Website or Blog
This is my favorite. The good news is that it’s easy to start, can be expanded as time goes by and will support all your other marketing activities. Think of it as an online bullhorn for your program that is fresh, dynamic, two-way and 100% accessible, worldwide.
You can post material as often as you like or have time for. You can post articles, videos, pictures, calenders of your events, program descriptions, etc. Just post when you have new material to promote, or when you see or read something you really want to share.
With more and more nonprofits embracing Twitter, the medium is becoming the quickest, most direct and informal way to connect with potential supporters of your cause. Take my advice: get on Twitter now so you’re not left behind.
Check out my article, 10 Success Tips for Twitter Fundraising, here on Action Activist, as well as the many really good Twitter ebooks available as free PDF downloads from my AssEtEbooks.com's Social Media Blog.
Video
Video is becoming more and more the media of choice online. In fact, it is the platform with the most growth potential. For example, YouTube alone exceeds 2 billion views per day and is monetizing over a billion video views per week. Can you see the potential?
Newsletter
Newsletters are a great way to keep donors and prospects abreast of your latest programs and to plant the seed with prospects for how a program might work for them. Although you can still use print, email is the method of choice for the vast majority of nonprofit newsletter today. Email newsletters are not only much more cost effective, with so many great email management/marketing support websites like MailChimp, AWeber and Lyris HQ, just to name a few, they are the efficiant way to grow a members and/or supporters mailing list. Mailchimp even has a free program, which allows you to grow up to 5,000 emails/members for free, before deciding which if any plan you would like to sign-up for.
Speaking
Finding places where businesses are curious about using cause marketing is easy if you use resources like your local chambers of commerce or rotary club and share with them the details of your program and how you can help each other.
Of all the ways you can promote your cause marketing program, speaking may be the best. It is the most personal and direct. Not even a video, PowerPoint handout or web page can beat an engaging man or woman in person.
Written By: Tom Retterbush
Really good article. Getting noticed is one of the hardest things a new business or cause has to do.
ReplyDeleteCombination of all mentioned will probably be the best way to do it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome article, I think the best way to promote anything is a blog or website, other ways that you have mentioned are also very important, and well explained as well. Keep posting articles like this.
ReplyDeleteI agree that an internet marketing strategy using a combination of all the elements you mentioned would be the best way to get your cause noticed.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more that speaking engagements are the most, well, engaging way to raise money. Especially if you put your money where your mouth is and donate an amount equal to what your audience gives, or aggregate checks from multiple speaking engagements for a single cause. I've also found that if the organization I'm speaking to meets at a restaurant, hotel or bar, I can usually get the manager to donate a percentage of the take to my cause. A number of restaurant chains will routinely offer 10-15% donations to 501(c)(3) groups when they host an event there. I usually say, "I talked to the manager, and you don't have to worry about calories from desert tonight -- not only have we magically removed them, but the restaurant will donate 15% of every check directly to (organization name). So please, remember my mother's advice: save room for desert."
ReplyDeleteI do agree with all of you.. thanks for sharing this article.
ReplyDeleteI feel setting up a website first is good way to go. It will give the people you meet through the other platforms a place to send friends and familey for more information.
ReplyDeleteYou mite get a little more word of mouth that way.
I'm agree with this topic
ReplyDeleteNice article about the Techniques that will get Your Cause Noticed,.
ReplyDeleteIt will give the people you meet through the other platforms a place to send friends and familey for more information.
ReplyDeleteI suck at videos.. i really need to make a few and get myself on youtube.
ReplyDelete