Repeated throughout my blog, I have a passion for nonprofit organizations that focus on music and helping children. An organization I have dedicated my time to and will continue to show loyal support for is the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.
http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/
The Save The Music Foundation (SMF) does a substantial amount of work in the social media sector. SMF has successfully used social media and integrated social media into their marketing efforts. The above website contains videos with celebrity interviews, an option to subscribe to VH1.com newsletters, and a chance to join in on the organization's efforts by becoming a student advocate or young benefactor. The website also has an easily accessible donation button, a live Twitter feed, a Facebook button, a way to shop at retail stores that benefit the foundation, and an entire media section dedicated to sharing news and events, red carpet interviews, promotions, and public service announcements. In my opinion, SMF has done an extraordinary amount of work in their efforts to raise awareness about the importance of music education. I see SMF on television, via email, and in print-media on a frequent basis.
Social media plays a large role in the foundation's marketing efforts. SMF has done a remarkable job working with a multitude of companies to put philanthropy, music, and celebrity at the center of their product lines. Their sponsorship opportunities includes celebrity and talent participation, inclusion in aggressive public relations campaigns, mention on the Foundation’s website, inclusion in an email blast (which has over 75,000 members), and mention on the VH1 Radio Network. VH1SaveTheMusic.com receives over 30,000 hits per month, their Facebook page has over 13,000 fans, and their Twitter page has over 8,000 followers (vh1savethemusic.com). SMF’s campaign is definitely helping the company meet their marketing objectives. I want to point out the large campaign VH1 Save The Music did back in 2008. The year-long public awareness campaign entitled, “First Make Music, Then Make History” reached new audiences and invigorated longtime supporters. It also generated support and funds to foster the next generation of great leaders.
I can honestly say that I am wowed by the Foundation’s marketing efforts, so I would not change anything about their strategy because it can only get better with time and staying up-to-date with technology. The website has even provided demographic figures on their target audiences (36% male, 64% female, 62% are between 18 and 49 years old, 97% are college graduates or above).
Social media can help organizations foster relationships, boost traffic, generate press coverage, increase sales, and build brand awareness. Facebook http://www.facebook.com/vh1savethemusic?ref=mf, LinkedIn, Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/vh1savethemusic, and MySpace are all great tools to use. Because of SMF’s media efforts, they have garnered millions of media impressions. Even through this tough economic time, the Foundation has still managed to donate millions of dollars to schools around the country and impact the lives of millions of students.
vh1savethemusic.com
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Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Impact of digital marketing on the nonprofit industry
Digital marketing has a profound effect on any business, but it becomes extremely beneficial for nonprofit organizations because it is free or inexpensive to market and advertise. For nonprofits, free is most definitely a word we all love to hear. There are many ways for nonprofits to take advantage of social media, etc.
First, a blog platform is crucial. We are all well aware of the impact a blog can do for your business, but which one is best? Personally, I like Google’s Blogspot and Wordpress. Both are prevalent, flexible, and inexpensive blogging platforms. Visit wpbeginner.com for more information on how to set up your site. I came across this great article - "Five Reasons Why WordPress is Ideal for Small Nonprofits." Link: http://www.johnhaydon.com/2010/08/5-reasons-wordpress-ideal-platform-small-nonprofits/. Also, meet blogging enthusiasts via Meetup.com.
Second, setting up a PayPal account for your nonprofit can be extremely helpful because it allows you to use ‘donation’ buttons. First things first though, your nonprofit needs to get a validated nonprofit checking account and a tax-exempt letter from the IRS to verify the PayPal account. If your nonprofit is putting on a fundraising event, as I plan to do, you need to have a portal to purchase tickets and receive donations. PayPal is great, but the only problem I have with it is the fact that donors must already have a PayPal account set up to donate. So, try this link if that is a concern of yours: EventBrite.com. Through this site, you can post events, sell tickets, raise funds, print tickets, and track activities online. I believe there is a small fee, but it’s worth it to have a strong fundraising platform. I also hear that give.fm is another great platform that offers donations via credit card.
Third, I recently found a great resource called Nonprofit Tech 2.0: A Social Media Guide for Nonprofits. Here, favorite nonprofits are featured, webinars are posted, and book research and interviews are great tools. I found this article to be of particular importance: 10 Essential Tools for the Nonprofit New Media Manager on the Go. It offers advice that nonprofits can follow in order to keep up to date with mobile technology such as iPhone/Smartphone apps, mobile websites, social media, and mobile fundraising. It is helpful if you want to transform your nonprofit and spread your message to as wide of an audience as possible.
Fourth, a nonprofits goal is to promote community rather than competition. So, I decided to research ways in which to make this possible. A great way to do this would be to use Facebook to reflect the mission of community building. A nonprofit could obtain a corporate sponsor to donate a certain amount of money based on how many “likes” the Facebook page receives. This would create a sense of community because people are working together to get the word out. I would also give regular updates on the Facebook page in order to keep people engaged. We all know Facebook is all about sharing, so I would be sure to make it personal and engaging by adding personal stories and event photos. This would bring a sense of community because it encourages each other in this difficult economic time.
Fifth, I figured there had to be some way for nonprofits to use YouTube as a platform. I found my answer in the article titled, “5 YouTube Projects That Are Making a Difference.” YouTube can be a very powerful tool for creating change because it connects people and communities in amazing ways. Videos on YouTube can connect people visually and orally, so I would recommend getting on board because it can be very beneficial to social good. http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=216601765&gid=1172477&type=member&item=31513237&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable%2Ecom%2F2010%2F10%2F05%2Fyoutube-projects-social-good%2F&urlhash=0RTS.
Sixth, video conferencing tools such as Skype are great to use when you need to be interactive with others. Skype allows you to mentor, coach, and administer your team when you aren’t able to meet face-to-face. But, I found a couple of other options as well: UStream, LiveStream, and JustinTV. These allow free live broadcasting, recording, and sharing of your videos through social media. Here is how to record with Skype so that people can watch even after the event is over: http://www.extralabs.net/skype-recorder.htm. Here is how to record using UStream: http://helpcenter.ustream.tv/content/how-record-your-broadcast.
Seventh, I found an archive of 11 different interviews each explaining how their nonprofit created successful social media campaigns. I find it very important to look at how nonprofits excel in their use of social media. Learning from others that have already done a lot of the work could teach you how to raise money for your nonprofit. http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/book/.
Eighth, I always find social media webinars extremely useful because they offer comprehensive training on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, LinkedIn, WordPress, Foursquare, etc. The webinars do cost money to watch, but 10% of the proceeds are donated to nonprofit organizations. The webinars are throughout May and June, 2011. http://www.diosacommunications.com/services/webinars.htm.
Lastly, if you are thinking about creating an e-Newsletter, read the article titled “Five Ways Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Build Their e-Newsletter List.” It offers great advice that is fairly easy to execute, but oftentimes we miss. http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=371296417&gid=1172477&type=member&item=43680488&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fnonprofitorgs%2Ewordpress%2Ecom%2F2011%2F02%2F14%2Ffive-ways-to-use-social-media-to-build-your-e-newsletter list%2F&urlhash=GB_P&goback=%2Egde_1172477_member_43680488.
I hope this blog post offered some great advice on how to get your name out there, and great social media tactics that nonprofits (or any other business for that matter) can use.
I would like to leave you with a quote that I like from Carie Lewis, Director of Emerging Media, The Humane Society of the United States.
“Don’t be afraid to fail! We’ve done so many things in social media that flopped. We didn’t get discouraged; we learned from our mistakes and next time came back even stronger.”
References:
Haydon, John (2011). Five Reasons Why WordPress Is Ideal For Small Nonprofits. Retrieved May 8, 2011 from http://www.johnhaydon.com/2010/08/5-reasons-wordpress-ideal-platform-small-nonprofits/.
Kessler, Sarah (2010). 5 YouTube Projects That Are Making a Difference. Retrieved May 7, 2011 from http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=216601765&gid=1172477&type=member&item=31513237&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2010%2F10%2F05%2Fyoutube-projects-social-good%2F&urlhash=0RTS.
Nonprofitorgs (2010). 10 Essential Tools for the Nonprofit New Media Manager on the Go. Nonprofit Tech 2.0: A Social Media Guide for Nonprofits. Retrieved Wednesday, May 4 from http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/10-essential-tools-for-the-nonprofit-new-media-manager-on-the-go/.
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