Beyond Impressions

You take a deep breath, and slowly push your seat away from the desk. Your inbox is empty, your notifications are cleared, your texts are returned and you have nothing else to do in this moment than reflect on your strategic plan and think about where you want your business to be in five years.

High-level philanthropy demands data-driven, measurable results that prove your organization is truly making a difference. Although it is easy to understand why this information is important to a donor, tracking it can be a challenge. Outcomes, predictive modeling and data in the non-profit/social services field are exceedingly hard to gather and analyze.

A traditional annual appeal may list statistics of how many participants are served, programs and services offered, and a human interest story or profile to highlight and personalize the potential impact of their gift. For many donors, this is adequate and effective.

But high level donors are asking for more.

Think of one product or service whose target market is ‘everyone’. Not even the most expensive super bowl ad will appeal to 100% of the viewers, no matter how cute those puppies are. And while these mega-ads are created with brand awareness in mind, most viewers can’t recall the brand of the product advertised, but boy were those puppies cute!

The good news is you don’t need to promote your business to millions of people. And as cute as they are, you don’t need to wrangle together a group of puppies to promote your company.

Rather than trying to reach the most consumers possible, narrow your focus to reach only those consumers who are most likely to need/buy your product or service.

Snapchat has been on a meteoric rise since its inception in 2011. In its most basic form, it is a visual messaging system that ups the ante on instant engagement by giving users just 10 seconds to decide if an image is worth saving. To give your snap a better chance at survival, there are all sorts of cool gadgets, filters, sticker and emoji’s to ensure your image is swipe-worthy. 

You can spend hours creating and perfecting content for your website/twitter feed/blog or other digital platforms. But if all your followers do is take a look, muster a quick ‘huh’,and move on, you’ve failed to engage them. True success in digital marketing is when your content is deemed share-worthy.

Because in the digital world, sharing is caring.

Think about the last time you read or viewed something online and thought ‘that’s so interesting’, ‘that’s so useful’, ‘that’s really funny’, or ‘wow, I never knew that’. Then think about what you likely did immediately after. You shared it.

You’ve seen it in newsletters, mission statements, annual reports and non-profit appeals.

A message from the President.

Wow, a message from THE PRESIDENT. It sounds like it should be super important, or at the very least, interesting.

Our up to the minute, 24-hour news cycle has disrupted communications and our lives.

News videos that were shot and edited by professionals are being replaced with camera phone videos posted with no editing, filter or thought of what the impact may be.

No, not the app.

Real face time, as in one-on-one interactions with employees, consumers, vendors and business associates. Not via skype, go to meeting, google hang outs or ooVoo…just old-fashioned human connection.

It’s the sort of phrase that begs for an exclamation point. It’s not a question, but an order. If read aloud, Sally Fields would narrate it: LIKE ME!

Facebook is entrenched in the day to day lives of users, with more than 2 billion monthly active users  worldwide, a number so large it is often used as an hyperbole (I love this candy so much I swear I could eat 2 billion pieces), but in this case it’s the real deal. Facebook remains the most-used social media site among all ages, reaching a whopping 64% of Americans over age 12, with more than 1.3 billion messenger users.

Congratulations! The consumer has landed on your homepage, and you have survived the initial 5 second glance. Thanks to your clear, concise copy supported by strong visuals, they have decided to hang around a bit longer to see what you have to offer.

As nice as it is to have a visitor, your ultimate goal is a more meaningful relationship. To get to the next level, you need to entice them with an offer intriguing enough to share their contact information with you.

Make it interesting, make it fun, but more importantly – make it relevant. Your consumer needs to feel that the service, product or information you are offering is helpful, entertaining and/or specific enough to cause them to take the necessary action to receive it.