One of the most buzzed-about workshops was “Effective Storytelling,” presented by Roger Fishman, founder and CEO of ZiZo [...]]]> Last week, yours truly traveled to Chicago to attend Feeding America’s annual Mobilizing the Public conference, ready to hobnob and learn from the more than 400 food bank communicators and fundraisers who have come together for this event.

One of the most buzzed-about workshops was “Effective Storytelling,” presented by Roger Fishman, founder and CEO of ZiZo Group.   His workshop was not initially on my go-list, but by day 2, with glowing reviews and comments like “his last session was standing room only,” it seemed ridiculous for me to miss it. 

As it turns out, Mr. Fishman has quite the pedigree (marketing and media veteran, published author, and a famous wife), but instead of starting off with a run-down of his impressive resume, he chose to open the session by telling us a story about his mother, his childhood and his family’s struggle to get by. 

He told us how as a kid he couldn’t afford lunch, but was too ashamed to stand in line for a free meal, so he skipped lunch altogether.  He told us about his elementary school principal who showed incredible kindness by giving him a quarter each day to buy lunch so he could eat and not be teased by other kids.  He told us about the importance of dignity, even for a young boy like him, and how his childhood experience affects the way he thinks about his own charitable giving today.   He told us about how much he admired the work of the food banks because they allow people to hold on to their dignity.

As he finished his intro, I looked across the room and saw 50 pairs of eyes glued onto him, some even glistening with tears. Wow, this guy’s good.  He obviously did his homework and knew that his personal story is the best way into the hearts and minds of a group of compassionate food bank employees. 

So how can storytelling be effective?  Mr. Fishman offers the following:

• Know your audience.  Everything starts from here because we all make decisions emotionally.  Without an emotional benefit, all the facts in the world won’t make an ounce of difference.  Find out what moves them, bring it to life and then make it personal and relevant.  
• Do your homework.  In addition to knowing your audience, know your competition, know your environment, and know your goals.
• Get to the point.  Time is precious.  Be quick and be authentic. 
• Story sharing vs. storytelling:  A story should be a two-way exchange.  We are all incubators for stories… encourage participation from your audience, and find out what’s their story?  
• Think laterally:  Don’t just be linear in your storytelling—if it feels familiar, it probably has been done before.   Repackage your story and frame it in a new way. 
• Firsthand stories beat secondhand any day.  If you cannot be present—ask for specific details before retelling.
• Always be relevant, different and important to your audience.

He closed his workshop by saying that all of us have our own personal and professional experiences that shape our narrative.  The important thing is to do the research, take the time to get to know your audience, and make your story relevant.

 I also found myself to be pretty nervous. I have worked on teen targeted initiatives, but I have never presented to real [...]]]> Don’t ever underestimate the power of teen ambassadors.  At the SADD National Conference in June, I found hundreds of fun, energetic teenagers that were very engaged in teen issues – a social marketers dream.

 I also found myself to be pretty nervous. I have worked on teen targeted initiatives, but I have never presented to real live teens. I couldn’t help thinking of the stereotypical paper airplanes whizzing by my head, strategically placed whoopie cushions and maybe even a spit ball splattering on my powerpoint projection.

However, we came prepared; we came with a gimmick. And to my delight, I believe it worked.  We named our workshop “How to Become a Digital Superhero.” At our booth we had teens text the word ‘digitalhero’ to the short code 30364 to receive all our teen-targeted campaign website links with the message “Your 1^st assignment as a digital superhero is to share these links.’” Then we had them give their name and email address so we could follow up with more info (when they are at their computers and not at a resort with three waterslides) and took their pictures dressed as superheroes.

Did they know it was gimmicky? Yes. Did they care? No. That’s what I love about these kids most of all. Their willingness to try new things, play along and do what they have to do to keep themselves and their friends safe and healthy. If your organization has teen initiatives and has a chances to attend a teen-heavy conference, I say do it. It’s important to get staff out from behind the desk to actually talk with the teens they are messaging.  Plus, as much as we message to teens, nothing can compare to hearing the message from their peers. We hope our new superheroes will take their first assignment  seriously and  share the information about digital safety with their friends.

As the founder and principal of Big Duck, a communications firm that works exclusively with nonprofits, I spend a lot of time working with programs, fundraising, and advocacy staff. The people I work with are incredible: through their work they save lives, protect the environment, change opinions, and move [...]]]> Sarah is a contributing guest blogger from Big Duck.

As the founder and principal of Big Duck, a communications firm that works exclusively with nonprofits, I spend a lot of time working with programs, fundraising, and advocacy staff. The people I work with are incredible: through their work they save lives, protect the environment, change opinions, and move the needle on all sorts of issues. They’ve studied social work, political science, philosophy- sometimes even nonprofit management. But few have marketing backgrounds, despite the volume of marketing and communications work they have to do in order to reach audiences, build relationships, and influence behavior. 

A couple of years ago, I decided to write a book to help non-marketers in the nonprofit sector develop a more effective way to communicate. This year, my book “Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications” was released, and folks seem to be finding it helpful. 

Of course there are many other terrific reads out there to help non-marketers in the nonprofit sector boost their own capacity. (Oops! Did I just say ‘capacity’? That’s on Lake Superior State University’s annual ‘List of Banished Words’. I take it back.)

If you’re looking to kick off your flip flops, lather up with sunblock, and boost your nonprofit communications IQ this summer, here are a few must-reads:

Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes by Katya Andresen has been out a few years and is a classic. I hope it’s on your bookshelf. 

Katya Andresen also wrote the forward to the newly released, “The Nonprofit Marketing Guide” by Kivi Leroux Miller, which is a great getting-started reference- particularly useful in grassroots organizations. 

And if you’re ready for more, check out The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change  by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine. 

I’m reading a few other books this summer, including those Stieg Larson books everyone seems to be talking about lately. Check out what’s on my summer reading list here, and let me know what you’re reading. (Sarah Durham tweets @BigDuckSarah). 

When used appropriately in communications, statistics can give consumers a piece of truth to [...]]]> One of the most common tricks in the marketing handbook is the use of statistics. 4 out of 5 dentists recommend Trident. 1 in 5 New Yorkers rely on the food bank to eat. 64% of houseguests notice odors in your home.

When used appropriately in communications, statistics can give consumers a piece of truth to grab onto, a compelling reason to buy Trident gum, donate to the Food Bank for New York City, or paint their homes with new odor-eliminating Dutch Boy paint. For PSAs, statistics can provide relevance and proximity to an issue, convey its urgency and shock viewers into paying attention.

Take our Hunger Prevention campaign, for instance. Back in the summer of 2008, during our initial creative development, we found that many people in the U.S. simply did not think of hunger as a problem that existed here in America. They saw it as a developing world issue; one that affected poor people in faraway places. We needed messaging that could drive home the size and scope of the domestic hunger issue, and get people to take action.

Our solution? An alarming, stops-you-in-your-tracks, statistic. 1 in 8 Americans struggles with hunger.

We anchored every piece of our communications with the 1 in 8 fact—in TV, radio, print, outdoor, web banners, website, talking points and press releases. Heck, we even named the campaign “1 in 8.” It was all working swimmingly until, well … the stat changed.

The recession was upon us, and within a few months of our launch, USDA reported that 49 million people are now food insecure in this country, a massive climb of 36% in one year. The new statistic brought us closer to 1 in 6 Americans struggles with hunger than 1 in 8 from just a year ago. (This goes to show how much more work we have to do on this issue, but that’s another post for another day).

Our 1 in 8 campaign suddenly felt … inaccurate. But the complex logistics of pulling all of the spots off-air, re-editing, and re-distributing out to the media would mean thousands of dollars worth of unexpected expense. So, along with our sponsors at Feeding America, we made the decision to leave the campaign as is.

Ultimately, the actual math wasn’t as important as the net takeaway for the audience. Whether the stat is 1 in 8 or 1 in 6 (or even 1 in 4), what we’re trying to get across with our campaign is that hunger is a very large and urgent problem in the U.S., and one that needs action now.

Somebody* once said, “The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” Truth is, every brand, organization and issue comes with its own behemoth set of data and numbers. It is our job as marketers to mine for the ones that are most compelling, and distill them into meaningful content for the public. The power of a statistic comes from the way we humanize it. Otherwise, they are just a string of random digits.

*This quote has often been misattributed to Joseph Stalin, but the actual author is unknown.

8.5% of the population has a disability – including visual, [...]]]> It’s easy to feel like no one is policing the Internet, so therefore no rules apply, but guess what – they do. Over a series of posts, we’ll examine matters of law which may come into play when executing online strategy. First up: Web accessibility guidelines.

8.5% of the population has a disability – including visual, audio, motor and cognitive impairments – that affects their computer use. To understand how portions of the Web may or may not be accessible to this population install a developer toolbar and turn off all styles (CSS) and images within your browser. It’s quite a different experience, no?

Good example of an accessible webpage. On the left: How the page www.loseyourexcuse.gov/parents looks to an average Web user. On the right: How the same page would look to a user dependant on a screen reader.

Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act outlines standards for the means by which Web content is to be made accessible to all types of users. Online properties of the federal government must adhere to these standards as a matter of law. However, as a matter of good practice, other organizations should likewise adhere to such standards.

And while not legislatively mandated to follow a particular set of guidelines, neither are non-governmental entities immune to the law in this arena. The retailer Target was compelled to make changes to its e-commerce website – and pay settlement costs – as the result of a disability claim.

While its purpose is abundantly clear, unfortunately, adherence to Section 508 can become terribly murky. By virtue of the legislative process, language is hugely subject to interpretation, and there are loopholes. And it should be noted that Section 508 was finalized in 2001 (albeit updates are currently in draft form); the majority of the Web in those days was straight HTML (which is easy-peasy to make accessible), unlike the more immersive and media-rich Web to which we’ve since become accustomed.

So, yes there are challenges to designing a website that is in accordance with the standards of Section 508, however it is to one’s advantage to meet the intent, if not the letter of the law. In addition to being inclusive of all users, the same techniques which make a site highly accessible also benefit search engine optimization (SEO), usability, and browser compatibility to name a few – all good things in terms of website success.

Resources to explore:

1. For the technical and legal wonks: Read Section 508. It’s a real page-scroller!!

2. Check out WebAIM: the foremost advocate for Web accessibility and provider of resources on the topic.

3. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):
These are guidelines of The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international community with the mission of developing Web standards. They tend to be more in line with the evolutionary nature of Web technology. Rather than prescribing specific tactics (images must contain tags), they are principal-based and suggest a range of tactics to make content accessible. For the most part, a site developed to these standards will in turn also be Section 508 compliant (but since there is always that room for interpretation, this can’t be stated definitively).

If you’re like me, you’re sort of familiar with GSA.  Aren’t they the Federal agency that manages procurement dollars and billions in federal assets (government-owned buildings, etc)?  But did you know they’ve set up a program to help Federal agencies navigate the ever-evolving world of new media? 

It’s called the Center for New Media & Citizen [...]]]>

If you’re like me, you’re sort of familiar with GSA.  Aren’t they the Federal agency that manages procurement dollars and billions in federal assets (government-owned buildings, etc)?  But did you know they’ve set up a program to help Federal agencies navigate the ever-evolving world of new media? 

It’s called the Center for New Media & Citizen Engagement (yes, they know it’s a mouthful) and it’s housed within their Office of Citizen Services and Communications.

Their objective is simple: they want to improve the way Government talks to and engages citizens online.  And here’s how they’re doing it: They’re offering up tools and technology, capacity building and standardized policies (on topics like privacy and accessibility) for the Federal Government’s 28 agencies.

For example, they want to make it easier for federal agencies to use new media while meeting their legal requirements.  So, rather than each agency—like NASA or EPA – having to negotiate with YouTube or Flickr about terms of service, GSA is creating standardized agreements that everyone can use.   

GSA is negotiating things like ethics, endorsements, privacy and security so you don’t have to.  To date, they’ve signed 30 agreements with major providers like Bing, Facebook, Google Analytics, LinkedIn, Hulu and WordPress covering a myriad of topics (search, video sharing, social networking, photo sharing, blogging, etc.)  

What else?  GSA provided a free online “ideation tool” which can be used and shared across government.  Sometimes called a crowdsourcing or “social voting tool”, it helps agencies analyze, absorb, and rank the public’s ideas.  It was used as part of the Open Government process and is an innovative supplement to what agencies may already be doing to engage the public (in-person town halls, etc).    Check out which agencies used this tool and who got the most visits: http://opengovtracker.com/

They also have a link on online contests and challenges where you can get “how to” tips, sample guidelines and case studies. And examples like DOL’s What Can You Do? or the State Department’s Change your Climate, Change your World.

Unfortunately, all of this is somewhat buried in GSA’s website — but they’re working on that too.  For now, you can learn more by checking them out on Twitter at @GovNewMedia (link to http://twitter.com/GovNewMedia).

Sometimes, an issue and its solution can seem too large to swallow. Like 49 million Americans struggle with hunger or [...]]]> Want to grow support for your campaign? Involve local partner organizations on the action! Working on two localized campaigns, Hunger Prevention and Lead Poisoning Prevention, has taught me the value of unifying organizations for your cause.

Sometimes, an issue and its solution can seem too large to swallow. Like 49 million Americans struggle with hunger or 38 million American homes contain known lead hazards. Localizing your content can benefit your target audience by helping them understand that the issue at hand affects people in their community and the solution is also within arm’s reach.

For Hunger Prevention, our national efforts direct consumers to feedingamerica.org to locate their local food bank, and our localized efforts do the work for them by providing the closest food bank and its contact information in the end frame. The net response is “Wow, hunger is a big deal in America, but I can help by donating, volunteering, and advocating at my area’s local food bank.”

For Lead Poisoning Prevention, we communicate the harmful effects of lead poisoning in young children and encourage parents to contact leadfreekids.org to find lead prevention resources in their area. The localized efforts direct viewers and listeners to the closest organizations in their area where they can test their homes for the presence of lead, test their kids’ lead levels, and learn tips on how to prevent lead paint poisoning.

Involving local organizations in your cause helps give the issue a greater voice, offers a personal touch on a national message, and increases your local media support. It gives viewers and listeners an outlet to learn more information and participate in the solution.

Though the benefits far outweigh the challenges, it can be difficult managing 200+ organizations.  It’s a tedious job making sure that phone numbers and URLs are accurate, keeping up with organizational name changes, and understanding DMA demarcation, but if you’re organized, the process runs smoothly.

The key to a successful localization is involving your local partners early, getting them excited, and keeping them updated on the progress of your campaign. Happy localizing!

Smokey Bear. McGruff the Crime Dog. Tony the Tiger. The Aflac Duck. The Energizer Bunny.

Spokesanimals can be memorable and effective communicators of your message.

In my last post I talked about when and how to work with celebrities as spokespeople.

After today’s launch of our Re-connecting Kids with Nature PSAs, featuring Shrek, I thought about the use [...]]]>

Smokey Bear. McGruff the Crime Dog. Tony the Tiger. The Aflac Duck. The Energizer Bunny.

Spokesanimals can be memorable and effective communicators of your message.

In my last post I talked about when and how to work with celebrities as spokespeople.

After today’s launch of our Re-connecting Kids with Nature PSAs, featuring Shrek, I thought about the use of spokesanimals as messengers.

Here are some advantages

• You don’t have to worry about them speaking out of turn (as you do with human spokespeople)
• If you choose the right one, the spokesanimal can be really appealing to your target audience and they can be very inspiring (McGruff the Crime Dog has helped encourage more than 20 million Americans to join a Neighborhood Watch group!)
• Spokesanimals are timeless (and they can be refreshed). Smokey Bear is turning 66 this August and he looks fabulous!
• And now with social media, your spokesanimal can have an online life of his own (www.facebook.com/smokeybear)

And a few disadvantages

• Your spokesanimal is always fictional so he/she can’t have that human relatable quality
• There can be challenges with licensing/usage rights (depending on who you choose)

So, ultimately, I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

But from my experience, it works best when you choose/create a spokesanimal that is credible and has a personal connection to the issue (as with human spokespeople).

Shrek is from the forest and, therefore, he’s the perfect ogre to communicate the importance of spending time outside for kids.  Check out the new PSA and visit www.DiscoverTheForest.org for more on Shrek’s involvement in the campaign.

And let me know your thoughts on the use of spokesanimals!

It’s never an end goal to only get consumers to become your Facebook fan (or should I say “liker” now?). The real goal is to have the consumer like you, follow you, and become engaged with your mission to then take action — offline action.  This is why social media ROI continues to evade us. [...]]]>

It’s never an end goal to only get consumers to become your Facebook fan (or should I say “liker” now?). The real goal is to have the consumer like you, follow you, and become engaged with your mission to then take action — offline action.  This is why social media ROI continues to evade us. Think of this action sequence: offline to online then, the most important piece, online to offline. That last piece –  the conversion to offline action taken after identifying with a cause or organization online – is the hardest to measure.

Enter location based applications, such as FourSquare and Gowalla. They give me hope for getting a better handle on offline action because checking in is essentially recording an offline action, online. What does this mean for nonprofits? The implications are clear for nonprofits that have locations across the nation. “I’m at NYC’s Food Bank w/4 others (bit.ly.gpslocationlink); Just donated 4 lbs of food!”

Think of the targeted mobile advertising possibilities: I check in to American Apparel and receive a coupon for 10% off a t-shirt and $3 of the sale goes to Save the Children. I buy the t-shirt, and check in to let everybody know I’ve done so (so maybe my friends can get in on the deal as well). Then, the next time I’m at American Apparel, I’m going to check my phone for another sweet discount AND (hopefully) an opportunity to help children. A satisfied shopper and probably a return customer, concerned with the triple bottom line, is born.

In the nonprofit world our bottom line is action and promoting behavioral change. If social media reports went from “we have 6,000 online followers” to “$6,000 donated food to NYC’s Food Bank” those numbers are truly results to base a return on investment.

It’s exciting that checking in is the new checking it out. And now we know if you actually did it.