Ask the Experts: Marketing Trends and Strategies

Each month, I'm inviting guest contributors to speak about additional timely, relevant and sought-after topics that are important for cause-focused organizations to be aware of as they grow. For May, I've gone rogue and asked myself to share! But this is not just an attempt to satisfy my vanity. Though I obviously cover marketing a lot on this blog, I wanted to provide you with some clear and concise trends and strategies in one little post.

Q. What are the latest trends in your industry?

A. I've talked a little about it before, but content marketing has become HUGE over the last couple of years, and only seems to be growing in popularity. And with apps and technology, it's now easier than ever to implement content marketing whether you're a solopreneur or multi-national corporation. There really is no excuse not to give it a try. Content marketing should be a part of every organization's marketing strategy.

If you're new to content marketing, it does seem counter-intuitive. Why would you give away free content when you have bills to pay? But the answer is all around you. Have you ever read the blog of one of your favorite authors, and then read his or her book? Did you opt-in to a free course, only to buy another product or paid course later? Do you listen to free podcasts, only to pay to hear the host speak in person at an event? Likely, the answer is yes. It certainly is for me.

Free content allows us to build what we in marketing call the "know, like, and trust" factor with our audience. People/consumers are becoming more savvy and harder to convert. So, they need you to establish credibility in order to fork over their hard-earned cash. Content marketing allows you to do just that. You want to become the go-to expert for (insert your thing here), and this is a great way to start.

Content marketing can include items such as blogging, podcasting, free e-courses, downloads, and checklists. It's a way for you to "give your content away" in an effort to secure a sale later. Marketing is all about creating customers, and then managing the relationships that brands have with customers. So, content marketing seems a very logical step in that direction.

(If you'd like to learn more, Content Inc. is a terrific book on this subject.)

Q. What is the biggest mistake you see people making in terms of their marketing?

A. I offer the same piece of advice to people all the time, no matter their industry or organization. My #1 tip when it comes to marketing is consistency. I see this mistake, well, consistently. Most of the people I work with are at small nonprofits and purpose-driven for-profits. They are so focused on their cause that they ignore, or at least have a very lapsed relationship with, the people who can support them, whether that be sales or donations. But unless you're organization has one benefactor that will never dry up, consistently talking with your supporters is one of the best things you can do. If you are only communicating with people when you want something, you're going to lose that relationship to another organization who is happy to keep them updated and informed.

Q. What is your best piece of advice for people regarding marketing?

A. The people I speak with are always crazy concerned about social media. They've signed up for all the accounts they were told are important, but they are now overwhelmed. So what happens? They do nothing. Or maybe they post now and again on the platform they know best, but let the others collect dust bunnies. 

I get it! Social media is important. And it's difficult to keep up with, even for those of us who work with it regularly. But my best advice with social media as it relates to your marketing is to remove the profiles from your website that you aren't going to update. They're making you look bad. Once someone has looked at your Twitter profile, and seen that it hasn't been updated since 2013, they aren't going to go back to check it out again later.

I don't recommend deleting profiles because handles can be very hard to secure these days, but remove them from public view. Hide the accounts, if that feature is available. You can always go back and use it later if you'd like, but right now, it's doing more harm than good. And you have plenty of other things to keep you busy anyway.

(If you'd like to hear more about other ways to get back your time and focus your energy, check out my free e-course.)

Q. What is one thing readers can do this week to improve their marketing?

A. Make a plan! Marketing shouldn't be haphazard. It's a strategy for creating customers/donors, satisfying their needs or wants, and then getting them to come back. This shouldn't be left to chance.

Even if your initial plan only covers this week, do it. Then, block some time on your calendar to plan further out. And if you need to, ask for help. Marketing is one of the best things you can do for your business because it helps you get noticed and grow. Be intentional, not reactionary. Your time is too valuable.

Q. Anything else we should keep in mind?

A. I'll end on a similar note as Jen did in last month's Ask the Experts social media edition. We worked side-by-side for several years, and maybe our minds have started to meld. But keep in mind that social media is rented real estate. Email lists are owned.

Social media is difficult to keep up with because the rules can change at any moment. For example, up until a couple of years ago, businesses were seeing huge numbers of views and engagement on Facebook. Then the algorithm changed, and numbers drastically dropped. Now, it takes a lot of strategy, and sometimes money, to hit those same figures. That made some people mad, but remember, social media networks are first and foremost, for socializing between friends. Businesses have been smart to get in on the game, but you can't blame the platform for protecting their model, and then monetizing it to outsiders.

However, email lists are yours to keep. They are a direct line to people's inbox, whereas only a fraction of your Friends, Followers, and Fans see your social posts. Email is the way to go, and many people have forgotten that because of social media's flashy appearance.

Do yourself a favor. Start content marketing. Start building your email list. Then, talk to the people who have asked to be in relationship with you. You'll be glad you did!

I expand on some of these ideas in my free e-course, 5 Things to Stop Doing This Week. Jumpstart your marketing and communications, free up your time, and focus your energy.

Other posts in this series:

• Marketing: What is it, and why do you need it?

• Marketing Plan: Is your mission missing its map? (Free Download)

• Stop Wondering What To Do Every Day

• 6 Easy Marketing Tactics You Should Steal Right Now

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I'm Kristi Porter, and I started Signify to provide writing, consulting and strategy services to nonprofits and for-profit organizations with a social mission, primarily through copywriting, marketing and business communications. I believe that cause-focused organizations like yours are the future of business. You're proof that companies can both make money and do good. And I'm here to help you get noticed and grow. When you succeed, we all win.

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Building an Audience of 8,000: Marketing Case Story

One year ago this week, I was still the Event Marketing Director at Orange, and we were hosting 8,000 of our closest family ministry friends for The Orange Conference 2016. People come from almost every state, about a dozen countries, and numerous denominations to attend this event each year. It's quite the undertaking, and though I worked on other events throughout the year, most of my time was spent on this 12-pound baby (really big, sometimes painful, but worth the labor).

If you aren't familiar with Orange, they create curriculum, resources, and events for church leaders and volunteers. They do a lot of really amazing things, and if I may say, they put on some great events!

As #OC17 starts today, I thought it would make a fantastic marketing case story for us to examine. 

Photo Credit: The Orange Conference

TWO SIDE NOTES

1. If you'd like to watch the tonight's opening session on the live stream, visit Live.TheOrangeConference.com starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. This year's theme is "For Our Neighbors."

2. I'm using the term "case story" because case studies are usually long, boring, and stuffed with stats. I wanted this to be a little less complicated and easy-going, so I'm utilizing that term, though I didn't create it. (I wish I had!)

GOALS

The major goals for the event are measured in:

• Ticket sales, which include the current event and next year's pre-sales;

• Product sales, which includes books, physical products, digital resources, lifestyle items, etc;

• Social media metrics, which is tracked using a software;

• Attendee satisfaction, which is assessed both through social media, comments the staff receives, and a post-event survey;

• Next steps taken, which can include things such as lead cards filled out, emails given, downloads of the conference app, and things like that. Ideally, this is something you want attendees to do at your event to continue the engagement after it ends.

TACTICS

As you can imagine, an event of this size requires a lot of time and effort to promote. Here are the major ways we did that:

• Internal email list including curriculum partners, previous attendees, and some partnership lists

• Mailing list which includes the same as above, plus a purchased list.

• Text system. We were able to send text messages throughout the year to those who opted to receive them.

• Social media, mostly consisting of blog posts, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SnapChat

• Facebook ads

• Ads on internal sites

• A social media tool kit that our speakers, fans, and attendees could utilize to spread the word for us (which included both images and what to say)

• A signature line in staff emails

• Cross-promoting at other events, both Orange's and events where they had a booth

• Blogger network consisting of bloggers who were Orange fans, across the US

• Advertising on relevant blogs and websites

• Print ads (Yes, those still work too!)

• Press release

• Partner e-blasts

• Google Ads

STRATEGY

Yes, there are a boat load of items mentioned above, especially for those of you who are the only employee, or running the show with a small team. But again, all of these things occurred over a year's time. And many of them happened on a regular basis. There wasn't just one ad or one blog post or one mailer. 

The pricing for the event was broken into five major deadlines, including the pre-sales on-site at the current event. Prices, of course, increased as the event neared. This brought in early revenue and helped us plan. Additionally, these distinct time frames gave me windows of time in which to promote.

It's also very important to understand how your audience plans to spend their money. For example, we had two major deadlines to focus on: opening day and the February deadline. Opening day, of course, because we had the lowest prices and offered a bonus (early breakout registration) that was very desirable to our attendees. And everyone gets excited during an event launch. The February deadline was incredibly popular because many churches just had their budgets renewed with the calendar year, and we also offered curriculum credits, which enticed current and prospective curriculum partners. So, those two factors meant that I spent most of the marketing budget promoting those two deadlines.

RESULTS

• Every year, attendance for the event increased. We were very blessed in that way. When I started in fall 2010, there had been 4,300 attendees at the previous conference. And in 2016, there were about 7,400 at Orange Conference, and 500 at ReThink Leadership, a simultaneous event for senior pastors across the street. Those senior pastors came across the street for OC main sessions to spend time with their teams.

• With increased attendance, social media reach also increased each year, resulting in about 2 million impressions in 2016.

• Product and ticket sales also increased every year, but I am unable to share those numbers.

• I read through every OC survey that was filled our during my time there. I was, obviously, responsible and accountable for sales in the marketing department, but I really wanted to know what people thought about the event. Did we meet their expectations? How could we improve? What made a difference? Why did they come to our conference over another? Overall, the feedback was incredibly positive. This was our signature event, and we tried to do everything with excellence. Of course, there are always people who didn't enjoy the event or different aspects. That is to be expected. But the key is to have a good filter for yourself when receiving negative comments to decide if it is valid, or if it is out of alignment with the mission. Sometimes it's just based on personal preference.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

No matter what size of an organization you're currently at, there are some lessons to be learned:

• I was my own department. But I certainly didn't do everything! Other people took care of the graphics, social media management, logistics, etc. Only myself and I think two others actually worked on the conference year-round, and I was the dedicated person for promoting it. It was an all hands on deck situation as the conference got closer, but when you are well organized, have good systems in place, and have others to support you, it's a testament for what you can accomplish! (It's not too late to spring clean!)

• To plan and execute a successful event you must have a marketing strategy in place. You can't just wing it. For much smaller events, you don't have to work as far in advance, but you still need to understand the ins and outs of how you're event will come together. Effective marketing also helps get people in the doors! The more the merrier, right?

• Outline your goals first and foremost.

• While I listed many tactics above, I'm certainly there are a few you can choose from to start implementing for your next event.

• You might be surprised to learn that our marketing budget didn't dramatically increase even though our attendance did. I was very used to working for small organizations with small budgets, so I utilized as many free avenues as possible. Additionally, we focused on getting people to bring larger teams to OC, rather than finding more churches to come. The latter is a much better way to concentrate your energies.

• If you're event is just getting started, you may not have previous feedback to work with. If that's the case, start by sending a survey to your email list and social media followers to gain insight. You can also try asking people you know who fit your ideal audience.

• Don't skip over the "next steps." You need to know what you want your attendees to do when they leave. You need to decide on how you want them to stay engaged with you after they walk out the doors. Waiting for emails about your event year after year isn't going to cut it.

• Adding "surprise" and "delight" to your marketing efforts is always encouraged. People attended The Orange Conference to learn about family ministry, understand the trends, get information on how to do their jobs better, and connect with others. But they LOVED anytime we were able to surprise and delight them! There is even an entire main session dedicated to fun at OC because the brain gets a little overloaded during all the learnin' that a conference brings. These concepts also help endear you to your attendees.

REMINDER

If you'd like to watch the tonight's opening session on the live stream, visit Live.TheOrangeConference.com starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. This year's theme is "For Our Neighbors."

FINALLY

I love events. I've been planning events since I was in junior high! I guess I was always destined to be a part of them in some way. I get so excited by attending conferences and events, and I enjoyed creating a great environment for others. I'd love to help you with your next event.

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I'm Kristi Porter, and I started Signify to provide writing, consulting and strategy services to nonprofits and for-profit organizations with a social mission, primarily through copywriting, marketing and business communications. I believe that cause-focused organizations like yours are the future of business. You're proof that companies can both make money and do good. And I'm here to help you get noticed and grow. When you succeed, we all win.

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The Impact of Planning a Personal Retreat

Continuing along last week's self-care theme of work/life balance being a myth, I wanted to point you to a guest post I wrote recently for the Yellow Conference on "The Impact of Planning a Personal Retreat." Now that we're entering the second quarter of 2017, I know I find myself needing to reevaluate my goals for the year, as well as the work I've done so far.

Depending on the seasons in which your organization operates, you may even already be approaching burnout. Don't let it happen! Please take an opportunity to get away and reflect on the first quarter's progress, your role, and your plans for the next eight months.

Retreats differ from vacations because they have a purpose other than "relaxing." When I plan a retreat, I usually have a couple of large goals in mind that need to be accomplished outside of my normal environment.

And retreats, whether taken by yourself or as a team, can be invaluable for gaining clarity and perspective. 

I believe those who lead cause-focused organizations can easily reach burnout or become bogged down by the mission because of the nature of the work. True, this can happen to anyone, anywhere, but when your nonprofit or business exists to solve a social problem, the work feels more urgent. And often, you know the faces of those in need. Therefore, it's difficult to take a step back, no matter how necessary it may seem.

However, it's often when you bravely set aside the time for yourself, you can actually recharge and come back to the immediate pressures more equipped and able to tackle the tasks at hand. That is something you won't regret.

Learn more about my experience with a personal retreat, as well as a few tips for planning your own:

PLANNING A PERSONAL RETREAT

Or, if you prefer to watch a video with tips and advice, check out this Facebook Live from me:

IT’S TIME TO CONSIDER A BUSINESS OR PERSONAL RETREAT

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PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

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I'm Kristi Porter, and I started Signify to provide writing, consulting and strategy services to nonprofits and for-profit organizations with a social mission, primarily through copywriting, marketing and business communications. I believe that cause-focused organizations like yours are the future of business. You're proof that companies can both make money and do good. And I'm here to help you get noticed and grow. When you succeed, we all win.

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Work/Life Balance is a Myth

Let me say it again: Work/Life balance is a myth.

Can I get an amen?

Whether you're a solopreneur, a small business owner or employee, a full-time volunteer, or the head of a multi-national corporation, you've been in search of this "white whale" for too long. And, friends, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't exist.

You've known this truth in your heart, but for so long, you dreamed of finding it—maybe at the end of the rainbow. It's kept you awake at night. You could even swear that you once met someone who said their cousin found it for a short-time, but then lost it. You've listened to podcasts, read books, joined groups, and prayed really hard, but that elusive work/life balance has continued to evade you.

Is there no hope?

Fear not. There is another . . .

Introducing: RHYTHM

I was introduced to this concept several years ago at a conference. I wish I could remember who taught it, because he/she has improved my life immensely with this idea, but sadly, I do not know who to credit.

The crux of the matter is that we can never achieve work/life balance. One will always be in conflict with the other. Despite our best efforts, it's a constant see-saw effect, and many of us tend to dip to the work side, even with our intense desire for the opposite. 

Then comes along the notion of rhythm. According to our friends at Merriam-Webster, rhythm is "movement, fluctuation, or variation marked by the regular recurrence or natural flow of related elements." 

I love the mental images this definition projects. I picture ocean waves. I find it relaxing, and that in itself is enough to make me chase this notion.

Think about it. When you consider the idea of "work/life rhythm," you are allowing for what is actually possible. And this means there is hope! 

The most basic approach is one you're probably already familiar with, and that is thinking about life in the form of seasons. By reframing your time this way, you intuitively understand that there is a beginning and end to the periods of stress and madness.

Rhythm in Work

These are the seasons we're probably more familiar with. And I'm in one of those right now. I've been up late most nights and on the weekends trying to catch up on client and personal work because I was down with the flu for a couple of weeks. So, I've been working my tail off to keep my head above water, and feel like I'm back up to speed on what I need to be doing. It's an effort to become more proactive than reactive. I'm not finished with this season yet, but I think I will be soon.

Obviously, some of these seasons last longer than others. Maybe you're in event planning mode. Maybe you have a launch right around the corner. Maybe you just had a staffer leave. Or maybe it's just one of the crazy times of year for your business. Inevitably, it happens.

The point is to hunker down, work hard, and make the best of it. No, it probably won't be fun. But it also won't last forever. The wave is crashing on the shore all around you right now, but there will come a time when it rolls back off the sand. You can do this!

Rhythm in Life

These are the seasons when we have more time for friends and family. We take vacations. We leave the office a little early. We go to the movies. We're having a lot more fun. And honestly, these are the times we wish could last a lot longer than they do.

But, alas, it's only a season. Before we know it, our calendars and To Do lists will be full, and our attention will be pulled in a million directions. The tide turns once again. I'm not trying to be a downer, but I am offering some perspective.

The point of this season is to, first and foremost, appreciate it! Whatever you do to show thankfulness, now's the time! Be grateful, and enjoy every minute of it. Next, consider what things you can do during this period of time to get ahead. Put systems in place, work ahead, sharpen your skills, develop your team, etc. There are numerous ways to utilize this time so that the hard seasons are a little bit easier. Use the margin in your schedule to your advantage. 

Applications

You may be wondering what this post is doing on a blog about marketing and communications for cause-focused organizations. Fair question. 

I think this post points to self-care, which I think is essential for everyone, but especially those who lead in, and serve at, nonprofits and purpose-drive for-profits. When we are led by a strong, social mission, it's easy to drive ourselves into the ground. After all, the work is never done. The champion of a cause can always do more. But the champion is also of little use to the cause if he/she is suffering from burnout.

I'm here to help you look and sound better to those who support, purchase from, or donate to your organization. I want you to get noticed and grow. And to do that, you need to make whatever season you're in right now work for you, not against you.

Work/life balance is a myth. However, work/life rhythm is guaranteed. 

If you redefine this concept in your mind, you'll be more equipped for your current season, better prepared for the next, and happier overall. 

Stop chasing the white whale, and instead, find your rhythm.

If you're reading this post, it likely means you're at a point where you're feeling overwhelmed. If so, I have more good news! I've outlined five things you can stop doing today to jumpstart your organization's marketing and communications. That's right—five things you can cut out this week to free up your time, energy and focus. What are you waiting for?

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PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

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I'm Kristi Porter, and I started Signify to provide writing, consulting and strategy services to nonprofits and for-profit organizations with a social mission, primarily through copywriting, marketing and business communications. I believe that cause-focused organizations like yours are the future of business. You're proof that companies can both make money and do good. And I'm here to help you get noticed and grow. When you succeed, we all win.

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