Non-Profit Marketing Ideas

Image by luc legay via Flickr

This past week, I was asked to assist in marketing the Cincinnati Roundtable of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). CSCMP is a global professional organization with the mission to "lead the evolving supply chain management profession by developing, advancing, and disseminating supply chain knowledge and research" (CSCMP.org). Many colleagues in my industry are members. CSCMP exists to:

• "Provide opportunities for supply chain professionals to communicate in order to develop and improve their supply chain management skills.

• Identify and conduct research which adds to the knowledge base of supply chain theory and practice.

• Create awareness of the significance of supply chain to business and to the economy" (CSCMP.org).

After a working lunch with the board, I was asked to be their new marketing chair. At first I was a little intimidated and overwhelmed, listening to their challenges in event attendance. However, after some thought I realized I can help implement a few simple best practices to market their events. Here are some brainstorming ideas I've thought of thus far:

• Research: Find out what roundtable is currently doing. Define target markets. Seek advice from other roundtables/non-profit organizations. Discover educational institution relationship opportunities. Browse website tools available and member database.

• Social Media: Develop strategy. Choose channels. Establish usernames. Engage in and monitor conversation.

• Blog: Create platform. Assign authorship. Create, optimize, and promote content. Utilize blog as "website" in which to promote events and membership.

• Promotional Items: Develop printed marketing communication piece ideas (calendar magnets, flyers, etc.).

I'm sure this list will evolve as I dive into the position, but it's a good start. Are you involved in a non-profit organization? What have you learned about non-profit marketing? What are your best practices?

Interview With a PR Professional

I plan to focus more on PR for my company over the next year, and realized I need to brush up on my industry knowledge. I contacted a former UD student and fellow sorority sister who is building a successful career at an agency in Chicago. Here is her professional advice:

What is a normal day like for you? What are your typical daily PR/media relations tasks?

"A majority of my day is spent working with the media. There is a lot of research that is involved when pitching. Making sure you are reaching out to the right reporters is very important. Much like on an interview, a PR person should be familiar with the reporter's style and beat. It is also important to be aware of what is going on in the world. I spend a lot of time reading news, blogs, twitter accounts, and magazines. In this day and age, information is endless. You can never know enough, especially with social media. A lot of reporters now find their stories directly from the source, so it is important to understand what those sources are. So in addition to actually being on the phone calling reporters, I write pitch letters and read everything and anything."

What are some media relations tips/guidelines?

"Be fearless and confident. Understand your audience and what exactly it is you are pitching. Make the story relevant. For example: I worked with a NFL football player and so around the holiday season, instead of pitching him as a workout warrior, I pitched him as a philantropist and family guy. Everyone loves a caring, giving athelete. Pitching different angles with specific facts to back them up is very useful to the reporter. You will get rejected a lot with reporters, but continue to be persistent."

What does the PR/media relations process include? From initial contact to media exposure.

"It is a very detailed process. Building a relationship with the reporter/editor/producer is key. You need to research and prepare all your materials first. This may include a media kit (bio, press release, media alert, etc.). Make sure to have reviewed the publication before you pitch. Once you pique the reporters interest, make sure to include all the specifics he or she needs. These specifics may include photos, specific quotes, interview times, and deadlines. Make sure to also "prep" your client on what the reporter will be asking. From then you will gather the date of when the story will run. Always remember to ask the reporter for a copy of the story - very important to have! Once the story runs, share it with the world. Pass it along to friends and use it for additional pitching."

What are some commonly made mistakes in media relations?

"That everyone knows what you are taking about. Make sure to be clear with the media. An assumption that something is universal, may not be the case. Always double check your grammar. Make sure your media pitch is relevant to the publication. Also, find local PR agencies and check out their blogs. These links will also help with your research:

:: Mediabistro.com
:: PRweekus.com
:: Mashable.com

What I've Learned: 5 (Honest) Tips on Social Media Marketing

Today's post is an attempt to join the content marketing "revolution." Producing creative, useful, and shareable content is the way to an online social presence that increases brand awareness and credibility among consumers.

This "content" is from my personal brand, Kelley Dodd, and is in no way associated with any other organization. However, I have just begun some modest social media efforts for my company and feel I should share some learned "rules of thumb" on leveraging these new outlets for any brand.

1 :: Do position your organization as a thought leader in your industry.

When consumers think of your product or service offering, you want them to think of your company/organization. You can start to gain credibility in small steps. Participate in discussion forums and Q&A on LinkedIn, comment on blogs, re-tweet and @reply, generate thought-provoking, practical content and submit it to Digg and delicious, etc. (all in a non-presumptuous way, of course.)

2 :: Do be social and engage in conversation.

This overly-instructed tactic should imply the inverse - don't ignore attempts at contact with your brand. I recently @replied twice on Twitter to a hair salon in Columbus asking if they were offering any color specials and received no response. Not only was this non-responsiveness rude, it gave me the impression that the hair salon could care less about my business. Needless to say, I took my lovely locks elsewhere. If you're not willing to be social, why waste your time (and mine) on social media?

3 :: Don't send consumers on a wild goose chase within multiple social media channels.

It's fine to tweet about your latest blog post, that's social media 101. It's also fine to openly promote your Facebook fan page via twitter (as long as there's a viable incentive for the fan.) However, it is not fine to post an intriguing article link on Twitter and slyly send the reader to your "pit stop" Facebook page in order to access the article. Not only is this tactic excessive and annoying, but I see no point in measuring this empty metric as an actual Facebook page view. Other marketers may think otherwise, but that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

4 :: Don't be passive and assume merely creating a social media account will suffice.

This tip stems from the above #2. Situation: you're marketing an event and you want to spread the word via social media. You create a LinkedIn event page, Facebook fan page and Twitter account. Now it's time to sit back and watch the publicity and interest grow, right? Wrong. You need to constantly update and excite, invite people to connect and provide the answer to their question, "What's in it for me?"

5 :: Do meet new people and secure contacts.

This tip also stems from #2, but with a different angle. Social media is the new Rolodex. I learn from and network with people everyday through social media. You never know when someone whose blog post you commented on will think of you in the future - whether it's for a job position, product or service, industry advice, etc.

Social media is not for everyone. But with some effort and personality, it just may pay off.