Help Me...Tips for Successful Charity Marketing

As a business owner there is no doubt that you have been approached by at least one person (more likely, hundreds of people) asking for a donation.  In a struggling economy more and more organizations need money.  Although you may want to help the cause(s) you still need to wear your business hat and make sure the donation will benefit your business.  Sometimes this even means saying NO. 

Wow, that sounds really heartless!  I am not heartless, just always looking out for the bottom line.  I love to volunteer and have organized several fundraisers.  You may have even been approached by me looking for a donation (I leave no stone unturned).  I am a firm believer that Charitable Contributions should be part of your Marketing Strategy.  You just need to make sure it is going to grow your business.  Here are some tips to make sure your donations are driving sales. 

1)      Create a Charitable Marketing Strategy. 

This should include how much money you are going to dedicate to charitable causes, what charities you are going to support and how you are going to support them.  Having this outlined will help to ensure the donation will benefit your business and maximize the benefits.  Hint: Support Charities that are aligned with your business, ie. If you own a pet grooming business donate to the SPCA. 

2)      Say NO with a Smile. 

You are going to have to say NO to tons of requests, make sure you say it in a way that puts a positive spin on your business.  This is where having a good Strategy comes in…. You can let the organization know what types of Charities you support or how much money you dedicate to charities each year.  It is ok to let them down but make sure you tell them why and ALWAYS invite them to ask again!  Hint: Be consistent.  You may have the same person ask you for donations from different organizations.  If you are not consistent with your giving or decline it can negatively impact the impression of your business. 

3)      Showcase your business.

I am not a huge fan of writing a check.  You should be looking at this donation as a 100% marketing opportunity.  What better way to market your business then to get someone to use it.  I think having your logo on a T-Shirt, Banner or Program is great but try making the donation a sale.  Whether you are donating your services or a gift card into your store, this benefits you two fold.  1. You get a sale with the money you donate and 2. You have the potential for a great customer experience and they will most likely tell people about it.   Hint: Donating birthday parties is a great way to get multiple people to experience your business. 

4)      Advertise it.

A great benefit of donating to charities is including it in your advertising.  Consumer’s like to support businesses that support charities.  Don’t be afraid to let them know that you accept donation requests.  If you have a good strategy and let down “speal” it will have a positive impact on your business.  Hint: Highlight a specific charity that you work with.  This will highlight the your giving without opening the door to millions of requests.  

5)      Don’t wait for them to come to you.

Create your own fundraising opportunity.  This involves giving a % of sales to the organization puts you in the driver seat.  You can set the terms and they are responsible for bringing the customers.  You are donating a % of sales but in return you are getting new customers and word of mouth advertising!  Hint: Have fundraising events on days/time when sales are typically slow.

Charity Marketing can be a bit scary ( I have literally had business owners shaking when telling me NO) but it doesn't need to be.  Creating a good Strategy will empower your business and ensure you get the maximum benefit from donations.  For more tips and ideas visit www.cohesivemarketingsolutions.com.  With over 15 years of marketing experience we can take your business to the next level.

HOW TO BRING NEW LIFE TO THE OLD "EVENT"

In the past having an “Event” was part of every good Retail Marketing Strategy.    When you opened a new location you had a Grand Opening.  When sales were down and you needed to boost traffic you had a Re-Grand Opening, Sales Blowout or some type of “Event” to attract media and customers.  This strategy used to be a great way to drive traffic into a retail location.  Done correctly they would attract media attention and spread the word about your business.  As with most things this strategy has gotten old and ineffective. 

So if the old tried and true Grand Opening no longer works what do you do to increase awareness and traffic to your retail location?  The answer, be creative.   Just because the old type of “Event” no longer works doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one.  You just need to think outside of the box and find new ways to have an event.  Here are some ideas.  **Warning** Remember to have a goal and make sure the event is helping your achieve the goal. 

1) Birthday parties.  This is top on my list because it not only drives potential new customers to your business; someone else is paying you to do it!  Parties can be done during slow sales times (generating revenue that you wouldn’t have had) and attract a captive audience allowing you to showcase your product or service.  It doesn’t get any better than that!   These parties are also not just for kids.  I have seen more and more parties’ pop-up for adults too. 

2) Fundraising.  I am not as big of a fan of this one simply because if not done correctly it can drain your resources and not drive sales.  That does not mean you shouldn’t do it, just do it in a way that makes good business sense.  I am a big believer in giving back but if you don’t have anything left to give what good will it do…..

Most important rule (again) define your goal(s) and stick to it!  Having been on both sides of Fundraising I have seen a lot of businesses give money with minimal perceived benefit (what they thought would drive sales) and high expense.  Having a goal and expected results will help you avoid this.  You may have a booming business and are just looking for a tax write off and good will.  Great, write a check.  If not come up with your own fundraising strategy and don’t be afraid to say no.  Also, look for a future post on this subject.  It is a good one!

3) Go Virtual.  Social media is taking over the world, at least the marketing world.  More money and time is continually being invested in Social Media.  The reason….because it is effective.  Why not look for ways to have an event using your social media channels.  You can giveaway product, coupons and even have a celebrity appearance with minimal expense. 

4) Partner with Civic Groups.  You might think this should fall under Fundraising but I felt like it needed its own category because it is not really fundraising.  If you are not already, you should be a member of your local Chamber and other business organizations.  They are always looking for someone to host meeting and events.  This is a great way to engage with the group while getting very active members of the community into your business.  Another one is Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts and the like.  Maybe your business can offer something to help a troop earn a badge.  They will pay you for the service, you are getting new people to experience your business and there is also media potential. 

These are just some ideas to bring new life to your “Events”.  If you define your goals, stick to them and get creative the possibilities are endless.  You can also contact Cohesive Marketing Solutions.  With over 15 years of Retail Marketing Experience we know how to drive traffic!  www.cohesivemarketingsolutions.com  

ARE YOUR MARKETING DOLLARS GOING DOWN THE TOILET?

Most businesses have two distinct groups; Marketing and Operations.  Basically you have the "doers" and the "sellers".  It has been my experience that these two groups are always at odds with each other.  Operations blames marketing for not delivering customers and marketing blames operations for losing customers because they are not delivering a great experience or product.  I have often had the conversation; “I cannot justify spending marketing dollars to bring in new customers when they are going to have a bad experience”.  Customer retention is a big part (or at least should be) of your marketing plan.  It is far less expensive to keep a customer then acquire a new one.  So why are these two groups always at odds? 

I think a big part is due to human nature.  It is easier to blame someone else for a problem then admit you don’t have a solution.  The other part is not having a true understanding of marketing.  I would argue that everything is marketing.  The appearance of your business (on and offline), how you treat your customers, the product you deliver and even how you treat your employees. 

This is easy for me to say because I am a Marketer….Of course I am going to ask Operations to do my job for me!  The real question is how you get Operations to understand that all of these things have an impact on sales.  Having worked in retail, one of the first things I would do when I visited a store is use their bathroom.  Not because I have an overactive bladder but because they are usually disgusting!  When I went into a bathroom that was clean and well maintained, I knew the rest of the store would deliver.  I knew this because the fact that the store manager dedicated precious labor hours (in this economy they are precious!) to keeping the bathrooms clean meant he or she “got it”. 

Now that I have a child I use a lot of public bathrooms, not because I am checking on the operations but because I don’t want to have to leave the store.  There are some stores I have left without making a purchase and won’t step foot in again because their bathrooms are so gross.   This is what you have to make the operations folks understand. 

It all comes down to the Toilet……  Not always but I think it is an excellent example that anyone can understand.  I don’t think there is a person on the face of the earth that has never been faced with using a public restroom.  In this economy when every single dollar counts it seems an easy place to cut corners but it has a huge impact on the consumer. 

Whatever your metaphorical “Toilet” is, before you ignore it first think of the impact it will have on your customers.  Will it make them leave or never want to come back?   Maybe it is worth your time and money after all….

Don't Let Social Media Determine Your Audience!

The world of advertising has changed so much in the past 15 years.  We have gone from a world of print, radio and TV, all vehicles that require significant investment and planning, to an arena that seems to be driven by Social Media.  We are no longer handcuffed by long lead times and expensive media rates.  The ability to reach customers is literally at our finger tips. 

With this ease of access and flexibility I find that basic marketing principles seem to be flying out the window.  There are so many Social Media sites and the competition on these sites is so fierce it is easy to become overwhelmed and forget who you are trying to reach.  Everywhere you look businesses have a long list of social media buttons.  It seems as though the more sites you are on the more people you can reach.  If you are Applebee’s and your target audience is everyone then yes this is true.    

   

For most small to medium sized businesses that can benefit the most from social media it is not.  Even if your target audience is everyone it is unlikely that you have the bandwidth to effectively manage more then 3 or 4 social media sites.  You shouldn’t be on Facebook because it is the most popular social networking site; you should be on Facebook because your target audience is on Facebook. 

The first step in managing Social Media is creating a plan.  Your plan doesn’t have to be long or complicated but it should begin with identifying your target audience and end with analyzing your results.  The meat of your plan should include social media sites, GOALS (ding, ding, ding), content creation and scheduling.  If you don’t include these basic elements you are just wasting a lot of time on Social Media and not engaging your target audience. 

Don’t let the popularity of Social Media sites dictate your audience.  Take the time to understand your customers and what sites they are using.  Then decide how much time you can dedicate to Social Media marketing and create a plan!  Good Social Media Marketing is all about engaging your audience and this requires some planning.

  

Pure Michigan or should I say Pure Branding!

This summer my family relocated to Rhode Island from New York.  While transitioning we put in a lot of windshield time going back and forth!  To pass the time on the road my daughter and I started playing the license plate game, always looking for new states (the most rare one so far, Prince Edward Island!).  We continue to do this, always looking for the last few states.  Today I spotted Michigan, yes I play the game by myself.....  

I was struck by the simple message on top “Pure Michigan”.  I am sure everyone reading this post knows this an advertising campaign started by the state back in 2006.  It is also the “Brand” created by Travel Michigan.   In 2013, new license plates became available with the same branding.  They are also carrying this message on retail products and their highways.

So….. “Pure Michigan” is a great example of successful branding (even my new home state is attempting to file suit “Beautiful Rhode Island”), but it got me thinking.  Why aren’t more businesses better at branding?  Limited resources?  Maybe, bigger marketing budgets can mean more marketing but not necessarily better marketing. 

The definition of “Brand” or “Branding” simple put is something that distinguishes yourself from your competition.  Spending lots of money on a logo and plastering it all over the place does not constitute good branding.

In my opinion good branding starts with three simple steps.  The first, understanding your customers.  Then, figuring out what your business offers that is important to your customers.  And lastly, finding the one thing that your business offers (that is important to your customers) that your competition does not.  Once you have done this work you can then begin to establish your “Brand”.   

So many people skip this process but it is an important one.  It is the jumping off point from which all of your businesses decisions and marketing can now begin.  You should use this “one thing” to create your logo and tag line but don’t forget your actions or how your business operates.  You want to make sure it is carried all the way through your business; down to your employees (if you are lucky enough to have some) not just you’re advertising. 

I am a firm believer that even small budgets can have great marketing.  It is not how much you spend it is how well you spend it…. With the right groundwork and follow through any business can create “Pure” branding.