Many organizations, especially those entrenched in a static modus operandi when it comes to outreach, seem to be put off by the language surrounding social networking and other e-communications. Or many think their audiences are too old to respond well. That, by the way, is another apparent misconception.
Says Kim Cubine, principal and senior vice president at fundraising agency Adams Hussey & Associates: “The demographics [for social-network users] always trend older and more educated than most people believe.”
It’s true that the average age of the particular demographic you’re trying to reach determines which social-networking site you use to engage it: generally, MySpace for teens and young adults 18 to 23 or so, Facebook for mid-20s and up, and Twitter and YouTube almost across the board. But no matter where you put your message, this is still a matter of communications, pure and simple. There are just a few new bells and whistles to wrap your brain around.
“Word-of-mouth marketing has historically been the most powerful way to engage people with your brand, and social marketing is really word-of-mouth marketing at its core,” says Atul Tandon, senior vice president of donor engagement at World Vision U.S. “It is a relational way to engage the communities that support your brand and mission.”
Fundraising? No
Sites like MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are not a truly viable option for fundraising. Sorry … they just aren’t. Sure, some donations might trickle in as a result of having a presence there — and certainly Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign went a long way toward changing things — but generally, it would be foolhardy to divert resources from things like direct mail and e-mail to try to raise a significant amount of money from your organization’s social-networking pages. For now, at least. Rather, think of these sites as engagement devices, or brand-building opportunities.
Get Your Head Out of … the Sand
Many organizations, especially those entrenched in a static modus operandi when it comes to outreach, seem to be put off by the language surrounding social networking and other e-communications. Or many think their audiences are too old to respond well. That, by the way, is another apparent misconception.
Says Kim Cubine, principal and senior vice president at fundraising agency Adams Hussey & Associates: “The demographics [for social-network users] always trend older and more educated than most people believe.”
It’s true that the average age of the particular demographic you’re trying to reach determines which social-networking site you use to engage it: generally, MySpace for teens and young adults 18 to 23 or so, Facebook for mid-20s and up, and Twitter and YouTube almost across the board. But no matter where you put your message, this is still a matter of communications, pure and simple. There are just a few new bells and whistles to wrap your brain around.
“Word-of-mouth marketing has historically been the most powerful way to engage people with your brand, and social marketing is really word-of-mouth marketing at its core,” says Atul Tandon, senior vice president of donor engagement at World Vision U.S. “It is a relational way to engage the communities that support your brand and mission.”
Fundraising? No
Sites like MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are not a truly viable option for fundraising. Sorry … they just aren’t. Sure, some donations might trickle in as a result of having a presence there — and certainly Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign went a long way toward changing things — but generally, it would be foolhardy to divert resources from things like direct mail and e-mail to try to raise a significant amount of money from your organization’s social-networking pages. For now, at least. Rather, think of these sites as engagement devices, or brand-building opportunities.