The Marketing Edge

I have used the line, "Don't Tweet Just to Hear Yourself Chirp" many times.  And there are as many "how to" guides on social media out there as there are social media marketing "gurus".   My take on this is similar to what my mother always said, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all", except I would revise that to say, "If you don't have something relevant or helpful to say, don't say anything at all."   Often late at night I will think, "Oh no!  I haven't blogged today!"  The truth is that by late at night, I have nothing intelligent left in my brain to say... 

In all seriousness, social media is a CONVERSATION, not a direct donor channel.  Certainly you should be engaging with people who are interested and should move from interested to a supporter.  The question is, what are you offering to help engage them?  In order to become involved in your non-profit, people have to first believe in you, and care about what you do.  When it comes to growing a donor base, this becomes even more critical, as lots of folks can like what you do, but WAAAYYYY  fewer folks will like you enough to crack open the ole' wallet on a regular basis.  Engage the heart, tell your story, use testimonials, pictures, video, and activate folks who are already supporters to be your brand messengers on social media sites, telling their stories.  Real life testimony is always extremely powerful and credible.   Now, you might be saying you already know all of this, but keep reading to find out how to tell your story more effectively...

At ChurchLink Communications, a division of Edge Media, we have been engaged in marketing for over a decade, and I personally have been engaged in marketing for three decades.  While our content is going to be different than a non-profit, I believe the principles still remain true. We have a lot of great lessons to share, and some of them learned the hard way!  I believe we should deliver thought leadership, relevant content, and helpful information to people who would benefit from our services.    While some advertising and marketing consultants balk at the idea of "giving away stuff for free", I say that business is earned, and it is earned by proving that you know what you are talking about.  The same is true of non-profits - how do you set yourself apart from other non-profits doing very important work?  What are you doing differently? More effectively using donor dollars?  Measuring impact?  Create thought leadership in your area of influence.

So... speaking of offering relevant content, its time time give you a hands on tool... As an interactive web agency, we have to create online marketing systems that are both effective and efficient.  Here is a great tip for social media management:  We link our social media content through a content management system.  When I post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. I am actually only posting one time and the content management system takes that content and automatically flows it out over fifteen to twenty sites that are all linked together.  This saves significant time, increases exposure, and positively impacts search engine rankings if the posts are keyword optimized.  We use several content management systems, but a simple and free tool is Ping.  You can find it at Ping.fm and link your existing social media accounts together there.  

But remember before you press the send button...  Don't chirp to hear yourself Tweet!  

About ChurchLink Communications: ChurchLink Communications is a division of Edge Media whose mission is to empower the Church to deliver the Gospel message and fulfill the Great Commission using every communications tool available to reach to the far corners of the world in the most effective means possible.  ChurchLink offers a full array of products and services, including radio syndication, media research, media buying, market research, SMS marketing software for fundraising using text messaging, internet marketing strategies, and much more.  Check out our services here: www.churchlinkcommunications.com/clientservices.html

ChurchLink Communications is committed to serving ministries, non-profits, Christian broadcast, and Christian churches.

About Edge Media: Edge Media is a leading interactive advertising agency located in Phoenix AZ offering cutting edge marketing solutions that deliver exceptional results, including mobile advertising agency products such as SMS marketing software for bulk SMS service delivery, interactive web agency products including integrated social media strategies, and full service offerings including radio and television advertising, marketing research, marketing strategy, media research and media buying services, and more.