I’m fascinated by the Russian spy ring’s attempt to extract U.S. secrets. They counted on their ability to burrow deep into typical American life to develop their understanding of the U.S. government’s goals and strategies.
One of their primary strategies in doing so - knowing their “audience,” the neighbors and other folks who had to believe they were just “regular folks” – is the key to advancing your nonprofit’s marketing impact. In your case, it’s an absolute must for strengthening the relationships with your current and prospective donors, advocates, volunteers and more that are the foundation of effective nonprofit marketing.
The goal
To understand your audiences well, in order to find the intersection of their wants and needs and those of your organization. That intersection is where connection happens, followed by engagement.
The spies had their audience down cold
“A neighbor of the Murphy family described them as “suburbia personified. Richard Murphy mowed the lawn; Cynthia Murphy came home from work…with daffodils and French bread in her hands.
“Relatives, friends, classmates, neighbors and co-workers of the three couples expressed shock at the arrests, and they searched their memories for signs that something was amiss, but mostly came up blank,” according to a story in today’s New York Times.
Clearly, the spies and their colleagues back at Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service had thoroughly studied these communities for the spies to embed themselves so successfully there.
Read the full article to learn how to get to know your audience without putting espionage to work
Trench coat, anyone?
P.S. Learn more about personas here: Create Personas to Bridge the Gap with Target Audiences
Nancy Schwartz on August 5, 2010 in Audience Research, planning
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Tags:Audience Research, nonprofit marketing strategy, personas
I’m continually on the prowl for strong nonprofit communications models to share with you since there’s no better way to learn how to strengthen your own initiatives. And I have a great one for you today.
NetSquared.org, the “online landing pad for social changemakers leveraging technology for social change” has been working hard on the redesign of its website. The site is the core of the NetSquared community so its effectiveness is vital to the success of the organization. The redesign goal is to provide users with easier ways to connect to useful tools and each other.
NetSquared has excelled in engaging site users in shaping its redesign, a powerful strategy to ensure your site works for your base and reinforces their loyalty. People like to be involved.
Here’s how the NetSquared redesign process works. The team:
- Solicited input on site improvements via an online voting form. Received input from 100+ users.
- Crafted a wish-list of redesign wants and needs from that input, and shared next steps with the community.
- Creates redesign mockups, one site section at at time — and inviting the community back into the conversation.
- Solicited input on home page ideas
- Solicited input on the challenge gallery.
- Will solicit input on additional site sections in the weeks to come.
To follow the rest of the story, and see the outcome, read the Redesign thread on the NetSquared blog.
This is audience research at its finest — succeeding in harvesting vital info from site users and further engaging them with NetSquared at the same time. Win-win, NetSquared!
Nancy Schwartz on July 29, 2009 in Audience Research, Case Studies, High-Impact Websites, Nonprofit Communications
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Tags:Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, netsquared.org, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, redesign, website strategy
NTEN is redesigning its Web site, and it’s calling far and wide for its network (members and non-members alike) to participate in the process. Here’s one of the invites.
Audience research is the only way to ensure that any communications initiative has maximum impact. And Web site design is so complex (look at how many folks it keeps in business) that soliciting input on your site design is even more important than it is for most other communications channels.
I admire NTEN’s openness in its call for input (they’re reaching out via their blog, to members via email and in other ways). It speaks volumes about the organization’s desire to serve the nonprofit sector, and will definitely generate a new Web site that’s far more effective.
Give your two cents today! You can do it here, in only 10-15 minutes. When you do, you’ll get a bonus — some great ideas on putting your network to work to strengthen your org’s communications.
P.S. Read this guide to shaping your org’s Web site to generate the actions you need.
Nancy Schwartz on June 10, 2009 in Audience Research, High-Impact Websites, Nonprofit Communications
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Tags:Audience Research, card sort, Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, nten
In celebration of Earth Day (April 22nd), GreatNonprofits is holding a contest to ID the best environmental nonprofits out there, as rated by volunteers, donors and others in the know.
The winning orgs will be featured in national media coverage and all voters are entered to win prizes such as earth-friendly wines from Fetzer, a stay at Joie De Vivre hotels and more!
So environmental nonprofits — here's your call to action: Email those who know your impact (everyone, be creative) and ask them weigh in here, today.
Crowdsourcing in the most useful and positive way. Love it!
P.S. GreatNonprofits solicits ratings from folks who know what orgs work, and which don't! Not only is this info used by prospective donors, volunteers, program participants, etc. — it's valuable audience feedback at no effort or cost to you. Make sure you use what's there on your org.
Nancy Schwartz on April 2, 2009 in Audience Research, Awards, Nonprofit Communications, Special Opportunities
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Tags:earth day, Getting Attention, great nonprofits, green orgs, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, perla ni, tagline
Nothing's more vital to your org's health than constant interaction with your base to ensure your marketing, programming, etc. is intersects with their needs, wants and interests. So I was pleased to see the National Wildlife Federation's recent audience-based approach to designing a more useful and engaging Web site.
NWF's approach, described here, centers around inviting its supporters and other site users to provide feedback on what they want in the new site — from content, design and functionality to event registration and live chats. NWF is soliciting input through this online survey, which is ultimately efficient — easy for users to complete and easy for the NWF team to review results and trends (stats are automatically generated and compiled by all the major online survey services).
To filter responses, the NWF is asking for input solely from those who use the site (they're going to be able to provide the best direction on what to change, as they've experienced frustrations — or successes — themselves in using the site). And they go beyond general questions to request feedback on a few home page designs — usability testing at the front end.
NWF further cements audience loyalty with its gift of a free screensaver to survey participants — as you can imagine, they have some wild photography on hand. The fact in itself that NWF is asking for help (and people like to be asked to help, it makes them feel involved), is going to make its network feel more involved with the organization. So it's a real home run.
One suggestion — If I were the NWF team, I'd capture the emails of survey respondents and invite them to join an information Web site advisory board. Then I'd call on the advisory board for input along the way as the site gets built (and after launch). They'll be an ideal group to test the site before the public launch, to ensure the actual new site is doing its job.
Informal advisory boards such as this are a great way to monitor the pulse of your org's base and continue to evolve your marketing to be most effective.
P.S. The right messaging is critical to the success of every nonprofit Web site! Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Nancy Schwartz on March 12, 2009 in Audience Research, Case Studies, High-Impact Websites, Nonprofit Communications
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Tags:Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, tagline
Walking on the beach last week (a heavenly respite), I was struck hard by the powerful strategy of this vacation rental spot.
Note the mailbox location and label. Unlike the hundreds of other beach front properties, these folks are 150% audience-focused.
They’ve noted that Florida visitors walk on the beach, whether they’re lucky enough to be staying there or not. And while you’re walking on the beach, top of mind is how nice it would be to stay right there. This rental property understands and engages that desire, making its rental brochures easily available at the moment of…
Meanwhile, its competitors count on the scenic shots of the rental and beach featured on brochures inside the rental office, where the prospective renters aren’t. In the wrong place.
Is your nonprofit reaching out in the right places? Make sure you’re well positioned to intersect head on with your network’s interests, needs and hopes, the nonprofit marketing sweet spot.
P.S. Don’t miss out on the in-depth articles, case studies and guides on branding, messages and more featured in the twice-monthly Getting Attention e-update. Subscribe today.
Nancy Schwartz on March 3, 2009 in Audience Research, Branding and Messages, Nonprofit Communications
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Tags:Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, tagline
Not the one where Punxsutawney Phil climbs out of his hole to predict when spring will arrive (saw his shadow today, so keep the fire going), but the movie — in which reporter Phil Connors (my fav Bill Murray) gets stuck in a small town and wakes up to the same day again and again. Same old, same old which soon becomes nightmarishly boring.
Ultimately, the endless repetition works out well for Phil Connors, but it won’t for your organization. Make sure your messages intersect directly with what’s important to your network right now. The same old, same old will generate closed eyes and ears, which are hard to open up again.
Last night’s Super Bowl ads drove this point home to me big time. The ads, which have become a focal point in their own right, were nothing more than recycled hash from previous years. They didn’t touch what’s important to people now — protecting their families in the economic crisis, family, traditions, hope, innovation, faith…
Here’s the thing: The bigger the gap between what’s vital to your base, and your messages, the more you’ll alienate them. Because you just don’t know (or care) who they are. Kind of like a bad marriage.
If you’re sensing a gap between your org and your base, then start reaching out to discover what is vital to them, so you can ID where your org can meet those interests and needs. Do it now, before the marriage is over.
P.S. Yes We Can! When a powerful tagline is joined to a compelling mission…nothing is impossible! Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don’t dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Photo:elcefeliz
Nancy Schwartz on February 2, 2009 in Audience Research, Branding and Messages, Nonprofit Communications
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Tags:connection, groundhog day, messaging
Nothing alienates the people you're trying to engage to learn, give or sign a petition more than being out of sync with what's top of mind for them.
So when I spotted this 66-page ad supplement in The New York Times a couple of weeks ago (the weekend following the first bailout and the fall of the Dow below 9,000), I was appalled.
First of all, when I scanned the title (Watch Your Time: Special Watch Portfolio) I assumed it was about the market, and the need to watch it carefully. That just shows you how life shapes interpretation.
But then to open the supplement and see 66 pages of watches for sale at $30,000 and up just made me vomit. Even though I know that this was scheduled months ago and that the ad revenues help get me my paper at a reasonable price, I was jangled.
Make sure you don't make the same mistake. Stay in sync with your organization's supporters so you don't alienate them. If they start to think that you have little sense of who they are, or that they don't really know your organization, you're in trouble. That kind of discomfort breeds distance and disconnects.
Of course, the only way to stay in sync with your supporters and their burning concerns is ongoing audience research. Anecdotal conversations work fine if that's what you can do, as long as critical findings get to your colleagues who need to hear them.
P.S. Learn how to craft the marketing message that matters most — your tagline. Download the free Nonprofit Tagline Report for must-dos, don't dos, case studies and 1,000+ nonprofit tagline examples!
Nancy Schwartz on October 28, 2008 in Audience Research, Branding and Messages, Nonprofit Communications, Strategy
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Tags:Getting Attention, Nancy E. Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz, nonprofit branding, Nonprofit Communications, nonprofit marketing, nonprofit tagline report, tagline
Step back right now and re-think your donor communications program. You have to.
Results of The Great American Donor Survey, conducted by nonprofit market research firm Campbell Rinker, are damning:
“83 percent of charitable donors consider the giving experience to be what they expect. [But,] only 13 percent say the charity they supported went beyond their expectations.”
Just last night over dinner, I listened to an old friend’s critique of the synagogue where we met. She was dismayed when a large gift last fall generated nothing, not even an acknowledgment, much less thanks. And more disappointed when her mention of that gaffe, and her reaction, went unheeded.
She compared that experience to the hand-signed note she received from another synagogue (where she occasionally attends services, and has many friends in the congregation) on its receipt of her $50 gift (far smaller than that to her own synagogue).
Which synagogue would you prefer to belong to, and to support? The one that ignores you (and, you have to assume, does the same with many of its other programs and community members); or the one that recognizes you promptly, respectfully and with enthusiasm?
Remember, these experiences stayed top of mind for my friend nearly one year after the gifts. So much so that she featured them right up front in our conversation, even though we hadn’t talked for ages.
Dirk Rinker is right on target when he says, “word of mouth is your best advertising.”
That works for your organization when there’s good word to spread. But when your organization fails to respect and involve donors (and program participants and product customers and service users), that word spreads like wildfire, burning your bridges as it goes.
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Tip of the hat to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Nancy Schwartz on July 29, 2008 in Audience Research, Fundraising: Innovations & Research, Nonprofit Communications
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Tags:The great american donor survey
campbell rinker
Dirk Rinker
Chronicle of Philanthropy
nonprofit marketing
fundraising
Wow, 25 segments (specific audience groups) is the most I’ve ever heard of, but that’s how Goodwill of Greater Washington (GGW) is slicing its fundraising. According to a recent article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the organization "now tailors its appeals to different audiences, and has increased the number of repeat donors by 60 percent over the past five years [by doing so]."
Well, it’s hard to argue with stats. I also have great faith in the marketers and fundraisers of Goodwill of Greater Washington. You may remember them as the innovative marketers who produce a fashion blog that has nurtured a whole new group of buyers for certain Goodwill goods. These folks are great at what they do!
Tailoring messages (and the visuals that go with them) is more important that ever when prospects are stressed like they are now. According to Brendan Hurley, GGW’s senior vice president for marketing and communications, the org is customizing its campaigns (specifically, the benefits to each group) to "25 distinct groups, including donors of used goods, buyers of goods, affluent people who could make big donations or planned gifts, and leaders of corporate foundations."
Here’s one great example of the benefits conveyed to specific segments: "Donors who give to Goodwill’s training programs help low-income learn the skills they need to earn more money. They, in turn, are able to spend more money, improving the local economy and the quality of life for residents."
Segmenting is powerful, and an approach you should always take when shaping your marketing campaigns too. But I urge you to take one step further to flesh out the demographics traditionally used to shape such segmentation with personas.
I’m a big fan of developing fully-fleshed-out fictitious characters (aka personas) to understand your base and other groups your org wants to engage. Shaping personas is a practice that enables you to "know" your target audiences far beyond segmentation, which is limited to demographic definition in most cases. Most importantly, personas are a great lead-in to audience research, and a useful ingredient in product/program/service development and testing. Use them to hone your approach as precisely as possible before you dive in with pricey and hard-to-find focus group participants or testers.
This guide to shaping personas will help your org reach your base more effectively.
Get everything you need to know on nonprofit marketing via the in-depth case studies and articles in Getting Attention e-updates. You’re missing out if you read the GA blog only. Subscribe today!
Nancy Schwartz on July 22, 2008 in Audience Research, Branding and Messages, Case Studies, Fundraising: Innovations & Research, Nonprofit Communications
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Tags:Brendan Hurley
Goodwill of Greater Washington
personas
fashionista
audience research
nonprofit marketing
I’m fascinated by the Russian spy ring’s attempt to extract U.S. secrets. They counted on their ability to burrow deep into typical American life to develop their understanding of the U.S. government’s goals and strategies.
