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Keeping up with the Joneses is never easy — especially if the Joneses can outwork you, outspend you, and shout louder than you can.  And if you’re vying for attention in a crowded online market, things aren’t getting any easier.

Craig Newmark (who’s best known as the founder of Craigslist) and his CraigConnects staff recently completed a survey of the social media habits of nonprofits.  They compiled their findings into a comprehensive (and colorful) infographic.

One of their observations in particular really jumped out at us:

Out of 21 organizations we spoke with, only 1 does not have a designated social media person — neither part- nor full-time.

This means 20 of the 21 top nonprofits in the social media realm are paying at least one person to work part-time on their inbound marketing efforts.  Some employ more than one person.  Some employ those people full-time. And all of them want to ensure that their investments lead to results, so they’re willing to spend more money and allocate more resources toward reaching their organization’s goals.

Can you?

If not, here are five off-the-wall tips for maximizing the usefulness of your own inbound marketing — whether you’re competing against the social efforts of part-timers, full-timers, or an army of rabid devotees…


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One of the dangers of inbound marketing is that it can drive people away from your brand just as easily as it can attract them to you.

How?  Easy.
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9 Steps to an Awesome Nonprofit WebsiteWe’re very excited to let you know of the publication of our first eBook, entitled, “Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail: 9 Ways to Save Money, Launch Sooner, and Dramatically Boost the Effectiveness of Your Website.” It focuses on nonprofits, but its lessons apply more broadly.

Even if this isn’t of interest to you currently, perhaps you have friends that can benefit. It would be great if you’d send them a link.

We wrote the eBook in response to a clear need. In the last year we’ve been asked many times for a follow-up to our extremely popular blog post, “8 Great Questions to Answer Before Starting a Web Design Project.”

A lot of you let us know that the blog post is really useful, but you wish it went deeper. Our nonprofit friends, in particular, have pressed us for more. From that kernel, this eBook was born.

Read on for an excerpt.
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This post, slightly adapted, was first published on the blog of the American Marketing Association of Baltimore.

Many of our readers are marketing professionals. As a professional, you’re likely at the forefront of marketing.

Sure, you and I understand how effective marketing looks quite different in 2011 than it did in 2001 – a topic we cover at length on this blog. But what do you do if your pointy-hair boss just doesn’t get it?
Dilbert.com

First, some basic facts
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Gorilla

Some rights reserved by Peter Kaminski (http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterkaminski/)

Let’s say you’re driving to the mall and, while you’re stopped at a red light, something bright and colorful catches your eye. You look across the street and see a giant inflated gorilla balloon, surrounded by multicolored streamers, all billowing from the roof of a mattress outlet store.

And, of course, you immediately think to yourself, “I need a mattress, now.”

Right?

Well… probably not.

At best, that gorilla balloon might draw your attention to the fact that there is a mattress store at that intersection.  But unless you’re already in the market for a new mattress, you probably don’t think you need one now, and seeing a giant inflated gorilla isn’t going to change your mind.

So why do mattress stores (and used car lots, and thrift stores, and antique shops, and…) use garish outdoor displays to get your attention?


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No, not that time she insisted you should be paranoid about tagging photos of yourself at “all the wrong parties,” or how you should never let strangers know that you aren’t home.  (Although, hey, be smart.)

She was right about asking other people for help.

See, when you were a kid and you couldn’t accomplish something at school, your mother didn’t tell you to give up, did she?

No, she told you to ask for help.  Maybe from a teacher, maybe from a classmate, but always to focus on improving, rather than quitting.

It turns out your mom was right about that — and the smartest nonprofits on Facebook are the ones who remembered what their mothers told them.

What do we mean?


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About Us

Abstract Edge is a creative boutique online marketing agency that has launched new brands for Clairol and Vera Wang, inspired a million moms to march on Washington, assisted American Idol’s fight against malaria, and helped increase web traffic so successfully for Discover Magazine that it was recently acquired.


Our primary offices are in New York and Baltimore and we have clients throughout the US. You can read more about us here.