Dear Marketing Maven …

No. 3: Call to Inaction Disease. In order to generate donations and increase your donor base, you need to have a clear call to action. It’s not enough to state who you are, what you do and what’s new. You need to clearly state what you are asking and appeal to prospective donors to take that action. “Save the Earth” is not a call to action. Nor is, “Support us.”

The cure? Be specific. As in, “Click this button and give us $10 for a bed net so a child will be saved from malaria.”

Be well,
Maven

Dear Marketing Maven,
Our image is not what I want, so I’m thinking of rebranding with a new logo. Thoughts?
— Making Over in Hanover

Dear Making Over,
Bad idea. Branding is not about logos; it’s about how people perceive you. That’s got a lot more to do with how you treat them, how you conduct your programs and how you communicate your achievements than it has to do with your logo. Don’t spend a cent on a new logo until you dig deeper into these aspects of your brand. Without that level of makeover, a new logo or color palette is about as effective as slapping lipstick on a pig. I don’t think it’s worth spending money on a logo change unless you conclude, after fixing everything else, that your logo is in direct violation of the brand you’ve built.

Happy makeover,
Maven

Dear Marketing Maven,
Why did you not open my last e-newsletter?
— Hurt in Halifax

Dear Hurt,
I get about 20 e-mail newsletters a week. I read about two. I must have somehow overlooked yours. I’m sure it was worth a read — unlike the other 18. For what it’s worth, here are some thoughts on newsletters: