A Case for Collaboration

Guest Blogging...

2011-03-10T08:30:00.000-06:00

I know I've been completely absent from my own blog, but was featured as a contributor today on this cool blog. Check it out...

http://www.engagedlife.org/

Web Sites

2011-02-02T13:45:00.001-06:00

So, a year ago I decided that our organization is far too large and our audiences are far too diverse to have just one web site. This revelation was followed by months of planning and procrastinating the production of four new sites to replace the one too-big-to-function-well site.

Today, we went live with our four new sites. I'm taking a break from frantically working out the last (I hope) bugs before anyone discovers them. My least favorite e-mail to get is the one that says "did you know this isn't working." eeaaak. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

So - here you go: Four new interconnected websites catering to each of their unique audiences!

Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries: www.nlom.org
Carol Joy Holling Camp: www.caroljoyholling.org
Carol Joy Holling Conference & Retreat Center: www.cjhcenter.org
Sullivan Hills Camp: www.sullivanhills.org

7 Most Pressing Camp Questions

2010-12-07T09:30:00.002-06:00

This was the presentation for a workshop I did on Marketing-based responses to Camp's most pressing questions. It may not make sense without the talking points, but am offering it up so you can see what a cool presentation tool Prezi is. Check it out at www.prezi.com!

Changing Nature of Leadership

2010-08-26T08:38:00.000-05:00

The Center for Creative Leadership has released a new research white paper titled: The Changing Nature of Leadership. I'm not sure if it is okay for me to post the .pdf here, as it is copyrighted. If you want to see the full white paper, go to http://www.ccl.org and search for "Changing Nature of Leadership."

First - CCL's definition of leadership:
"setting direction, building commitment and creating alignment."

Here are a few of the highlights:

Leaders are focusing more energy on creating a supportive culture so that every employee can do their best work.
Building relationships are key to success.
Collaboration is necessary to compete and get media attention from a national and world stage.
It is important for leaders to be involved in leadership opportunities outside of the organization.
Working across organizational boundaries is essential to a leader's success.
Whereas leadership was viewed 10 years ago as a function of individuals, it has shifted to a view of leadership as a process that can happen throughout the organization.

My favorite paragraph:
"It’s no longer the time of the heroic leader – the leader who walks in and takes up all the space in the room. The job of today’s leader is to create space for other people – a space in which people can generate new and different ideas; a space where seemingly disparate departments and people in the organization come together and have a meaningful conversation; a space in which people can be more effective, more agile, and more prepared to respond to complex challenges."

The document goes on to offer action steps for organizations wishing to follow these shifts in leadership. Check it out at http://www.ccl.org. Good stuff.

Big Brother or Genius?

2010-08-25T14:16:00.002-05:00

Let me start by saying I do not have a clue how all of this works. I'm just fascinated, and completely undecided as to whether or not this is big-brother-creepy or really great.

I was on Zappos the other day - just browsing and happened upon this shoes. I liked them and added them to my cart. Really, I had no intention of buying. It's just my way of keeping track of what I like, in case I want to go back and find them again.

Then, I clicked "home" and right there, on my home page, was a banner ad from Zappos advertising the very shoes I had just looked at, plus a couple of other pairs that were similar. Coincidence - NO! Check out the banner ad, and note the "Why am I seeing these ads? Learn more" at the bottom.

As a consumer, I'm completely wierded out. Somehow, they just captured my browsing information and created an ad to sell me on an incomplete transaction. I just had a conversation the other day with someone who was telling me that this is possible and I hardly believed him.

Here's what the "Learn More" said:

As a marketer, I'm thinking - how can I make this happen and use it? What if a browser goes to the volunteer pages on my organization's website, then clicks off without action. Can I pop up an ad further promoting my organization, with a link to a volunteer section? Is this possible? Legal? Ethical?

Upon further research, there is apparently something called Web Mining. Check out the link - it explains it a bit more and also talks about the ethical complications of it. Plus, lots of information about really crazy things that computer programs can now determine about you based on your browsing history.

UPDATE: a friend just sent me a link to this story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129298003

Today's Challenge

2010-08-19T10:35:00.001-05:00

Check out Facebook's new "Places" feature and figure out how your org. can use it gain exposure, referrals, etc...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38763243/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

And, a link to Facebook's guide:

http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=1159

Benefits of Collaboration

2010-08-16T10:57:00.003-05:00

Our organization is in the thick of a really great partnership with Lutheran World Relief (read all about it here...www.nlom.org). The partnership started around the first of the year and will continue on for, hopefully, a very long time. I have learned so much in this project - both personally and professionally.

Partnerships with good organizations like LWR bring wonderful, positive energy.
Doubling our do-good efforts feels doubly good.
It is helpful and energizing to work with other people who have similar jobs as I do.
When two dynamic organizations join efforts, it increases both organizations credibility in the eyes of our donors, volunteers, participants, etc...
The potential for local, regional and national publicity increases when we join efforts.
When we work with an organization that we respect and enjoy, we do our very VERY best.
Creating an exciting project and partnership attracts people to our mission and ministry.

And, so much more...

Conversational Storytellers

2010-08-13T13:46:00.000-05:00

Two ways to share the same information:

My daughter plays softball. She's mediocre.

or

My eight-year old is experimenting with all kinds of extracurricular activities. We usually only let her do one at a time—because I am that parent that insists on some sort of balance between running her all over the place and keep her locked up in the closet. Right now, she is playing softball. Honestly, she's not great, but she's of that wonderful age when she really doesn't know that yet. Fortunately, the coaches are super-fun college students who are truly focused on teaching the kids sportsmanship and the basics of the sport. The competition is down-played and they are so encouraging to the kids. Plus, I'm all about kicking her butt out of the house, running her around and then putting her to bed exhausted!

It's not about the amount of words. It's about sharing information in a way that engages others and offers bouncing off points for continued conversation.

Have you ever thought about bringing in a professional storyteller to do some training with your nonprofit staff? Development, communications, program, administrative support — we could all benefit from growing our relationship-building skills!

Another slacker post

2010-08-12T13:42:00.000-05:00

I just haven't had time in my evenings to do any blogging lately - sorry. So, here's another link to a FAN-FREAKIN-TASTICLY funny blog. Plus, you may actually learn something from this post:

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/ie

Blog Recommendation

2010-08-11T09:18:00.000-05:00

I get sucked into this one in my reader every single time. I have to admit it that the 'sucking in' part has everything to do with the design and graphics on this site, but the content is rock solid, which keeps me coming back. You MUST check it out...

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

Shameless self-promotion...

2010-07-30T08:31:00.001-05:00

Our Annual Carol Joy Holling Camp Quilt Auction is tomorrow. Be sure to check out the link to view the quilts. If you can't be here, but want to bid, just shoot me an e-mail with your quilt number and max. bid. We have volunteer bidders on hand who can make it happen for you!

I LOVE this day! This is my 11th CJH quilt auction, and every year has been so fun. Our record high raised was two years ago at $140K, and we are hopeful that we'll reach $100K+ again this year!

This year's stats:

369 auction items (61 silent auction, 208 live auction)
800-1000 expected people in attendance
600-800 lunches served
85+ degree temperature (it's an outdoor event)
4000+ visits to the website to monitor selling prices throughout the day
100+ staff and volunteers

Learn more about this GREAT event!

What is that noise and are we going to die?

2010-07-20T07:42:00.000-05:00

The noise was the kind that made me wonder if this will be on the local or national news and will I be interviewed or a casualty. Not kidding. The fact that the employees at the coffee/ice cream shop I was working at didn't cease to function in a normal way set me at ease. About five minutes into it, I was really annoyed. I had been looking forward to setting up shop at this specific place all week and the noise was so bad that had it gone on much longer, I would have had to leave. It stopped after about 10 minutes, and all was right with my plan to be productive and conquer my daily list.

But, it got me thinking. For the users of our nonprofits, what distractions can get in the way of a 10 rating: road construction, bad food, dirty facilities, disruptive guests...

And, if these things are out-of-our-control, can we do anything?

If I were to answer the question for Ring Mountain Creamery, I would say that a complimentary refill on my coffee, a coupon, cookie or maybe even just a conversation explaining what it was and that they didn't expect it to last long would have done the trick. As it was, it was fairly short-lived and didn't end up being a big deal for my experience....I would still give them a 10!

Inspiration Starters

2010-07-16T11:20:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, in the midst of our writers/designers/idea generators creative blocks, we just need some little thing that gets us started, then we're off and running. Next time you are in a funk, pull out the list and see if something here starts a fire for ya!

Color - is there a color or combination of colors that is associated with your project or that you want to be?

Design - Find one you like and copy it. Most of the time, when you are done adding your own colors/images/content, it won't look like the one you started with.

Words - Is there a word or catch phrase that will help you 'sell' your message and reinforce your brand?

Object/Visual element - can it help tell your story?

Photo - sometimes all it takes is an amazing photo and you are on a role.

Out of the box things - If I lack inspiration, I visit the websites of places like HGTV or a This Old House or blogs. A seemingly unrelated project can give new perspective.

Coffee shops - never fails...I have a hard time focusing and getting comfortable, but they and the people in them always provide inspiration!

Product let-down, Marketing over-sell

2010-07-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

Here it is folks—my latest fast food marketing lesson. I went to BK and scanned the menu when I saw the perfect sandwich - Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich. It looks delish. I order it. I get it and open it and instead of the luscious leafy greens that are in the photograph, my sandwich has iceberg lettuce. Not even the green parts - just the hard spine of the crap part of the lettuce.What a disappointment.

Does you product live up to your promotions?

Why We Need the Complainers

2010-07-13T07:56:00.001-05:00

We say that we want just supporters. We want to be at a point where everyone walks away from us talking about how 100% perfect we are. BORING. With that, we grow complacent. What we need is for people to be complainers. You know the type - no matter how great it is, they will find something to passionately complain about. Some of them will even make lists of things, where others saw no issues at all. It's tempting to just throw up our hands and give up - you can't please them so why even try?

Truth of the matter is - it's pretty easy to sort out the legitimate complaints and the insane-ohs. And, regardless of how small they are, there is ALWAYS room for improvement and growth.

So, next time a user complains about that minor issue, take a good look at it and see if it might not provide a way to improve your product/event/service even further!

Opening the door...

2010-07-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

It is always easier and cheaper to retain a user than recruit a new one, but, in order to grow, the pipeline needs to constantly be fed with new users. It's not cheap and it's not easy. Until a user/donor/participant has a relationship with your organization through it's people, you are just like every other place out there. But, assuming your product/cause/service is good, once the door is open it gets a whole lot easier.

So, as marketing professionals, aren't we all trying to find new and interesting ways to get people to open their door to us? Here's an out-of-the-box idea. If you haven't already, go sign up for groupon.com e-mails. Every day, you get amazing offers e-mailed to you and you can choose to purchase whatever you want. For example, last week I purchased a $15 local coffeehouse gift card for $7. I hadn't heard of the place and am excited to try it out. The coffeehouse will likely not gain a profit from their promotion, but they sold 85 gift cards, which means they gain a whole lot of new interest and potentially loyal customers. Groupon, a promotional machine, is a hugely popular tool for smaller-scale introductory purchases like this one.

I wonder if it couldn't work for the products and services of non-profits. They have access to and the attention of a whole lot of people in your geographic area. Plus, they have these things called "side deals" that are up for several days. So, if your 'product' is a higher value that requires a bit more time to make a decision on, it will stay up for a few days.

I called a groupon representative and had a fascinating conversation about the options. I'm not convinced that it is a perfect tool for us at this point, but it is now in my tool-box as an option for future new-user-gaining efforts.

An Idea That Came Alive!

2010-07-07T11:03:00.000-05:00

Back in March, I shared this post announcing a new addition to our summer camping experience. It was a pretty big internal move for us. We've always called ourselves 'parent partners,' but we've never had much two way communication with parents. Sure, we've posted pictures and asked parents to fill out an evaluations, but it's never been personal - just to the masses. This year, we are embracing our parents in a much stronger way. We're still posting daily pictures online and we've added video online and daily mass e-mails also. But, the big move was opening up the lines of communication with parents. Instead of hiring a summer intern for photography, we hired two interns to be Parent Communicators. These two are now charged with being a middle-man between the parents and campers during their camp week. They are intentionally spending time with and getting to know campers at our sites for younger campers (1st-6th grade). They diligently make their rounds, snap tons of photos and really invest in the success of the camper's experience. Then, they e-mail each camper's parent at least once during the week with some highlights and a picture of their camper in action. It's a pretty massive undertaking, with upwards of 75 campers on a full week.

Going into this, we had lots of questions: Is it possible systematically? Will we end up with a bunch of parents who ask too much of us - deliver messages, get a picture of this/that, etc? Will the process disrupt the camp experience?

Half-way through the summer, here's what we've learned:

Training makes a difference. Because this was the first year we are doing this, we did extensive training and feel like it really set the stage well - making a case for a universal understanding of the importance of this project.
The success of this is entirely dependent on the interns. They are charged with a nearly impossible task of getting to know XX campers each week, and keeping track of photos of each of them. Then, we asked them to articulate, clearly and professionally, a personal message to each parent - helping them to understand more completely the value of the camp experience, easing their worries about their camper, and further exciting them for future camp experiences. Let me be clear - this is NO small undertaking and we happen to have two rock stars this summer!
Parents LOVE this. The feedback has been phenomenal. There have only been a couple of requests for more information and they have not been unreasonable at all. Almost all the e-mails are responded to with a "Thank you SO much. It is so great to have some insight into my camper's week."

There is so much more to share, but not enough time or space. If you are interested in knowing more, I'm happy to share. Just shoot me an e-mail!

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

2010-07-02T08:42:00.000-05:00

Making Claims

2010-07-01T08:30:00.000-05:00

I just saw a match.com commercial that claimed their site has led to more marriages than any other site. I call BULL. Of course, I can't prove my bull any more than they can prove their claim. And, is any old marriage the ultimate goal for dating sites users, or is there value having a happy, fulfilled, successful marriage. If you are going to make up a 'we're the best' claim, why not go bigger - 'the most happy, life-long marriages?'

I've said it before - the days of canned slogans and pr messages is over. Definitely - create a slogan, catch phrase or vision statement. But, make sure it's genuine and reflects your mission and values of your organization.

Obviously, match.com is not a nonprofit, but hopefully their goal goes beyond quantity of marriages to something more meaningful. Hmm...maybe not. Maybe failed marriages lead to repeat customers?

Just Plain Showing Off

2010-06-30T09:29:00.002-05:00

I've mentioned a couple of times before that a friend is working on some new software that will enhance our online viewing of quilts for our annual Quilt Auction. Let me tell you that this has been no small undertaking for him and he has been busting his you-know-what to get all of our requests fulfilled and questions answered. We finally got it up and running this week and are inputting quilts as fast as we can.

You have got to check this out! This first image is of the standard viewing screen. Of course there are tons of options for viewing/searching/sorting. Click the link to see it for yourself!

http://piecd.com/index.cfm

THEN, this is just a fun feature he added on to view quilts in a different way. It's called the Quilt Gallery and is uber-cool! The image doesn't do it justice - you have to see it...just click the link.

http://piecd.com/gallery/

Of course, you can tag any quilt on your Facebook or Twitter feed from here too!

People. Seriously. I can't tell you how wonderful this is to have and use! Brian is a ROCK STAR creative dude and we are so freakin' blessed to have him on our side!

Fast Food

2010-06-29T16:04:00.000-05:00

We all have our favorite fast food joints, right? Today I went to Sonic. I went there because I dig their burgers and the way they butter and toast the buns - mmmm. But, I don't like their fries. They are too fat and flimsy.

Here's my take on a few of the bigger chains:

If your agencies users/donors/clientele were to create a chart for their nonprofit involvement, what factors would they hold up in comparison to others? How do you rank? What sets you apart as special or unique?

Embrace the Crazy

2010-06-25T08:26:00.000-05:00

An ongoing conversation/question at work these last couple of weeks —

Sometimes people just decide, up front, that they aren't going to have a good experience. Once they decide, is it possible and worth the work to try to change their mind?

We've had two situations in the past couple of weeks where we have gone above and beyond in 'embracing the crazy' and, in both situations, there was a turn-around. I think that the only way to know the extent of the turn-around is to know what the person says about you to others. In both cases, that remains to be seen, but they are both expressing gratitude to us for our hand-holding efforts.

Both situations required out-of-the-ordinary time on our staff's part. In both cases, the 'crazy' was just that - a bit whacked in their expectations. A view from many perspectives:

Staff dealing with 'the crazy': hmmm...might be easier to cut ties...not sure if this is going to pay off
Programming perspective: If it is still possible to achieve our objectives, we work through it
Marketers perspective: What is the impact of this person's experience on future business/referrals?

In the end, I think we all believe it is important to 'embrace the crazy.' The 'worth it' can only be seen after their time with us is over - Do they leave with fulfilled goals and a good experience? What will they share with others?

Tracking a Social Networking Sale

2010-06-24T16:07:00.000-05:00

It is, most of the time, impossible to track how a sale happens, especially because there is so often multiple points of contact before a sale is made. It's tough to place value on each of those contacts. It's often the point of contact right before the sale that gets the credit, if at all. So, when I made a purchase today, and was able to very easily track the process of that sale, I thought it would be fun to map it out for you here. This particular sale was made entirely through the power of social media - blogging, referral and facebook ad. Here's how it happened:

Step 1: Yesterday, I received an e-mail from my boss. It was titled "Interesting" and had a link to this blog:

http://www.arenewalenterprise.com/2010/06/how-creative-people-see-things.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ARE+%28ARE%29

I scanned it quickly and registered it as 'something I'll come back to later when I have a few minutes to really read it.' BTW - I have lots of these and rarely ever really get back to them.

Step 2: On facebook today, an ad pops up in my right hand column with this logo.

Striking. It caught my eye and I recognized it as the one from the blog entry. I also recognized one of the author's names and have appreciated a couple of other books that I've read by her.

Step 3: I went back to the boss' e-mail and read the entry more completely. Intrigued, I poked through the website and looked over their book options.

Step 4: I purchased a book.

A few things that I can highlight that were both good and bad:

The graphic is unique. I'm not sure what it is, but it was memorable enough that when I saw it a second time, I recognized it.
I'm guessing the Facebook ad was targetted and I fit the demographic.
The website was very visual and easy to use, although the language felt a bit ambiguous and was a bit lacking in information about the books - would have loved to see a few pages (similar to what amazon does).
The book didn't register with a single point of contact. Two worked this time, but usually it takes more than that.

Bottom line: social media works!

Compromise Your Style?

2010-06-22T08:12:00.001-05:00

It's one of the many differences between my husband and myself. I get a bit manic on my weekend lists - rushing around trying to get everything done all crazy-like so time is free to play - hiking, reading, creating, playing games, whatever...just NOT cleaning or organizing or fixing anything. He, on the other hand, needs to relax in order to get up enough energy to rush through the list at the last minute. As much as he drives me insane; I do the same to him.

I wonder, though, if we don't both have it mixed up a bit? What if we change it up and do a work for a bit/play for a bit/work for a bit/play for a bit routine instead. Would my need to accomplish something and his need for downtime be fulfilled? Certainly when we work together, we accomplish more and actually like one another. Hmm...I hope he reads this and wants to give it a try this weekend.

Scrrraaattch. (That's the record being interrupted as I transition this into an actual point.) It is possible that in working relationships, we also need to acknowledge and name each other's work styles, then figure out the balance between them.

Another strange thing about me - I actually like all of those personality test thingys. You know, the ones that tell you all about yourself and others and name you spot-on every time. 'Course, I'd probably also buy into a fortune teller's reading of a crystal ball if I could ever convince that husband of mine that it would be a good use of our money....scraaatttccch....sorry, sidetracked again.

I've recently been learning more about Gallop's Strength's Finders. It tells me my top five characteristics and what they mean. The department I lead did this a couple of years ago and it was actually really helpful. At the time, we had a wonderful gal in our department who I was struggling to be on the same page with. The study helped for me to see what strengths she had and I was able to adjust my approach/reactions/etc.

See, it's all the same game - work a bit/play a bit/work a bit/play a bit.

Adrenaline Junkie

2010-06-21T08:24:00.001-05:00

Why is it that when we think of adrenaline junkies, we instantly go to jumping off of things - sky diving, cliff jumping, etc. The thought of me sailing through the air with a parachute and, after, being a member of 'those people' make me think I've got it in me to be cool. But the rush I'm seeking today makes me think otherwise.

Hi, my name is Casey and I crave skills not danger. I would, someday, love to go sky diving, but for now, because of the risk of leaving small children without their mother, I'll stick to skill acquisition.

My goal for today (and the days to follow) is to better understand the possibilities of smart phone apps. The potential just seems limitless and I intend to dive in and unlock this tool within my mind. Manuals and blogs and books, OH MY!

For your entertainment

2010-06-08T12:36:00.000-05:00

Buyer's perspective: If I had kids in diapers, I would make a trip to the store just to buy some of these. I know it's a total novelty item. But, that commercial was fan-freakin-tastic. I certainly wouldn't use them everyday, but for the special occasion - complete kid cuteness!

Seller's perspective: I'm guessing Huggies didn't make these just for a temporary jump in sales. Certainly that's a plus, but I'm guessing that Huggies is positioning itself as the 'cool diaper.' It may also be a tactic to get first-time buyers. If Huggies feels like the diaper quality is good enough, they may just be looking for an introductory purchase.

The Power of Words

2010-06-07T16:40:00.002-05:00

I’m fascinated by the psychology of words. I love that they can evoke images, emotions, thoughts, pictures and feelings. And, depending on the filter that we see them through, that can be unique for each of us.

From a marketer’s perspective, this brings on an exciting challenge. Certainly, when we write promotional messages, we have an end result in mind – making a gift, selling a product, recruiting a volunteer or gaining a participant. And, if we can’t trust that the words we use are universally understood, how the heck can we feel confident in our ability to achieve the objectives?

Aww. You see, that’s the wrong question. The right question is, ‘How do I create a promotional message that invites people into our mission and creates ownership through the objective we seek?’ In other words, I want people to not just sign up for our program, but buy into who we are in such a way that they want to know our people, give of their time and share it with all their friends. AAWWWW – UTOPIA!

It does indeed take some skill and craftsmanship to do this, and it certainly doesn’t happen perfectly every time. Fortunately for us, we are in a world where large, commercial establishments are loosing ground and people are seeking out organizations that are unique, have a story to share, and make a difference.

Even if your objective is singular, weave the story of your org in? Create a relationship with the reader. Tell them how doing what you want them to do will make a difference. Instead of just selling an object, sell your mission and invite ownership through the purchase of the object.

Keeping annual events from growing...

2010-06-04T09:30:00.000-05:00

OF COURSE that's not what we want. We don't dream up special events so that we can do it once, set a baseline for performance, and never grow.

Some questions to ask —

Considering your audience — How have they changed over the last year, and how can you adjust your promotional efforts to reach them better? (Consider all possible tools — paper, electronic, social networking, etc.)
What are the sacred cows? Do they help you to grow or hold your potential back?
How can you create ownership amongst your key players? (advisory committees, volunteer, ask for and listen to suggestions for improvement)
Can you use your already established audience to reach new people?
Is there potential to reach new demographics?
What sets your special event apart from others?

We're entering special events season at NLOM, and are asking all of these questions too! Good luck!

A Failed Attempt at Leadership

2010-06-03T09:08:00.000-05:00

It's a "Squirrel Soup" kinda day here at the home office. I'm, for the first time in eleven summers, physically removed from all of the craziness of preparing for camper's arrival, but that doesn't mean I'm removed from the craziness of stuff to be done.

Two years ago, our marketing team took on such an ambitious set of goals that I, in an attempt to get everyone on-the-same-page, created large lists and decorated our office walls with them. How exciting to get to cross things off the list every day, together as a team - right? HA - I've never heard the end of that exercise in leadership. I learned, very quickly, that while lists are fun for me, they have the ability to stress others out and taunt them. To the wonderful gals I get to work with, it was equal to me standing over their shoulder and dictating their every move. Yikes. I was going for a united sense of purpose and accomplishment, not micromanagement.

Live and learn. And, for me, keep my lists to myself!

Confessions of a non-expert...

2010-06-02T19:57:00.003-05:00

There are some days when I feel like I've seriously got this marketing thing down! And, then there is today, when I realize that there are so many new tools out there right now that I haven't even scratched the surface of utilizing. Here are a few that have entered my collection of options lately, and I can't wait for the perfect challenge that these might solve:

Using new technologies that recognize where a user is coming to your website from - cell phone or desktop and adapt to be user-friendly for that viewer.
Texting - crazy-cool opt-in options that communicate with clients/users/participants in attention-getting ways.
QR codes - don't even get me started on how cool these things are. I feel like I've discovered chocolate.
Smart phone apps - my friend Brian is a genius at creating these things. He makes it seem so easy. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to train my brain to work like that, but his ability has opened up my mind to what amazing possibilities these things provide.

How have you used these tools? Any other new resources that are opening doors for your organization?

So True...and funny!

2010-06-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/email_address

Building a Tribe

2010-05-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

Seth Godin is. the god of the marketing world. I know, I am of the religious variety and it's bad to worship any other gods. Trust me - I'm just exaggerating here. But, he is a source of inspiration for me and many others and is often regarded as one of the most forward-thinking marketers these days. I like him and hope to someday meet him. In reality, I would probably fumble all over my words and look like that giddy elementary school girl meeting the Jonas Brothers, but in mind right now, he would think I'm a rock star and want to be my personal mentor!

OK - he, Seth Godin, has this book called Tribes. I've talked about it before. It's an easy read and really gets your head moving - like, you're reading it and can't stop nodding in agreement 'cause it affirms so much. The book is all about creating community, but it is also about leadership. I pulled it out the other day to look for some information and, for once, was thankful that when I read it the first time, I used my highlighter.

Here are a few of the highlighted points regarding leadership:

Generous and authentic leadership will always defeat the selfish efforts of someone doing it just because she can.
Heretics are the new leaders. the ones who challenge the status quo, who get out in front of their tribes, who create movements. The market place now rewards (and embraces) the heretics.
Leadership is not Management...Management is about manipulating resources to get a know job done...Leadership, on the other hand, is about creating change that you believe in

Here are a few of the highlighted points regarding marketing:

Marketing used to be about advertising, and advertising is expensive. Today, marketing is about engaging with the tribe and delivering products and services with stories that spread.
Marketing, the verb, changed the market. The market is now a lot less impressed with average stuff for average people, and the market is a lot less impressed with loud and flashy and expensive advertising. Today, the market wants change. "Established 1906" used to be important. Now, apparently, it's a liability.

I could go on and on all day...In fact, I didn't get past the first 1/2 of my highlights and I can't wait to go read the book again.

Being Personal

2010-05-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

Sorry. It's been a couple of weeks. A combination of a busier home life with a lack of inspiration has slowed down my blogging efforts. I'm back and have several posts in mind - so hopefully can get your creative juices flowing a bit through my words again.

Today, I want to talk about 'being personal.' I am a huge proponent of relationship building marketing efforts. I think that the ROI is far more than can be measured with numbers. The qualitative results of these efforts are immeasurable and the relationship is most often what kicks people way up The Ultimate Question scale (to learn more about The Ultimate Question, read the last three posts). When I talk about relationship-building marketing efforts, I always feel the need to say strongly - you aren't doing it right if it isn't genuine. The people within your non-profit have to be good people with honest intentions - all of them - not just the development and marketing people. I wish there was a test for this when you interview people. It's a stronger asset than a lot of learned skills.

So - in creating a relationship with donors, service recipients, guests, etc...you have to make it personal. But, there is a right and wrong way to do this - the speed, the words, the tone, etc. And, it's not a works-for-one/works-for-all formula. It's a science.

A couple of examples:
1. We are planning the training for our summer parent communicators (read more here). These are the summer interns who are charged with keeping camper parents informed about what is happening with their children. As we discussed training, we talked a lot about how we create relationships with parents that are both professional and personal. We want to relate with parents, but not cross the line. I would guess that this would be similar to how a teacher works with parents.

2. My family has joined a food co-op. It's kind of a hippie eat-fresh, share-the-cost thing that is intriguing to us. So far, two weeks in, the experience has been delightful. Although - I'm not sure about the whole eating nettles thing. We are located in a south suburb of Minneapolis and the farm that grows these things is in Wisconsin. Every week, I get a "What's in the box" e-mail from the same person, at the farm. While I'm very aware that it is a mass e-mail that goes to all of the members, it is written in a very comfortable tone that has a 'we're family' feel to it. I like these people and I've never met them. The e-mails takes the experience to a personal level, which kicks me up to the 9-10 on the Net Promoter Scale.

So - go beyond your brochures and fundraising letters and get personal!

Switzerland

2010-04-23T14:44:00.002-05:00

Today, I'm neutral. Of course, I am again referring to The Ultimate Question. The question is, 'On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most, how likely are you to recommend XXX to a friend?' The neutral answer is 3-8. It's a big range. And, those that answer in that range are neutral.

It's tough to write a blog post about being neutral. Of course this is because people that respond in the neutral zone are neither promoters or defenders. In the book, the neutral answers are irrelevant to your overall score. They may, in fact, use your services again and again. However, it isn't because they are head-over-heals passionate about you. Rather, it is out of convenience or following an order of a superior, etc.

Here's my example for the day. My daughter has taken swim lessons off-and-on over the years. We started out by taking her to a local YMCA and she took a class. She was okay with it and enjoyed having something special that she could do every week. But when it was all over, neither she nor I was all too excited to sign her back up. I couldn't really say why, we just weren't. A few months later, we decided to try swim lessons again and opted for Swimtastic. It was a more expensive option, but we could get in mid-session and pay a pro-rated fee. It was worth a try. The difference between the two programs was astonishing. She loved it and improved a great deal. And, I even loved it. Here are a few of the things that made the two programs different:

The teacher introduced herself to both my child and me, and called my daughter by name.
The environment was well-suited for families - each to use, comfortable, clean.
At the end of every lesson, the teacher touched base with each parent to say what the child did well at or needs to work on.
They did fun kid-friendly reports at the end of the session that told the swimmers exactly how they were doing.

Here's the thing. I'm not a detractor from the YMCA program. I'm also not a promoter. I don't think that it would have even registered in my mind until I had the alternative program that I am a promoter for. That's the thing about being neutral. It just doesn't register that you need to tell others.

Brilliant Insider Job or Oops?

2010-04-20T12:13:00.002-05:00

Go read this story, then go read the story at gizmodo.com.

http://www.businesspundit.com/gizmodo-paid-5000-for-iphone-4g-scoop/

Questions to answer - Did Apple get scooped? OR is this a brilliant way to create buzz and they did it on purpose?

And, Today I am a Detractor

2010-04-20T11:31:00.000-05:00

I think the low point of the phone conversation with my mortgage lender was when I said, "really ma'am - did you not have to take Customer Service 101"

In my monthly call with the Wells Fargo to tell them that I have yet to get a statement in the mail and that I am sick of having to call to request one, and further to tell them that I refuse to pay a $71.98 late fee for a payment that I made on the day it was due, I was 'handled' by three customer service representatives. The first one didn't have a clue; the second told me I couldn't access my online account and get a statement - I had to choose one or the other and that it was my fault that the system didn't recognize my payment on the day I made it; the third took the late fee off, apologized for the inconvenience and said, of course we can mail you a statement AND you can access your account online. Now - why the heck did I have to spend 1/2 hour on the phone with two people who were obviously not capable of problem solving or doing anything that wasn't on a step-by-step instruction sheet in front of them.

Here's the thing. It's really not their fault. It's Wells Fargo's fault. I'm not sure what they are doing wrong. Maybe they need to hire more educated people? Maybe they need to train better? Maybe they need to empower people to use their brains?

I don't know and I really don't care. The point is that I am now a detractor. From The Ultimate Question (referenced in my previous post), this means that I would answer 1-2 for the question, "On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend this company to a friend." It means that I will tell people of my bad experience.

Watch for tomorrow's post on the neutral answers to the ultimate question.

I'm a Promoter

2010-04-19T14:40:00.000-05:00

I get so excited when I find a great place to do business. It seems like there are a whole lot of take-it or leave-it places out there and when I find an over-the-top great place, I want to share it with everyone! I'm not unique. We all do this in our own way.

The Ultimate Question, by Fred Reichheld, asks — How likely are you to recommend our product to a friend? On a scale of 1-10, those who answer 9 or 10 are considered promoters. Today, I am a promoter of Byerly's Grocery store.

To those who know me, you know that I have made no secret of my dislike of Minnesota grocery chains. I come from the land of Hy-Vee, where their motto is "A helpful smile in every aisle." Cheesy - yes, but VERY true. So, when we moved to Minnesota, the biggest disappointment, to-date, has been the not-so-friendly and helpful grocery stores. EXCEPT - there is this amazingly good one called Byerly's. I was skeptical at first because they are considered the high-end grocery store, complete with carpet and chandeliers. And, yes- their prices are higher. But here's the thing - their produce is fresh; their meat counter helpful and yummy; samples galore and the employees are hands-down the best rock-star grocery store employees I've ever seen.

Because of the price, I don't go there very often, but when I do - awww, it's like heaven! In fact, for the first month we lived here, I went there often because it was one of the few places that people were nice to me. I know - that's pathetic, cause they are paid to be nice, but it got me through! I post this now because this morning they, once again, went over the top and surprised me with their service. The kids and I were tooling through the store with our list and we grabbed some green apples - no big deal. Not five minutes later, the man that was working near the apples tracked us down on the other side of the store with one of those apples all peeled and sliced for the kids - WOW!

Do you surprise and delight your users?

Leftovers

2010-04-16T12:24:00.000-05:00

Doesn't it always seem like you ordered too many or not enough of your promotional materials? It's tough to know exactly how many we need.

We do this with food at our house. After getting sick of throwing out food gone bad, we decided to regularly take a look at our cupboards, freezer and 'fridge and have, what we call, "Craptastic Week." For that week, we just use up what we have rather than grocery shopping.

Here's an idea. It doesn't require planning ahead much, but thinking creatively about your audiences. If your materials are dated, don't let them sit in a box in the corner until they need to be thrown out. Take a look at what you have before they are out-dated and think about what fringe audience you've been considering as potential but don't want to invest in materials just for them. Will this piece work for them? Do you have an easy distribution tool to reach them?

Seasonal Products

2010-04-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

I've been wondering lately about how we do a better job marketing our summer camps during the non-summer months when most of our participants are in the midst of drifts and freezing temps. I'm thankful that we have a product that people like. For us, we capitalize on the memories of last summer and help people look forward to the next time they get to be in the great outdoors, with friends.

However, even with the wonderful emotional appeal our product has, it's tough to get people to sign on the bottom line (in our case - the registration). We know that the longer a family waits to register, the more likely the summer calendar will fill up and they'll opt our of sending a child to camp. For parents, the summer calendar planning starts somewhere between January and June.

Is your product seasonal? How do you attract users/participants/clients during the off-season?

Some ideas:

Discounts
Incentives - buy now and get XX for 1/2 price
Demand - limited spaces available, product selling out, etc?

Community Pages on FB

2010-04-13T18:31:00.001-05:00

Go read this blog to read more...VERY new...not yet sure of it's effectiveness or uses?

Any nonprofits out there experimenting with Facebook Community Pages?

Networking & Alternative Advertising Resource

2010-04-13T08:16:00.000-05:00

A fun site with lots of opportunities to "meetup" with others!

www.meetup.com

Plus, once you are done seeing what others are meeting about, would it be helpful for your org. to start a meetup group around your mission?

Plus (again), if a group matches your target audience, why not sponsor their group. You can sponsor by offering the group discounts, giving them a place to meet, etc.

Moxie

2010-04-12T11:21:00.000-05:00

I'm not talking about the soda pop, rather the edge, courage and *ah-hem* balls to push things forward - even when others are resistant. Being a leader takes all kinds of skills. Some days it requires patience, listening and support. Other days, it just plain requires Moxie, with a capital M!

It's true, and it's not always the most fun part of being a leader. Sometimes you have to make decisions before the others are ready for it to be made. Sometimes, the others may just plain disagree with your direction. And, depending on your leadership style, you may or may not be good at this part. But the next time you have to assert yourself, down a Moxie soda and hope it gives you the nerve to do what you need to do. Plus, calling it "moxie" is a lot more fun than being "bossy!"

Why we NEED it!

2010-04-09T13:41:00.000-05:00

Okay, Okay Mom - I don't need the lecture on needs vs. wants. It's a blog - I have to exaggerate to catch their attention. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can get to the point.

Isn't it pretty - the iPad. A week ago, that's pretty much the extent of what I thought of if it. In fact, I can indeed be quoted as saying, "I don't get it. What's the point." Here me loud and clear...it doesn't happen that I admit this very often, "I was VERY wrong."

I got my hands on one of these the other day and it is truly an amazing machine. You can read any number of reviews that give you all of the ins and outs - what it can and cannot do (yep, there are a few important things that you need to consider). Here's what I want to talk about - the 'cool' factor.

Once I saw this thing, I immediately started making my list of how I can use this thing in the work I do. I have to admit - it's a bit of a stretch for me on the professional side - as I need to have the bigger/badder mac laptop to run the fancy schmancy software I like to use. But, I can see all kinds of ways the folks I work with could use it, and the results are very strongly connected to the 'cool' factor.

Here's the list of some possible uses for a nonprofit org:

Sales - Do you have people that frequent trade shows and networking events or make personal sales calls. Very cool tool for showing visual presentations - website, photos, videos, virtual tours, etc. And, sign up on the spot!
Fundraising - again - much easier tool to show a quick video of a client/user/participant sharing how your org made a difference to them.
Special Events - for those open house type events, have a volunteer roam through the crowd and capture guest information.

But, let's admit it - this stuff can also be done with a laptop, just not quite as efficiently. The deal maker for me is the 'cool' factor. I would argue that the response from any of these efforts with a laptop would be lukewarm. BUT, with the iPad - your response rate goes sky high because it's so FREAKIN' cool and people want to use it. The downside is that the cool will eventually wear off and there will be another newfangled gadget.

So, can you justify the $500 price tag with projected results?

The Company We Keep

2010-04-09T10:58:00.000-05:00

I took a week off for a family vacation - it was wonderful and full of so many adventures. The pic above is my kiddos enjoying their first visit to the ocean (dead jelly fish and sandcastle included). I won't bore you with the rest of the details - that's for a different kind of blog. Irregardless, I'm back at it.

Yep, I know - "irregardless" isn't a word. But, it brings up the story I want to share. I was watching Ugly Betty the other night and Daniel, one of the main characters, was dating a gal who, as Betty said, "made him dumber." I think we can all relate. There are just certain people that we are less-than-stellar around. Sometimes we are dumber; sometimes harsher or more offensive; sometimes just plain not proud-of-how-we-act.

As non-profit professionals, we are all serving a purpose bigger than ourselves (I hope), and how we represent that purpose or mission can determine it's level of success. So, I wonder this — If the product is solid, the promotional material stellar, the audience ripe, etc, etc... BUT, the core values of the representatives of your organization don't live up to the 'brand,' can it hurt the organization? I'm not just talking about that one volunteer who posts party pictures all of the internet and brags about his latest conquest - that should be a no-brainer. It's tougher to handle the employee/volunteer/board member that feels passionately about your organization but isn't trustworthy.

I think this is something that can get missed sometimes in our marketing mix. Possibly because it is one of the tougher things to address honestly and fix. It's a tough call - is this a marketing problem or a administrative issue? It's a pretty blurred line, and I don't pretend to have a clear solution for addressing it. Each organization is different and who and how it gets addressed depends on the situation.

Ask yourself this - "Do the people who represent your organization take you to the next level or hold you back? Are you proud of your organization when they represent you?"

For the record - this post is very random and does NOT relate to any current experience with the organization I work for. I am proud to say that I have it easy with the people I get to work with - they are all wonderful (except for that one guy - which so wouldn't be appropriate for me to talk about or even mention on here - HA!)

People are Sharing more than Searching

2010-03-31T09:53:00.000-05:00

Just read this great blog entry on Social Media Marketing Hacks for Nonprofits...

The biggest revolation - Facebook had 276 million more visits during February than Google. As John Haydon points out - it's not really about Facebook vs. Google. It's about sharing vs. searching.

An example — Five years ago, if I wanted to sign my kid up for summer camp but wasn't sure what the options were, I would google it. Today, in the same scenerio, I would post a question on my status and invite responses from friends.

What does this mean for your nonprofit? Are you giving tidbits of information to your facebook followers, inviting them to share news, encouraging participation in your fan page, offering a variety of mediums? DO IT ALL NOW!

As You Prepare for April 1st

2010-03-29T13:29:00.000-05:00

Go check out Business Pundit for 15 Classic April Fool's Day office pranks!

It's NOT all about Me!

2010-03-29T12:50:00.000-05:00

A quote from Seth Godin's blog entry:

A worthwhile discipline: when giving feedback, separate "not for me" from "not for anyone."

To read the full entry...
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/03/not-for-me.html

This is such a great suggestion. I find that I often do that. When asked, "what do you think," I answer with what I think, as it relates to me. Would I like this? Buy this? Attend this?

As a marketing professional, my answer shouldn't relate to me unless I'm in the demographic this idea/program/project/event is going after.

Know all of your audiences - not just who they are but how to reach them (tools, language, medium, etc). It is so vital to everything we do.

The Bottom of the List

2010-03-26T11:44:00.005-05:00

I think I've mentioned before that I'm a list maker. I do it to keep my adult-onset ADD (self-diagnosed) from taking over my days. Trust me - if this happened, I would be in a world of blissful in-my-head-creativity, but nothing would ever get done! Lately, however, I've discovered something. The bottom of my list never gets done. And, the items on the bottom of my list rarely move up.

That begs the next question - how do the items get prioritized in the first place? Well, it's a complicated, multi-layered answer, but is most often influenced by my belief that the project will make a difference to the mission of our organization. And, whether or not I believe that it will or won't is oftentimes based on my understanding of the project/program, which comes from being a part of conversation and relationship with the others involved in the project. Right or wrong, I work this way and I believe it makes me significantly better at my profession of choice.

Think about this example of marketing a new product.

Option 1: You are asked by a co-worker to create a brochure. She hands you the words and images to use and give you three sample layouts to choose from. You are given an open-ended deadline.
Option 2: You are invited to a conversation where an idea for a new product is presented and asked for your Marketing expertise — Who is the target audience? Where are they and and how can they be reached? What are they willing to spend? What promotional medium is the best tool to reach them? How will you cross-market with other programs? What does the evaluation look like? How do the participants continue as part of your organization after the program is over?

I choose option two. Option one goes to the bottom of my list. If you choose option one, you should maybe go work on a production line, because good marketing and non-profit professionals, in general, requires more gumption than that!

The point of this post is not to help you prioritize your list, but to help you understand that if you want your program/project to matter to others, you have to build ownership. Now, if you are only concerned about getting all the credit yourself, ask only option one of others and take all the credit (good and bad). However, if you want what you are doing to forward the mission of your organization, let other people be a part of the success by sharing their expertise. The product will almost always be better and *BONUS* people will like working with you a whole lot more!

How to Engage Your Facebook Fans

2010-03-25T21:39:00.000-05:00

So, you've got a Facebook page for your organization and you have some fans. That's a good start. Don't quit now.

First, feed it with fresh content every day.

Upcoming events
Tidbits of news
Big announcements
Promotions
Pictures

Second, invite input.

Ask questions that invite simple responses.
Ask for input about a new program

Third, cross reference your website and fan page

From you FB fan page, you can get the code to add a FB graphic to your website.
Blast your website address all over your FB page

And - watch how we are doing it with our new FB fan page - here!

Why Social Media?

2010-03-25T07:29:00.000-05:00

Social media has gotten so huge, and unless you've grown with it, it can be overwhelmingly exhausting to even consider - you've got facebook, twitter, linkedin, blogs, myspace, etc...this doesn't even hit on the review and ranking sites - digg, readit, stumble, etc...

And, I'm guessing that if you haven't gotten started in it yet, it's gonna be pretty hard to convince you that spending a chunk of you time on this stuff is even worth it. After all, aren't we supposed to be able to project ROI, and how in the world do you do that with social media?

Well, I'm certainly not an analytically-minded person, but I can tell you qualitatively two BIG reasons you should engage.

Connection to your constituents - I can almost always guarantee you'll find them on one social networking platform or another. Ask them what they use. It may be as simple as Facebook, or it may be something that is specific to their industry. Connecting with your audience online gives you access to oodles of new information about them that can help guide you in where you take the relationship.
Reaching new partners. We are all looking for ways to find new partners in our mission - from donors to participants to recipients, without them we don't grow. Once you've established your constituents, you can even ask them to invite their online connections to get involved. Trust me - it's a whole lot easier to invite a friend to learn more online than it is to jump straight to the "you should give to this org" conversation.

There are gazillions of other reasons why investing in this new media tool will pay off. For starters - quick way to share information, free or cheap access, word-of-mouth made easier, fun and entertaining, and on and on and on...

So-and-So

2010-03-24T14:20:00.000-05:00

How do you learn about new places? Why do you try new things? What's your motivation to get involved?

95% of the time it's because so-n-so told you about it, encouraged you or challenged you. So-and-so is our friend in the marketing world. Without so-and-so we'd gain very few new users, donors, clients.

It's true. Most people start something new, try something different, or get involved because a friend invited them to do so. It's one of those fundamentals of marketing - word-of-mouth. Here are a few things we need to do so that we maximize referrals and friend-to-friend invitations.

Make darn sure your product is something users want to share with their friends - in a good way. My chiropractor tells me that they figure that if I have a bad experience, I'll tell twice as many people than if I had a good experience. I believe him.

Offer your users tools that help them share your organization with friends —a pass-along printed piece, an e-mail that can be forwarded, a facebook fan page.

Consider incentives for recruiting others. We did this recently with an adult retreat that wasn't filling up well and doubled our registrations.

Offer non-threatening access points for your organization — a website with solid information, an open house, a tour and lunch.

BTW - 80% of statistics are made up, including that one about "95% of the time it's because so-and-so told you about it." I just needed a big number to make my point. I have absolutely no idea what the percentage is but I am SURE it's really high!

Is Facebook Advertising Worth The Cost?

2010-03-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Great blog post from Nonprofit Tech 2.0 on using Facebook ad.

Time for Some Spring Cleaning

2010-03-23T07:50:00.000-05:00

It's official - the awful, no-good winter we just lived through is OVER and lovely Spring weather with beautiful sights, smells, sounds and fresh air are here to stay for a bit!

Time for some Spring cleaning, and not just around the house. Here are five step to freshening up your marketing tool kit!

Dust off those Marketing plans. We do them for a reason - remember to use them to their fullest. Just like any good plan, it's a road map, not a girdle. If you don't review, evaluate and update them often, they aren't any good.
Review your media plan. Don't forget about how important relationship building is with those reporters.
Time to get some knowledge. It's time to name that thing that you've been putting off learning about and dive in. You never know - you just might love it. For sure you'll be better at your job with your new skill.
Crisis communication review. I know, I know. It's easier to pretend that nothing bad will ever happen, but every once in a while we need to polish up on what the possible crisis' are and how we would respond. Better safe than sorry.
Plan an outside event. It's the time of year when everyone wants to be outside and wouldn't it be great if you could offer a fun, outdoor event where they can enjoy themselves and learn more about you org!

RSS - Rich Site Summary - huh?

2010-03-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

A quick and helpful tip that will save you time each day:

RSS stands for Rich Site Summary (I had to look it i up - I didn't know either!).

An RSS feed is a device that feeds you updated web content as it becomes available. This used to be used for news sites, but is now a popular tool in following blogs. If you frequent any number of pages in order to check if there is fresh content, an RSS feeder can certainly help save you time. Plus, if you are like me, it helps me find that blog that I went to once but can't remember the name of.

I use Google Reader, but there are lots of web-based tools for you to choose from. Just set up an account (quick, easy and free) and subscribe to whatever sites you like. Once you have a google reader account, you can also just hit the "Follow" button on a lot of pages and it will automatically be added to your rss.

Not for the easily offended

2010-03-19T07:49:00.000-05:00

Too funny take on often misused and misspelled words!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

The Marketing Training Tango

2010-03-18T15:29:00.003-05:00

In order to have a marketing-driven culture in your organization, there needs to be a universal understanding of what marketing is - simple enough right? Wrong. Yes, marketing has a list of things that is definitely is and isn't, but each organization reads those lists differently - especially in the weight it places on various efforts (PR, promotions, media relations, planning, etc.), how departments interact and systematic approaches.

So, every time a new person comes through the door, there has to be a component of training that covers the "how does marketing fit in with what you do." In other words, "Here is how we are going to relate." Of course, everyone comes in with different expertise, job functions and varying levels of marketing experience and understanding, so this on-paper and conversational training is all well and good until it actually has to be incorporated into this person's job. Then, it becomes like learning a new dance - one that often involves stepping on toes and tiptoeing around each other until you figure it all out.

Hopefully, because we are all professionals that are willing to grow and learn, the dance is done in partnership - even the mistakes. Eventually it gets easier and you are cha-cha-cha-ing across the marketing world in award-winning fashion.

A few tips to learning the dance:

Don't throw your hands up and walk away. Nobody wins that way, and chance are your next partner won't be any easier.
It's not personal - the mis-steps of your partners aren't done in protest or spite (I hope).
Learning curves vary.
Training isn't just on paper and during a one-hour session. It happens over time, with lots and lots of interactions.
You aren't always right. Both parties come to the table with ideas and should be respected and acknowledged professionally.
Don't get lazy just because it starts to get comfortable - any partnership takes ongoing support and communication.
Bring your patience and check your ego at the door.

Learning a new dance can be frustrating, and as professionals in any area, we are in a constant state of training on various levels - from beginner to advanced.

Face-to-face

2010-03-17T07:54:00.000-05:00

While waiting for my coffee at Caribou the other morning (apparently Minnesotans don't believe in Starbucks nearly as much as Caribou Coffee and, being the newby in town, I don't want to offend by going to the wrong coffee shop - plus, it's really stinkin' good!), I noticed a poster that was meant to be a feel-good thing. It said something about choosing a jog over the snooze button and blah, blah, blah - lost me with the whole exercise reference.

But it caught my eye again when I saw something along the lines of choose face-to-face community over online. Wow - newby speaking here again - do I ever miss those face-to-face communities. I am overflowing with online connections, and I love every single interaction. But, what I wouldn't give to have a group to connect with on a regular basis.

Isn't that our job, as non-profit orgs? Aren't we supposed to connect people to our mission; to us; to each other? People crave community and connection and we can be the resource to make it happen. It's super-exciting when we can use a great online tool to make that happen, but don't forget the importance of the face-to-face communities.

Open House
Special Event
Cottage meeting
Coffee hour (Caribou, if you are Minnesotan!)
Just dropping by!

A good example....

2010-03-16T08:15:00.000-05:00

As a follow-up to the consumer vs. client entry, I wanted to highlight a place that is getting it right....my son's day care center, Kid's Count. We've only been at this day care for a few month (we just moved here) and have found it to be one of the high points of our transition. These folks get "it." The "it" being that my son is the consumer, but I am the client. They understand that with any business that has a minor as a consumer, they have to be a service to the parent/client in a strong way.

It isn't hard to find a day care center. In fact, I made at least a dozen inquiries in the process of selecting and did not find a single one that wasn't eager to take my child, or any for that matter. The difference in this place was obvious from the first phone call - and continues every single day. The owners have a hands-on management style. They greet parents and children as they come and go; plus they are friendly, approachable and available for conversation (very important as a newby in the area). They are tons of options for childcare and it is tough to set yourself apart as different when every place seems to have all the bells and whistles of a day care center. Heather and John, the owners, set this place apart because of the relationships they create with the parents they serve - this is the client. I would be remiss to not mention that their program is also top-notch and their teachers are superb - this is the service to the consumer.

Coupled with a superior quality product to the consumer, a equally superior relationship with the client can be the key to a long-lasting relationship.

NOTE: The picture I used for this cracks me up. First, that woman is SO not me - haven't worn a dress is a very long time, plus what's up with the creepy duck on the wall in the background?

Customer vs. Consumer

2010-03-15T09:49:00.000-05:00

I have to give credit for this post to my friend Kristin (rock star communication consultant - specializing in non-profit orgs - Seraphim Communications/St. Paul, MN!) We had a wonderful lunch together and she used this language in response to a issue we are working through! The language helped me to more deeply grasp the marketing challenge and come up with a good solution.

It is important in any organization, business, ect to know and name the difference between your consumer and your client.

Consumer (from the Casey Fuerst dictionary) - the person or group of people who are benefiting directly from your program or service.

Client (again from the CF dictionary) - the person or group of people that is making the decision and paying for your program or service.

Sometimes they are the same person and sometimes they are different.

An example — Summer Camp (or any place that provides services for youth): Consumer = camper; Client = parent. In this example specifically, it is so very important to know the difference. Clearly a summer camp serves the camper. But, in addition to having a great product, the client has to be served as well through extraordinary marketing efforts.

Hello, may I speak to...

2010-03-12T14:56:00.001-06:00

Every once in a while, a certain tool seems to be all that anyone is talking about - for us right now that seems to be a phone-a-thon. I'm certainly not an expert in using this tool, but I can offer some pros and cons and a few tips we have found useful.

Pros:

Personal connection
Another point of contact
Attention getter
Potential for good results

Cons:

Time consuming
Risk of interrupting personal time
Exhausting

A couple of things that we have learned and have worked for us at NLOM recently...

Use qualified, well-spoken people to make the calls
Know who you are calling (past participation, potential for future participation, other possible points of interest)
Know why you are calling (thank you, give a gift, register, etc...)
Skip the script and use your own words (refer to bullet point one)
Keep the message simple (we tried to do a more extensive conversation and discovered that most aren't really too excited about this)

I would say that this has been an excellent tool for us, and worth the time and effort!

Cool tool

2010-03-12T08:19:00.000-06:00

Here's a fun site that could give you some cool graphics...

http://www.wordle.net/.

Enter all your words and it will make a word cloud for you - lots of options for customizing and a fun tool!

The fundamentals

2010-03-11T13:09:00.000-06:00

I was never an athlete. But growing up in a small town, it was normal and easy to be a part of lots of different things, and I experimented with basketball, volleyball, softball, track, etc... While I didn't learn to be the star, I learned a lot. Most importantly, I learned that before you can do any of the fancy stuff, you have to be strong in the fundamentals. No matter how good you get at anything, if you forget the base of your skill you'll loose. Sports taught me this, but it translates to any area of expertise.

Most recently I was reminded of this in a not-so-great experience with a vendor. I actually really like the vendor but they screwed up. The conversation started off right - "Casey, I'm sorry - we messed this up." Then it went all wrong. Rather than go negative, I'll list the fundamental customer service tools that should have been employed.

"We want to make this right" - as a customer, I don't believe you should make money on a project you messed up on. Either give it to me for nothing or give me a strong enough discount that I feel like I got a good deal, not just some token acceptance of blame.
"We want you to know we are fixing this issue so it doesn't happen again" - I want to be assured that I can continue to use your services and won't have to deal with this again.
"You are a valued customer and we want you to continue to use us. Is there anything else we can do to make this right."

I have no intentions of discontinuing this vendors services over one issue. But, you can bet I'm open to considering others and getting additional bids when the next project comes up.

I'm having a day

2010-03-10T15:46:00.000-06:00

I hope it is just one and I'll wake up in the morning with all the answers. Better yet, they could come to me in this instant and all will be well with the world. waiting. waiting. nope - nothing. Well then, on to plan b. When I can't seem to find the solutions (this time to a website issue), I either need to find someone to help me or give up and come back to it later.

Anyone happen to know joomla?

Scratch and Sniff

2010-03-08T21:46:00.001-06:00

I would die happy if I could come up with a way to use scratch and sniff in a summer camp promotional piece. That's all.

Oh emmm geee...you have got to be kidding meeee.

2010-03-07T21:11:00.002-06:00

I couldn't figure out what a friend's ROTFL abbreviation meant (rolling on the floor laughing - in case you were curious), so I googled it and found this page.

http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp

It's an extensive list of instant messaging lingo. Study up — you never know when you might need it. Gotta go now. MNC

A year of blogging

2010-03-07T17:28:00.001-06:00

I just saw that the Oscars on tonight and it occurs to me that I started blogging on Oscar night last year! So, in celebrating a year of blogging, I'm reposting my first blog entry.
_________________________________

From Sunday, February 22, 2009

I’m watching the Oscars. It is important to note that if my husband were home, this would not be the case because he HATES all of it – the fashion, the drama, the acceptance speeches. I, on the other hand, rather enjoy the fairy tale nature of it all — beautiful gowns and jewels, the chocked up thespians trying to keep their cool and fully express their humble gratitude and the really goofy, eclectic people that demand the equally-as-weird commentator’s attention. Mostly, I like watching the culmination of all of the work that you know has to go into those movies. And, as much as they, and we, like to spout off about how we do it for the greater glory and meaning…it is REALLY great to be appreciated and told how exceptional you are.

Occasionally, at NLOM, we are impressed by the over-the-top characteristics of people we get to work with. They mostly aren’t overly egocentric or ‘loud,’ they just have really cool things about them that make us stop and take note. Volunteer Dave, who retired early, but still “works” full time doing odd-jobs around camp; LaVonne, who gave $20,000 for one quilt at a quilt auction, and said, “it’s about time one went that high,” and so on and so on…

Besides continuing to give them an outlet to share their gifts and service, how do we honor and recognize these exceptional volunteers, donors and people who just plain “get it?”

__________________________________

2010 update- this year I am in a beautiful room at The Swanson Center - also without the husband and looking forward to an easy evening of tv watching! This year I'd like to celebrate the people that we all get the honor of working with who are genuine, generous and fun. Here's hoping tonight's acceptance speeches are equally as wonderful!

Creating Buzz through Friendly Competition

2010-03-05T12:53:00.004-06:00

Apparently there is some pretty serious competition to be the location of Google's new fiber optics something-or-another. Learn this - low budget doesn't mean you can't generate some serious buzz! Love it...

Images that evoke emotion

2010-03-05T09:45:00.001-06:00

I came across this picture and it immediately stirred emotion. I would guess that for almost everyone, except me, it will stir a similar emotion - the one of wincing ewww and turning away. For me, it brings back the worry and anxiety of that day. Yep - that's my daughter laying in the ER soon after her fall from the monkey bars. It happened a year and a half ago, but I still remember it so vividly, and I'm so glad I thought to take this picture - weird, I know!

Visuals are so very important to the brand of your organization. What's your color? What's your message? What's your logo? Are your materials created one-by-one with no consciousness regarding how they fit with your brand, or are they all a part of a package that reinforces it?

Some great examples of places that do it well:

What's your organizations image and what emotion does it evoke?

Tip - Look both ways before you cross the road and...

2010-03-03T15:59:00.001-06:00

Check your state and county tourism associations...there are often times grants available for Marketing efforts.

They want to draw people into the area. If that is what your organization does, you could easily qualify. Most of the time they will want you to include a line on your promotional efforts like "Funded in part by...." and there are restrictions on what you can apply for...silly tourism associations just don't see the value of a good beer garden.

Things that we have been successful in getting funding for:

Advertising - print and radio
E-mail blasts
Special event promotions

Layering Flavors

2010-03-02T19:02:00.012-06:00

You know how the foodies are always talking about how they layer flavors; and the winos talk about the layers of wine. I think what it means is that when you take a bite/drink you get multiple things happening at once - either with flavor or texture or temperature. That's my best guess anyway.

We are working on something big at NLOM (can't tell you yet, but here's a hint - it has to do with my favorite relief organization, campers and Haiti), and as we were spilling out ideas and questions and thoughts, it felt like what I imagine layering flavors to be. The ideas built off of each other, adding dimension and meaning and depth. In it's pure concept, this is a big deal, but it's getting even bigger and we're using it to make our other stuff bigger. Of course, all the add-ons are in the idea/mulling/conversation stages right now so who knows what the end result will be.

This is one of my favorite parts of any project - when the ideas flow freely and, in my mind, everything will come together as perfectly as we can imagine it (usually this involves world peace, eliminating hunger and helping every child grow closer to Christ).

This part of the project isn't over yet, and you can bet that I am going to enjoy every little minute of it. But, when it ends and reality sets in, there are some things to consider:

Where is the sweet spot where we can squeeze every bit of value out of this project, but not overcook it.
Concepts and grand ideas are one thing, but do we have the systems and people in place to live it out to it's fullest potential?
What's the cost and where do the dollars come from?
How do we follow-up once it's all over?

Certainly it will be a new challenge, worthwhile and, dare-I-say, FUN to come up with the answers on all of these tough questions!

Dung Beetle, part two

2010-03-01T20:01:00.001-06:00

As promised, here are final stages of Ainsley's Dung Beetle Project.

Crafting the body, from a recycled pop bottle, clay and pipe cleaners.

Enlisting the help of Grandpa Larry to create the dung ball -

a stress ball covered in spray adhesive and saw dust!

The finished project!

In the last entry, I listed all the people who contributed to her project.

This time - a list of things that she learned or grew better at:

She researched the dung beetle online through her Usborne book links and youtube and could tell you some great things about how they lay their eggs in the dung ball. Plus, her favorite story - all about how one jumped on his ball of poop and jumped off a cliff. Really - it was a pretty cool video!
She learned bug anatomy - through her classroom work and by physically creating a bug.
She learned how to get help from others by telling the story of the project and asking people to help in their area of expertise.
She learned that when you are excited about a project, others will be too.
She learned about using different mediums together to get a cooler end result.

There are so many great things that happen with a project like this (not that I want to do it every day - or even week!).

Communicating with camper parents...

2010-03-01T13:05:00.000-06:00

Here's our latest e-mail communication with our camper parents. I am so excited about our new Parent Communicator positions we are hiring this summer!

Recognizing that leaving your children anywhere for any amount of time can be very difficult and worrisome, we want to make this experience as anxiety and worry-free as possible for you.

First, know that your child’s safety and well-being is always our first priority. Receiving a near perfect score on the American Camping Association accreditation, we are confident in the safety procedures, practices and systems that we have in place.

Second, know that we take seriously our role in your child’s faith life. We are grateful that you have allowed us to be a part of your family through this experience.

Finally, because we know how hard it can be to disconnect from your children for any amount of time, we want to provide some insights into your child’s week. For the first time this summer, we will have two Summer Ministry Team members dedicated to giving you, the parents, a daily glimpse at what your child is doing at Carol Joy Holling Camp.

Click the video link above to learn more!

And, if you haven't already - Register Online Today!

Kudos - living the mission

2010-02-28T20:59:00.000-06:00

Every once in a while, we all come across that gem of a nonprofit that we just want to be a part of. For me, it is usually the one that is living out its mission in super solid ways. When we moved to Minneapolis, I immediately popped online and searched for fun classes I could take and was thrilled to find a letterpress class at this amazing nonprofit - Minnesota Center for Book Arts. What a cool place - their mission is to:

The mission of Minnesota Center for Book Arts is to advance the book as a vital contemporary art form, preserve the traditional crafts of bookmaking, inspire diverse artists and learners and engage audiences in educational, creative and interpretive experiences.

And, you can see from their website that they are living it out. They provide classes, beginner to advanced, for youth through adults and inspire people every day to want to be a part of this amazing art of book making. Besides the letterpress class, I was thrilled to get to go with my daughter's class for a field trip. The kids made a paper and created a cool alphabet poster. They truly learned something new and left wanting more.

And, to end with a fun story. I've met some pretty fun people in my letterpress class, but this one makes me smile...Anna, a fellow beginner in the art of letterpress, is taking this class and possibly others as a recipient of a fellowship she received. She is to use this money to learn the art of bookmaking, using old-school techniques. Her subject of choice - Raising Chickens in Urban Minneapolis. I can't make this stuff up. And, for the record - she's a seemingly normal person!

Squirrel Soup

2010-02-26T08:19:00.003-06:00

This has become a favorite movie scene of our family. The best is when our four-year-old pulls it out at random times when we are completely not expecting it...just moving along through a conversation and he yells, "SQUIRREL." While sometimes inappropriate (like that one time in the middle of church), it never fails to make us laugh.

Sometimes my days go like this to. I'm moving along through a project and, as if I have no more sense than a dog following a squirrel, I get distracted and I'm off on something else. I think it must just be the way my brain works - constantly bouncing around and every once in a while random things come together to make something decent. I call it "squirrel soup." Actually, I just made that up, but I kinda like it! It's why I have to have a list...so I always know what I need to get back to when I finally figure out I'm off-course.

Here's the thing - while our days sometimes can look like this, our marketing efforts shouldn't. Clear and well thought-out marketing plans are absolutely necessarily to what we do. Of course you should be flexible and leave room for that piece of random creativity that just has to get included, but overall the marketing plan will work best if you have spent time thinking through your target audiences, your objectives and the tools your are going to use.

Dung Beetle...part one

2010-02-25T10:34:00.000-06:00

I'm going to take this opportunity to share a bit of my family with you. It really does relate to this blog, and I have so loved watching this unfold. So, my seven-year old daughter, Ainsley, comes home from school the other day and is super-excited because she has an extra homework assignment and she has lots of ideas. She goes on and on about how she is going to create this bug habitat and it's going to tell all about this bug by showing what it eats and where it lives and blah, blah, blah. Then, she hands me the information sheet on the assignment and it turns out that she is really only supposed to create an insect - using recycled material and making sure it has all the right body parts - head, thorax, abdomen, six legs, antanae and wings (if needed). She just expanded it to include the whole habitat, to which my husband rolls his eyes and say, "Lord help us, she's already turning into you!" HA! And, of course, I am so proud and am loving every minute of it! However, while I may have caught her vision for this project, I am not necessarily great at the execution of such a project...that's where he comes in!

BTW - this is going to be a two-part entry because we're only part-way done and I suspect the second entry will support the first. Here are the steps we've taken so far:

www.usbornebooks.com

Step 1: Pick out the bug. She immediately grabbed her handy-dandy Usborne books Bugs book. It's been a favorite for several years. Did I mention the child LOVES bugs and has since she was itty bitty. Not sure where she gets that - definitely not from me! Of course, she chose a Dung Beetle - because what seven-year-old doesn't love the chance to giggle at anything related to poop.

Step 2: Supplies - I purchased two things for her to use - some black modeling clay and some pipe cleaners. The bug body, which is all that is complete so far was made by cutting a small pop bottle in half, and she covered it in the clay.

Here's where I think it get's even cooler. Dave post the following on Facebook and get's these responses.

Then, our friend Brenda, who travels a lot to Tanzania, posts this actual picture of a dung beetle that she took on her last safari. I am in awe - first at how perfectly round that ball of poop is, but mostly that it looks so much like the picture in the book! And, Ainsley is in awe - because Brenda actually got to see the real thing in this great place, which she now can't wait to visit someday.

Besides being a super cool project, here's the point. She's seven, and was given a project to do. Already, half-way through the project, she has learned from so many people. She is excited to be the center of it all and feels important because so many people are involved in it. I hope she realizes that we are all just as excited to get to work with her and see her passion and creativity. Here are the people who she has learned from in this project so far:

Her teacher, Mrs. Shasky
Me
Dad (his name is David)
Brother Barrett, who now wants to make a ball of poop too.
Brenda, who she has only met once, but thinks is amazingly cool because she has seen a real live Dung Beetle

This weekend we are traveling to Iowa to my folks, and taking the supplies and project with us. I can't wait to see how it turns out with even more people's help and input. She is learning so much - not just about bugs and poop, but about how to get people involved and work together and use technology. We adults are doing our best to let her guide and lead the project (which is really so hard sometimes).

To answer the question, "How does this relate to non-profit marketing," ask yourself these things:

With the objective in mind (learning and retaining information about bugs), are you more likely to have a better result with one person or a team working together?
How important is a passionate leader to the success of you project?

Watch for part two of this entry next week!

Blog Search

2010-02-24T08:49:00.001-06:00

Are you looking for a specific blogger? Maybe you need to see what people in your city are saying about the cities newly proposed building project or you're curious about what others are saying about you? Here's a great tool:

www.blogsearch.google.com

At home with Disney

2010-02-23T14:39:00.002-06:00

I'm stuck at home today. You may ask yourself, 'Casey - don't you work from home?' Why yes, I do, but today is different because my seven-year-old daughter is home sick, therefore I'm stuck. BTW - when I say sick, she's really sick. This means that while it's been a surprisingly productive day, my back is killing me from sitting on the couch with her all day, my lap is hot from my laptop, and my right arm is drenched is sweat and slobber from her laying on me. Awesome.

And, I've had the pleasure of the Disney channel on as background noise all day long. I have to say that I am once more in awe of Disney and how well they know their brand, their audience and their values. The shows are consistent, safe for kids, appealing to their target audiences and pretty funny. I am once again researching the Disney Institute courses (and also Net Promoter Score certfication training programs). Holy wow - these things are pricey. I wonder if these price tags can be justified for a nonprofit and what payback could be factored in as part of that silly justification argument. BTW - my boss reads this blog every once in a while and I'm hoping he might see this for the hint that it is - not so subtle, huh!

There is a blog for everything!

2010-02-22T10:28:00.001-06:00

I love blogs. In fact, blogs have unconsciously become my go-to source for information. Every once in a while, I get an itching to do something crafty - usually more on the artsy side of crafty, but crafty none-the-less. Letterpress and jewelry making are my newest interests in this world of artsy craftsy. And, the best information I have been able to find, from a non-commercial perspective are from blogs. Think about it - blog writers are people obsessed with their area of expertise. They are usually not trying to sell you something and they share their knowledge because they LOVE what they are blogging about.

How is this applicable to you?

Get your target users to blog about you. The information they share is significantly more influential than any paid advertising you place.
Start a blog and share your area of passion and expertise. If you are doing it on behalf of your nonprofit - be sure to state that, but try to keep the hard-core sales approach away. Check out this entry - a great example of how to use blogging to sell your product.
Read the blogs that might apply to you. It's like hundreds of focus groups, without all the effort! If you are selling summer camp, read the mommy-blogs. If you are soliciting donations for cancer research, read the blogs of survivors or family members who blog to keep other family members informed.

And - shoot me your blog address! I'd love to read your blog or the ones that are your favorites!

Great tip...Capitalize your url!

2010-02-17T10:00:00.001-06:00

"What is www.molestationnursery.com? Is it MolestationNursery.com or MoleStationNursery.com; or TheRapistFinder.com or TherapistFinder.com; ExpertSexChange.com or ExpertsExchange.com? These are all real URLs."

Read more at...

http://iowaadguy.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/capitalize-real-words-in-your-url/

My fascination for the week...

2010-02-15T19:57:00.002-06:00

I love it when I open a website and it has video. I haven't always felt this way, but lately I am totally intrigued by sites that offer great interactive features. I personally like the short ones - my attention span is pretty short. And, the ones that make me want to go deeper into the site have personality - quarky, clever, funny, creative, inspiring, informative, etc.

So, I did a couple this week for our site (www.nlom.org). I'm hoping this will be one more tool in our kit on our way to keeping our site at the top of people's check-regularly list!

This one makes more sense when you see it on the site, as the arrows point to elements on the page...super simple to produce with a flip cam and some printed pages. It helped that the song is a camp favorite!

And, in honor of the Olympics, I did this one! The folks back at the office are working on one that is a bit more personal and includes staff members playing their form of curling - can't wait to see it. Watch the NLOM web site (www.nlom.org) to see that one!

Old News or New News?

2010-02-15T10:15:00.000-06:00

One part of my job is to create our quarterly news publication. You could call it a newsletter, but ick. "Newsletter" makes me think of that three-column jobby that I learned to create freshman year of college, with only two fonts per page, minimal white space and tons of text. Further, when I think about that old-school format, I remember being taught to fill it with content about past news, reporting on the last event that happened - being sure to include a staged photo or two. Throw in a piece of clip art of two and vavoom - complete. Yuk - I think I just threw up a little remembering that.

The contrast is a publication that is filled with exciting things that are happening now or coming up! We want our readers to be thinking of how they want to get involved, not how they should have.

A couple of ideas for your next publication:

A story about the future of your nonprofit - paint a picture of the vision.
Call to action: give a gift and help make this happen.
Photos and captions of participants being involved and sharing how it changed them and how it will change who they are in the world!
Call to action: Dates, locations, costs, registration information for upcoming programs.

Another thought - I went to a workshop recently where the presenter challenged everyone to throw their newsletter out and consider new ways to reach the people on the list. Think about it.

Newsletter topics for each month

2010-02-11T18:51:00.000-06:00

Really great blog entry on someone else's site:

http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/resources/email-newsletters/newsletter-ideas-for-every-month-of-the-year/

Case Study for a Non Non-Profit

2010-02-11T08:27:00.002-06:00

Check out this site - http://www.shopmama.com/!

Way cool clothes.
Mommy bloggers galore, blogging about things they are passionate about - sometimes it relates to the site, sometimes it doesn't.

Cool product. Interested marketing. I think they are on to something. I went to their boutique and their sales people are rock stars to boot.

What's the draw?

2010-02-10T08:38:00.000-06:00

I am so psyched for the Olympics! At first, when I thought about it I was sure I was excited because of the games, of course. So, this blog entry was going to talk about how the product is the key to making people anticipate your brand as much as they do the Olympics. But, if I'm gonna be honest (and I usually think that's the best approach), I really love the stories about the athletes. It's like Hallmark movies at Christmas time - sap, sap, sap. And, I love every minute of. I fall in love with the athletes because of their come-from-behind stories, their larger than life physical ability and their life-long dream of achieving this moment in time. For the record - that's marketing!

Redesign - good or bad?

2010-02-09T09:08:00.001-06:00

Facebook has updated it's look and function again, which has brought on the onslaught of status updates about whether or not my friends like it. It's amazing really. Facebook is the largest and fastest growing social networking site online. We are a fickle society and we decide almost daily what the newest and latest 'thing' is to follow, to be a fan of, to fight against. Yet, facebook has maintained it's reign for quite some time now. So, while we rally against change, maybe it is the very thing that keeps us coming back and our interest peaked?

Question for those you work with?

2010-02-08T15:18:00.000-06:00

I mentioned before that we have been working with a staff development guru to create a more structured and strategic plan for cultivating gifts, skills and passions in the employees.

Born out of these conversations with our guru-friend, Deb, are some really simple ideas that can help us get to know and understand each employee better.

Two questions to ask (and keep track of the answer):
1. What is the very best part of your job?
2. What is the worst part of your job?

Wouldn't it be great if someone's least favorite part was another person's most favorite? Or, at the very least, you could be sure to show appreciation more when you know an employee is doing great at something that isn't their fav.?

Beyond the 4 Ps

2010-02-04T09:31:00.004-06:00

It's a tricky thing - understand what mix it takes to make your marketing efforts successful. When I started in the world of marketing, my understanding of what "marketing" meant was significantly different than what it is today. I would guess that, to some extent, the world's view of it has also evolved. I remember thinking, as I went from my newspaper production job to my big-bad marketing position, that marketing was way cooler than just laying out pages and ads. This was because I could use more tools than just print to communicate a message and it would be a blast to work with the other "p"s that I had learned so much about in college. (Refresher course - the 4 p's of marketing were Product, Price, Place and Promotion). That was 10 years ago. I'm not sure if college professors are still using the 4 P approach. I sure hope not.

I just googled the Ps of marketing and found all kinds of crap...err, I mean stuff. I appears there are now 7 Ps in the "Extended" marketing mix.

Let's move past the P's, and go two letters further to "R!" I vote for a permanent "!" behind the "R." Because it really doesn't work unless the passion, enthusiasm and excitement are with it. That's because the "R" stands for RELATIONSHIP!

Are you on board? Wait - let's make sure we have the same understanding of relationship. Some questions:

When you want to make a new friend, do you create a brochure and mail it to ten people, hoping one will call and offer themselves up?
When you are fighting with your spouse, do you make a video and put it youtube?
How about your neighbors. If you want their feedback on a new neighborhood gathering idea, do you send a survey and have them mail it back to you?

Of course not. (If you answered yes to any of these, go find a self-help book on relationships and read it - you're not going to find what you need here.)

Here is the essential tool to having a relationship of any kind: Two-way communication. It's that simple - communication from one person to another then back again.

Try it. Make the R the priority and see if it makes a difference. Don't eliminate the Ps, just put R first and see what happens.

Remember...

2010-02-03T13:10:00.001-06:00

Experts

2010-01-28T08:45:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the value of experts and here's what I believe. Experts, or those people who are well-versed and well-experienced in a specific area, can be such a royal pain to our egos. When I say "our," I mean those of us who are not experts in their area. It's not that we don't know that we don't know everything, but - OUCH - when those darned experts come along and remind us of that, it sure stings.

BUT, here's the thing. We all need them. In fact, while we hate to admit it, they are called experts for a reason. Add the value of a different perspective to their vast knowledge and experience and it's easy to see why we shouldn't throw them out just yet. If we can check our own egos at the door, we sure can learn a lot.

PLUS, remember that you are also an expert in your own area. You can be that outside resource for others.

Moral of the story - throw out all the ego talk, get over yourself and bring in an expert - it will certainly help you grow and most definitely advance your organization's mission!

Linchpin

2010-01-26T08:46:00.001-06:00

Seth has a new book! Seth has a new book!

I feel like a 12 year old watching for the next edition of Harry Potter.

I just ordered my copy and can't wait to see what great things Mr. Godin has to offer this time around.

The reviews...from Seth's blog...

What difference will it make?

2010-01-26T08:29:00.000-06:00

I was at a GSB conference last week in Lakeville, MN and a presenter said that the only question that will make a difference as to what or if a donor gives is, "What difference will my gift make?" I wonder if we communicate the answer to that well enough and often enough?

I also wonder if it's true. Sure - in a altruistic world, that might be the case. However, I think that donors are becoming more sophisticated and are wanting more information about what percentage of their gift will be used for the effort vs. administrative costs; how they will be recognized; who else is giving and so on. Right or wrong, it is very hard to pull society's influence out of philanthropy.

So, I think I'd alter the presenter's statement a bit. The most important question you need to answer to get a gift is "What difference will my gift make?" And, I'd add that it should be answered with qualitative and quantitative results - give them the facts and pull at the heartstrings.

Social Proof

2010-01-25T08:13:00.000-06:00

I just heard this term the other day and just can't wait to use it! I googled it and came up with a bunch of definitions. Most point to something like this — Social proof is the evidence of social influence over people in any given situation.

Examples:
It's when you are waiting your turn at Starbucks and you aren't really sure what the heck the difference is between a latte, a mocha and a cappuccino and you don't want to ask because then you'll be that person who isn't all up on coffee lingo, so you eavesdrop on the semi-normal looking people in front of you and you order the same thing they do.

or

When a facebook friend posts a link to a cool new site and you become a user.

or

When you are watching the superbowl and a commercial comes on promoting a beer you are thinking about trying. A fellow game-watcher says they aren't a fan. Whether consciously or not, you no longer have any desire to try it.

Pretty hard to argue that there is such a thing as social proof...now if we marketers could just figure out how to capitalize on it!

Product/Site Review

2010-01-22T10:06:00.001-06:00

www.whatisblik.com

My sister-in-law turned me on to this site over Christmas. I usually stalk sites like this with admiration, but never buy. But, given I have a new home with lots of nooks and crannies to decorate, I took a leap and purchased a couple of items. Blik is a company that turns insanely cool images into wall decals. My husband calls them glorified stickers, and while he is probably right - I complete dig the pure creativity of these designs and the innovative medium.

Check out the great copyright on this packaging!

These two are part of the same package, but I used them in the two spots our pug uses. While Nitro, the pug, seems indifferent to my effort to make him comfortable in his new home, my kids have named the dogs - Theo, Oswald and Selena. They have added personality and character to a couple of boring walls, and I smile whenever they catch my eye!

Give!

2010-01-21T10:54:00.002-06:00

I watch in awe as the crisis in Haiti unfolds and the relief organizations swing into full service mode for the victims while simultaneously implementing systems to communicate with those not affected and offer outlets for giving. As we sit here in the United States and watch it unfold on the T.V., we all want to help and there are numerous reputable and GOOD organizations that can put your money and donations to good use.

My favorite - Lutheran World Relief - www.lwr.org! The graphic above tells you how to text to give through LWR. Of course, you can also give a gift online or call their toll free number - 800-LWR-LWR2.

Plus, LWR is near the end of their reserve of health kits - http://www.lwr.org/beinvolved/healthkit.asp.

Big time kudos to all the amazing nonprofits out there that are doing good work, and for all of you who are making it possible through your gifts!

Note that none of their extraordinary efforts would be possible without expert planning and efficiency in carrying out the marketing and communications plans.

Snow Day #3

2009-12-10T10:16:00.000-06:00

Snow Day #1 - a gift!
Snow Day #2 (beginning) - WOW, super-duper gift
Snow Day #2 (end) - 2 days is too many to be trapped in the house with two young children
Snow Day #3 - REALLY? (and not in a good way!)

AND - snow day #3 is, so far, a result of a stuck and stranded car at the end of my driveway. Besides that, my cul de sac hasn't been cleared and is a total disaster. Every car that has attempted has gotten stuck.

The great news is that I am getting caught up on random projects that have been at the bottom of my list for a while - a special sales flier, a web update and cleaning up my computer files! It's amazing what one can get done without the usual in-office interruptions!

Hope you all are finding meaningful marketing work - regardless of where you are!

SNOW DAY!

2009-12-08T12:32:00.000-06:00

An idea for an nonprofit! It's a snow day across the midwest, which means a whole lot of kids and moms are home and hanging out on the computer.

Why not touch based and...

Offer a "snow day" discount.
Encourage them to sign up - since they have the time and are on the computer anyway.
Invite them to explore your web site.
Ask them a question.

Product Review

2009-12-07T14:06:00.001-06:00

We just got one of these to try out. It's a flip camera - named that because the usb connection flips off the side. It's the size of a point and shoot camera, but with some decent quality. They have limited features, but are super easy to use, and in today's youtube world, are a really fun toy!

We are thinking about getting these to put all over camp this summer!

Recognition

2009-12-04T08:45:00.004-06:00

Recently, we have been working with a generous friend of our organization who is extremely well versed in all things leadership development related. She is smart, articulate and delightful to work with. I am learning a lot just listening to her, and am grateful for her willingness to share all that she knows. What has come out of these conversations so far is a new passion for intentionally building and empowering every person that works for our organization. We are currently working on a rather extensive "Staff Development Plan" that includes group training as well as individual and customized leadership development plans. The outcome of doing something like this has incredible potential for higher staff retention, better morale, more innovative people and escalated levels of FUN!

I am hoping to include tidbits of what we are doing and learning on this blog. For now, I'll leave you with this idea.

Ask anyone - "What is the very best recognition you have ever received?"

From this, you'll learn a lot about the person — what they value about themselves, how they like to be acknowledged, and what skill/gift they wish to be know for!

Etsy

2009-12-03T16:59:00.004-06:00

WARNING - This is a pretty unrelated-to-nonprofit-marketing entry. I like doing that — starting a sentence with something that makes you think danger or big-deal, and then following with randomness.

I am a huge stalker of Etsy.com - GREAT, let me say again, GREAT site packed full of creative people - mostly the craft-cute-creative type. If you are looking for the super-artsy type creative people, go check out supermarkethq.com. Both are interesting and fun to browse in a window-shopping type way.

I am in the middle of a mixed experience with an Etsy purchase. I attempted to purchase some vinyl peace sign wall decals for my daughter's room and they shipped me the wrong order. In fact, it is so wrong, I'm thinking they just must have just flipped my package and another. Regardless, the owner of the site was super helpful when I was ordering, making sure to post what I wanted so I could purchase it easily. However, since the order came incorrectly, I have attempted to contact him twice to fix the situation, and haven't gotten a reply.

I guess my point is that in order to be good at customer service, you have to be good all the time, not just during the selling part! I hope I can finish this story with some good news soon.

UPDATE: DirtCheapWindowDecals has turned out to be a great place to deal with! I just got this message from the seller —

I am so sorry i must have switched the shipping labels somehow. I will ship out your
peace signs. go ahead and keep the dots there is no need to return them.

Retention vs. New User Development

2009-11-30T13:15:00.003-06:00

Where are your efforts/dollars/time dedicated?

RETENTION:

Cheaper
Loyal users can be advocates/sales people
Easier to reach because you have their contact information, right!?!
Marketing tools can be customized
Message can be customized
Can segment
Potential for marketing other programs/products/services

NEW USER DEVELOPMENT

Costly
Harder to sell
Harder to find
Unless well segmented, it is harder to hit a home run with the message