Social Data + Segmentation = Magic Marketing

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Andrea Steffes-Tuttle

As we’ve discussed in previous posts, social channels have revolutionized marketing. Social spaces offer a powerful way to interact with your current and potential consumers. Many businesses have a Facebook page and a Twitter handle and are building social media content into their editorial calendar as a common practice. However, many businesses haven’t considered the power of the data within these channels.

Consumers all over the world use social media to connect with each other and willingly share their interests, purchase behaviors, hobbies and demographics. For a marketer, this information is gold. This type of information gathering is unprecedented in any other channel. Consumers are actively and eagerly sharing valuable information about themselves that otherwise marketers could not acquire unless they conducted expensive and time consuming surveying and research.

Why Is This So Great?

For years marketers have had the ability to segment an audience into groups, but social spaces offer marketers the ability to view their audiences behaviors on an individual scale. So, instead of marketing to a broad segment of people, we now have the ability to promote to a specific person, which enables an organization to create more relevant messages and therefore increase conversions.

Imagine This.

You have an email file that your organization has developed over the past ten years. Maybe you know the residence of the people in the file and the last time they engaged with your organization. How does that help you effectively market to their needs and interests?

What if there was a tool that took the information you had and returned an appended file that not only included residence, but also included information on hobbies, age, marital status, friends, places visited, page “likes,” and more? That would provide some serious targeted marketing ammo.

But Wait, There’s More.

What if the appended file that has all of that valuable lifestyle and psychographic information could be segmented even further to provide even more detailed information on the actual purchase behaviors of these consumers? Marketers could perform some seriously targeted messaging and get a lot more out of the advertising and marketing dollars they spend.

The Great News? We’re Working To Make This A Reality.

Giveo is currently developing a tool that can perform all of the appending and analysis mentioned above. We want to put the power of data in your hands and then make that data work for your organization using our powerful software.

Sounds like “magic marketing” to us. What do you think?

What marketing efforts do you think these tools could most impact in your industry?

 

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Parity: It’s No Joke.

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Chris Nunn

Social media messaging often revolves around one singular objective: acquiring the highest possible fan count. Companies willingly pour resources into obtaining followers, likes and email addresses without blinking, believing they’ll provide the one or two additional channels they might need to ferry messages to a buying consumer.

What’s In A Fan Count?

Beyond reaching a network of followers of four, five or six digit numbers however, exists another dimension of progress that may be the most beneficial to online audience engagement. Unfortunately, when a substantial milestone like 100,000 subscribing members is reached many think, “job well done!” and retire to the office water-cooler to brag about gaining seven points on their Klout score this week alone. In reality, that’s the precise moment when the next steps should promptly begin.

Giveo’s Andrea Steffes-Tuttle has pointed out before that tuning your marketing “instruments” to work together and create one impactful “song” is the ultimate goal. Aiming for the highest possible convergence of all those fans you so diligently recruited will create that “harmony” every brand is searching for. And eventually lead to the consumer follow-through you had hoped for: a purchase, a donation, a quantifiable action. So what changes a fan to a consumer? How can you connect the dots?

Analysis

A recent Giveo client approached us, with an accrued five-figure email list and half that number of Facebook “Likes” under their arm and asked “Okay, now what?” What they were seeking without realizing it was a more impactful way to reach current and potential supporters to drive action. They had diligently collected followers and fans without a plan in place to further implement that resource.

What They Knew: with a strong supporter base in two different channels, they could reach a large audience online quickly.

What Giveo Knew: the lists they were using were not working in concert. But by overlapping them we could show our client how to complete the circle, expose their audience to more messages in a less obtrusive manner and hopefully convert fans into donors, volunteers and information consumers.

Campaign

Giveo’s super-hero specialists provided our client with a simple solution: build a bridge. Using Giveo technologies and expertise, a campaign was executed to drive stronger overlap between channels, increasing impressions and improving equality between them.

Results

By reaching out to the subscribing public, Giveo was able to generate a 14% increase in Facebook Likes and a 10% increase in email subscribers. However, the important take-away from this campaign was never intended to be, in order to reach your audience simply bombard them. Our client had established contact with their fans online, our goal was to show them that more could be done to strike those fans into action, faster. With clear data that facilitated better engagement, they will now be able to interact with their audience more frequently and relevantly.

What’s Next?

It’s research like this that could allow your company, business or brand to get more from your follower-investment. Have you considered the improved engagement you’re missing by not cross-referencing your audience across channels?

Further more, from a retrospective point of view we as an “audience” are constantly complaining about being barraged with too many messages. What if the emails, tweets and posts we received could be tailored? What if you, as a business, could determine how your audience reacted and responded to different channels in order to interact with them better?

Intrigued? Stay tuned for a white paper from Giveo soon with more details on audience convergence and targeting more appropriately.

 

 

 

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The Big Bet

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Andrea Steffes-Tuttle

Over the past year, I have heard a common complaint from a few of our nonprofit clients, “We see more fundraising dollars come in from offline efforts, so why should we continue to spend time in social media if they aren’t yielding any dollars?”

While I understand this type of knee-jerk reaction when an organization doesn’t immediately see results from their non-traditional efforts, I have to emphasize the value of online marketing and the investment in social media and here are four, research supported reasons why:

The world is moving online.

While offline fundraising still drives the majority of fundraising dollars, online fundraising is growing and has shown to be a valuable complement to traditional fundraising methods. According to a study referenced on Social Media Today, online fundraising grew 34.5% in 2010 and continues to be the best way to acquire new (and younger) donors.

Invest time in online channels, now. You will increase brand awareness, cultivate new donors and be prepared to raise some serious moolah through online fundraising down the road, as this channel continues to grow.

 

An integrated approach is more effective

The key to raising more money is to figure out how to utilize offline and online channels together.

While more dollars come in through offline channels right now, there are a few facts you should consider:

-       the median age for an online donor is 24-55

-       32% of online donors earn $100K+ vs 18% of offline donors

-       the median gift of first time online donors is almost double that of offline donors

This is pretty compelling data that supports the importance of engaging supporters online.

Additionally, the more times your message is viewed, the higher the likelihood that your audience will take action. To do this effectively, an integrated approach is suggested.

 

Social media engagement begets huge consumer loyalty.

A recent study, done by Constant Contact found that 56% of consumers said they are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after “Liking” that brand on Facebook. This rule extends to nonprofits, as well.

Social media offers your organization the ability to increase brand loyalty, create a brand “persona” and conduct meaningful interactions with your audience that foster a deeper relationship between your organization and it’s supporters.

 

Innovation inspires.

Social media and online marketing efforts aren’t just for fundraising. Online marketing strategies allow your organization to illustrate its value through creativity and innovation.

They also offer an opportunity for you to engage with your supporters. No other media channel offers your organization a tool to facilitate conversations with people interested in your cause. Take advantage—pose questions, take polls, respond to questions, give praise, crowdsource content, hold contests, run sweepstakes and engage with other brands.

 

So what now?

Take the chance, lay your bet down and incorporate social media and online marketing efforts into your current marketing and fundraising strategies. You will see a return.

Those who are willing to bet big in online win. Ten years ago no one wanted to invest in fundraising through email because it was unproven. Now email marketing and fundraising is a required strategy.

While your competitors are still weighing the decision, you can be building your audience and by the time they’ve realized the value, you will already have a base built that will allow your organization to make a bigger impact and increase awareness in the future.

 

What’s keeping your organization from investing in online?

 

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Philanthropy: A Radical Reinvention of the Tote Bag

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Peter Genuardi

For liberal, pretentious news lovers, October is the winter of our discontent.  Others call it “Public Radio Pledge Season.”  If you’re like me you spend your time trying to avoid pledge drives – listening to the other NPR station in town, streaming KCRW on the Internet, or going on a podcast-only diet.

Premiums: A Tired Model
NPR affiliates have been working hard to convert listeners to donors at pledge time.  Realizing that the workhorse canvas tote bag is 30 years old and tired as hell, some stations have introduced innovative, compelling incentives that include the hilarious Alec Baldwin ads and a This American Life USB drive with 35 hours of podcasts. These are all great, but from an organization’s perspective, inventing and ordering premiums are expensive and take a lot of time.

A Transcendent Innovation
This year, I believe I have witnessed a truly transcendent advance in incentive science.  I was listening to KUNC here in Boulder, CO when I heard it.  Instead of offering the traditional totebag, USB drive or mug in exchange for a pledge, the on-air personalities told me that if a donation of $120 or more was made that a local business would donate 40 meals to my local food bank.

Here’s why this is so awesome for me as a supporter:

  • I’m Part of Something (Even) Larger: I often give because I want to feel like part of a larger community that supports public radio. Giving and getting the extra-warm-fuzzy of supporting the food bank is even better.
  • Double Bang for the Buck: In a tight economy, it’s great for me to be able to help two different organizations with one donation.  It’s not that I won’t also support other charities, but given an offer where I can help two rather than one, I’ll take it!
  • I Don’t Get Another Thing to Throw Out: Let’s face it, I probably throw out the mug/poster/tote bag at most one year to the day I receive it. I don’t need the extra clutter. The food bank contribution prevents that.
  • I Love KUNC and Mountain Sun Even More: The sponsor who donated to the food bank when I made my donation was Mountain Sun (home of the finest nachos and ale in the US). This collaboration gives me that positive feeling you get when you discover your best friend and your sister get along really well.

Here’s why this would be awesome for me as a marketer:

  • Brand Extension: As an organization that generally serves the community, we can solidify our reputation and put our money where our mouth is by making a quantifiably specific contribution to another community-serving organization.
  • Reduced Friction: By partnering with a business that writes the check to the food bank, there’s way less ordering, fulfilling, and check writing than when I have to send out gifts like mugs and tote bags.
  • Innovation Begets Buzz: People love this promotion and are talking about it, giving KUNC more exposure and (hopefully) more donors.  Check out the comments on their Facebook wall.  And, look at me, I’m writing this Pulitzer quality blog post about them right now.
  • Conscious Consumers Dig Traceability: Transparency is a steadily growing demand in all consumer industries, from food to automakers. KUNC lays their hand on the table for all to see, from donation (NPR) to partnership (Mountain Sun) to direct benefit (a specific number of meals that can be mathematically calculated). And in a time when a dollar going to a cause is spent more scrupulously, that’s a very good thing.

What’s Next?
This was a newsworthy campaign from the start but lets not forget a drive like this is in rare form for another reason: the results will have greater traction because of the news we’ll hear after everything has wrapped. In this case, a direct community benefit of nearly 50,000 meals donated to Colorado food banks alone.

I think this is just the beginning of using philanthropy as an incentive to encourage philanthropy.  I’m already working on some ideas for organizations that Giveo works with to use a similar model with their corporate partners.

What do you think? Have you seen results using incentive to encourage support?

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Efforts for Good: Friendly Competition For A Good Cause

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Giveo

A few months ago we discussed the 9 Cares Colorado Shares and their summer drive. Thanks to you, they were able to restock food banks all across the Denver metro area. But the fight isn’t over. This fall, 9 Cares is running a one-day food drive, the largest in the region, to once again raise money and supplies for food banks in the greater Denver areas.

Leading up to the big day, the 9 News team has geared up for a little friendly competition on Facebook and their website. The “game” is simple: choose your favorite 9 News team and help them become number one by donating to the cause.

So pick a team, spread the word and help the 9Cares Colorado Shares teams raise money to feed those less fortunate right in your neighborhood.

 

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Efforts for Good: Grand Trunk Goods Crowdsourced Study Abroad Contest

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Giveo

This week on Efforts for Good, we’re pleased to present an incredible crowdsourcing contest collaboration between Grand Trunk Goods and Giveo.

To quote their website, “Travel is about experience, something that stays with you for the rest of your life.” For someone with an insatiable appetite for globe trotting, truer words could not be written. But sadly, many of us don’t experience this incredible sensation of discovering new cultures and countries until much later in life.

Personally, I consider myself highly fortunate that I was given the opportunity to study abroad in Europe during college and explore over a dozen new countries, fueling my traveling addiction. But in this economy, not as many students can be as lucky.

As a company who “makes goods for travel, not trips,” Grand Trunk Goods is looking to change this. They’re running a contest for the month of October, giving a few students the opportunity to win a study abroad scholarship to anywhere in the world.

Students will be required to submit a video of themselves explaining why they should be chosen as the Grand Trunk Ambassador, in addition to what country they want to travel to and why.  The grand prizewinner will be awarded a $2000 scholarship and a $1000 prize pack from Grand Trunk Goods.

Giveo is providing the crowdsourcing platform that will enable a three-phase campaign—submission, voting and the Grand Trunk Ambassador winner announcement. Applicants can submit their videos and complete their application from October 1 – 28. Once applications are reviewed and approved, the voting phase will open. From November 1 – 30 fans will be able to vote on their favorite video to determine the six finalists. One winner and two runners up will be announced by December 15.

So students, what are you waiting for? Submit a video and get out there and explore the world! Take it from me—it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Casey Hopkins, Social Media Manager at Giveo — Contact Casey

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Quality Over Quantity: Why Page Visits Don’t Matter As Much As You Think

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Giveo

Measurement – marketers, salesmen and CEOs all define it in different ways. Over the past few years, the definition has been changing. Static number such as Likes, Followers and page visits no longer matter as much, and your fans and potential customers are no longer just numbers.

Web 2.0 Offers Us New Ways to Measure Engagement

Thanks to the innovations of “Web 2.0,” marketers have started learning the importance of interacting with their community one on one, and the benefits that it can yield: word-of-mouth marketing, brand loyalty, and so much more. But many people in the nonprofit sector are still viewing measurement frameworks too broadly, remaining focused on page view, Facebook like, Twitter follower and visitor counts.

Where Volume Stops Mattering

Say you run a campaign to gain more Facebook fans and Twitter followers. You now have a few thousand of each, from your giveaway contest. Awesome! But how many of those people actually care about your cause? How many are talking about your cause to their friends, interacting on your page, or more importantly: are they donating or volunteering?

Easy Ways to Focus on Quality Over Quantity

This is where quality over quantity comes into play. High page views, numerous followers and multiple visitors are fantastic, but converting them to high-quality advocates for your brand takes work. Here are a few tips:

  1. Listen to what they tell you. Your fans are bound to contribute complaints, questions and thanks to the possible one-on-one interactions via social media, make sure you address them. A little can go a long way and soon instead of complaining they will be singing your praises for great customer service.
  2. Ask questions and respond to their answers. “How was your weekend?” A question as simple as this is something that fans can get behind. They’re excited that you care enough to ask the question and they want to give you their answers. But taking it one step further and acknowledging them by liking their comment or responding will mean the world.
  3. Give away free branded swag. Many companies just have this lying around their offices collecting dust. If a fan posts a great comment on your Facebook page or tweets how much they love your business, thank them and ask them to DM their address to send them some swag. Free physical marketing for you, plus endless word-of-mouth marketing from your fan.
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Efforts for Good: Ignite Your Mobile Fundraising – Paradigm Wood Walk

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Giveo

Our friends over at the Paradigm Project have been working on something
incredible that we’re excited to share with you today: Stoves. That’s right, stoves. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, right? Well, the fact is over 3 billion of us need them. With forests disappearing, women and children across the world are dying from smoke inhalation and families are spending too much time and money to cook.

But Paradigm Project is changing this. They’re a social enterprise working to create a sustainable social, economic and environmental value within developing world communities. Their latest campaign is the 2011 Wood Walk: a 136-mile stretch from San Diego to Los Angeles taking place October 4th to the 13th.

Okay, so what? People walk for charity all the time.

The difference is this: the group walking the Wood Walk will be carrying massive 40-60 pound bundles of wood in honor of, and to bring awareness to, hundreds of million women in the world that cook every meal over an open fire.

For the duration of the walk, Giveo will be providing a text-to-pledge platform that allows people to pledge a donation of a $40 stove. Once they text “40” to the number provided, they’ll be able to opt in with their email address to get more information on how they can provide a stove for a family in need.

But providing a safe means of cooking is just the beginning. Pledging a stove through the Paradigm Project ensures that you are changing the course of that family’s future for the good. For more information on the Wood Walk or Paradigm Project, please visit their websites. And to learn how Giveo can provide a text-to-pledge platform for your campaign, you can contact us today at hello@giveo!

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Coordination: Conducting the Digital Orchestra

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Andrea Steffes-Tuttle

Three times last week I was asked by marketing managers, “What’s the number one thing I can do to make sure I’m getting the most out of my Social/Email/Mobile programs?”

In one word, the answer is “Coordination,” just like an orchestra.  Together, a group of musicians in the same room can create a lot of noise.  But, when coordinated and led together, they make amazing music.

As your organization’s marketing “conductor” you MUST ensure that all of your “instruments” e.g. digital marketing channels are working together to create one impactful “song.”

There are thousands of social and digital tools and spaces. Are you in the right ones and are you using them in concert with one another?

You probably have a website and maybe your organization is using Facebook, Twitter and email, but are you using PPC? Do you have a blog? Are you considering mobile? If you are using a multiple channel approach, are all those channels working together, towards the same goal? Many organizations, using one or all of the tools listed above, are doing it without a strategy or a defined intention. Digital marketing, when done right, can be very powerful, but how do you ensure that you are using these tools effectively?

Here are the components of a coordinated digital marketing campaign:

Preparing Your Ensemble

It is important to have clear objectives when it comes to your digital efforts. What is the goal? What action are you driving users to take and where do they need to go to fulfill that action? Chris Brogan talks about defining how you are using your “outposts” to drive traffic to your “home base.” What is YOUR “home base?”

It will be different depending on current campaigns you are running. The point is not where it is, but that the goal, the “home base,” be defined and that the messaging and call to action is clearly and consistently communicated across all channels.

Make Sure Everyone’s Using the Same Sheet Music

Make sure all departments are involved and informed. From human resources to sales–it is important that anyone representing your organization be equipped with the information necessary, to allow your organization to maintain a consistent message

Distinct Notes Together Make a Song

Once the “home base” is defined and the call to action is determined, all channels should work together to drive users to the location to complete the action. The messaging should be consistent with your organization’s brand and the call to action should be clear and simple. This is especially important in terms of “search.” Google has begun to incorporate new algorithms that account for social linking. Which means your message can be pretty powerful if you maintain consistency and clarity across your online channels.

Call and Response

Additionally, something that often gets overlooked is the role that social dialog has in the overall strategy. Be sure to plan for engagement and response within your overall strategy. It’s vital to the success of your campaigns and your organization’s success in social spaces.

Don’t Forget to Record Your Performance

Lastly—How will you measure success? What tools will you use to track activity and conversions. Some suggestions can be found here, on Beth Kanter’s blog.  It is important that you identify where traffic comes from and if those initiating the requested action, actually followed through, in order to track conversion and identify your most effective channels.

By tracking and measuring activity and conversion, your organization will be able to monitor the success of the campaign and use that information post-campaign to improve future efforts.

 

Tell me. Does your organization incorporate all of our suggested components? Are there pieces we aren’t considering?

 

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Cause Marketing in the Food Industry: The Gold Medalists

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Giveo

Food: we eat it everyday. Food & beverage companies know that we as consumers have hundreds of choices when perusing the aisles at the supermarket, so they do whatever they can to make their products stand out to us.

The latest craze, as many of us know, has been cause marketing. It’s been proven that consumers are more likely to purchase a product if they know that portions of the proceeds are going to a good cause, and the food and beverage industry is no exception.

But beyond cause marketing, there are a few exceptional brands that build the foundation of their products on cause and giving back. Here are five cause-driven food and beverage companies that we’re exceptionally fond of for their incredible missions (and products!)

  1. EVOL Foods – Phil Anson, the Founder and COO of EVOL Foods, has always believed that giving back to the community is not an option, but a social responsibility. It is because of this belief that EVOL employees take a portion of their hours eachweek to volunteer, totaling a minimum of 20 hours a year. They have a blog dedicated to their volunteer initiative, where stories of individual employees efforts are catalogued, since each is allowed to volunteer on projects that are meaningful to them. But the company as a whole does incredible things for campaigns as well: Just this week, EVOL pledged to donate a free case of burritos to anyone who signs up for the First Descents team in the Denver marathon or ½ marathon by this Friday.
  2. Sambazon – Founded on sustainability, Sambazon acai products have been commended all over the world for their efforts to help preserve the Amazon rainforest though harvesting the Acai fruit. They won the prestigious A.C.E Award in 2006, awarded by the Secretary of State, where she stated, “Sambazon is an outstanding example of the positive impact that a small company can make to the economy, the environment and the society of its host country.” Using Acai as a vessel, Sambazon has teamed up with groundbreaking companies across the globe so that not only those who can afford this incredible super-fruit can reap it’s benefits.
  3. Olomomo Nut Co. – A life-long mission started at 13, Justin Perkins knew
     from an early age that he wanted to share the prosperity that we in the US take for granted with the rest of the world. After working with various social good companies, he finally founded Olomomo Nut Co. “It’s only a natural extension of my passion for being a goody two-shoes, Boulder hippy nature boy, and lover of other cultures that Olomomo Nut Co will have a social impact.” In the upcoming months, they’ll be launching a cause marketing project with Citizen Effect, wherein profits from Olomomo merchandise will go to this great nonprofit. Learn more on their Causes page on their website.
  4. Bhakti Chai – “Just like cardamom infuses into all of our products, charitable contributions make our flavor sweeter, stronger, and spicier, and are constantly woven into the tapestry of our business.” This mission headlines the top ofBhakti Chai’s “Charitable Contributions” page, where they discuss, literally, dozens of organizations in Boulder and around the world that they continually support. With a focus on nonprofits empowering women, it’s plain to see how fundamental “giving back” is for the Bhakti team. To learn more or see their full list of campaigns they contribute to, check out their website.
  5. Justin’s Nut Butter – Another Justin working with nuts, yes, but we promise
    this is a venture all it’s own! Since it’s birth in Boulder, CO, Justin’s has vowed to make it’s nut butters in small batches to preserve quality and taste, and to only use the best organic and sustainably harvested ingredients. But beyond
     the sustainable packaging and efforts to remain “green”, this small yet committed nut butter company feels the need to give back to the community. They’ve partnered with the Conscious Alliance, working with them over the years through volunteering and donating one pound of peanut butter for every product sold during their in-store product demonstrations. This December, Justin’s Nut Butter will be taking their support one step further: They’ll be donating $1 to the Conscious Alliance for every jar sold at any Whole Foods Market for the entire month. So stock up on nut butter and help Justin’s give back!

 

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