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Traditional & Social…Living & Working Together Quite Nicely, Thank You

Social Media Banner  

We’ve been spending some time looking into best practices and strategies of both product and service offerings via direct mail and social media.  What did we find out?  When using both in an integrated fashion, your message reaches further than if you were to send it separately.

There is little doubt that your donors and prospects are active on social media.  After all, there are over 1 billion Facebook users, 200 million on LinkedIn and Twitter and 343 million using Google+ (Digital Marketing Ramblings [http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/resource-how-many-peoople-use-the-top-social-media/]

In fact, a recent IBM study (http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/35631.wss) found that 82% of CMOs are planning on increasing their use of social media over the next 3-5 years.  Yet, with all of this social media usage, you know what?  more and more consumers, and, therefore, more and more of your donors and prospects, prefer to receive information from direct mail.

By including direct mail marketing into your social media strategy, you stand the chance of  being uppermost in the minds and hearts of those you want to reach – your target audience.

First step:  take inventory of your customer data.  While it is true that not everyone who connects with you socially will be on your mailing list or vice versa, for sure some, perhaps even many, will be in both categories.

Here are 4 easy ways to gather this information:

  1. When you ask for a mailing address, ask for the individual’s Twitter handle also.  That enables you to send out both personal tweets and direct messages while gathering valuable information on that particular donor or prospect.
  2. Monitor your social interactions.  The data you receive will let you segment your content to the needs of your supporters resulting in them seeing value in what you offer.
  3. When you send out direct mail always include social information to tease any social promotions you have going on.  You can then measure the results of different campaigns and get a better idea of what your supporters respond to from a campaign  point of view.
  4. Tweet and post status updates that encourage your social media fans to sign up for your mailing list.  Make sure you add a direct mail only value, otherwise they won’t see how signing up is of benefit to them personally.

When you do this, you will begin to have a basic understanding of what media your contacts are most comfortable using.  You can then begin to plan your messaging and strategy.  Be creative!  Offer incentives for them to get involved – a coupon, a freebie, or anything of perceived value.

Drawing a blank?  Here are some tips for integrating direct mail and social media messaging for greater response:

  • host a contest and cross-promote it all of your social media sites as you announce the contest to those on your mailing list with a postcard;
  • send a direct mail piece that announces a deal only for those who “like” you on Facebook.  Keep track of the “likes.”  Allow those “likers” to print the coupon or use the coupon code you have provided.  Allow the coupon owner to share it.
  • think about using a QR Code with your direct mail piece to take the recipient to your landing page offer.  Then give an incentive such as 10% off on your offer.

Remember, multi-channel marketing like this is impactful.  Making multiple social appeals along with a direct mail approach will bring results.

 

 

 

 

 

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Attention! Attention! Tweet All About It!

Twitter Bird  

We live in a digital world and have the ability to be updated with news in real time. Journalists report on the front lines of war. New information about a crisis can be up to the minute coverage. With the world news at our finger tips, the internet is taking the place of the traditional newspaper. By the time the morning paper comes to press, it is old news.

 

Going a step further, even with the constant news outlets updating their news stream online, who has time to read an entire article? With the hectic pace of everyday life, people want their news to be concise. What happened, where did it happen, to who did it happen to, and how will it affect me? All these questions need to be answered, preferably in one sentence. This is where Twitter comes in.

 

Twitter has come to be a viable source for many journalists, celebrities, athletes and ordinary people to share their thoughts, opinions and cold hard facts on a variety of topics.

  • ‘WeGotBinLaden’ was the Tweet which was reported on Twitter before any other source reported the death of Osama Bin Laden. To date, this is Twitter’s biggest story.
  • Thirty minutes before mainstream news reported the death of Whitney Houston, the story broke on Twitter.
  • Tweets by ordinary people often are the first witnesses to breaking news.

 

My advice to you, join Twitter if you haven’t already. Use it as a source of news for yourself or create it as a business tool for your organization. The days of people relying on longer forms of media are close to extinct. If you can generate a following of clients, prospects or people who are simply interested in what you have to say, you have utilized Twitter effectively.

 

Perhaps the “breaking news” you Tweet about won’t be as extreme as capturing and killing the world’s most wanted terrorist, but if you can be the first in your industry to introduce a new thought, idea or opinion which gets others talking, you have greatly succeeded in the world of Tweets.

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I Want to Make an Online Donation so You’d Better Make the Process an Engaging One!

Direct-Marketing-Banner  

A recent survey by Nomensa has found that 47% of donors give up before they make an online donation.  There are two stated reasons for this:  1- the journey or experience and 2- lack of engagement.

In other words, potential donors, 47% of them, are either finding it too difficult to give you their money or they are bored by your lack of engagement or ability to make a case for support based upon need.

Don’t give the potential donor an easy out.  Make your online giving site as easy to negotiate as possible.  Go online, try it out yourself.  Yes, make a small donation.  Was it easy?  Did you encounter any unexpected roadblocks?  If so, fix them ASAP.

And just because it’s the online donation you’re looking for doesn’t mean you’re absolved from telling a story that evokes an emotional response.  On the contrary, what a great opportunity to  delight the browser who is debating if yours is a worthy cause with a human interest story that says better than any statistics can why your nonprofit is making its little corner of the world a better place.

We’d love it if you would share any experiences you’ve had with making your online giving a more “user friendly and engaging” experience.

 

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6 Tips to Connect with Donors at Thanksgiving…Have You Tried Any of Them?

rescignos thank u  

Trapped between the spooky fun of Halloween and the spiritual but often over-the-top commercialism of Christmas lies Thanksgiving, which is often overlooked in the retail arena but shouldn’t be when it comes to fundraising, engagement and giving thanks to those who support your work.

When you come to think of it, we have the pilgrims to thank for the roots of our Thanksgiving holiday and America’s  philanthropic spirit.  It’s appropriate to use this special season to deepen your connection with donors by showing your appreciation for them.   And It’s Not Too Late to Try Some of These Tactics:

  1. Send a Thanksgiving card to special donors and volunteers.  When feasible, make it more personal by including a handwritten signature and note.
  2. Assign volunteers and staff donors to call with a brief “thank you” message during Thanksgiving week, when business slows for most folks.
  3. Send a Thanksgiving-focused e-mail blast.
  4. Utilize your social-media sites, as well as those of your volunteer and staff team, to amplify your message of thanksgiving and have conversations with donors.
  5. Include appropriate Thanksgiving messages on your website homepage.
  6. If you have home-bound donors or those who are not able to participate in holiday activities, strategize how you might be able to reach out to them.

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Italian Ice and Direct Mail/Marketing Strategies?

Direct-Marketing-Banner  

Sometimes an  idea is so exciting that it can’t be ignored.  For example, I have a machine at home that makes ice cream.  However, I’ve used it for that purpose only once or twice.  What I do use it for is to make Italian Ice in the summertime.  On days when it’s especially hot and humid my family loves to see me in the kitchen next to my Il Gelato ice cream maker because they know something cool and refreshing  is on the way.

For many reading this post the question may be, “What, in the name of Enrico Fermi, is Italian Ice?”  No, it’s not ice cream and it’s not gelato.  Think shaved ice — only finer.

At first, I’d mix the juice of about 20 lemons along with simple syrup, mix in a little zest of lemon, maybe throw in a little 2% milk for creaminess,  churn and freeze for about 30 minutes and I’d present whoever was at the house with a delightful lemon ice treat.  I followed that up over time by adding limes, watermelon, strawberries, melon, maple syrup, peach, coconut, and just about any other fruit I could think of to create variations.

It became a challenge to me and a never ending source of  experimentation to see what new flavor I’d come up with next.

What’s your challenge?  What new idea are you excited to try?  Is there something that’s motivating you?  Remember, in today’s multi-channel environment the onus is on you to test different messages and communication channels with your various audiences to see what’s most effective.

Just as I tested flavors on my family for years and learned who liked what flavor, how they liked it presented (spoon for Sue, napkin for neatnik daughter, Jessie, and any old way for unfussy Dominic), when they most enjoyed it (Sue and Jessie – poolside, of course; Dominic, any time of the day), you should be testing what segments of your audience respond to the various channels available, what triggers the response?  Is it the annual appeal, a newslwetter, special event opportunity?  And what about within a segment?  Do 50 somethings respond differently to email than those in their 60s?  What about social?  Do you have a segment who is waiting to be approached that way?

I feel like I do a good thing when I make Italian Ice for my family.  It cools them off on a steamy day and always sparks conversation about what flavor I should try next.  It’s an avenue or way of connecting with my family that binds us together–a shared love of an inexpensive treat that is reserved for only the hottest days of the year.

Are you currently working on doing any testing to help you define segments for targeted communications?

Give your donors and prospects choices so you can learn their preferences.  Once they realize you are making an effort to pay attention to communicating with them according to their preferences.

It’s about 8 months or so until my next concoction.  Want to place an order now?  If I know you’re coming,  I’ll make you some.

 

 

 

 

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