The fundamentals of social media engagement; common sense, not tips and tricks.
It’s very convenient for social media marketing firms to make the fundamentals of social media engagement out to be more difficult than they really are. The secret to success is basic, common sense, and the fundamentals of social media engagement follows the same rules that govern real life business networks and relationships.
I hope this is the simplest and clearest thing you’ve ever heard about the fundamentals of social media engagement for small business. Here it goes:
In order to successfully market your small business through social media you need to do two things:
(1) Grow and nurture your online networks
(2) Create and share great content
Let me say that again.
In order to successfully market your small business through the fundamentals of social media engagement, you need to do two things:
(1) Grow and nurture your online networks
(2) Create and share great content
No secrets. No tips. No tricks. Just common sense.
Your small business social media marketing efforts start with you – the business owner and executives.
If you haven’t put the time into the fundamentals of social media engagement, effectively building and nurturing your own, personal, online networks (your human marketing platform), then your social media efforts will likely be an uphill battle. There aren’t any tips or tricks to shortcut the fundamentals of social media engagement and the process it takes to get there. It’s a commitment very much like going to networking events, trade shows and business expos with all of the necessary follow up.
Your social media success will be determined by your capacity to grow your online networks and strengthening those relationships through the fundamentals of social media engagement. That means commenting, posting, tweeting, sharing, retweeting, liking, plussing, friending, following, connecting…well you get the point. It’s a daily commitment and there is no way around it.
You need to give your online networks reasons to tell their networks about you and your business.
Having big networks and great relationships will only take you so far. If you want to get people talking about you online and telling their friends about your business, you must create and share great content. This is the major part of the fundamentals of social media engagement.
Whether you are sharing great industry related articles, writing killer blog posts, designing stunning infographics, or filming compelling interviews, you need to be creating and sharing something that your online networks will find valuable enough to share with their networks.
This is what makes social media work. It’s the truth about what it takes to be successful marketing your small business through the fundamentals of social media engagement. And again, there aren’t any tips, tricks or secrets to give you a shortcut.
If you want to market your small business successfully through social media, you need to keep your ground game strong. Keep building new relationships, making more contacts and satisfying customers. Use these relationships as the foundation to grow and nurture your online networks. In order to get these folks talking about your business you need to create and share great content that they will want to share with their friends and networks.
If you are doing this, and following the fundamentals of social media engagement, then maybe you are ready for some social media tips and tricks. Not a moment sooner…
45 Secrets of Driving Donations through Social Media
by Thomas R. Reich
You have wondered what social media can do for your nonprofit, but more important, how can you get more donations through social media? I speak far and wide on the benefit to small business of social media, and having a proper social media network attached like a funnel to your website and blog. But what if this same type of network is used in a nonprofit organization, can you get more donations through social media networking? Read on and be surprised!
Used together in a network, more donations through social media can be achieved, especially when connected to an effective blog and website pages that act as landing pages which are donor friendly, in other words, a page on your website that clearly states your cause, how the visitor can help, and a click here to donate button.
Let’s have some fun looking at each facet of social media, your website, and blog, and together discover many ways to get more donations through social media!
YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Blogs and your website all have their place but when tied together they become a powerful tool to get potential donors to your website and help create more donations through social media.
First let’s look at Twitter:
1) It is important to have as many targeted followers as possible for Twitter to be effective. Take a look at:
3) Add @ symbol to share content of a respected site in your field and give your tweet more credibility, example: @charitynetusa
4) Automate the tweeting of other sites that you respect to bring more content to your Twitter site.
5) Automate your Tweeting so it is consistent at a certain time, using SocialOomph, Rooster, HootSuite or other services. This will help bring more donations through social media. Read more:
6) Use the # symbol to attract the attention of those searching for the keyword of your mission. An example would be, for this article I would include #social media or #more donations.
7) Be consistent in your content, always stay on the topic of your mission in all you do if you want your network to become a funnel for more donations through social media!
FaceBook:
1) Always update your Facebook page with your latest blog as soon as it is published to help the funnel effect and create the opportunity for more donations through social media!
2) Provide content links on your Facebook page to send them to your blog, your website landing page or to join you on your Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn or Pinterest accounts with one click!
3) Run polls using the standard Facebook ‘Question’ feature (above the ‘Write something’ box) to engage your audience and involve them, possibly encouraging more donations through social media yet again, beginning to get the picture!
4) Link your Facebook to your email newsletter.
5) Have a great “Mission Page” with a call to action on your Facebook encouraging more donations through social media.
6) Write a headline that is ‘keyword’ rich for your industry and niche.
7) Your title should make the potential viewer want to hit the play button, and encourage more donations through social media!
8) Respond to all comments whether good, bad or indifferent in a timely manner. It is important to engage your followers quickly and often to encourage more donations through social media; this is true for any facet of your social media network!
9) Have a listing of past blogs with links to them like this:
YouTube:
1) Interview people involved in your mission, edit to no longer than 2 or 3 min and post on your YouTube channel.
2) Edit short snippets showing the plight of those you are trying to help, make small snippets 30 sec – 90 sec, and post many of them.
3) Edit and post short videos of participants in your latest event, as many different people as possible in 30-90 second snippets, post many snippets individually but never longer than 90 seconds, and make sure to tag with the names of the people in each snippet.
4) Make sure to include your website and your blog link in your YouTube profile!
5) Automate sharing after posting (available under ‘Account settings” then ‘Activity Sharing’, then choose the social accounts and as a minimum select Facebook and Twitter.
6) Make sure to fill out the keywords section on each and every video you post in your YouTube channel, for more information on Keywords: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyword
7) Always announce a new YouTube video posting through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and in your website and newest blog. This is why you have a social media network, to encourage even more donations through social media!
LinkedIn:
1) Choose to make your profile public when making your profile settings.
2) Use all three link options; website, blog and social media links that LinkedIn allows in your profile, in order to maximize more donors through social media.
3) Ask questions in the Q&A section of LinkedIn with possible answer as links to your blog posts that explain whatever the question was about.
4) Set up a special LinkedIn for you blog, all linked to you blog and website, this will help you get more donations through social media.
5) Integrate your Blog post feed into your LinkedIn account using the ‘Add an Application’ button at the bottom right of your home page.
6) Add your Twitter feed into your LinkedIn account using the ‘Add an Application section.
7) Add access to your Pinterest account the same way as above.
Pinterest:
1) Linking your Facebook and Twitter accounts with your Free Pinterest account enables you to sync all networks and maximize your chances to get more donations through social media!
2) In order to place another user’s pin on one of your boards, you must ‘repin’ it! In doing so, you give the credit to who it came from which helps build relationships with other Free Pinterest account users.
3) Upload relevant, useful media from your website or find pictures that represent or pertain to your brand once or more a day.
4) BE AUDIENCE APPROPRIATE: According to MGD Advertising, as of April this year, 87% of Free Pinterest account users are women with the majority of ages between 25 & 54. Therefore, target your posts to maximize interest from that target group to get more donors from social media with Pinterest.
1) Produce inspiring, educational and awesome content that is so compelling that people want to share it, this is the foundation of your capacity building. All media is about good content and social media is no different, good content = more donors through social media.
2) Write regularly and consistently, at least once a week and and link all your new posts to all your social media. Potential donors will then come and visit regularly and keep coming back because they know it will be new and topical, and on an issue they want to learn more about. These repeat visitors are your target; they will be the ones to get you more donors through social media!
3) The blog headline is important for several reasons; first they need to attract attention, second they need to contain the keyword or keywords you are using to attract donors.
4) Post your blogs through services like Stumbled upon, Reddit and Digg.
5) Make sure you have a re-tweet button at the top of your blog and ask people to let their Twitter networks know about your post, this is called going viral, and can greatly increase your readership!
6) Make sure your blog post has a Facebook share and a Facebook like buttons.
7) Comment on blogs similar to your targeted topic, and include links back to your blog.
8) Have a “friendly” subscribe to my Newsletter and blog signup button on your blog posts, which will help build an audience and get more donors through social media.
Let’s keep the conversation going, comment and let us know your favorite tips and tricks!
3 Must Do’s in Your Social Media Network; Making Your Organization Relevant in Social Media
By Thomas R. Reich PhD
Are you really doing the right things with Social Media to grow your organization? It might be because you are trying to use the new medium of Social Media like you used the old medium of advertising, mainly to talk to your audience. To be successful with Social Media you must involve your audience and talk with them, not to them. I have observed 3 big mistakes our clients made before learning how to be successful in the social Media arena:
1) You forget to have a strategy in how to work with your entire online network.
Having a strategy for Social Media marketing goes a long way, and integrating that plan into an overall internet marketing plan is essential to success in your online marketing. You may want to include some or all of the following in your plan:
a) The number of times of the day or the week you will update the different Social Media channels. Some may be each day others may be once a month but make a schedule and stick to it!
b) Decide what kind of followers you want in each channel. Do you want quantity or quality? There are arguments for each and it depends on your mission, all a function of good planning.
c) It is important to set a realistic goal for the number of respondents to your marketing activities that are converted to your website and then to action, it is important to plan benchmarks to measure results.
2) Social Media is not just about you, don’t forget about others.
If you only promote yourself without giving value back on Twitter and Facebook, you will lose followers fast! Sites like Twitter and Pinterest where your followers are not your real life friends but thousands of people interested in what you have to say as promised by your intro are looking for additional content. Facebook and LinkedIn may be more forgiving through your business pages, but not as forgiving as you may think if all you do is advertise and self promote.
Limit self-promotional posts to twice per week, and divide the remainder of your content between engaging updates free from links, sharing relevant links your readers will enjoy and (polite and friendly) replies to other users. By following a structured plan like this, and staying on that plan to a schedule, you may find you have more friends that like you instead of just fans that “Like” you.
3) Possibly the biggest mistake you can make on Social Media is forgetting to update.
When you don’t update on a Social Media site it is probably the worst offence of all, it says you don’t care, and amounts to doing absolutely nothing! Even if you make some of the mistakes above, at least you have a presence, at least you can learn from your mistakes as you go along. In order to make any progress at all you must stick to the schedule we discussed above. Whether it’s a daily Tweet, a weekly LinkedIn update or a monthly blog or video update, stay on plan! You may want to post more and in some cases where the followers are growing very fast, you may want to post hourly, we all want that problem! A good social media manager can help you decide on a good strategy for the frequency of your updates.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM online from BizCentralUSA
Key Note Speaker: Thomas R. Reich, Marketing Coordinator
Join us for a fun and fact filled free webinar; one that will expose you to a world of Graphics and Branding. among other things discussed will be: Logo design and the difference between Logo and Brand! How color can effect your business, how important matching the look and feel of your website to you printed material and social media. We will look deep into the Brand and just what it means! Then we will touch on tips and tricks in many areas of marketing so new even the experts will want to attend. This is a must see for any business interested in increased marketing presents; You will benefit greatly from the knowledge if only to enlighten you on what may be available for your company. As usual this fact filled webinar is FREE.
Can you afford to miss a learning opportunity like this? As always this webinar is free!
As always, feel free to contact Tom Reich for any marketing related questions at tom@bizcentralusa.com.
Please Register for this information – packed Webinar, even if you can not attend at the listed time, we will send all registrants a link to the recorded version of the live event the following day.
Your One Stop Shop for all of your Business Needs,
BizCentralUSA.com (407) 857-9002
All this and more will be answered by resident marketing expert, Thomas R. Reich.
This webinar is free and as always, if you register and are unable to make the live webinar we will send a recorded version to you after the event!
Title:
Branding and Graphic Design
Date:
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Time:
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
Short form content in Social Media is great; however, original, thoughtful content is still king. A good company blog is still the perfect platform.
Blogs are a great weekly forum to make your case and a fantastic marketing tool within your website. While short-form social media channels are great at building buzz, thoughtful blog content adds real long-term value to your and attracts the discussion to your website to sell your solution. Preformed correctly, blogging gives customers insight into your brand, establishes you as an industry expert and grow to become an information resource in an area of expertise, and in the process, attract traffic from search engines.
4 Ways to Improve Your Blog!
Use Topics that Personalize Your Organization: Have you recently received a great customer referral? Share it with your blog readers, if you don’t talk about it who will?. Has a particular mentor influenced your organization or shaped the way you do business? Profile them in a blog that exemplifies their values and how you have incorporated those values into your organization. Remember referring to a higher source is a great way to lift up your organization without always tooting your own horn! Another way to spotlight your organization without saying me me me is to feature a star employee you want to point out as an industry expert right there in your organization. All of these things personalize your business and help readers relate to you in a way that makes them trust your organization. When it comes down to deciding between similar businesses, potential customers will often go with the company they can relate to. Content, the kind of writing that spotlights the good works your organization, its employees and the people that associates with you attracts not only new interaction but loyalty as well!
Stay on target, blog about subjects that revolve around your organization: Your blog should stand for the same thing your organization stands for, and you must stay on topic for best results. An engaged writer makes for an engaged reader, so make sure you’re writing about something that interests you, but a the same time ties it in to your issues, benefits and positions as an organization. Don’t be afraid to have an opinion, but keep that opinion about the expertise and mission of your organization and its employees. Certified Minority? Passion for helping the homeless? Crazy for construction standards for back yard swimming pools? Whatever your organization is involved in, if it’s something that you care about, it will be easy to write about and relate to your business, which is the point of the blog after all.
Be willing to take tough stands in issues your organization believes in: Writing about what customers want to know about is a sure-fire way to keep them engaged. To do so, you’ve got to be willing to tackle tough topics in your content and commentary. Blogging about difficult issues and controversies within your industry attracts customers, and keeps them coming back to you as a resource. This does not mean take political stands on issues for politics sake, leave that to the politicians. If you take a stand based purlly on politics you will surly turn off ½ your audience. If, on the other hand, you angle the same issue towards your organization without invoking politics, you have 100% of the readers as potential believers!
Be well read on all the trends in your industry: Blogging provides an excellent vehicle for discussing news trends that may not directly relate to your business, while engaging with potential customers about a topic that has piqued their interest. Keep abreast of the latest breaking news and figure out creative ways to engage readers. Ask questions to encourage readers to leave comments. By positioning your brand as a thought leader, you build trust with customers, which will count when the time comes to make a purchasing decision or take the actions you are encouraging.
Remember, Social Media is Marketing Promotion to get people to take action and get to your blog on a particular issue or event. Once on your blog, the job of the blog is to interest the reader in the issues and products surrounding your organization, and to continue on to your website for more information about those issues and their solutions. That is also a marketing function, but when you are successful and the reader does click onto your website, they should be in your closing room. Social Media and Blogs are Marketing, Websites are sales floors, your website is and should be your office, but that’s another discussion. Above all, keep it simple. Your company blog shouldn’t read like a promotional brochure. Readers are looking for concise writing with clear takeaways, along with some fun and personality. Keep it brief, make your point using relatable examples, and then post it.
Capacity Building: Taking Your Organization to the Next Level
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm online from CharityNetUSA
Key Note Speaker: Howard Walker
Nonprofit Fundraising Expert Howard Walker is back for this vital topic, Fundraising. Howard will bring real world examples of successful fundraising efforts, and set you on course for some great fundraising events. We will cover volunteer programs, managing the fundraising efforts, and the necessity of keeping proper control and security of funds and your good name. Fundraising can bring in more than just funds; it can gather new volunteers, donors and spread the word of your cause. All it takes is the knowledge and desire to succeed; we give you the knowledge FREE in this information packed webinar!
As the past shows: the economy will recover, resources will catch up with us and finances will level out. Don’t wait for recovery to happen, get started growing your nonprofit now. When America recovers, your nonprofit will not only be in the game, but you will be an MVP!
Contact Marketing Coordinator Thomas R. Reich for more info at tom@Bizcentralusa.com or call him at (407) 857-9002 ex 510
10 Ways to Include Free Pinterest Account Features in your Organization’s Marketing Plans!
By Thomas R. Reich PhD
1) COMPANY REPRESENTATION: Encourage your partners and employees to create a Free Pinterest account and share of your brand on their Pin Boards.
2) LINK UP: Linking your Facebook and Twitter accounts with your Free Pinterest account enables you to sync all networks. In terms of following, Twitter and Pinterest are virtually the same, and you don’t have to follow someone to ‘repin’ or ‘like’ their pins. Linking up also allows you to share you pins on other social networks, which means a larger reach for your brand on a Free Pinterest account
3) LIKING & REPINNING: In order to place another user’s pin on one of your boards, you must ‘repin’ it! In doing so, you give the credit to who it came from which helps build relationships with other Free Pinterest account users
4) PIN DAILY: Upload relevant, useful media from your website or find pictures that represent or pertain to your brand. The ‘pins’ that you add to your profile should somehow related to your brand and target market on your Free Pinterest account, and should be organized into ‘pin boards.’ If you own a clothing store, an example of some pin boards could be ‘Men’s Jeans,’ ‘Women’s Jeans,’ ’Accessories,’ etc
5) BE AUDIENCE APPROPRIATE: According to MGD Advertising, as of April this year, 87% of Free Pinterest account users are women with the majority of ages between 25 & 54. If your brand pertains to clothing, children, or wedding dresses (among many other things, obviously), you’re golden—but if you sell chainsaws, lawn mowers, and tool-belts, Pinterest probably won’t work for you nearly as well, unless you relate those products to the interests of your boards.
6) BE ORIGINAL: Adding your own pictures to your Free Pinterest account helps with link-building & awareness of what you provide. Although repinning is absolutely valuable, having original content on your Pinterest is just as important as having original content on your blog.
7) SHARE THE LOVE: Frequently like, share, and repin people’s content! This will allow others to notice your brand, and when they see you are being generous to them on your Free Pinterest account, they will return the favor. According to Inc.com, getting to know those who have popular pins is hugely important to building your network across all major social media networks.
8) USE THE ‘PIN IT’ BUTTON: Enable a ‘Pin It’ button on your website and/or blog so your visitors can pin your content to their Free Pinterest account!
9) Sales Tool: one of the main reasons people use Free Pinterest accounts is to help guide their decisions on what to buy and it augments the selection of what to choose from.
10) Link-Building: If a user likes something they find on Free Pinterest account, the link to your website is available for them to click on and meander around.
11) Visuals: People love pictures. People love videos. Free Pinterest accounts are made up of both! This one is a no-brainer.
I am warning you though; A Free Pinterest account is most definitely addictive, so watch out and enjoy! I bet you cant pin just one!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM online from BizCentralUSA
Key Note Speaker: Thomas R. Reich, Marketing Coordinator
Join us for a fun and fact filled free webinar, one that will expose you to a world of free marketing. Among other things discussed will be: Social media for strategy, an ever expanding marketing tool; you will touch on the basics of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Then we will touch on tips and tricks in many areas of marketing such as websites and blogging so new even the experts will want to attend. This is a must see for any business or nonprofit interested in increased marketing presents! You will benefit greatly from the knowledge if only to enlighten you on what may be available for your organization. As usual, this fact filled webinar is FREE.
Can you afford to miss a learning opportunity like this? As always this webinar is free!
As always, feel free to contact Tom Reich for any marketing related questions at tom@bizcentralusa.com.
Please Register for this information – packed Webinar, even if you can not attend at the listed time, we will send all registrants a link to the recorded version of the live event the following day, to watch at their leasure.
Your One Stop Shop for all of your Business and nonprofit needs,
BizCentralUSA.com / CharityNetUSA.com (407) 857-9002
All this and more will be answered by resident marketing expert, Thomas R. Reich.
Title:
Marketing Strategies for social media, Website and Blogs; the untapped Free Resource! with Thomas R. Reich and Howard Walker
Date:
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Time:
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
Top 10 Social Media Network Tools to Improve Your Online Presence!
By Thomas R. Reich PhD
Want to be the #1 social media network star among your entire group? Then you are reading the right post. We present the top 10 social media networking tools, tips and tricks to boost your leads and contacts by widening your social media networking tools and at the same time, enhance your internet website appearance.
Using using social media networking tools, tips and tricks to make use of strategic thinking, capacity and time-saving tools free right there online to expand your effectiveness.
Lets begin with some simple tips:
1.Learn to listen for your visitor’s words and react in time-
Remember that the visitors to your site, that you are related through your social media netowork are the most important! Those visitors who are associated with your social media network should be observed and carefully scrutinized. What are these followers looking for in your site, how long do they visit, do they leave comments? For this you may use conversation monitoring with the help of tools like, TweetDeck, Social Mentionand Seesmic
2. It is important to participate and collaborate with members of your social media network-
It is important to understand what you want from visitors before you link them to a page or blog on your website. The engagement of your contacts and visitors from your social media network defines the success of your social media networking. KLOUT is a good tool used to track your impact on multiple social media networks.
3. Follow social media networks that follows’ you, if someone follows you or joins you discussion, always answer back, engagement is KEY to an effective social media network!!!
Your social media network must show your followers that you enjoy what you are talking about. Whatever your passion is, there is definitely some social platforms that will let you better experience that passion and bring like minded people to you social media network. Try finding the one which suits you the best. For example if you love music, follow Last.fm or deviantart.com for artists. You may simply find what you need by going through Google search and learning what others with your likes search for in Google search.
4. Use social media managers to make management of you social media network easier-
You may save time by using some very famous tools available for social network management. Hoot Suite, for example, is a tool which manages your activities on several social networking sites at the same time. It lets you manage Facebook, WordPress, Twitter etc all in unison. This tool lets you read messages, keep your posts updated, set timer to send some particular messages at a cretin time etc.
5. Keep your contacts busy by asking questions frequently, a static site will not grow!
Asking questions can stimulate activity on your social media network. The contacts in your follower’s list will be engaged and more active. The question may be from any aspect of your website and its mission, for example, “What do cats think?” or “Do you find a social media network an important part of your life?” But don’t forget to answer each reply sent to you, and do it quickly, memories are short in the social media world. Remember to save their email for future use!
6.Use as many link backs to your website and other sites in your social media network, this should be your main concern.
Links are the most effective lead generating tool you can use in your social media networking. You may add links on your wall posts, status updates, your tweets and other contents you followers see. You can tag your friends and re-direct them to your website.
7.Be a believer in ‘time-impact’ –
Time-impact is a big factor in building your popularity throughout your social media network. Noon Eastern Standard Time is the time which differentiates two major users of social media networking. American West Coasters are showing up for work, while East Coasters are starting lunch breaks. This should be the prime time of your comments and links on your social media network!
8.Use MOBILE APPS for social media networking sites-
If you have got a smart phone, then simply switch to mobile apps for better access of your social media networking contacts. This portable device is the most effective way to remain connected for a longer time throughout the day. Instagram is a popular mobile app which allows you to be in contact with your social media network. You may share pics, our status updates etc. on different sites like, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. There are plenty of social media networking tools available for your mobile phone social media network.
9.Personalize your website and every single page on every site in your social media network to be branded the same in color and style-
You may redefine your website appearance by using a branded background concept. You must follow this style to the appearance of every profile in your social media network. For example you may use FACEBOOK TIME LINE, but make sure to pick consistent color and look to match the rest of your social media network. You may then customize your twitter page in the same way. Create a custom Twitter background to add more bio information and give your Twitter presence personality. Mytweetspace.com is the best place to install background of your choice and match back to the branding of your social media network.
10. Backup your virtual web avatar. yes you can back up your social media network-
Once your social media network network is strong enough, don’t let it go waste. In fact, Social media networks are more likely to be hacked or erased than your website. For example, Facebook provides an option, “download your information”. Make use of these backup tools in your social media network tools to have a backup of your activities. For Twitter, try a third-party tool like Tweet Stream or Tweet Scan.
Enjoy your enhanced digital life, and let us know if you have something to share which can be of any use in social media networking. Feel free to link useful social media networking tools, maybe even ask a question!
Mission Based Marketing: An Essential for Charities and Churches + All New FREE Webinar
By Melanie M. Swift MNM
When consulting nonprofit administrators and talking about Mission Based Marketing, I have found that many individuals involved in nonprofit operations, especially those in small grassroots organizations, carry the belief that their organization is not a business. I suppose the term “business” lends a for-profit connotation, and makes many nonprofit leaders feel that it violates their charitable mission. It has been my goal to make these emerging leaders aware that increased organizational capacity can only be generated if they begin to undertake administrative tasks that were once found only within for-profit entities.
With the increased competition that is becoming apparent within the sector, one such critical task is adequate marketing of the organization. Market-driven nonprofit organizations are implementing a variety of market strategies in order to fulfill their mission, meet their programmatic goals, and achieve long-term financial stability through Mission Based Marketing.
In the nonprofit sector, Mission Based Marketing incorporates focusing on the needs of your constituents and planning to satisfy those needs over time. Program services to clients are the primary reason that nonprofit organizations exist. Therefore, it is critical to know how to plan Mission Based Marketing programs. To become highly effective, begin with understanding your program’s target markets. You’ll need to identify what groups of potential clients exist, what their needs are, what groups you’d prefer to serve, and what programs you might develop to meet their needs through Mission Based Marketing.
Business Plans
Market Research
SWOT Analysis
Strategic Plans
Website Development (A must in today’s technology-driven world!)
Search Engine Optimization
Social Media Marketing
Corporate Branding
Keep in mind that an essential aspect of Mission Based Marketing is continuously developing a positive self-image for the organization. The relationship between price and perceived value is nowhere more evident than in the nonprofit sector. Thus every organization must find ways to make clients believe your programs or services have the most value.
Careful Mission Based Marketing planning allows a nonprofit organization to position itself best to compete for all kinds of support, including funds, by looking systematically at Mission Based Marketing, image, constituents, competitors, resources, strengths, and weaknesses, and then devise strategies to gain more favorable position in the competitive marketplace. Ultimately, adequate Mission Based Marketing will help your organization to meet its strategic goals, whether they are to increase revenue, expand your client base, or promote your organization in a new market.
10 Tips and Tricks to make Your Website a Lead Generating Machine!
by Thomas R. Reich PhD
Books are judged by their covers, websites are judged by their landing pages.
You have heard it 100 times; the first 10 seconds in any meeting are the most crucial. A visitor to your internet site will size up the site like a customer walking in a store or showroom. The colors you employ, the size, style and relevance of your visuals, text and your brand are what can make you a Lead Generating Machine. Any time a new potential customer visits your website they must know in just 10 seconds whether they have arrived in the absolute right place. There must be no indecision here – they must know they are in the right place. Make it clear to them right on first thing page see:
• We are important to you because…
• We sell or provide…
• We want to solve your need.
• How can we help you?
Then clearly lead them to what they are looking for.
Keep your home page and all pages open and uncluttered to create a Lead Generating Machine .
Many websites try to cram so many pictures and text on a page it confuses the viewer and they leave. How fast does your internet site load for you? Do every one your visitors possess broadband internet access? Your rule is 8-seconds with a 56K dial-up modem, any longer and you will be losing visitors. Specifically, avoid the temptation to create your webpage as some massive logo image or flash web presentation. Remember, convey who you are, what you sell, and how you can help the visitor with what they are looking for if you want your website to be a Lead Generating Machine. Do this in a clean, uncluttered way branded with the same colors and typeface throughout. Keep it simple, stay on target, and stay branded throughout the website.
Link destinations should be targeted and links on your blog should be mostly internal.
The normal landing page for a website is the home page, often times the visitor feels trapped or overwhelmed and quickly departs. A link from an email or e-news letter should bring the visitor to a blog on your site which concentrates on a target topic which relates to your product or service. The blog should have many links within them but these links should bring them to the answers within your website which then becomes a Lead Generating Machine. If you need to use a knowledge source outside of your website it should be generic not a competitors site. This seems obvious but many make the mistake of sending the competition a lead you yourself generated!
We may hate pop-ups but they are still very effective!
Do you dislike those infuriating pop-up windows that many internet websites use? You know the ones…in your face some won’t go away no matter what you do. Bear in mind that pop-ups do work and do increase email lists if used properly within a Lead Generating Machine. Use a cookie based conservative pop-up, do not block the site and allow the visitor to easily opt out. You may try once again when they leave the site but offer something free, more on this later!
Tempt, coerce or bribe
So, what is the point of pop-up windows – they should only exist for a single reason exclusively – to highlight a special offer, or even better, tospotlight the free email information newsletter. Everybody knows that it is much easier in selling to an active consumer rather than to a new one. Remember what you offer the visitor for free is getting you a potential client for FREE. This is the time to give a free trial or a free white paper or a free Webinar in exchange for the visitor signing up to your email news letter. Incentivize your visitors if you need to, but get their email address and details right away, it is all part of a Lead Generating Machine.
Never believe visitors are browsers and can’t be sold right then!
Many website owners just accept that there are lots of competitive websites and the visitors are not necessarily purchasers. That may have been true in 2005 but today things have changed! Web browsers are searching with a goal in mind – they are searching for a result that will solve their need or problem – and if you don’t meet their needs, then they will keep searching. What if they are not willing to purchase yet, but you are the answer they have been looking for? In that case, seize their details for the opt-in e-newsletter list is more important than ever in a Lead Generating Machine, if they leave without giving their email you have lost them; the internet is simply too big for them to come back on their own. Do you believe that you have a great online business, the correct products and services, and the right price level? Then demonstrate it and scream it from your online business! Your email list is your chance to bring them back for another look, or make a better offer, possibly introduce an even better product for their needs or make a personal contact!
Employ the effectiveness of FREE in your favor.
Alright, I can hear you arguing, “But… But… But…” The most effective way to close a client is to engage that client! A single pay per click can cost more than $5 just to attract a visitor, and you give them nothing when they arrive! Think of your website as a booth in a huge trade show, offer a free white paper for a email sign-up, but what if you have a cool little free give away, think about it, you then get their full information, and when you mail the item, you get to include whatever sales material you wish! Yes, everyone loves free stuff, of course, we all do. SO GIVE THEM FREE STUFF as part of a Lead Generating Machine! Though – whenever you provide free things, provide it in exchange for their details, in order to get back to them, if not they remain just numbers in analytics.
Guide your visitors through your website, like a good salesman in a showroom.
The moment you have gained your online visitors interest and attention, you then want to virtually take their hand and direct them to every page across the website, this is an essential part of a Lead Generating Machine. This is achieved by using links and clever words and phrases to take your visitors to the answers they are looking for. Find out what your visitors want and make sure you provide those answers on your website.. Lead them bit by bit towards the contact us web page, until you have their name and email address.
Once you have the Visitors Email, use it wisely, with a plan to build their interest, not to pester them.
Once you have got hold of them (your new potential customers) – Don’t let go! Love them, care for them, and even if they have not opened their wallet for you – show them the same level of gold service that you normally reserve for the spending clients, if you want your Lead Generating Machine to produce customers. It is important to email and update them with new data and facts and to personalize your company, welcome the visitor to your circle of friends! Do not abuse their trust; your emails should give them information on your products and services. Never sell or misuse your email list for other products not represented on the website they signed up under!
Make your website one portion of a network.
First, make sure you have a Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pintrest, and YouTube accounts all branded the same as your website and all attached to your website which is your Lead Generating Machine. Additionally, you may want to make link deals with related but different product and services websites to exchange leads and traffic. Remember, the goal once the traffic gets to your site is to get at least their opt-in email address, without that email contact the visitor is just a useless number on an analytics report. It is the difference of a customer walking through a mall looking in store windows and a customer walking in a store! Get those Email addresses.
This webinar is free and as always, if you register and are unable to make the live webinar we will send a recorded version to you after the event!
Title:
Lead Generation Strategies
Date:
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Time:
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
We will explore the many aspects of lead generation. Wether you are a small business looking for new customers or a nonprofit looking for donors or volunteers, this is the webinar for you! Using your Social Media Network as a leads funnel to your blog and website, can generate many leads. Once you have leads what is an easy way to tell a hot lead from a cold lead, what lead can generate sales not and who should be followed up on in the future? When does a lead become a prospect?
All this and more will be answered by resident marketing expert, Thomas R. Reich.
This webinar is free and as always, if you register and are unable to make the live webinar we will send a recorded version to you after the event!
Top 10 Website Design Tips: Tricks to make Your Website Shine!
By Dr. Thomas R. Reich
1.Keep the website design clutter-free and simple:
It is not necessary to add all types of cool Photoshop effects on your site in website design; these effects can result in cluttering the page and may actually overwhelm the users who are looking for the information you are providing. Keeping the website design design simple by:
Making sure visuals & text in website design complement each other, not overpower each other.
Optimization of images is essential, so that they download quickly.
Develop focal points by placing important information for the user in key spots above the line in your website design (the area above the line where you have to scroll the screen for more information).
Organize all pages in a manner that is easy for users to find information they are searching for.
2. Create visual communication that gets your message across:
It is important to project the image of your product, service or mission with the very colors of your website design. For example, a website selling biodegradable goods can utilize the color green, while a company selling shoes for little girls might use pink as the main color on their website design.
Visual items catch more attention than plain text in website design. To make navigation easier, you might use visually moving or color changing buttons instead of text links to an item you want the visitor to click on. Alternatively, use pictures or thumbnails as links in the website design, rather than text links.
Gain visitors attention by using such visual tools as arrows, color changing text or pictures that change when clicked right within the page they are on. An example of this might be a colorful section of a salesman holding a price list and the words “click here”, when clicked, the price list appears within the area of the page where the salesman holding the price list had been.
3. Provide rich content in website design:
For visitors to want to stay on your website, the page they are looking at must be visually interesting and satisfy some need. Visuals bring the user to the site but content is what keeps them on the website.
Keep the content updated; never leave dated content passed the event date for instance.
Keep the language in your text as conversational as possible & keep it lively, interesting, and informative.
Good content should make interesting reading while remaining short and concise; most visitors do not have the time or patience to read lengthy content, this is an important part of your website design.
Try creating interaction with users within your website design, by using feedback & comment forms, by doing this your visitors will feel connected to you.
4. Maintaining narrow text may help keep content simple and easy to read:
If the text layout on your page in the website design is narrow (in column form), visitors will be more likely to scroll sideways to read the text, rather than read full page content. This is the reason why most newspapers use narrow columns. Such layout makes text easily readable and more appealing. It also helps when readers are visiting from a mobile phone or even a tablet.
5. Keep website design consistent:
Keep the website design consistent across the site so visitors can easily find important information, and know they remain on your website.
Use same color combination in all pages.
Keep main link locations consistent throughout the website design, usually across the top of the page.
Do not use different fonts across the website design, consistent fonts make a consistent website.
Try to use fonts that are easily readable, ones that are clear, bold and distinct.
6. Make visitors want to come back:
There are millions of websites; most visitors get overloaded with choices, so we must help increase the odds that your visitors will want to return to your site. To accomplish this you must provide them with the information they are looking for, quickly and easily, and keep your website design on target. You must become an information source for your specific product, service, or mission.
7. Stick to conventions:
In website design has conventions that are standard design elements, basic website design elliments most surfers expect to see. As an example, visitors are accustomed to finding RSS, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn links in certain format (the bird for Twitter, LN for LinkedIn and so on) within most websites. If you use non-standard links in your website design, chances are your visitors will miss the important links entirely, defeating your well-meaning efforts.
8. Provide easy navigation within your website design and its blog:
Keep the navigation clear and easy to make the visitors stay on the site while locating important links. Check and double check to see that all the links in your website design open what they were intended to open. If one link malfunctions, does not work or links to the wrong page or site, your visitor will likely leave forever!
9. Test browser compatibility on multiple browser formats:
Make sure that the site opens properly in all the browsers as part of the website design process (Google, Explorer, Firefox and any other browser you can test it on). Do not just test the site on your usual browser, test on many browsers on several different computers. Correct all problems so that your website design looks perfect in all browsers and all computers, both wide screen and square, large and small before you launch the website design to the public. Now is the time to insure there are no compatibility issues. Make sure to test your new website design on smart phones as well as tablets, and don’t forget Mac phones, tablets and computers.
10. Test the usability of your website design, how do others react to the new site when seeing it for the first time?
You may think that your new website design is fantastic and easy to use, but you need to make sure visitors to your site feel the same. A usability study should done with other people looking at your site for the first time, this may uncover problems in the website design process, easily addressed before launching and promoting your site to the public. You may find what you designed as an easy to understand feature, is not so easy for your average user. Perform usability tests, as part of your website design process, on a regular basis to make sure the site is up to date with no errors. Update your website design frequently, to make the experience of visiting your website a continuing pleasure!
12 Marketing Tips that Work for any Small Business Marketing Plan!
by Thomas R. Reich
1) Get to the point with you slogan in small business marketing, and make it unique. If you’re USP (Unique Selling Proposition) sounds like everyone else’s, then it is not exciting, it’s not engaging, it Is not a USP. You want it to be niche focused and you want it to motivate the target audience to positively remember you and your brand.
2) Walk in your customers shoes. All successful small business marketing starts and ends with the target customer. Ask
Walk in your customers shoes to understand small business marketing
yourself, who is the customer and what is it about that person that will draw him to your product or service? What problems does that client have? What might they do to find a solution, and what priority would they put on finding a solution to that particular problem, what is it worth to them? What options do they have to solve that need other than your product or service? Where will your ideal client look for answers, what do they do with their spare time? With this information in hand you can begin to target specific actions in marketing your product that will expose that unique niche to your product or service.
3) Show what is unique about your product or service. Focus all your small business marketing efforts on emphasizing the benefits of your product or service, other than highlighting obvious points, such as product features. Wherever possible, mention the words ‘you’ and ‘your’, as this will make your customers feel more individual!
4) Don’t advertise like a big business. Big Businesses advertise to create name recognition and future sales. A small business marketing can’t afford to do that. Instead, design your advertising to produce sales, and produce them now! One way to accomplish this is to always include an offer in your advertising, but always remember to provide an easy way for prospective customers to respond. Always include traceable links from the ad to your phone number, website and social media. Make sure the second a customer wants more information on an offer, they can reach you!
5) Try some unusual marketing methods. Look for some unconventional small business marketing methods your competitors are overlooking. You may discover some highly profitable ways to generate sales and avoid competition. For example, print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your website or generate a flood of sales leads for a very small cost.
6) Set up joint promotions with other small business or organizations. Contact some non-competing small businesses or nonprofit organizations serving customers in your market. Offer to publicize their product or service to your customers in exchange for their publicizing your services to their customers. This usually produces a large number of sales for a very low cost when it is done with the right organization.
Get to the point!
7) Get to the point. Your message needs to be said in one sentence. A piece of advertising needs to be brief and easy to understand. Whether it is a free ad on social media or your website or a paid ad in a newspaper, it needs to get the point across quickly. The eyes of your customer rove over a page, one sentence will catch attention, a paragraph will be looked over no matter how good it is. Remember, in small business marketing, a picture is worth a thousand words!
8) Ask your customers for testimonials. Testimonials are gold dust! Whenever anyone says anything about your product or service, ask them if they would mind providing an endorsement for you. The more testimonials you put together, the more confident your prospective customers will be of the service you are delivering and the value your product can add to them.
9) Take advantage of your customer base. Your customers already know and trust you. It is easier to get more business from them than to get any business from somebody who never bought from you. Take advantage of this small business marketing advantage by creating some special deals just for your existing customers. Announce new products and services before you announce them to the general market.
10) Convert customers into publicity agents for your business. Develop an incentive for them to tell associates and friends about the value of your products or services. An endorsement from your customer is more effective piece of small business marketing than any amount of advertising you could ever do and the incentive to your existing customers can encourage additional sales from them.
11) Offer a cheaper version of your product or service. Some prospective customers are not willing to pay the asking price for your product or service. Others are more interested in paying a low price than in getting the best quality. You can avoid losing sales to many of these customers by offering a smaller or stripped down version of your product or service at a lower price.
12) Offer a premium version of your product or service. Not all customers are looking for a cheap price. Many are willing to pay a higher price to get a premium product or service, or to have priority VIP service or delivery. You can boost your small business marketing, average sale and your total revenue by offering a more comprehensive product or service, or by combining several products or services in a special premium package offer for a higher price.
13) BONUS ADVICE: Act on feedback. No one knows more about your customers experience than your customers themselves! Try your hardest to get as much feedback from each and every customer as you can, about your product or service and the service they experienced at your place of business in the process. Take every opportunity to ask your customers what they think about your product, your employees and what you could do to improve the experience. This helps two fold. First, your customer feels needed, and evolved in your business and is more likely to come back and to recommend friends and associates. Second a successful small business marketing organization uses this information to constantly improve and evolve their business.
Don’t miss our FREE webinar Wednesday! This Wednesday at 2PM EST we will be discussing “Marketing for Small Business”, a topic appropriate whether you are running a small business that is for profit or nonprofit. Small business marketing is a subject that concerns all of us and Tom can give you some tips and tricks that can help you greatly with your small business marketing!
Wednesday, July 18 2012
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM online from BizCentralUSA
Key Note Speaker: Thomas R. Reich, Marketing CoordinatorJoin us for a fun and fact filled free webinar, one that will expose you to a world of free marketing. among other things discussed will be: Social media for small business, an ever expanding marketing tool; you will touch on the basics of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Then we will touch on tips and tricks in many areas of marketing so new even the experts will want to attend. This is a must see for any business interested in increased marketing presents! You will benefit greatly from the knowledge if only to enlighten you on what may be available for your company. As usual, this fact filled webinar is FREE.Can you afford to miss a learning opportunity like this? As always this webinar is free!As always, feel free to contact Tom Reich for any marketing related questions at tom@bizcentralusa.com.Please Register for this information – packed Webinar, even if you cannot attend at the listed time, we will send all registrants a link to the recorded version of the live event the following day.
Your One Stop Shop for all of your Business Needs,
BizCentralUSA.com
(407) 857-9002
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
The fundamentals of social media engagement; common sense, not tips and tricks.
No secrets. No tips. No tricks. Just common sense.
fundamentals of social media engagement.
these relationships as the foundation to grow and nurture your online networks. In order to get these folks talking about your business you need to create and share great content that they will want to share with their friends and networks.
