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Posts tagged: church marketing

Newsvine.com | Track the News | Make the News

Posted on May 10, 2007

You can use Newsvine to not only read the news, but to make the news, post articles, gather your own community and more. Evergreen, the relaunch, is discussed in a bit more detail at the Newsvine blog.

Thanks to the folks at Newsvine for the following email update.

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A Much Smarter Front Page

What good is a news site that doesn’t adapt to the way you use it? The new Newsvine front page puts you in control of everything. Want your original Newsvine content at the bottom and your New York Times stories at the top? No problem. Want twice as many headlines? Also not a problem. If you can drag and drop, you can design your own front page in a matter of seconds.

Local Headlines and Weather

You know how when you’re trying to make conversation with someone, you’ll often say empty things like “nice weather we’re having”? With local weather now automatically displayed on your front page, you can now be much more specific with statements like “did you know that according to my favorite site, Newsvine, it’s going to be 78 and sunny in three days?” Furthermore, since we now also display headlines from your local newspaper, you can follow up that with “Did you hear Tom from the fraternity was arrested last night?” It is important to us that you’re as well informed about your city as possible, and that you’re consistently equipped for these precious moments of idle banter.

Newsvine Groups

With over 600,000 people a month using Newsvine now, it’s easy to get lost in this giant news amusement park. Well safety in numbers, we say. Create your own group or join hundreds of existing ones and connect with people who share your, ummm, “original” views on the world. There are groups for left-wingers, groups for right-wingers, and even groups for people who enjoy the music of Winger. Actually, we booted the Winger group, but you get the picture.

Newsvine Live

If you’ve ever wondered what people are doing up to the second on Newsvine, Newsvine Live will tell you. Quite possibly the world’s most thorough and voyeuristic news ticker, Newsvine Live feeds your nascent desire to stare at moving objects on a screen. When you see something interesting float by, just click and you’re off to go read it.

The News in Pictures

Let’s face it. Reading is hard. For those times when you’d just like to pop in and see what’s happening in the world in the form of great photography, the new Newsvine front page photo gallery is there for you. Each photo will actually take you to the corresponding story as well, in case you suddenly decide you’re up for some of that readin’ stuff.

External RSS Feeds

You can now add any news source in the world to your Newsvine front page with just a simple click on the big green “Add News Module” button. From the New York Times to the BBC to Techcrunch, it’s all there just waiting to be added.

All this and so much more awaits you at the new Newsvine. We’ve been working very hard over the past several months to give you the quality, customizable news site you deserve, and we hope you enjoy this huge update. If you do, tell your friends. If you don’t, we’d appreciate it if you’d lie to them on our behalf. Oh, and sorry for the e-mail!

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[Note to Newsvine: Thanks for the email - telling your users how to use the product is perfectably acceptable and welcome.] Check out my Newsvine profile - it’s in starter mode.

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2 Comments - Posted in Book Publicity, Events, Internet Marketing, Press Releases, Publicity, SEO Tagged with: , , , , ,

Study Evaluates Non-Profit Online Marketing Success

Posted on May 3, 2007

Convio, a company I found out about from a friend who’s a non-profit marketing director, recently released The Online Marketing (eCRM) Nonprofit Benchmark Index™ Study. Although the study’s results are based on Convio’s non-profit client results, many of the suggestions and findings apply to for profit online marketing as well.

Here’s the introduction . . .

This benchmark report provides you with important insight and analysis involving key metrics for evaluating online marketing success. The study includes data compiled from nonprofit organizations across six vertical segments and of various sizes and levels of online maturity. It also discusses tactics for impacting key metrics and creating more effective online marketing programs that maximize results.

Convio’s online marketing benchmark report includes:

  • Key metrics that influence online marketing effectiveness;
  • Analysis and trend data involving each metric;
  • Insights into how comparable organizations are performing against key metrics; and
  • Tips and advice for improving different areas of your organization’s online marketing program.

A few findings that jumped out for me . . .

- Online donations median growth rate from July 05-June 06: 27% [probably much higher now]

- Organizations with larger email files raised 2-3 times more online than those with smaller files

- Results vary by vertical segment in terms of outreach; motivation; action and loyalty

- Common attributes of organizations that have had the most success online include the ability to drive traffic; effective coversion to registered users and then donors; and a high response rate for online appeals

At 17 pages, the report is packed with information, graphs and charts that illustrate how well Convio serves their clients. Definitely worth a download.

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Non-Profit Special Events | Measuring PR ROI From the Sponsor’s Perspective

Posted on May 3, 2007

Whether you’re a donor or a charity, you’ll be interested in the latest report from Charity Navigator, a leading independent evaluator of charities. While this report focuses on how much and how charities invest and make from special events, it doesn’t cover the payback for the sponsors, both individuals and companies.

Having written more than a few sponsorship packages for non-profit special events, I know how difficult it can be to persuade major donors to write a check. Thinking back to my ”brilliant” suggestion of giving naming rights to the $50,000 sponsor for a first-time local event, I rationed that the exposure alone would be worth the investment.

We had no takers. And, at the outset I had no idea how much publicity and exposure the major sponsor would get – how does 4,000,000 impressions sound?   That’s .0125/impression. Where can you buy that kind of exposure that ties you to a cause you support – and probably be able to write it off?

In reading this report, I agree that charities often invest too much in special events.  One way to make the event self-funding is to dazzle a snazzy PR/marketing campaign in front of major sponsors that integrates online, offline, media, radio and TV exposure.

Although we don’t guarantee results, we can estimate the amount of coverage we’ll get. When we hit obstacles, we ramp up on other fronts by building a blog or online news center to drive interest. But, not every charity has that option. You have to fund the promotions before you can make them happen.

One of our clients is a four-star charity on Charity Navigator. We use this reference in all press releases for two reasons: first, to position our client as being a valued charity [almost 95% of every donation goes directly into programming] and second to promote the opportunity to widen giving horizons by researching charities online. 

Charity Navigator’s 2007 Special Events Study

Introduction . . .  

During the spring and summer months, it seems as though charities hold special fundraising events almost every weekend. We all receive requests to attend and support charity-sponsored events, ranging from the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” to the Cleveland Animal Protective League’s “Fur Ball”, from spring galas to bowl-a-thons to (insert mildly strenuous physical activity here)-a-thons. But, as a donor, does it make sense to support these special events? Or would the organization be better served by you skipping the 5K and making a direct contribution? Our users have repeatedly asked us these questions, so we decided to do what we do best, compile and analyze the data, and give you some answers.

Conclusion . . .

Without question, special events seem to be an extremely inefficient way of raising money. The majority of charities are more efficient in their overall fundraising than when they fundraise through special events. So why do they continue to use these special events as fundraisers? And should donors support these special events, or instead give money to the charity as a strict contribution?

Keep in mind that there are advantages to special events that cannot be measured: raising awareness, rewarding members, cultivating prospective donors, PR exposure, and brand building to name a few. These benefits are impossible to measure, and vary greatly from organization to organization.

Suggest a charity to Charity Navigator.

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Ezine Article | Contest-ing PR | 8 Ways to Winning Giveaways using Publicity and Viral Marketing

Posted on April 25, 2007

Update:  Thanks to Andrew Peters, an MTN ezine reader, uber cool blogger and virtual PR expert based in Singapore, for his permission to share his email with you in response to this ezine article:

Hi Barbara

Thanks for your latest email, we are currently putting together a
contest and your Words of Wisdom are very timely

Thank you…
–
Andrew Peters | COO | The Pacific West Communications

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Here’s a clip from this week’s ezine article, “Contest-ing PR: 8 Winning Ways to Giveaways”

Step One: Start Out with What’s In It For Them

Choose a prize that makes people say, “I want to win that!” This may seem like the last decision you need to make, but having an enticing prize makes the incentive to enter that much more powerful. And, you can build your creative campaign around it. Also, the better the prize, the more viral your contest becomes.

Step Two: Figure Out What’s In It For You

Determine your contest’s purpose – is it to generate leads, qualify prospects, come up with a new design, position your company as a resource, contribute to your community or something else? It may be all of these or just one.

Step Three: Write Winning Rules

For more formal contests, write your rules carefully and take your time. Check with a legal resource to make sure your fine print covers any liabilities. And, be sure to ask for all the customer information you want to capture beyond the basics and into buying preferences, industry or even lifestyle questions that give you clues into buying behaviors.

Read this article online and get 5 more PR tips

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Affiliate marketing for churches – how to monetize partnerships

Posted on December 16, 2006

Church Marketing Sucks, the place to go to check into what’s happening [and not happening] in church marketing, comments on messaging to the pews in a post called, “Your church sponsored by Crest White Strips.”

Presenting statistics that support selective strategic partnerships, it’s an overall look into how businesses, political parties and ad agencies are promoting from or on the church platform. The post references an article by Knowledge @ Wharton called Product Placement in the Pews? Microtargeting Meets Megachurches.

Megachurches are onto something – raising money by promoting products. While it’s difficult for me to imagine my church setting up a Chrysler expo in our adjacent parking lot, I can see the benefits selective affiliate marketing brings churches.

As one top affiliate marketing expert once explained to me, “Affiliate marketing is not selling, it’s recommending products or services you believe in.” Often, I lead people to resources they wouldn’t have found without me. They’re free to delete my affiliate link [and commission] at the end of the URL and buy direct from the vendor, if they prefer.

We recommend that our business clients find a match with a non-profit whose mission matches theirs. Then we build communication tools for the business to share with the non-profit to help them co-promote an event or a campaign to maximize visability and fundraising potential.

As a marketer, I love the idea of connecting funds to missions. As a church member, I’m conscious of the competition for messages: mission, prayer, ministry, meeting, outreach giving, stewardship, service, youth, suppers, festivals, etc.

Here’s an affiliate marketing idea to test out . . .

Church members who own businesses can start their own version of affiliate marketing by rewarding referrals with a donation to their church and then expand the offer to other churches within the community.

And one more that takes only a click . . .

GoodSearch pays organizations for every search from their members. At a penny per search with 500 members searching 5 times per day, that’s $750 extra per month – certainly worth testing out. Who says donations can only come in through pledges and the offering plate?

Share your ideas on how churches can set up affiliate income streams . . .

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Contact Barbara about advertising, a creative project or a speaking opportunity.

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