RT @epaley: Great tips for non-profits to become more effective with online communication via @spaley http://t.co/iqbfSs4WDf
King Kong vs. Content Marketing
12.05.11
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?
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?
Your business lives and dies by the number of qualified leads (or potential customers) you can find.
Is your business already generating enough leads? If you’re anything like most of the business owners and executives I speak with, the answer is no.
What would it do for your business growth if your website was providing you with a consistently increasing flow of qualified leads? Or with lead intelligence that can help you decide where to best spend your sales efforts?
Continue…
Some rights reserved by Orin Zebest
At Abstract Edge, we study all kinds of social marketing campaigns — from companies, non-profits, artists and more. While we’ve seen campaigns big and small, cast wide and extremely focused, there are some universal tips that apply to any strategy you’re planning for your new customer outreach.
Often, it all boils down to getting the little things right.
Here are three examples of common sense outreach tips that your brand would be wise to adopt.
Some rights reserved by CCAC North Library (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccacnorthlib/)
Last night I attended an event with 40 or so other marketers put on by the American Marketing Association of Baltimore.
Matt Doud, founder of Baltimore-based ad agency Planit Advertising, led a discussion about lessons learned in the ad agency world over the past decade.
Three key points stuck with me:
- Advertising (or marketing) is storytelling.
- Specifically, it’s about telling the right story to the right person at the right time.
- As a storyteller, you must focus on the needs of your audience. This will determine the appropriate channels (TV, direct mail, social media, etc.) for any particular story.
These eternal truths also help to explain why inbound marketing is so powerful. Inbound marketing, when done correctly, tells your audience the stories that matter to them at the time and place of their choosing, about the products and services they need, want, or choose to support.
But is inbound marketing just as formidable for nonprofits? Absolutely. And here’s why:
1) Inbound Marketing Jump-starts Awareness
Most nonprofits want their organization or cause to become widely known. With greater reach comes a greater ability to do good in the world. People can’t become participants, donors, members, or evangelists if they don’t know your organization exists.
Traditional awareness campaigns can be expensive. Really expensive. In fact, they’re out of reach for most nonprofits — especially if you want to cast a wide net.
But inbound marketing typically isn’t as expensive. In a 2010 study, inbound marketing software provider Hubspot determined that the average cost per “lead” is 60% lower with inbound marketing as opposed to traditional “outbound” marketing.
The same study also showed that organizations that blog (an important component of inbound marketing) get 55% more visitors to their websites. Regular blogging leads to better search engine placement, more sharing on social networks, and a greater number of links from other websites.
2) Inbound Marketing Builds Your Constituent Database
Getting all that new traffic is great, but if you know nothing about your website visitors, you can’t be nearly as proactive in growing your organization. Provide people with a reason to be willing (and even happy) to give you their name and email address, at the very least.
Then, create well-designed landing pages on your website with compelling offers and strong calls-to-action. By obtaining ever more information about your audience, your outreach efforts will be much more powerful and effective.
3) Inbound Marketing Inspires Higher Levels of Engagement
It takes a lot more commitment for someone to become a large campaign donor than to simply re-share your content on Facebook. But a lasting and growing commitment can be fostered over time — and inbound marketing channels can help.
Once people have voluntarily added themselves to your database, you can begin to tailor programs, events, and content to them, which will prompt and inspire those individuals to become increasingly active members of your community.
Eternal Truth
Tell the stories that showcase your organization, but make sure you’re telling the right story to the right person at the right time and place. That’s exactly what inbound marketing does so well, helping you to achieve your goals in a more cost-effective way.
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Sounds great! I’d like to discuss an inbound marketing program for my organization. How can I reach you?
(Wait… I’m feeling a little confused about what “Inbound Marketing” is. Can you please explain?)
- Some rights reserved by pudgeefeet
Maybe you can list a dozen reasons why your company should do more inbound marketing. But even though you know you should take action, you may still be paralyzed by one big question:
“Where do we start?”
If your brand doesn’t already have a social media presence, you might wonder where to start. Facebook? YouTube? Somewhere else?
If you do have a digital presence, you might not be sure how best to grow it.
And even if you have a healthy online following, you may not know whether or not it’s actually helping you reach your long-term goals.
So relax.
Let’s get back to basics and make sure your inbound marketing base is a stable one.
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