Seth Godin has an oldie but a goody post (not surprising) about marketing and constituent communication.
In the past when an information medium was invented it was built by marketing. Advertising has supported every information medium since the inception of radio, newspapers, and television. When a specific medium was invented marketers asked the question. “How does this help me?”
Seth Godin adds to this by saying:
If a newspaper, a radio station or a TV station doesn’t please advertisers, it disappears. It exists to make you (the marketer) happy.
The problem, nay the beauty, of the Internet is the fact that shameless advertising does not support this medium of communication. But it begs the question, “How do I use this medium to help my organization?”
The question Seth Godin asks, which nonprofits should ask themselves is this:
“How are people (the people I need to reach, interact with and tell stories) going to use this medium and how can I help them achieve their goals?”
How can you help feed the aspirational need of your donor? How do you use social media as a small piece of your overall marketing strategy?
Help your constituents tell the story first. Your story should come second.
If the story is told and shared, you will reap the benefits of the amazing power of the Internet.
Nate Guggia
Makes so much sense. I realized yesterday, that social media is a tool. it's easy to get caught up in all the new, shiny things out there and loose focus of our brand's vision. Communication and interaction build relationships. And that is, to me, the most fundamental part of building a business. It takes time and patience though. When in a new biz, these don't come easy 🙂
Cindy Dashnaw
With many nonprofits, actually finding the compelling stories — of people reached, helped, touched, fed, saved, treated — is one of the biggest challenges. Social media theoretically opens up the floodgates by giving the nonprofit a way to broadcast its interest in these stories, and by giving everyday people an easy way to share them. How has a nonprofit changed your life? Send them a tweet / post on their Facebook page / visit their website / etc., etc., etc.