the above and you need a sabbatical!
Philanthropy, Not Fundraising
“Incremental Change is Not an Option.”
What if this was your charity’s mantra? This is so different than “We keep overhead super low.” The first means dreaming on a large scale, and reaching for true solutions to social problems. The latter, not so much.
For years donors have been taught to look for low overhead as a sign of effectiveness. When you stop to think about it, it makes little common sense. Who cares if you spend only 5 cents on the dollar if you only net $71 from your bake sale? Will this solve your problem? Whatever resources are needed to solve the problem, those are the resources that must be spent. Nothing more. Nothing less.
XTRA! XTRA: NEWS YOU CAN’T USE
This just in: “Many nonprofits post on Twitter throughout the day to keep constituents up to date.” Woo-hoo! I’m jumping for joy! Over the moon! Popping champagne corks! I’m….
Wait just a dog-gone minute… Is this really a news story? What does this really tell me? How does this help me? Well, perhaps if I read the story I’ll…
Learn more.
What story? Oh… this is a real headline, sent to me by my friend Jimmy (a really smart marketing guy who works in the business sector), for an article that appeared in eMarketer which claims to provide “the world’s top brands, agencies and media companies with the most complete view of digital marketing available.” Yet really all the article does is report on a study by Vertical Response showing that nonprofits were more likely to be present on social media channels than small businesses surveyed in a similar study.
So, great. We’ve got some data on how nonprofits are behaving digitally. They’re putting up Facebook pages and starting Twitter accounts. Whoop-de-do.
What we do not have is a fully fleshed out narrative that tells us why nonprofits are behaving this way, who they’re targeting with their social conversations or what they’re getting out of it. We have no knowledge of their engagement plan or their engagement metrics. As I told my friend Jimmy, the fact that nonprofits are doing incrementally more on social media doesn’t really tell much of a story.
I really want you to blog. Did you know that Social Media Examiner’s 2013 State of Social Media Report puts blogging #1 at the list of the top 14 social media channels you should be exploring? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Your blog is the hub of your content strategy (or it should be). Build a blog and rock it. You’ll simultaneously put in place a content strategy that will enable you to easily share relevant content across every communication channel you use. Online and offline. There’s no better way to offer your constituents meaningful engagement. So… what are you waiting for?
BTW: You can learn a lot more if you download my free webinar,The Keys to Nonprofit Blogging that Drives Engagement. Did I mention it’s free?
Here are 10 tips to get you started, or to help you simplify the process so you can focus and deliver.
Unless… they reinvent themselves.
I know this sounds harsh. But check out Seth Godin’s Tried and false where he bluntly tells the truth about the tried and true: “In times of change… most of the tried is in fact, false. False because what used to work, doesn’t, at least not any longer.”
You may have been the best major gift officer on the planet five years ago. But that was then. This is now. The buying/giving market has fundamentally changed. And, yes, the culprit is the digital revolution. That’s how revolutions work. It’s truly the end of business as usual.
It’s perplexing to still hear folks ask “Do we really need social media?” Do you need to text and respond to your kid’s texts? Well… only if you want to be in touch! That question is so 2008. In 2013 it’s more like “my way or the highway.”
Here’s the problem if you’re a small nonprofit:
You’re resource challenged. You don’t have enough staff to do everything that needs to be done as it is. Now you’re supposed to add social media?! Well, which channels? You can’t do it all, for goodness sakes. There must be one best channel. Maybe you can just squeeze that in.
Listen up.
Whatever you did in the past is relevant, but it doesn’t mean it’s exactly what you should be doing today. Relevant means pertaining to or connected to. Your history is always connected with you in some manner. But it’s not always germane (central) or apropos (to the point and opportune).
If you say…
That’s not the way we do things.
We tried that; it doesn’t work.
We don’t need research; we know what our audience cares about.
… stop.
In case you don’t know, troglodytes are hermits who live in caves. There are 3 ways I’ve found that folks in the development profession fit this description. Are you a cave dweller? If so, here’s how to get out more.
Planning any special e-mail campaigns before the end of the fiscal year? This summer? If not, think about it. An e-campaign costs pennies on the dollar compared with print marketing. And the right message at the right time to the right market can empower your supporters to help you change the world.
Your success will be measured not by how many you send, but by how many get opened; then how many answer your call to action. Here are 10 basic tips to assure your email engages your audience. Oh, and I left an 11th tip out on purpose. It’s something that’s super important. If you think you know what it is, contact me with your guess. I’ll pick randomly from among the correct answers – the winner gets a 50-minute top-level review of their next e-appeal (a $200 value), at no cost.
This month’s SMIT (Single Most Important Thing I have to tell you):
Remember in ‘The Graduate’ the one word piece of advice given to Dustin Hoffman? PLASTICS. That was seen to be the wave of the future (oh how long ago that seems, and how quickly something can turn from friend to foe…. but I digress).
Recently I gave another “P” word as my best piece of advice for nonprofit marketers and fundraisers. PERSONAL. I received a lot of feedback, so I’d like to revisit this word and flesh out its multiple meanings – and how getting personal can help you achieve your fundraising and marketing goals.
Stop counting likes and follows. If your work plan has “increase FB likes from X to Y or increase Twitter follows from Y to Z” as an objective, delete, delete, delete! Your objective must relate to your “why;” it can’t just be a “what.”
Who cares how many “friends” you have if none of them are engaging with you? Liking is passive. Engaging is active. What do you want folks to feel/think/do? You simply won’t get there by wishing and hoping. You get there by inspiring.
What’s the number one thing you strive for in your marketing and fundraising strategy? Challenge yourself to think about this for a moment. Really think. Trust me; you’ll remember it better if you think first. Don’t skip ahead.
Got a word?
There’s one word that should come to mind. This word should become your mantra. It should underscore everything you do. Your annual appeal writing. Your special events. Your newsletters. Your blog posts. Your proposals. Your reports. Your social media.
If you take this one word to heart, you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. Moreover, this is the one word that can set you apart. That can help you build relationships like nothing else. Ready?
Nonprofits wanting gifts should give them. Relationships work that way. Give and get.
This principle of reciprocity applies in spades to social media. Generosity begets generosity.
This month’s SMIT (Single Most Important Thing I have to tell you) is that if you don’t take care of your social media it’s going to pee on your floor, tear up your furniture and chew up your shoes. No fooling. Social media is like a puppy. Everyone wants to play with the cute, cuddly…
First you get in the game. This should go without saying, but I still hear too many executive directors saying they don’t want to play. Folks: you gotta play to win. And it’s not the lottery. Your chances of winning are really good. It’s a game of skill, not luck.
Then you acknowledge that everyone is getting into the game. So you won’t get noticed just because you’re on the field. An October survey of U.S. nonprofits by VerticalResponse found that more than three out of five nonprofits reported spending more time on social media than they did a year ago. Nearly two out of five reported devoting six or more hours per week to social media. Ninety-six percent of nonprofits said they were on Facebook; 80% of these organizations reported posting on the site multiple times per week. Twitter also gets significant attention from nonprofits. The site was used by nearly three-quarters of nonprofits, and the organizations were more likely to post several times a day on Twitter (19.5%) vs. Facebook (13.8%).
Just because you’re flitting and twitting around doesn’t mean you’re getting anywhere fast. It reminds me a bit of the big pile-up on the football field. An amorphous mass.
Just building it isn’t enough. Whatever it may be. A blog. A Facebook page. A Twitter profile. You name it.
Sorry.
They won’t call. They won’t write. They won’t wax on rhapsodically about your finer qualities. The most they might do is notice you out of the corner of their eye; then move on.
It’s on you.
To get real value from social media you must build it, get folks to come, get folks to talk and get folks to recommend you to others.
Here’s the kicker: You’re not 100% in control. Yeah, I know it kind of sucks. Us control freaks just have to get over it. Folks are going to be learning about you through others, and you won’t know about it. They’ll talk about you, and you won’t know what they’re saying.
Let me tell you a tale of two siblings, Outbound and Inbound.
Talking is what builds your reputation and develops relationships with those who share the values your organization enacts. Talking is central to your blog – and entire social media – strategy. So… let’s talk!
In the first part of this two-part post about how to get others to promote your blog we discussed how to find your natural “sharers” – those folks willing to be spokespersons on your behalf, whether they be influencers or advocates. Today we’re going to talk about how to get these boosters to spread your good word through digital word-of-mouth.
6 TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR TALKERS TALKING:
To make your blog worth the effort, it’s got to be shared. And that’s what we discussed in Part I: Share and Part II: Shareable of this S.S.T.S. Series. Great! But how do you get folks to really TALK about you, rather than just shooting out one-shot shares?
You begin with content, of course. No one is going to share crap, no matter how easy you make it for them to do so. In the C.P.A. Series we talked about getting folks to open and read your post. Done! In the R.C.A. Series we discussed giving folks something engaging to talk about – relevant, constituent-centered and actionable content. Done and done.
Now that you’ve got the good stuff, you need to get folks walking your talk!
You want more than short-term share transactions. You want shares that drive desired action responses; you want transformation!
We’re really hung up on technology these days. And jargon. We use terms like “social media” to describe a range of practices – from digital communications to any form of customer-centered marketing that embraces the ways in which people interact, inform themselves, form communities and co-create within the current zeitgeist. Then we mix it up…
S.S.T.S. Share. Shareable. Talk. Search. Those are the elements required for promoting your blog. In Part I we talked about how to create a super sonic transport system to make your blog work for you. We began with how you share. Now we’re going to talk about how to get other folks to share on your behalf. You want to make your posts Shareable. This is what gives ‘wings’ to your super-sonic promotion strategy.
Share and share alike. We all know this old adage. But if you’re given an apple and no knife to cut it into pieces, it’s difficult to share. Similarly, if you share a blog post but offer no sharing tools, it’s not likely to be shared. People who read your posts have networks. You want to tap into them!
It’s your job to make it easy for folks to spread the good word.
Here comes this month’s *SMIT (Single Most Important Thing I have to tell you): the odds are good that you’re searching for love in all the wrong places.
Do a little spring cleaning and get rid of your apathetic donors. I don’t mean you should toss them out the window. I mean you should do something to overcome their apathy. It’s not their fault. Chances are it’s yours. I know that may sound harsh. But, gosh darn it, we betray our donors all the time. Instead, we should go to them and give them some love. It’s really not that hard to retain your donors; you simply must have a strategy.
Most of us don’t even see the mess we’re making. Just like that pile of papers that’s sitting over in the corner waiting to be tended to, our eyes glaze over. We’re apt to virtually ignore the broad base of donors in the middle, as well as our donors who lapse. We send them one or two perfunctory renewal appeals; then we’re done. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because announcing a big upgrade and securing a new donor just seems a lot sexier than renewing folks. But sustainable fundraising is not about sexy.
We’ve talked CONTENT (C.P.A. Series). We’ve talked ENGAGEMENT (R.C.A. Series). Now we’ve got to talk PROMOTION (S.S.T.S Series).
S.S.T.S. That’s the four things. You need a super sonic transport system that will enable all your brand messaging – across multiple channels – to emanate from your blog. Yes. We’ve talked about this before. Your blog is your content hub. It’s the essence of you and what you do. But it’s not something that has meaning separate from the rest of your marketing communications efforts. It won’t get you anywhere if you don’t put the wheels in motion. And since things are fast, fast, fast these days — let’s get you in motion super sonically!
You must promote your blog. (Tweet this). I’ve just engaged in a lengthy discussion with folks in the “Marketing Professionals” group on Linkedin about what’s more important: content, engagement or promotion. Content seems to be winning. But I just can’t agree. Not that I don’t’ think it’s super important. Who cares about promoting dreck? But all three must work together. They’re three legs of a three-legged stool; unstable if any one leg is missing. Without promotion your super-de-duper content just sits there. Dead. In. The. Water. That’s just sad.
Still a bridesmaid? Or have you gotten engaged? The R.C.A. Series is all about engagement. It’s the middle part of a three-part series. We move from values (philanthropy)… to shared values (development)… to action (fundraising). Every tip in the series (as well as in the preceding C.P.A. Series and the upcoming S.S.T.S. Series) also pertains to just about everything else you do in your nonprofit work. So read this even if you don’t have a blog. Yet.
Blogging is not a one-trick pony. It’s a way of life that expresses who you are, why you’re of value, and how you and your ‘stakeholders’ — those who have a stake in the outcomes you produce — can work together to create positive change. (If this sounds a lot like the “case statement” of yore, that’s because it is!) Think of your blog as your content hub; the place from which all messaging emanates.
Blogging is a three-part proposition. In fact, so is your entire marketing strategy. And your fundraising strategy. And your program strategy. Arguably, your entire modus operandi is a three-part proposition:
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”…
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.
Philanthropy; 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:
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.
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.
C.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.
Earlier this week I posted on the Windmill Networking blog about three essential building blocks to kick-start a successful online marketing program. For the time-challenged, however, here’s a brief summary:
Let’s take it from the T O P. D O C A R E about what you’re trying to achieve. Get it opened, read and acted on. Remember your primary purposes: (1) Get it open; (2) Get it read; (3) Get the donation. Do not – I repeat, do not!—deviate from these primary purposes. I’m…
Before you hold your next fundraising event, ask yourself one simple question: WHY?
Take a minute, right now, to jot down all the things you’d like to happen by virtue of you having held your event.
I’ll wait.
Seriously, do it. Jot.
I’m waiting.
Okay, there are a few of you who don’t yet have pencils and paper in front of you. Yes, I can see you. Remember ‘Miss Nancy’ from Romper Room? [I know; I’m dating myself on this one].
Now, let me guess what you’re writing (and/or thinking).
What do we want most to sustain our nonprofits? Loyal donors, natch! How do we get them? Oh, that’s simple. We badger them for gifts. When they give, we warehouse them in our database. We then send a form letter (pretending it’s personal because we use their given name and indicate their gift was earmarked…
This month I’m writing about how to be donor centered. Today I’m taking us in a perhaps unexpected direction – the path of social media. What does that have to do with being donor centered? Everything. There are two principle reasons why: 1. Social media is about relationships, not technology. Your constituents want a relationship.…
How often do you gift this gift to donors? I’ve personally declared November ‘Gratitude for Blessings’ month. For me, this means finding opportunities to demonstrate gratitude. And today I’m grateful for you, my readers. Whereas donors are the center of your nonprofit’s universe, you are the center of mine. When I can’t share my ideas, …
This is baseball heaven, Tweet courtesy of @bradmangin Story+Customer Experience+Voice = Community The Giants embraced social media during a time of magic for the team in 2010. The franchise hadn’t won a World Series in 54 years. Finally, it was all coming together in an exhilarating way. And social media was there to share the…
Check out this month’s nonprofit blog carnival. It’s all about how to build, maintain and evaluate a great nonprofit website. There’s a contribution from yours truly , as well as nine other posts to take your website to the next level. It’s still surprising that with all the great marketing advice available to nonprofits today,…
Last week I wrote about the evils of using jargon. I got lots of responses. It’s clearly hard for people to get outside of their ‘insider’ mindset. When we use words at work daily, they begin to seem normal (even though we may’ve never used those words before). Before working at a social service agency,…
What’s the problem? Problems, problems… who’s got problems? We all do, but before we can solve them we must first define them. Otherwise, we’re apt to solve the wrong problem! Sadly, this happens all the time. SO let’s take a page from Einstein’s bo. He is quoted as having said that if he had one hour…
has been likened to the shop window of the 21st century when it comes to brand awareness.(Although this analogy came pre-, which arguably is even like window shopping of yore). Just as consumers increasingly research their purchases on to obtain the best deals, so too do prospective donors increasingly research nonprofits on. So…
GOOD: I recently read an article about ‘accidental marketing’ describing serendipitous moments when we ‘sell’ our product/service without having really planned it. In this case, it was a nonprofit staff member (let’s call him Joe), who went out to pick up some donated furniture. Joe accidentally knocked on the wrong door. In explaining to the…
Now what? Blogs – and social media of all stripes – are not the end goal. They’re a lot of things. Fun… Annoying… Exciting… Time sucking… Sexy… Leveraging… Awareness creating… Teaching… Seducing… and let’s not forget –Bonding! As discussed in Part I and Part II , they can create relationships like nobody’s business if we…
Are you leading engagement with your tribes? Lots of interesting Q & A during last week’s webinar about blogging our way to increased constituent engagement. Particularly around the relative merits of blogging vs. engaging on and other social media. Our constituents’ agenda is often a quest for meaningful social interaction; a tribal connection. At…
Make your blog blossom Blogging. This month I’ve talked a lot about it. So, before April showers turn into May flowers, let’s discuss once how we can water our own blogs – either as individuals or businesses – so that they blossom and grow. They’re a great tool, but only if used effectively. Don’t…
You did say “All I can eat?!” Your challenge (a.k.a. homework) for sometime this month is to eat without guilt: Be a social consumer. Go to the information buffet in the industry you frequent (whether for profit or nonprofit; think about where your competition lies) and eat up. Stuff your little cheeks full. All you…
Social media is a killer engagement tool. And it’s not a fad. If you want to build new and long-term relationships with your constituents – and who doesn’t? –you can’t afford to ignore the biggest tool out there since sliced bread. But… you CAN pick and choose. Recently I’ve discussed , Blogging , , …