What am I marketing for?

Following graduation, I worked at several entry-level positions in fields I wasn’t interested in. A few years later, I followed my vision toward a career in marketing when I took a job at a well-known advertising agency in Boston. I went on to working for several other agencies in the area further developing my marketing skills.

After 18 years in the agency world of marketing, I wondered if my time might be better spent using my skills helping others rather than increasing the bottom line for another large corporation. When working at a direct mail agency, I began to question more deeply how important was it we sell another pair of pants to a buyer that probably doesn’t need them. It was at that time I began my quest to search for what was important to me. My deep soul searching revealed that I didn’t necessarily need to abandon my years of experience, marketing knowledge and skills to help the world and make a positive impact.

That’s when my second career working with non-profits began. Looking back I was lucky to have spent five years working for a small non-profit right after college graduation. The experience I gained at that time was invaluable. I learned transferable skills and gained a great understanding about how to work with boards, committees, development teams, and executive directors.

Today as a marketing consultant, I continue to use my marketing skills to make a difference in the world. I take my expertise to serve people who are living with AIDS, to educate the public about important issues, to help those with disabilities, to assist the underserved find insurance, and work with many other organizations who support those in need.

Marketing and sales personnel are often grouped together with snake oil salesman and people who want to trick or seduce you into turning over your hard earned money for things you don’t really need. I believe marketing is a method of communicating solutions to potential problems for the consumer. By working with non-profits, I know the solutions are making a difference for this generation and generations to come.

Still overwhelmed?

More ideas to help you get through a stressful day marketing:

6. Journal. Why not spend five minutes writing freely about your life and about the things you love? Write down everything you appreciate in your life or write about plans you’d like to make for yourself in the future. Give yourself time to explore different ideas and see what comes to mind.

7. Spend time with an animal. Even if you work in the city, there’s always wildlife to be found. Listen to the birds chirping, walk over to a nearby dog park or visit a local restaurant with a fish tank. Animals have such a calming influence over us.  It’s a great way to learn how to take life one moment at a time.

8. Reflect on pleasant memories. No doubt if you’re working in an office you’ll have a photo or a memento of family or friends. Take a moment to think back about that day and reminisce about the “good times.”

9. Call a friend or make a date for yourself to do something fun. If you know there’s something wonderful to look forward to at the end of the day or week, it will make getting through the grind much easier.

10. Enjoy a small bite of dark chocolate. Notice I didn’t say go out and grab a huge candy bar and eat the whole thing, but a small amount of organic dark chocolate will do wonders for your mood. Not only is it filled with wonderful antioxidants great for your health, but its sweet, luxurious taste will put a smile on your face!

Overwhelmed by your marketing plan?

Marketing is a never-ending task.  There are always more phone calls to return, more networking events, more emails to craft, more industry trend reading to do, more trade shows, more “to do” lists and less time to accomplish it all. What do you do when marketing’s got you down?

Lately, I’m finding people running around like crazy. I hear them say there’s no time to slow down because the competition in the market is so intense. Putting in overtime, bringing work home, working on weekends all seem to be today’s reality. Does this sound familiar? What do you do when the thought of taking on one more project sends you over the edge?

Here are some ideas to get you through to the next moment:

1. Breathe. Stop what you are doing and take several deep breaths. On the inhale, hold for a moment then slowly release your breath. Breathing deeply will help give you clarity, focus and a moment of peace.

2. Listen to music you like. Maybe it’s a quick beat or perhaps it’s a slow, romantic tune – music helps distract you from the hectic pace and puts you in a different frame of mind.

3. Unless you’re driving or doing something requiring intense focus, close your eyes and meditate for a few minutes. If you’re not into meditation, try a visualization exercise. Take a few deep breaths and imagine yourself in a beautiful, peaceful place far away. Maybe you are on a hammock on a warm sunny beach or perhaps you find yourself skiing down a cool mountaintop. Take a mini vacation from your present reality and visualize another calming environment.

4. Take a walk or move around. Any form of exercise from walking and jogging to doing neck rolls, push up’s or leg lifts will stimulate blood flow and help relieve stress. A walk around the building and moving your body is a great way to break the pattern of going from one task to the next.

5. Get out in nature. Being outdoors in nature is a cure-all for me! Even if it’s just getting a moment of fresh air, taking yourself outside a confined office space will change your entire perspective and allow you to interrupt the build -up of stress.

Making the Most of the Written Word

Print materials are the staple of marketing and communication initiatives. Non-profits need effectively packaged information to promote their message and communicate with their clients, volunteers, and donors. Effective collateral material can be the most cost-effective and successful way of marketing your cause.

A wide variety of materials can be used to get your message across, including brochures, business cards, letterhead, product packaging, press and media kits, direct mail pieces, advertising, newsletters, announcements, and letters.

Any marketing piece requires three components for success:

• Good design- it has to capture the reader's attention, use color appropriately, and balance appropriate amounts of white space, and text.
• Good writing- not only grammatically correct, but easy to understand and persuasive without being overbearing.    
• Solid strategy.  The best constructed marketing piece has no value if it collects dust on a shelf.  Collateral should be integrated with the rest of your sales and marketing efforts, including web design, trade shows, special events, and promotions.

Effective use of non-profit promotions can turn your marketing efforts into an exciting and rewarding experience. The key to successful promotions is often as simple as creativity, simplicity, and strategy.

Marketing in a Tough Economy II

#4) Outsource projects – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen an Executive Director sitting in a conference room stuffing envelopes. The thought process goes like this: “We can’t afford to hire a company to do this so I’d better pitch in and help. In three days, all of this mail will finally be gone and I can focus on my other work.” Wouldn’t it have been better to spend three days reviewing that grant proposal for $50,000 or meeting with a top donor than stuffing envelopes? Think about it. Sometimes saving a few dollars in the short term can really cost you in the long term. What other projects can be outsourced so you can spend valuable time on revenue generating tasks?


#5) Revamp your press strategy – Talking to the press to tell your story is often times one of the most under-utilized marketing activity a business uses. When was the last time you sat down and thought about what’s new in your business or organization? I’m sure there’s something interesting, local and new going on in your organization that the community or the world would like to hear about. Coming up with a good hook and pitching an idea to the media is a great, cost-effective way of communicating to your constituents. With a good imagination and some creativity you could save yourself hundred’s of dollars on marketing.

Bonus Tip #6!) Shop around – There’s never been a better time to get a deal. From printers to web developers and designers to consultants, everyone is looking for work. Spend some extra time researching vendors and getting quotes. You will never know how affordable some of these once extravagant services can now be.

Good luck saving some cash and best wishes on getting through the tough times!

Marketing in a Tough Economy I

When money is tight, a business owner’s first instinct is to cut back on marketing. After all, saving dollars is a priority, right? Maybe not. It’s important to keep your product or service in front of your customer at all times.  Otherwise you are leaving the door wide open for your competitor to swoop in. Here are a few tips to consider when times are tough:

#1) Track everything! – Tracking is ALWAYS important but never more so when every penny counts. If you are using lists or placing ads, it’s imperative to know what kind of response you are getting from every marketing dollar spent. All marketing activity can be tracked in someway (websites count hits, collateral has inventory and a distribution channel, ads have 800 numbers, etc.). I know it seems like common sense but you would be amazed at how many businesses don’t track a thing!

#2) Utilize economies of scale – Now is the time to consider making collateral (i.e. brochures, reports, postcards) with a longer shelf life. Take out time sensitive information so you can print larger quantities. You might even consider removing individuals’ names from material in the event the person is no longer with the company, rendering the pieces outdated. Printing larger quantities helps you save money as your cost per piece goes down.

#3) Move communications online – If you haven’t already done so, consider making your quarterly newsletter an email blast. Rather than spending thousands of dollars on printing four times per year, develop an interesting and creative e-newsletter to send to customers via the web. Post it on your website and let people know it’s there for their viewing whenever they like. Start building a good opt-in list and you will save significant dollars. Instead of reinventing the wheel, lots of printed material can even be used for your own blog. What other communications can you email to people or post online instead of mailing?

Avoid Common Marketing Mistakes III

Last in the installment of things non-profits should NOT do when marketing their cause:

Inappropriate messaging:  Some non-profits do a good job of marketing their mission. Other non-profits don’t talk about it enough. In either case, you might want to target your message specifically to your audience. Consider what message donors, customers and volunteers need to have to understand the goals of the organization.

Rather than simply regurgitating a mission statement, these audiences need to hear the emotionally compelling impact a non-profit is having on the people it serves and the community.  Reframing messages to talk to a specific target audience and using language that will connect to supporters will have a greater impact than talking in generalities.

Not understanding what motivates donors: It’s extremely important to know your constituents. Audiences consist of community advocacy groups, policy makers, major donors, volunteers, board members and those you serve…just to name a few. Take the time to learn how to best connect with donors, volunteers and others. Figure out their values. What drives them to action? Most individuals get involved to make a difference. Instead of making assumptions about why they’re involved, ask them. Find out as much as you can about them so that you can make them the driving force behind the organization.