It was estimated that, despite the economic downturn in 2008, Canadians were still able to donate approximately $8.9 billion to charity. Though this was a 5% drop from the previous year, it’s certainly no miniscule amount, not to mention the thousands of hours of volunteer work we worked for non-profits. It seems we are more aware of the importance of giving of our resources and our time, much more that we were a decade ago. The techniques of today certainly differ from those in the 80s and early 90s, when only those large organizations who can afford TV, print and radio advertising (plus a celebrity endorser or two) could get the word out.

The Internet has become the great equalizer, where everyone with a cause can spread their message, and now so more than ever with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. Social media and non-profits seem to the perfect match – both relying on people’s participation and beginning from the grassroots. In the past 5 years or so, many organizations, big and small, have used social media for their own causes. It is inexpensive and cost-effective, allowing them to directly contact with their target audience. But whether you’re a seasoned campaigner, or just getting your feet wet, it’s not as simple as just building a website and expecting the dollars to start rolling in. There are a few key tips you should keep in mind, if you want to start your own cause marketing campaign, which will keep you on track to get that hole-in-one.

Have a Clear Objective

Of course, this is the most important decision you’ll have to make as an organization. Do you want more donors? Do you want to raise a certain amount of money? Do you want people to come to an event? This will set the theme, the tone and goal of your campaign, as well as find the best platforms for you to reach your audience.

Know your Target Audience

It’s most likely you’re targeting young people if you’re using social media; after all 98% of people ages 16 to 24 in Canada are online, according to the 2009 figures from Statistics Canada. But don’t discount the older (and most likely, richer) folk – 66% of them (those over 45 years old) logged on, up 56% from 2 years before. Knowing who you want to listen to your message will make sure you tailor it to them so they’ll take action. Read what we wrote here recently about marketing to women.

Invest in Your Strongest Suit

You do have to spend money, to make money, as the old saying goes. However, that doesn’t mean you have to run up your budget to have an effective campaign. It’s about allocating your resources where they’ll yield the most results. An expensive, flashy website would be nice to have, but do you really need one? Perhaps a few, targeted Facebook ads, plus a some legwork from a few volunteers could be all you need.

Have a Call to Action!

Once you’ve gotten people’s attention – then what? Do you want them to write to their representatives? Take to the streets in protest? Or give you support by donating money? The call to action is the next most important piece after defining the objective – what do you want people to do? Simply clicking on “Like” on your Facebook Page (or becoming a fan via SMS text) probably will not make a difference. Don’t get us wrong, having 100,000 fans is pretty cool, but mobilizing those people or getting them to do something will be better!
Don’t forget to say “Thank You!”

At the end of campaign (successful or not) the last step is to follow-up with your supporters – write a thank you email or letter, letting them know what happened to your campaign so they feel their contribution was worth it.

Charity campaigning can be a lot of work, but as with any giving project, the rewards can be much greater than you’ll ever expect. Real charity, after all, is giving without the thought of remuneration. Have a question about social media or cause campaigns? Do drop us a line at 604.688.7616 or contact us via email/Facebook/Twitter and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.

Mobile marketing is not exactly a new concept but it has yet to catch up to other conventional platforms due to a few drawbacks. The reach of mobile technology is dependent on the number of mobile devices in use today. Very few people can function without a mobile phone and with the advent of 4G smartphones (who’s got their iPhone 4?!), the reach and ability of a mobile device has grown tenfold. Naturally, it makes sense that marketing through these devices will mean the ability to access more people directly. Even your grandma is using her phone to browse the web (Hi Grams!). Ergo, getting a mobile version of your site and incorporating mobile advertising using tools like AdWords is a smart marketing strategy move, especially if you are in the retail industry. Read more about how to do that on our previous blog post.

Considering the number of mobile users in the world, mobile marketing as a concept sounds very lucrative. Unfortunately, mobile users have yet to take advantage of the widespread technology that can enable this marketing tool to succeed. For example, do YOU have a mobile version of your website? If yes, does it look exceptional for iPhone, Android, Blackberry and other mobile users? How accessible, functional and relevant is it to your customers? Believe it or not, mobile marketing is no longer “in the future”; ladies and gentlemen, it is NOW. If you’re interested in joining the world in going mobile, be sure to check out Webcopyplus‘ must-read blog article about how The World is Going Mobile. If the issues standing in the way of mobile marketing are addressed one by one, it can easily overtake email marketing.

Mobile Shopping Made Easy

Mobile marketing has definitely benefited from the advent in mobile broadband technology. Smartphones now make it very easy to browse the net and the prices of mobile Internet packages have also come down in the last few years. Mobile users, especially women, now prefer to use a mobile device to shop online. In the meantime, online stores are also accommodating mobile shoppers with mobile friendly versions of their websites.

There are also various mobile applications available out there that can be used to make mobile shopping easier. For instance, Google recently launched a unique mobile marketing feature in the US. Shops participating in the program will sport a 2D barcode that a mobile user can read by taking a picture. The Google Maps application on the phone can than automatically transfer the user to the retailer’s website, showing coupons and offers available online, product reviews etc.

Security and Privacy

Even though mobile marketing and advertising is one of the top ways to reach a lot of people while being personal as well, the biggest drawback of mobile marketing is consumer privacy. Because mobile phones have GPS trackers and they are listed under a person’s name and address, industry watchdogs are weary of how seller’s information can be misused. The popular opinion is that mobile marketing can be akin to stalking. The mobile device is always with us and we cannot sort or filter calls and SMS from personal and commercial contacts, unlike emails.

Considering how identity theft has become a large issue in the US, mobile shopping will have to go a long way before users are reassured. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has already come up with basic rules on privacy for mobile marketing and shopping.

Not all agree with this line of thought though. After all, just how secure is the Internet compared to the mobile Internet? Many consumers feel that their mobile devices are just as secure as their laptop and are willing to shop using their handheld devices.

The other big drawback of mobile marketing is the “irritation” factor. You are enjoying a quiet lunch with friends or discussing an important project and the phone rings to announce the latest sale in the nearest clothes store. Unlike emails, calls and SMS demand our immediate attention and barge into our life. Repetitive calls about loans, mortgages, sales, credit cards etc. can annoy any normal person. Unless mobile marketing can come up with a way around this, users are likely to stay negative about this marketing tool.

On-the-Go Convenience

The other way round though, users are happy to be able to access and buy products online through their mobile devices. A recent survey showed that 94% of women prefer to use their phones to surf even when they have access to PC and laptop. Moreover, women are also the most avid mobile shoppers considering they spend a large chunk of the day interacting with friends online via Twitter and Facebook anyway.

If you’re still unsure about whether or not your site is ready to join the mobile world or if you’re ready to join the bright side, we’re only a tweet, email, Wall post or call away! Show us some love by following us on Twitter or Liking us on Facebook. If you like what you’re reading, let us know by clicking the juicy “Like” button below

Written by:
The Online Marketing Wizards {Profile} @ October 17 Media
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Get yourself a one-on-one online marketing workshop with
co-owner of October 17 Media Tamara Brooks on the cheap!

So, what’s the cost?

$125 for 1 hour session.
—–OR —–
Mention this blog post and receive the same session for $89.95 (plus HST).

Get ideas and tips specific to your company’s online needs and goals

Bring your laptop, this is a work session!

• We’ll review your website and provide tips on how to convert traffic more effectively.
• We’ll look at your social media presence and make recommendations on how to improve.
• We’ll help you learn how to track metrics and return on investment.
• We’ll help you review your paid advertising and search engine optimization strategy.

Available slots:

Wednesday August 18
- 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm

Wednesday, August 25
- 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm

Where? @ the October 17 Media office
Call us to book: 604.688.7616 or email Tamara now!

Oh, and not to brag, but Michael Ford, winner of our most recent “Tag-to-Win” Facebook contest, and of Michael Ford Photography, recently had a two hour session and said:
“Thanks so much for the session this morning. Very informative, full of loads of great ideas and suggestions. I really appreciated that.”

Written by:
Tamara Brooks {Profile}: Online Marketing Wizard @ October 17 Media
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Oh. Yes. We. DID.

We came up with a whole list of tips you can use to pump up your Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages like YouTube or Flickr. Implementing these ideas at the right time, right place and right market will help you get more fans and more interactions (perhaps you are marketing to women?). If this list were a candy store, it’d be called Engage – come on in, feast your eyes on the delectable treats to the right and pick & choose what suits your fancy. Samples provided (like BlogPerfume’s 27 free social media icons here)!

The mantra to remember as you ponder and peruse is quality over quantity. Especially for Facebook, avoid posting more than one quality post per day. Once you make a fan feel like they are getting “spam” from your page, they will “Unlike” your page and never come back. It is okay to post more than once per day for Twitter, but again, keep it to high quality tweets. Listening = cornerstone of using social media effectively.

Promoting Your Facebook Page

Contests

Give incentive for people to become fans by rewarding Facebook interactions with a chance to win gift cards, coupons/discounts and other free products and services. A good place to go for a random draw for comment or photo entries is http://www.random.org.

Note: You should encourage people to participate in contests externally i.e. on your website, flyers, newsletter. Also, as you probably have read in our blog post about Facebook Promotion Guidelines, it’s good to read up on the rules and logistics that apply locally, provincially or nationally.

• Draw for a $100 gift card if you become a fan of Facebook page and comment on the wall (saying what you will put the $100 towards for the company’s products or services)

• Free product or service if fans upload an image of their front windows (decorated for Halloween or Christmas) and tag the most friends who become fans

• Append a ***LIVE CONTEST*** header in front of contest status update to emphasize the relevance to each person so they join the contest and try to win (e.g. Promotional Products on Facebook)

If you’re looking for more contest ideas specific to your company’s needs, or perhaps something of a much larger scale for bigger impact (like successful Future Shop campaigns “Playoff Pad” (case study) and “Hunt. Gather. Win!” (case study) that we’ve done), give us a quick email or call. We love coming up with innovative online contests and we’d love to learn more about your goals and give you some ideas.

“Like” Boosters

• Put “SMS-to-Like a Fan Page” information on print materials

• Add Facebook “Like” button on the top right hand corner of company website (e.g. October 17 Media)

Promoting Your Twitter Page

• Encourage blog readers to follow you on Twitter…if you’re liking this post and finding it helpful, follow us!

• Use common hashtags to join in on a conversation relevant to your industry and to find related tweets

• Use link shorteners like j.mp (the new bit.ly) that have analytics available so you can monitor which tweets are most effective at getting people to click and read your links

Promoting Any and All Social Media

• Intertwine all your networks e.g. by adding Twitter and YouTube tabs on your Facebook page
(see Involver for free applications)

• Signatures: put social media vanity URLs along with your contact information on the bottom of your emails, blog posts, and custom Facebook tabs (e.g. look at the bottom of our Facebook notes and blog posts)

Whew. That was a lot, but for real, there’s a lot more where those came from. We hope you can implement at least a handful of these tips and please let us know how they worked for you! As always, we would love to receive comments from you and if you have any questions, this is where you can find us!

Written by:
Priscilla Ho {Profile}: Online Marketing Wizard @ October 17 Media
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Who wouldn’t want to market to women when this segment has the decision making authority and purchasing power to RULE THE WORLD! It’s especially important on Facebook to have your updates show up on the top of fans’ News Feeds rather than getting buried under the bounteous (and more recent) other updates being made. Timing is of the essence. So when are women online to actually receive those brilliant marketing messages you’ve created?

A recent report by Google in June 2010 shows that women mostly do their research in the mornings, while women who don’t have children go online in the evenings. I wonder why.

The data was from a study conducted by OTX in March 2010, where they asked 4,896 women “What time of the day do you typically go online to gather information?”

In Canada, 57% of mothers go online in the mornings and 51% in the evenings. For non-moms, it’s pretty clear (67%) that the best time to engage women online are in the evenings, with the second-best time being in the afternoons (55%).

And speaking of Facebook, it’s the social media of choice for mothers. Compared to a mere 4% who check Twitter once per day, 61% of moms go on Facebook at least once daily. To put that into perspective, as of July 21, Facebook has officially reached 500 million active users. Only 4% of moms do NOT go on Facebook regularly.

Good to know eh? Remember to only post one quality post per day. Once annoyed, fans will not come back. To end off, the moral of this blog post is to really know who your audience is: who they are, why you want them and when they listen and look the most. This is critical for online marketing campaigns, for that viral action everyone wants a piece of. Want an engaging Facebook page or ideas on how to promote your page and get more fans? Feel free to give us a shout on our website.

Written by:
Priscilla Ho {Profile}: Online Marketing Wizard @ October 17 Media
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» ‘Like’ us on Facebook
» Follow us on Twitter
» Subscribe to our quarterly E-newsletter
» Contact us