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And I’m Back…

Yes. Yes, it’s been a while. I know I’ve added the kiss of death to my own blog by abandoning it for a bit. But now, I’m back, and hopefully, better than ever.

Many people confuse ‘Social Marketing’ with ‘Social Media’ and I’ve heard many complaints about the mix up. I’ve also heard many health marketers cry evil when anyone else commandeers the term ‘social marketing’.

These days, all marketing, excuse me, all GOOD marketing, IS social marketing in a sense. Don’t get me wrong, not all product marketing is for the good of the consumer, it is still about turning a profit. But, shouldn’t all marketing take into account the wants, needs, desires and attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of consumers?

I think its funny that many corporate jobs turn down us nonprofit – social – marketers because we lack profitable or corporate experiences. Shouldn’t we be the most sought after candidates? What with our deep background in analyzing client perspectives, needs and barriers to accepting new behaviors?

As corporate America struggles with how to connect with new, and keep existing, customers, they are also suffering by not adding nonprofit talent to their roster. These are the people who have extreme drive, potential and unique communication problem solving experience. Working within the confines of a constrained budget – if there is one at all – and having to tie back all expenses to outcomes, wouldn’t you think these would be the most sought after hard working people in the industry today?

If so, hit me up. I’m currently seeking to help you out.

Blogs without RSS = Shouting in a rural area

I just tried to do a search for college access blogs through Google and found a few – much to my happy surprise! But, I was quickly denied any further gratification by realizing that none of them had (working) RSS feeds! A few had feeds, but those didn’t work, but the majority had none at all. If college access practitioners want to spread the word about the work that they are doing – very helpful to those trying to recreate this work from scratch – then adding RSS is a must. Without it, you rely on your audience to be engaged enough to run back and check for updates.

Do them a favor and offer working RSS feeds! They’ll love you for it.

Why Outreach Is Marketing

Many non-profits seem to shy away from marketing. It seems that they think marketing is for sales oriented efforts only, and any push for including it for them would mean policing, loss of identity and the like. It strikes me as odd that they do not lump their numerous outreach strategies into this conundrum, which are a staple for any public service organization.

I’ve always thought that any kind of representation of your organization as marketing. Everything from the way someone is treated when they call your place of business (and yes, non-profit organizations ARE businesses), to how you present information at a workshop are all marketing. You are showing off why your organization is great. You are a living, walking representation of the organization (and the cause) – like it or not.

Sometimes, all some clients know of your organization is you. They may not be able to tell you exactly where your office is located, how you are funded, or what your overarching purpose is. But, they do know you and how you present yourself and the way your information looks will ultimately be the only marketing that they will ever encounter for your agency.

How will anyone know to attend your open house/workshop/walk in hours if you do not do outreach into the community? You need to think about what clients (or donors!) you seek and develop a plan to reach them – where they are. In this day and age, all marketers need to realize that people are inundated. Commercials no longer work to gain clients. Meeting them where they are and providing them with a service they need is what marketing should be about. This is especially true in the non-profit sphere.

Developing key relationships with those in the community who are trusted gate keepers will go a long way in helping you include a community into your efforts. By doing a little (hopefully, a lot) of research, you can find out what organizations your target audience participates in. These groups are already integrated members of this community – they are trusted, where an outside agency may not be. They can help you get your message across and ultimately, help them recognize the importance of your cause to them. You need this – once the issue becomes theirs it will grow and continue, with or without you.

Isn’t that the ultimate goal?

Moving Non-Profits Into the New Media Space

I was recently reading Dr. R Craig Lefebvre’s blog post on social networks or mobile usage in health communication campaigns. And I couldn’t agree more with the major assessments.

In working with non-profits its hard to see past the fact that the audience you are serving is poor or maybe even negatively affected by the ‘digital divide’. But I’m skeptical that this divide even truly exists anymore. What the barrier is now, is what speed are they accessing content at – something that you need to be excruciatingly aware of in developing interactive content.

Many non-profits or community based campaigns may be able to raise funds for television, radio or print ads that feed into a web presence. But, if this web presence requires the use of flash players for content or other media rich content they may be a big fat waste of time.

Further, what good is media unless it has a purpose? Social media and mobile media can serve a purpose where general mainstream media may only serve to build awareness of an issue or of a free service. Beyond that, these venues are also a waste of money, time and usually the big fight it takes to pull them all together in a organization that fears bad press, transparency or change.

Social media, on the other hand allows for ownership of the campaign beyond what an organization can sustain. It provides a space for ideas, support and information sharing.

Mobile media provide updates for pertinent events and deadlines that may hinder your target from taking the actions that you would like them to for their own benefit. They also allow instant access to the social media platforms that you are creating for their use.

No matter what, groups targeting the hard to reach need to create something that will better the lives of their target – not push messages to them. People are already overly inundated as it is and can pick and choose more easily than ever which messages to turn off, avoid or dismiss. By providing content and platforms that integrate seamlessly into their already over-saturated media lives would serve any purpose – profit or not – best.

On the Ground and In the Air

I’m finding that there’s a disconnect among people regarding marketing being equally as involved in on the ground and in the air type work. Most seem to think marketing ends where ground campaigns begin, but I beg to differ.

This idea stems from the concern that traditional marketing has been notorious for being a push medium. The ‘new’ marketing is all about pull – being an active participant in the trenches with your consumer/client. Social marketing has always been about this: understanding your target market and finding a creative way to change their behavior (or solve their problem). Funny how traditional marketing is just now beginning to play the game this way. To them I say, welcome to the team.

For those non profits who think marketing is not for them think about how you do your outreach. You have a problem to solve whether its getting parents to show up for a parent night or finding out how to reach your rural populations. These are problems that social marketers can help you solve – and better yet, show you how to find out the solution so that you may do so on your own in the future.

You’re a marketer, I’m a marketer, but are we all marketers?

I often find that people confuse marketing with sales. Or that people just dont get marketing. Lets start with what marketing is not:

1. Marketing is not the tshirt, pens, pencils, backpacks, and other free swag I can give away department.

2. Marketing is not the logo police.

3. Marketing isnt including your marketing department at the final hour to proof read, set up logistics, or carry out your plan.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way – what IS marketing?

1. Marketing is a conversation between your organization and the people that it SERVES. Thats right…serves.

2. Marketing is solving a problem, not your’s, but your CLIENT’s.

3. Marketing is integration of all program components and strategies. This means from the get go, even if you think your MD doesnt have content knowledge. Believe me, they do.

Beyond this, you may work with people who may be in the marketing department, or have been marketers their whole lives but who do not subscribe to the same marketing ideals as you. Some may think its primarily PR, or sales, or advertising. You need to determine what marketing is to YOU as a marketer and stay true to this – even if it means ruffling a few feathers now and again.

Marketing to me is researching your audience’s problem, creating an innovative answer to this problem, and communicating with them to help them achieve this new answer with you. It is not serving it to them and walking away, nor is it giving it to them because you and 2 other people thought it was what was needed. Its a give an take. Its trial and error. But most of all its a challenge and a love.

If you dont think this way, get out while you can.

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Big & Rich – A Thank You

Most people give me flack about my love of country music. I grew up in a very small town and if you’re from a small town then you know that country music and classic rock seem to be staples. Enter country duo Big & Rich.

They’ve taken this genre by storm. They’ve integrated current events, hip hop culture and common vernacular into their funked up country. Along with Gretchen Wilson, Toby Keith and the onslaught of young country stars, they’ve brought back the idea of music as a mouth piece for whats actually going on in regular people’s lives – not just the common celebrity troubles (really?) of being rich and driving expensive cars to expensive places with expensive people. Its to the point where I don’t even bother listening to pop or rock stations anymore because nothing speaks to me. With the exception of Timbaland trying to single-handedly save these boring genres, I’m content with my country music.

Remember when music spoke for something? In country radio, its still does. What a way to market a genre that used to get a bad rap. No pun intended.