The Fundraising Factory - Archive for the ‘social media’ Category

Are donors PO’d at your QR Codes?

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Joanne Fritz asks the question in her blog post today.  Are QR codes reaching their tipping point?  She sites Joe Waters statistics that 14 mil. mobile users are scanning.  This piqued my curiosity because at the BlogWorld Conference in NYC this past weekend Scott Stratten actually spoke about QR Codes in his session on the 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media.  Oh you missed a good one!  NO worries though I found this short You Tube clip of Scott titled The Problem with QR Codes.  It’ so worth the 2 minute watch especially if you need a good laugh right now.  He’s a hilarious teacher.  The Comedy Channel needs to pick him up.  Ok, enough of my obsession with Scott Stratten.

Image is from http://www.blueglass.com/blog/qr-codes-bridging-online-and-offline-marketing/

Prior to Blogworld, I have been experimenting with QR Codes, putting them on the fundraising LULU Cubes.  People can find additional information about the Non Profit just by scanning.  It also serves as  another avenue/vehicle to give.  It can’t hurt provided the link is working.

What about using QR’s  for a merchandising fundraising campaign by applying a QR Code to whatever it is your selling.  As an example, I provide an informational/functional promotional card for my fundraising pins.   On the inside is a blank area for an org to adhere a sticker with whatever additional message they want to include in the card.  It is the perfect space for a QR Code and message.
I want to take advantage of all the tools out there and non profits can too!  Take Stratten’s advice, think and you use them correctly.

Are you are you using QR Codes?  I’d love to know if they are proving results and I bet other readers would as well.

Thanks for sharing and have a Scan Good Day!

Lucinda

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Posted in donations, Fundraising Tips, Marketing, social media | 3 Comments »

The Huffington Post Tells a Good Story if You Can

Monday, May 7th, 2012

You’ve heard of the largest online newspaper in the world right?  The Huffington Post on Friday featured me in an article in the  small business section.  Need I say that I spent a good part of my weekend and all day today responding to the crazy activity that the good PR created for my business.  Weather you are a business or a NonProfit  PR is something we all want and need.  So how do you get it is the question and the answer is real simple.  Tell your compelling story.  Every person, business, and nonprofit has one but many people don’t know how to tell a story well enough to get the attention they deserve.  Check mine out.  Let me know how I did telling the story.  In an upcoming post I will share some tips on how to tell a captivating story.  Maybe it will help you to get the Huffington in your back pocket!

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Posted in Marketing, Personal, social media, Stories, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Branding and Emotional Fundraising

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

How important is building a strong brand and increasing your name recognition? 
Successful companies invest a significant amount of resources in branding.   Look at Nike and Apple.  When people see the “Swoosh” or the “Apple” an immediate impression of the exceptional comes to mind.  The Nike brand sells motivation and Apple sells innovation. 

It is possible for Non Profits to enjoy the same success and name recognition that big companies have too. 
Investing in branding and arousing the recognition of your cause and its importance is done not only in messaging but with images.  They play a vital role in stimulating a connective state of emotional branding with consumers/donors. 

Using your logo on products is one of the fastest way to gain exposure to new audiences.
Becoming visible to hundreds and even thousands of new donors is accomplished by pushing the use of your logo or image to it’s fullest potential along with powerful messaging.   Apple and Nike sell quality products and every one of them have the visible marker of their logo. But, your brand is more than your logo.  Brands live in the minds of your donors.  It’s the personality so to speak of your organization.  Your brand achieves the social, emotional and a purposeful need. 

Consumers talk. 
They share through word of mouth and now through social networks information about their choices.  They are posting pictures and spreading the word and their opinions about companies, non profits, products and brands that they like and dislike.

Your Non Profit can be part of the conversation and social sharing when you have a unique brand and product representing you!  Would love to hear how you have you used your brand visually and emotionally to stay in the minds of your donors?

Lucinda

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Posted in Fundraising, Marketing, social media | No Comments »

Social Networking 150

Thursday, June 30th, 2011
To find someone who doesn’t participate in social networking on some level is highly unusual.  Facebook and Twitter alone have over 1 billion users.  People are constantly checking the latest news feed or punching out a Twitter post on their iphone.  It seems that people have more friends now than at any other time in their life.  Do you every look at the list of friends or fans on Facebook?  These numbers are mind boggling to me. How can one be friends with over 1,000 people?  Or how can one Tweeter have so many followers?  I don’t ask these questions in envy, as I can barely find time to call or spend time with a dozen close friends.    But I have wondered-what is the point in having such a far reaching network?   Well, my question has been answered.  At least to some degree…An article written by Chris Taylor, Social Networking ‘Utopia” Isn’t Coming looked at how many real connections Twitter users have.  A study was conducted to determine how many people you can maintain contact with online before you are overwhelmed.
The study showed that we are hardwired to network in tight groups of 150.  This has been the magic number in communities, tribes and successful corporations.  We can comfortably manage 150 friends, business associates, connections and peers.   Rather than targeting 1,000 friends or followers with social interaction that is oftentimes meaningless to most, we can develop stronger relationships and messaging if we focus on a smaller group of people who share our interests, desires and business sense.  What the article does point out is that social networking allows us to select the 150 people we want as part of our virtual tribe.  It has broken down the barriers of proximity.
With this knowledge, I wonder if it makes sense to friend and tweet those that care about your cause and maximize the 150. Will we find that meaningful interactions with a smaller group of passionate followers generate deeper results?  I don’t know but I’ll bet someone is tweeting about it right now.

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Posted in social media, social networking | No Comments »

To Facebook or Not?

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Today’s post Tom the Agitator ”the chicken or the egg” poses the question as to whether using Facebook as opposed to typical customer driven incentive marketing  makes customers loyal.

The study sited on his post shows that consumers who became Facebook fans of a cafe dessert business,  purchased, visited, and spent higher average dollars at the cafe than other customers who were not FB fans.   He asks the question.  If customers were given some form of incentive card would they be just as loyal as those who did not have one?  He thinks so.  I honestly don’t know but coincidentally, just this past week, I did a test using FB advertising as a vehicle for gaining new fans, and customers.

In just one week, fans on the Designs by Lucinda Facebook page increased by %100.  I’ve also seen an improvement of %50 more traffic on my website.   Through Google Analytics I can see they are coming directly from Facebook.  Fans are flooding my FB page with endorsements and praises of me (batting my eyelashes wildly right now) and my product as well.  From my perspective it does not matter which is better or even if one creates a more loyal customer than another.  What matters is that more people now know about my product and services, are sharing with friends,  and I can continue to build relationships with them through a medium of social networking that I can not do with incentive loyal customer punch cards.  I believe customer loyalty will come from the relationships that I nurture not the discounts I offer.

I urge all non profits to create a presence on FB and build a fan base.  It provides an easy means of expression to educate an audience, promote events, brag about accomplishments, and ask for help.   And it’s FREE!  Hello?????

Happy Fundraising!
Lucinda

PS: If you aren’t a FB fan of mine you can become one now.

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Posted in Marketing, social media, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Social Media and the Donor

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Using the social media network for fundraising and building potential new business/donations is a key component to today’s overall marketing strategy for most organizations. Here are 3 questions to ponder.

Does your donor know you?   As part of your online strategy, integrating compelling videos and pictures will deliver memorable online experiences and promote sharing through your website, Facebook, and Youtube.

Do you recognize the small donor?   The Obama campaign proved just how much small donations had a huge impact.  When you demonstrate that X dollar donation equates to X in services AND give examples such as (X$ donation-feeds 10 families). This creates an online high touch experience for potential new donors and reinforces the loyal supporters choice to give.

Are you accountable to your donors?   With everyone asking for a click donation it’s important to create a high value proposition succinctly explaining how results and long term sustainability will be achieved within your project or organization.  Your donors have the right to expect accountability.

Don’t be fooled though.  Although, social media offers good tools, the click will not replace the necessary human connection that we require.  I use social media for communication but I change the world one pin at time, one person at a time.

Check out Beth Kanter, an expert in Social Media for the non profit.

Let’s stay connected and happy fundraising,
Lucinda

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Posted in Donor, Fundraising, social media | No Comments »