Marketing

Belonging is an important human attribute human attribute. The corner deli, the pub, the coffee shop--those “third places” where people gather have significance. Online, social plays that role virtually. Professionally, LinkedIn is a leader for connecting with relevant career contacts. It’s also a place to find others with similar interests.   Joining Linkedin groups is a great way to get your organization’s events, projects, mission, and people before new audiences--particularly those targeted to niches where your cause or aligned activities may have traction. There’s a group on LinkedIn for virtually every academic, cause-related, professional, and hobby-related interest. It’s worth your while to [...]

Whether you’re trying to spice up a blog post, or need some graphic elements to add to an upcoming presentation to your board, digital assets are a great addition. Unfortunately, those things have a cost – and because they’re realistically considered art, the price tag can be a bit steep.   Lucky for us, the internet exists, and there are tons of free websites that offer simple graphic design elements and editing programs for free or for basically free. Images and graphics can enhance print and digital elements, so it’s a really great idea to investigate how you can use these [...]

It isn’t easy naming or renaming an organization, but it goes a long way towards setting the stage for a strong and memorable brand. The right name captures the imagination and connects with the people you want to reach - Danny Altman So where do you start? If you're like most people, it is easy to find a cause/issue you are passionate about, but turning this passion into a legal nonprofit entity with a strong brand platform isn't easy. One of the first things you'll need in the process is a good name. Although it is possible to change a legal [...]

Just as there are developmental levels for children, the generational differences among baby boomers, Generation X, and millennials seem to align them with different social media for keeping in touch and learning about the world. Regardless of age, gender, or even income, The Pew Research Center studies show that three-fourths of the population today uses the available technology to communicate. Clearly your audience is on social media-- but where?  Here are some tips on finding the channels where you are most likely to reach them. Act like your audience.  Nonprofits need to be sure they are using what their target audiences [...]

The following is part of a six-part series based on content from Social Media Week Los Angeles, held at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, June 12-14, 2018. For more tidbits and conference coverage, follow #SMWLA on Twitter.   Blame the algorithms. Blame the bots. Blame the 24-hour news cycle. The internet is OVERLOADED with content. And no matter how much blood, sweat, tears, time, and dollars you throw at your brand strategy, there’s a good chance you’re not going to get noticed…especially if your brand is lame.   It doesn’t matter how impactful your cause and mission are, if you [...]

DoSomething.org is currently ranked #5 on the Top 100 Nonprofits list. This is especially remarkable since the list is based on a mix of stats spanning web, social, fiscal responsibility, and transparency metrics and DoSomething is one of the youngest and smallest (in terms of full-time staff) on the list. In short, Marissa and the rest of the DoSomething team punch well above their weight class, and orgs of all sizes can all learn something from how they think and operate. Marissa Ranalli is the Marketing Manager at DoSomething.org where she focuses on integrated partnerships, analytics, and team cohesion. She is also an [...]

 This is part one of a six-part series based on content from Social Media Week Los Angeles, held at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, June 12-14, 2018. For more tidbits and conference coverage, follow #SMWLA on Twitter.   If you pay any attention to digital marketing trends, one of the most popular buzz words right now is “influencer” marketing.   In fact, I had a fellow freelance digital marketing consultant shoot me an email asking who some of my favorite Instagram influencers were because he was working on a pitch for a client. Because I’ve been researching influencer marketing (and [...]

The mission statement; It is easily one of the most important piece of any nonprofit’s outward messaging. Yet what I have discovered through my experience working with several nonprofits is that it is often the most confusing and convoluted piece of messaging as well. A large portion of mission statements I have come across seem unnecessarily bloated to the point where they often confuse the reader. Avoid Elaborate Language One of the most common problems with mission statements, and company messaging in general, is that the writer wants to convey their entire organizations work into a single and effective message that [...]