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INTRODUCTION
I think that, as nonprofits, we're sort of hard-wired to think people don't want to listen to us too much. We're constantly worried about issue fatigue, donor fatigue, email fatigue. But if you've got a good story to tell, people will want to listen -- and you need to get it out them in any way they might hear you.
Marketing is a process, not an event. If you want to be heard, really heard, you have to reach your constituents in a variety of ways. And you don't have to be a giant organization to do it right.
This issue of NTEN Connect is focused on Integrated Marketing -- bringing your message to your people via email, direct mail, social media, and more. We'll talk about what integrated marketing means for your organization's culture, and go back to basics with the importance of telling a good story, no matter what the medium. Then we dive into the strange world of managing your message and your brand in social media. After those two articles on how to insert a little control into the chaos, we have a counterpoint, about letting go completely. Finally, we end the issue with a look at a new twist on integration: online and (mobile) phone line.
I'd like to remind you that NTEN Connect is written by you, our members. And NTEN members also wrote a book, Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission. We think it's worth a read too!
Best,
Holly
Tad Druart, Convio
While online fundraising continues to be a growth engine for many nonprofit organizations, the data -- real and anecdotal -- shows that engaging constituents through an integrated, multi-channel approach provides the greatest return over the life of most supporters.
Integrating the latest technology and applications can also help you empower your most ardent supporters to share your story in ways that reach, inspire, and motivate others to join your cause.
The first steps are not as hard as they might seem.
Roger Burks, Mercy Corps
Too often, we populate our websites with re-purposed press releases. Dry program language. Corporate-speak from our executives. Those things don't inspire us. So why do we expect them to inspire our constituents to donate or take some other action for us?
I mean, seriously, would you ever go out with your friends and say, "You'll never believe the kick-ass strategic framework our CEO rolled out today"?
If you don't believe in -- and feel strongly about -- what you're saying, neither will your readers. You have to tell them your best stories, consistently.
That means building a culture of storytelling at your organization.
Michael Weiss, imagistic
It used to be that marketing on the web involved simply pushing content to your audience, hoping they would read it, consider, select, purchase, use, and recommend. Now, online marketing has literally become a conversation between you and your audiences.
Sometimes you're not even involved in your best or worst marketing efforts.
User generated content, regardless if you like it or not, is now part of your content strategy. And with that, comes the responsibility to manage it.
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Nancy Schwartz, Getting Attention
As the nonprofit landscape gets increasingly complex, money and attention are tougher than ever to get. And, because your org is discussed on infinite communications channels, it's more important than ever to brand your organization, programs, and campaigns.
When you do so -- conveying credibility and value in a way that's easy to remember and repeat -- you'll build long-lasting relationships with donors, volunteers, members, the media, clients, and more. But it's more challenging than ever in our 2.0 world.
Here are seven keys to effective branding in a social media world:
Maddie Grant and Lindy Dreyer, SocialFish, LLC
In a word, no.
If the goal is to integrate social media marketing into your traditional marketing, you're setting yourself up for failure. After all, traditional marketing is based on pushing out and controlling the message, targeting, and running insular campaigns. By comparison, social media marketing is based on relinquishing control, two-way communication, building community, and breaking out of campaign-thinking to build trust over time.
For many nonprofits, traditional marketing still works. Now is not the time to drop the tried and true when social media marketing is still so unproven for your organization.
So here are some social media marketing tactics that can coexist with your older tactics:
Matt Wilson, Mobile Commons
We spent a lot of time at the end of 2008 working with one of our clients, the Humane Society of the United States, and our friends at the Watershed Company to come up with a nice mobile test for end of year fundraising.
Our strategy was simple: send HSUS' mobile subscribers a text message on December 30th asking them to reply to call or directly call a 1-800 number to make their year-end gift.
To be great, sometimes you can't be afraid to fail. And in terms of the original intent of this program, we definitely failed! But there was a very significant and important silver lining.
- The New York Times continues to produce great examples of interactive maps. Here's one visualizing the recession. As wine enthusiasts, we hate to use this phrase, but here's hoping the colors turn from burgundy to pink pretty soon.
- We have a thing for maps, it's true. Epicurious has one listing seasonal produce available in your area by month. (If you have an iPhone, you can get an app that takes it one step further, with links to nearby farmers markets.)
- Geek poetry. Holly posted a video of the Nonprofit ROI Poetry slam at SXSW. How awesome is it? Very.
- Ethan Zuckerman's "Cute Cat Theory of Digital Activism": "Web 1.0 was invented to allow physicists to share research papers. Web 2.0 was created to allow people to share pictures of cute cats." If you haven't already seen this, it's a great read.
- It's also a great segue. You already know where this is going, don't you? Yep: cats on treadmills.
- Beth Kanter tipped us to this flowchart on how to respond to blog posts about your organization. It's put out by the U.S. Air Force. We're not sure what's most surprising: that the Air Force cares about its Web2.0 image, that somebody in the USAF knows what a troll is, or that it has some really good advice.
- Google's Chrome Experiments. But if you get caught playing their browser-based Tetris clone, you didn't hear it from us. (Oh, and if you want to drive yourself insane, try this hi-def version.)
- The appropriation of big ideas for good. IdealistNews.org aims to be the Digg, er, Reddit of social news sites, while Academic Earth wants to be the Hulu of education. But where's the TARP of nonprofit funding?
- Social actions wants you to tap their API. You could win cash monies!
BOOK RELEASE PARTY
In support of the launch of our new book, Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Leaders,we're having a virtual release party. Ten of our authors will join us on the line to talk about their chapters and answer your questions.
Not only is this a free event, we're going to give away a bunch of goodies to help put you in the party spirit. (You're responsible for providing your own booze, though; technology hasn't come that far yet.)
SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEY
You use social networks at work, right? It's okay to admit it. In fact, we want you to tell us all about it in a survey about social network use by nonprofits that we're running with Common Knowledge and ThePort.
It should only take you about 5 minutes to complete the survey and contribute to the nonprofit tech community knowledgebase. But do it soon, as we're about to close it up.
FREE WEBINAR ARCHIVES
Did you know we're making our entire archive of recorded webinars through 2008 free to our Members, with more added on a quarterly basis?
That's right, on April 1st -- or shall we say 2nd, so you don't think we're yanking your chain? -- all of our regularly priced webinars through December 31st, 2008 will be freely accessible to NTEN Members.
UPCOMING WEBINARS
MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Your NTEN Membership lets you save on a host of products and services:
AspireSoft
12% discount on all software, setup fees, and on-going costs for nonprofit members of NTEN on AspireSoft product line, including complete framework and architecture for building, deploying, and maintaining highly functional websites, intranets, and extranets.
World Benefactor
One month free service with a 12-month commitment. World Benefactor is a social business enterprise dedicated to helping nonprofits throughout the world make better use of technology by providing the professional services necessary to allow nonprofits to completely outsource its online advertising and fund raising activities.
NTEN CONNECT is the monthly e-newsletter of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN).
Photo Credits: Ennor (Header).
Contact the editor at editor@nten.org