Are your blogs receiving comments?

As mentioned earlier, this past week I was speaking at the Canadian Society of Association Executives' Annual convention. During this time and as a result of the comments I received as well from last week's webinar on social media for non-profits, I thought it pertinent to address a recurring question. Namely, "why isn't my blog receiving any comments"?

To answer that question, my response would be the following:

1. How inviting and relevant is the need for commenting? From the beginning, your metrics may need to consider whether or not people are actually visiting and reading your website. Reading through the website of the Social Networking and Media Association (SNAMA), I found an interesting stat that showed very clearly that on average, most social media participants are "lurkers". In other words, they're often more interested in consuming information on blogs than in actively participating. So...don't be so hard are yourself! In my view, the number of unique visitors and other metrics you can receive from Google Analytics is more valuable.

2. Is your content boring?? More often than not, visitors may come to your blog and think "hmm...so what?" In my view, if your constant objective is to elicit comments, you're going to need to become a thought leader and be provocative. For associations, this lesson is all the more pertinent - whether seeking comments or not. As the experts in their respective field, associations have an obligation to be ahead of the pack.

What are your thoughts?
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Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a PR and GR Consultancy for non-profits. Subscribe now to his newsletters at www.actionstrategies.ca

New Book Released: Online PR & Social Media for Associations and Not-for-Profits

Well..new news. After much deliberation, research, trials and errors, I'm happy to announce the release of my first book. Back in March, I placed a YouTube Video on this blog announcing the launch of a trial and error process to learn specifically how non-profits can build a fan base through social media (you can view the video by clicking here). The end result has been a book I have co-authored with Randall Craig of Pinetree Advisors which I believes goes far beyond the far too common hype around social media. Instead, we've aimed to offer concrete step-by-step advice on how you can leverage this great new communications tool for your organization. I sincerely hope you will check it out:


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Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services or even undertaking a grassroots advocacy initiative. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

CSAE Conference: Lessons in the Need for Strategic Plans

For those not already aware, I'm here in Toronto this week attending the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) annual convention. While there are a number of subjects we have already covered and undoubtedly more will come, one topic in particular stands out:

"Why do good association executives get fired?"

Presented by Jack Shand (Leaderquest Inc.), there are a number of factors that point to indicators of why matters can go awry. More often than not, association executives themselves are not to blame. They are the victim of poor strategic plans or the lack thereof of any strategic planning itself. When non-profits exist in a vacuum of a clear idea of where it is that they are going, boards and volunteers (not to mention staff) can be left in a guessing situation of what can be expected as measures of success. When this occurs, association executives can soon find themselves in an environment where no matter what they do, their efforts and hard work can be quickly placed in doubt. While the ramifications of this may seem evident for senior association and non-profit staff, I cannot help avoid thinking that from an effective communications or even government relations perspective for NPOs, there are important lessons to be learned as well. PR and lobbying efforts in an association environment will only be as effective as the planning processes that exist behind them.

Strategic planning is needed on two levels. First, a non-profit itself needs an overall strategic plan that sets a clear mission and direction. It cannot be a vague document nor can it set out a laundry list of "to-do's". If an organization's overall strategic plan is unclear, it cannot be expected of a communications professional or lobbyist to reach clear goals. After all, as communicators and government relations professionals, we set in place initiatives with the objective to back up an organization's strategic plans. In the same tune, communications and government relations initiatives need to have their own planning processes. If we fail to plan, we plan to fail!

So, what are your thoughts? Do you think association and non-profit organizations given enough attention to strategic planning? What about in general terms towards the need for communications and advocacy planning? I argue that more than ever, NPOs need to pay more attention to the value of planning of course for the strategic direction of their organization - but they also need to pay attention to the value of strategically planning their advocacy to government and their communications. Without such clear objectives laid out, too often we see the professionals that act in this sphere fall victim to the whims of boards of directors who may not have the insight of all of the ins and outs or successes that have occurred.
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Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services or even undertaking a grassroots advocacy initiative. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

A new webinar: Social Media Strategies for Associations and Non-Profits

Booked for November 24, 2009 at 1PM EST.

Engaging Members & Supporters in Grassroots Lobbying

Many associations and advocacy non-profits engage in lobbying. What sets them apart however from corporations who also lobby is that they have an important asset at their disposal: a membership & supporter base. Understanding this concept, earlier in my career as the Director of External Communications for the Canadian Construction Association, I coordinated a nation-wide campaign initiative to engage CCA members into the 2004 federal election.

Faced with frustration at the lack of attention CCA was receiving from federal legislators regarding its issues, I was assigned with a strategy to raise the association’s profile. Undertaking a full year effort to identify construction industry champions on Parliament Hill and opportunities where significant legislative advances could occur, I developed a strategic plan that included the following:

1. An interactive website was developed especially where the media could learn about construction issues and members could login specifically to a special area of the website to download a series of manuals and ideas on how to influence candidates in their region.


2. A specific communications campaign to the Members was undertaken to educate them on the election and how their involvement could make all the difference.


3. Options for sharing content were provided and members were also trained/ encouraged to forward on news of the campaign to colleagues.

Over the course of a year, I succeeded in earning the association an invitation to participate in consultations with the federal government over reforms to the Bankruptcy Act. Approaching the policy developers of each of the five federal parties present in Parliament, I also succeeded in having aspects of the CCA’s position reflected in each of the party platforms during the 2004 general election.

Now...it is important to note that all this occurred before the rise of social media and social networking. I am currently experimenting means of how these grassroots campaigns can be all that more improved with interesting results. Now, with the expanding world of social media, lawmakers are creating Twitter accounts. Granted, the person actually doing the tweeting probably isn’t the lawmaker, but this does provide another avenue, on top of paper, phone calls and emails, to communicate with elected officials. Other effective means of grassroots advocacy is occurring through specially made applications that permit sharing of content and as a result, engage other supporters as well.

Whatever your strategy, a grassroots advocacy campaign will need to consider the key elements of what will engage and motivate supporters towards your cause.

Give us a call for more information!
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Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services or even undertaking a grassroots advocacy initiative. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

Best practices in Media Relations: The Canadian Convenience Stores Association

In late September, Action Strategies was engaged by the Canadian Convenience Stores Association (CCSA) to assist them in a Quebec-wide awareness campaign to lower the taxes on legitimate cigarettes to combat the sale of contraband tobacco in the hands of youth. Concerned by studies that upwards of 30% of the tobacco in the hands of minors was originating from illegal sources, I undertook a campaign of identifying journalists in the Outaouais region who would be interested in covering the story.

To be most effective and ensure CCSA received the value they deserved, the following tactics were undertaken:

1. Lists of very targeted journalists were developed: Good media relations requires good lists! Before sending out a press release, I make certain to qualify a list for the right contact information and to ensure the list or coming release is appropriately targeted to the identified journalist interest.


2. A specialized email tracking system is used to distribute communiques: I believe in going one step further than simply sending out via email or fax a news release. Too often, it is far too easy for a communique to be lost in the morass of email/ mass communications an average media outlet receives in a day. To be most effective, Action Strategies uses our specialized distribution system. Once a communique is sent, I know exactly which journalists have received and opened my message. When I conduct my follow up calls, I know as well which links they have clicked upon and as a result, I can gage their interest.


3. Follow up, Follow Up, and more Follow up! Journalists are a busy bunch. Merely leaving a message or relying on an email message is no guarantee the media has received your invite. It is certainly not enough for me to ally the concerns of my clients that the media will take interest. In as much as it is possible, I endeavor to connect personally with each and every contact on my list conveying the importance of the story or the "pitch" as we say. In delivering this pitch, I use the principles I addressed in a blog posting from one year ago: "Pitching by Phone"

Undertaking these tactics for the CCSA, Action Strategies successfully organized a press conference and radio interviews that secured interviews on:

Le Droit

TAG Radio FM

Revue de Gatineau

TVA (television)

We can do the same for your organization as well! Contact us now for a quote on our media relations services to non-profits and associations.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Can traditional networking compete with Social Networks? Recruiting Members in the Facebook Age

Being a member of a business association or volunteering for a charity used to be the ultimate ways to network -- that is, until LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter came along! How can your membership-driven organization survive and even thrive within a landscape of always-on social networking? These are questions I know that trade association executives are facing these days particularly as they attempt to reach out and recruit Generation Y into the leadership of their board and into their staff. Added to this challenge is that for many associations, the perceived value their members receive from their annual dues comes from the opportunity to connect with colleagues, broaden their knowledge of the field and possibly network to build their business. However, in a downturned economy, chances are that members will be looking to other means outside of association events to make these connections.

The key to "bums in seats" at association networking events relates to engaging your members and supporters. To compete and ensure they remain engaged, you must make sure that you provide value to your members and donors and if you’re already providing value, you must make sure you communicate that value. Members, and especially Gen Yers are very savvy "consumers", electronically connected, and they are looking for value.

Communicating that value will require non-profits to undertake a paradigm shift. In an internet age where your potential market for support is bombarded for appeals for help from thousands of causes, non-profits need move away from mass appeals and work towards narrow casting their message. In other words, addressing messages that directly appeal to the individual.

If you are looking to learn more on this subject, I fully encourage you to register for our November 4th webinar on how non-profits can use social media to build rewarding networking opportunities for their members and supporters.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service strategic communications, public relations and public affairs consultancy for non-profits and associations. Find him on Twitter at @markbuzan.

Keeping busy association members active and interested

Quipped from an excellent article I found from the Education and Training Unit for Democracy and Development (a South African based non-profit) that deals with a challenge many associations face comes an interesting consideration: What are you doing as an organization to keep your members engaged and involved. Many professional associations face this challenge and the need to address this challenge becomes all the more relevant when your association relies on volunteer power, your members keep very busy schedules and even more so when membership in your professional association is not a regulated requirement.

Keeping members active

Many organisations lose members as fast as they recruit them. There are common problems we all have in keeping members involved and active. Here are some typical ones:

The organisation's meetings are long and boring
Members do little other than to listen to leaders talk
A small clique has all the power and does not encourage others to get involved
Members are not valued and are never thanked or praised for the work they do
Members feel useless or frustrated
The organisation has no projects that members can be involved in
Members feel that they are getting nothing out of the organisation.

People usually join an organisation because they want to do something for their community. But they also want something out of being a member. You should find out what motivates members and make sure you manage them so that they stay motivated and involved. Members are usually motivated by:

Feeling that they are valued by the organisation and making a contribution
Opportunities to learn new skills or get education about issues that interest them
Working on issues that will improve their lives or the lives of their families and communities
Feeling part of a team
Activities that entertain them or add to their social life
Rewards in terms of status, personal development or access to employment opportunities.
Here are some of the things you should do to keep members motivated and involved:

1. Do an introductory induction workshop for all new members so that they understand the organisation and its work


2. Welcome and introduce all new members at the beginning of each meeting


3. Run regular education and development sessions for all members - either as part of regular meetings or in special workshops


4. Encourage members to get involved in projects and campaigns


5. Give people responsibilities and tasks and team them up with experienced members - they will feel useful and valued


6. Thank people and praise them in meetings for work done


7. Structure your meetings so that they are exciting and everyone gets a chance to participate


8. Organise social events for members such as picnics, parties and outings


9. Leaders should spend time talking with members and getting to know them

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Want to Learn Social Media for NonProfits? "Working Knowledge" Webinar Series Now Launched

I promised it would be here and I've kept my promise. Action Strategies has teamed up with Wild Apricot, the internet's leading integrated set of web tools combining membership, event and website management for associations, clubs, online communities, membership website, non-profit organizations and other groups. How can your membership-driven organization survive and even thrive within a landscape of always-on social networking?
Being a member of a business association or volunteering for a charity used to be the ultimate ways to network -- that is, until LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter came along! What kind of event will generate interest? How will you get the word out? And how will follow-up with attendees to make sure your hard work doesn't end with simply having a great event? For charities, it seems there are more causes than ever making the ask for a shrinking amount of people's hard earned money. How will your organization ensure fundraising success for now and for the future? These are all questions I hear often as a constant preoccupation for non-profits, charities, and associations. Over the course of November and the first week of December, a three-part webinar series will be delivered covering all the aspects of how your organization can:

1. Leverage Social Media to double the networking value your members and supporters can receive from your organization
2. Double event attendance at fundraisers or your next convention through effective public relations techniques
   
3. Magnify and monetize your fundraising initiatives through sound and savvy communications techniques

So...I'd love to see you all out for what should prove to be an interesting learning series. Best of all, it's FREE! So what have you got to lose? Click on the links above and register your spot now.

If I haven't already mentioned, there's Twitter

I feel I must go into remiss...I have not been posting as much as I would normally like. That being said, do not believe I have been offline at all! More often than not, I am on Twitter daily posting interesting links and tidbits of information I find on Twitter.

I invite you to check out my postings at http://twitter.com/markbuzan
. Work is full steam ahead on my new book, "Social Media for NonProfits and Associations" and a new webinar series is set to be launched in two weeks on the subject as well.

In the meantime, please do write your comments for ideas and requests on articles!

Engaging Generation Y into the leadership of your NPO

In November, I will be addressing the national convention of the Canadian Society of Association Executives. Of the two subjects I will be addressing, none brings more frustration than comments I hear from non-profit executives regarding the sector's difficulties in recruiting Generation Y into their organizations. Many industries, especially those in the trades, quite rightly are concerned by the aging trends in their membership. Amongst associations, the concern exists that those most senior in leadership (staff and board) will be arriving near the end of their career. For charitable organizations, the need to adapt their fundraising and volunteer pitch to a new audience also means reviewing how they communicate to this demographic.

Known as Gen-Y or millennials, Generation-Y are individuals born between 1980 and 1995, at a volume of 80 million strong in the United States alone. Gen-Y has been raised on technology, so much so that their cell phones are extensions of their hands and text messaging, instant messaging and Facebooking are how they interact with others, even different generations. Older generations can learn a lot from these communities, to better understand who millennials are and what they’re about. One of the major concerns association and non-profit executives are facing these days is how to cope with Gen-Y, yet many of them don’t take the time to get to know them better.

This new paradigm means not only a thought shift is required but from a communicator's perspective, it means thoroughly different communications strategy. Social media is not just a "nifty" networking tool. It demands of associations and non-profits a complete strategy that integrates older and traditional communications strategies with online means of communication. Generation Y expects the ability to be able to use online forums and networking means to facilitate first contact and beyond.

Us "old geezers" have the challenge of showing them the value of face to face networking. By integrating old and new media based on solid strategy of why communication is taking place first off, I believe associations and non-profits will make the significant leap towards engaging Gen-Yers.

What do you think? Can integrating the two "magnify" the unappreciated value non-profits present before this demographic?
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Training in Social Media Marketing for Non-Profits

Over the course of the last few weeks, I can honestly say I have been surprised by a continuing trend I have seen from those in the association sector. That trend has been the request to learn more about how they can leverage this new and emerging communications vehicle called social media. I believe this is a positive trend because there is no indicator from our data that Social Media will go away, in fact the adoption rates of Generation Y, indicate this is a trend (I'll even be speaking to this issues at the CSAE's annual convention in November). The trouble with social media is that with everyone able to create content and share the details of their personal lives in detailed minutia, the problem of excessive content becomes an issue. Every 60 seconds, 13 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube (says YouTube employee), and millions of tweets are generated every day. With so much content being created, how will one filter out what’s important?

Through all this clutter, non-profits face three challenges:

1st challenge: What do I say?: Determining content that will drive followers and recruit support requires serious thought and strategy.
2nd challenge: How much time should I be spending Tweeting or on Facebook?: Once you start tweeting or facebooking you will find that there is a lot of content and it is easy to spend a lot of time going through the content. Non-profit executives need an understanding of how they can coordinate staff and time resources to be most effective online without compromising their day-to-day operations.
3rd challenge: Staying organized: As one follows more folks on Twitter, it is easy to forget who they are or why I decided to follow them.

In response to these challenges, Action Strategies is launching a training module we hope to have ready by mid October covering the following issues:
Here are just a few of the inside techniques you'll cover in this intensive one-day workshop:

1. Learn how to monitor your reputation online, starting today


2. Discover how to set up a measurable, accountable social media program


3. Identify and track top blogs in your industry–––and decide the best time to join in the conversation


4. Acquire the techniques for placing the right messages on leading social media outlets, like FaceBook, del.icio.us, Digg, and YouTube


5. Harness the power of blogs and podcasts (including critical insight on who in your organization should blog and who should not )


6. Start using the latest Search Engine Optimization techniques to supercharge the visibility of your website and press materials


7. Find out the smartest (often ignored!) features of a social media newsroom

We are taking pre-registrations now for webinars and in-person seminars. Contact us today. I invite your team to book its training spot now!

New Legislative Monitoring Service for Non-Profits & Associations

Keeping track of legislation, regulations and committee movements on parliament hill and in various provincial capitals can be a wearying task for any organization. What's worse is the possibility of being caught off guard. To help our clients, Action Strategies is now offering a new service: Legislative monitoring and policy tracking. Action Strategies now delivers the information you need, when you need it, through automatic and personalized e-mail and handheld alerts.

Through real-time legislative, regulatory information and news, your issues are checked daily for committee action and process through the parliamentary/ legislature system. Hearing Alerts are sent to clients in advance of all published hearings. We monitor information from Ottawa, Queen's Park, and Quebec City ensuring it is filtered, tracked, compared, and archived. In summary, our new services provide the following:

Priority bill alerts are sent via email alerts to the client.

Bill summaries are written in-house and customized for each client based on a complete reading of the text.

Current bill text is attached to each bill report. Previous bill versions and amendments are also linked whenever available.

Extensive bill search capabilities

Complete committee schedules

There are many more service elements to share. We are also available to respond to client needs for additional information or assistance – at no additional charge. For only a few hundred dollars, your organization can be provided the piece of mind it needs to stay on top of the issues and avoid any unwanted surprises.

Give us a call for more information!
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Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

The Case of NAIMA Canada & the benefit of legislative environmental scans

NAIMA Canada is a trade association for North American fibre glass, rock wool and slag wool manufacturers in Canada. Founded in July 2004, NAIMA Canada represents the industry in Canada to promote the energy efficiency and environmental benefits of fibre glass, rock wool and slag wool insulation.

Seeking to take its government relations efforts to each of Canada’s provinces, NAIMA Canada found itself short in terms of expertise and understanding of the process for effecting change in Quebec. It needed Action Strategies to counsel the association on identifying the appropriate contacts and channels to bring Quebec energy and construction policy in line with the organization’s needs.

On numerous occasions, NAIMA Canada engaged us to identify policy makers in the political and legislative spheres as well as in regulatory sphere of the Quebec government. Primary to our representation, we found that the Agence de l'Efficiacite Energetique (AEE) and the Regi du Batiment (Building Code Agency) were where there was a great need to constantly monitor how these two organizations intended to regulate energy efficiency requirements in the building code. Each organization produces countless numbers of reports and convenes a number of different task forces. Without the benefit of a dedicated resource to monitor and report all of this back, NAIMA Canada would have undoubtedly missed some critical opportunities to advance their cause.

In all, engaging Action Strategies meant the association had the counsel it needed on identifying the appropriate contacts and channels to bring Quebec energy and construction policy in line with the organization’s needs. Conducting an audit of the possibilities, Action Strategies delivered a full report on the where NAIMA Canada would have the most success.

I would have to say that the experience was a positive one for both of us. What experiences or thoughts o you have on legislative monitoring?
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Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

Bill C-4, Non-Profit Reform Shows the Reason Associations Need Legislative Monitoring

In June, Parliament enacted a major reform that will affect thousands of non-profits from across Canada. Those organizations who are federally incorporated will need to re-register their incorporation and follow new transparency guidelines. After reviewing the documentation over the course of the summer, I must admit that directly speaking, C-4 is not overly political. However, it will have very broad-based impact on numerous associations and charities across Canada. Using this bill, here's how in just one example, not having monitored the on-goings of Ottawa could potentially place an NPO in hot water:

• The Bill requires all federally incorporated non-profits, associations, and charities to re-register their incorporation


• It also imposes important new requirements to demonstrate transparency to members and donors: C-4 establishes new rights for members and donors to have more access to the proceedings of their organization. Equally interesting, NPOs will have to give consideration of new forms and classes of members/ supporters. Moreover, the new law will mean as well that NPOs will have to account for their members' new rights to be able to participate in decisions via electronic means....again emphasizing the need for more transparency.

Not being aware of these factors could put an NPO board and executive in hot water! With such broad-based impact, Bill C-4 shows the value of legislative monitoring from a professional consultant. C-4 demonstrates this case from a wide-sweeping perspective. However, each organization I encounter has a number of its own issues and challenges. More often than not, NPOs don't always have the on-staff bandwidth to be aware of every possible piece of legislation or government regulation.

However, engaging a consultant to assist in the process of monitoring, allows for identifying and prioritizing challenges and opportunities for the NPO. By doing so, organizations are given a hospitable environment to grow. Excellent information and perspective are at the heart of any successful state and local government affairs program. Anything less is a handicap.

As part of a legislative monitoring system, consultants read each regulation, bill and amendment to identify relevant client issues, avoiding the critical errors that can plague services limited to keyword searches. These professionals perform bill tracking until final disposition, providing political perspective, or “outlook,” for each piece of proposed legislation.

Generally, legislative monitoring involves identifying the:

• Bill Sponsor (name and party affiliation)


• Summary of Major Provisions (emphasizing provisions of interest to the client)


• Status (report of past and upcoming actions)


• Outlook (a political assessment)


• Hyperlink to the full text of Bills/Amendments (when available)

Other aspects can be identified as well depending on an organization's needs
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Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how Bill C-4 impacts on your organization, please contact him. Equally, drop him a line if you feel your organization could benefit from legislative monitoring services. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca

Tips for Viral Web/Email Marketing

Here are the best tips you’ll need in devising and carrying through with your first viral web/email marketing campaign.

1. First things first: ensure that you have a professional and attractive website to direct your current members and customers to, as well as potential new members and customers. It should never be underestimated that first impressions are the ticket-or one of the most important tickets-to success. Impress them with an attractive, easy-to-navigate website and they’ll stay there-reading up on your cause, mission, and programs; which, in turn, makes them that much closer to getting involved with your nonprofit.

2. Make sure the viral marketing message you devise is clear, well presented, and easy-to-follow. When people-your members or visitors-are surfing the web, and come across your site or email campaign; they want something quick and convenient-especially if it doesn’t help them directly. Make sure you choose a viral marketing tool that is unmistakable, welcoming, and easy for the person to use. If it is a “tell a friend” button, ensure that the customer only has to make a couple of actions to tell their friends. Not only does this make them more susceptible in telling a friend, but more likely to tell a bunch of friends.

3. Offer incentives and prizes. No matter our age, we all love the idea of getting something for nothing. For your email, newsletter, or website viral marketing campaign; you should always offer your audience something in return for their help in boosting your network of potential customers and members. It doesn’t have to be expensive or lofty in anyway, just a little something that thanks them-and inspires them to do so-for recommending your site and nonprofit organization to their friends, relatives, and/or contacts. In keeping with this strategy, make sure you are prepared to deliver these freebies or incentive prizes at a fast pace or large demand. Delivering once called upon will also show your present and new network the extent of your professionalism and credibility.

4. Follow up with appreciation. Many newcomers to viral web marketing forget-once they set up their viral email/web campaign-to follow up with thanks and appreciation once they have gleaned new members, customers, or overall response from their viral marketing network efforts. One of the best rules in any kind of marketing-and this extends especially to nonprofits-is to always be aware of your customers, clients, members, etc; and to make them feel not only involved with your nonprofit mission, but more importantly, valued. The trick with marketing is that you have to reach as many people as possible in a manner that seems personal and one-on-one. Follow up with a thank you email, an unsolicited gift or privilege, etc. Just taking a small amount of time and effort to recognize these people who contribute to the success of your nonprofit business, makes them feel good about their efforts and inspired to do and be a part of more.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.

Great article: Keeping Spikes in Media Interest Up

The nature of media relations is - like it or not - touch and go. When you're up, you're up. When you're down, you're down and when a story has gone through the news cycle, the let down afterwards can be disappointing. The tendency is to look for ways to keep a story going so an association or NPO can keep their cause "top of mind". This is no small feat but the internet age makes this more possible. In my search to come across some great examples of how this can be done on Kivi's NonProfit Communications Blog with a recent article "The First 100 Hours - Turning Media Spikes into Fundraising Leads".

Some of the more salient points of the article involve the following excellent pieces of advice:

• Amplification of traffic via blogs, Twitter and online PR. Online coverage leads to more traffic to your site than more traditional PR. The best way to amplify traffic is develop one or two clear calls to action and ask bloggers, tweeters, etc. to repeat them.


• Capture and divert Google searchers via customized search ads related to the media activity. For 100 hours (give or take) search activity will surge on a wide range of plain English variations of “your media topic here.” While organic search may get visitors to one page or another on your site, the only way to get searchers directly to the landing page is via paid search ads. Maximize those Google grants - or if you don’t have one - consider an expenditure and track your return. In most cases we’re talking hundreds, not thousands, of dollars.


• Launch concomitant online paid media. In an ideal world, the report release would be accompanied by a flight of online ads. As with search, one could expect click- through rates to be much higher in the 100-hour media coverage window.


• Devote significant home page real estate to diverting traffic to a landing page related to the issue in the media spotlight. For 100 hours, the top home page priority should be getting traffic to the conversion landing page.


• Develop a landing page that makes a very brief yet compelling case for signing on — by offering a free benefit or calling them to action. The quality of the landing page will be the single largest determinant in converting media coverage into traffic into names on the email list.

I think this is excellent advice. What are your thoughts?

Leveraging Social Media? What are all these internet forums and are they really applicable to associations?

Interestingly, it is the internet’s depth and vastness that mystifies many association executives. Sadly, I hear many associations express veiled excuses for not involving social media in their outreach efforts. Commonly thought of as the domain of Gen-Yers, and twenty-somethings, social media and internet viral marketing offer practical and sensible applications for all audiences. Social media strategy depends from case to case and will require an investment of time. Used correctly, social media can:

• Build networks and community, connect and mobilize members on the key issues confronting your association
• Build a donor base and gather emails
• Tell your story –Put a face and a personality to your organization
• Share information and resources quickly
• Promote brand and cause

If carried out correctly, viral web marketing techniques can be very effective in boosting your member list and getting your organization’s name and message out. Many non-profits are using “Tell a friend” buttons or links on their websites and email newsletters. Whether used for connecting or recruiting members and donors, and developing advocacy can take different channels through the various goals sought.

Recruiting members and soliciting donations:
The very essence of making online “friends” and developing a base of followers through social media extends this ability far beyond the reach of the amount of people or prospects you could physically reach in one day. With one of my charitable clients, the Success Factory, we have just begun an online campaign through Facebook to raise money and build word-of-mouth awareness for its employment training programs. Using the “Causes” application, Facebook is allowing board members and staff of this brand new organization in one full sweep to: 1.) Demonstrate the mission of the Success Factory, 2.) Engage other Facebook members to recruit their friends as supporters of the cause, and 4.) Allow a forum of communication for Success Factory supporters, thereby spawning the creation of new innovative ideas.

Facilitating communication between association staff, members, supporters and the board
The concept of sharing ongoing association business with the entire world on Facebook is less than appealing. To answer this situation, there are social media options such as Ning.com and Google Friend Connect that can create either a separate network for an association or integrate social networking elements right within an association’s website. The Canadian Table Soccer Association is one association that has effectively utilized Ning (http://tablesoccerca.ning.com) as an opportunity for members to connect, share ideas, and announce events.

Within an association website, there are means a communications team can take to ensure that it remains current and relevant for members. Using Google Friend Connect, a free set of customizable tools offered by Google, associations can embed html code within their website that easily invites friends from social networks and contact lists to visit and join your site.

If associations are not blogging, they need to begin. Integrating a blog into your web presence provides regular information for members and board to follow. For those associations less inclined towards a full blog, Twitter comes to the rescue offering a micro-blog option. Creating an account is free and each blog entry is limited to 140 characters. As a result, your association’s ability to be found in search engines is increased.

Building recognition with the Media and Influential Bloggers

The internet is crawling with bloggers on issues as vast as the internet itself. Social media also changes the presence of how non-profits present information to journalists. With the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), I have been working their media relations and internet teams to promote collaboration between these two fields. Journalists will also be kept up to date with every story development of via an RSS subscribe option. Even the delivery of traditional press releases changes with social media. Instead of the typical boiler plate press release, a photo was embedded along with clickable links over to the organization’s website. To best ensure the internet is leveraged as a communications vehicle, make sure the message you devise is clear, well presented, and easy-to-follow. This includes replying to personal messages and posting constant updates. Online profiles can be time-consuming, but their targeted visibility is unparalleled.
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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations.

Tips for government grant success - part #2

In May, I wrote a submission to Charity Village's Village Vibes newsletter on some of the basics that associations and charities should concern themselves with when considering an application for a government grant in support of their programs. Since then, I have been approached by various non-profit board members of differing organizations looking for advice. In the hunt for offering valuable counsel, I thought it worthwhile to elaborate and in some instances, come back to some of my original points.

Some of the most basic principles of general grant seeking and grant writing tips apply for government grants, as long as the previous rules and tips are acknowledged and followed. The more general but also crucial tips to successful grant seeking and writing are below:

Seek out programs that are as closely tied to your program’s cause or initiative. The more focused and specific your program to their grant guidelines, the more apt the funder will be to award your nonprofit the grant. You will discover this through your research of potential programs and grants.

Pay special attention to amounts, deadlines, restrictions, locations, etc. Missing one small detail could easily cost you a grant.

Make sure to spend plenty of time on the grant. Most grants seem simple enough, but the funders do not want a hastily completed grant proposal, and yes, they can always tell.

If you do not have the time to spend on delivering a well-written grant, hire a professional grant writer whose specialty is drafting and submitting winning grants. This could take a lot of work and worry off a busy nonprofit’s shoulders, and could be well worth the investment. Grant writers have often worked in with an organization that offers grants, giving them the benefit knowing what is generally expected.

Make sure to apply knowing that the funds will not be awarded retroactively, and the application process can take anywhere from a couple months to a year. Plan accordingly.

Make sure to include all attachment documents that the guidelines ask for. Typical ancillary documents include: federal nonprofit proof, fiscal year budget, and other sources of grant/fundraising income.

Know that most government grant sources will ask specifically for follow-up proof on how their money is being spent and what the positive outcome has been. Be prepared with ways in which to measure the success of the program, and talk about it in the grant.

Lastly, know that all grants-especially government grants-are very very competitive, and that you may not win every grant for which you apply. Applying for grants is a learning process. You will win some and you will lose some, and learn what works and what does not in delivering a successfully awarded grant.

Grant application is a lengthy and delicate process, but necessary for the sustenance of non-profits. These tips and the aid of a non-profit professional will ensure that your organization is prepared for any proposal.
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Mark Buzan is Principal of Action Strategies, a GR Consultancy for non-profits. If you have questions on how Bill C-4 impacts on your organization, please contact him. Subscribe now to his Lobbying tips newsletter at www.actionstrategies.ca/Action_Strategies/Newsletter.html

A fantastic example of how non-profits can develop a viral email campaign

I'm a regular follower of Ragan.com, a social network for public relations professionals such as myself. Occasionally, I stumble across some interesting articles of a general nature. Most recently, I found this excellent case study that demonstrates just how powerful the internet has become for non-profits and how much it really has become the great equalizer in terms of matching themselves against the PR budgets of large corporations. This most recent example of using email campaigns (something I believe most NPO and association professionals still can somewhat get their heads around) demonstrates the point and offers much of the essence of the counsel I offer clients. Enjoy! I'd love your comments :)

Viral video campaign draws 1 million viewers
By Zak Stambor
TriWest Healthcare ditches the standard press release in favor of a viral e-mail campaign

Last winter, TriWest Healthcare Alliance launched its first viral video e-mail campaign to raise money and awareness for Operation Homefront, a fund that provides emergency services and assistance to troops and their families. Within a year, nearly a million people had watched the video.

Before launching the campaign, TriWest had never used any social media tools. Whenever the group wanted to publicize a fundraising drive, it had always issued standard press releases.

But after Kristen Ward, a TriWest senior communications specialist, attended a conference on social media, she decided the organization needed to reach its audience—military stationed overseas and their families at home—where they were already looking.

"We could have reached out to the base papers, but we didn't know what portion of our audience that would reach," says Ward. "We knew they go online to check their e-mail. So we figured, 'Why not reach them via e-mail?'"

By doing so, says Ward, TriWest's campaign exceeded its wildest expectations.

Putting the e-mail together

Ward’s first step was to visit John Ondrasik's Web site, What Kind of World Do You Want?, which allows individuals and organizations to create and upload videos linked to a specific cause. Each time someone watches a video, a designated donor contributes funds to a related charity.

Ondrasik, a member of the band Five for Fighting, and TriWest already were well acquainted. In 2007, TriWest sponsored “For the Troops,” a compilation album the band distributed free to military personnel in the United States and overseas. As a result, when Ward discussed her goal with Ondrasik, he suggested that she create a video based on Five for Fighting's song "Freedom Never Cries."

Ward then worked with TriWest’s two-person video team to develop a concept and storyboard for the video. TriWest budgeted $37,000 for video production.

The video would mirror the song: a man brings an American flag to a pawnshop to get money for a guitar before reconsidering his decision. She then pitched, and later fine-tuned, the concept with Ondrasik and David McIntyre Jr., TriWest's president and chief executive officer.

Ward then set about crafting the e-mail message to accompany a link to the video. The copy, which was only four sentences, went through five drafts.

"We had a clear objective," says Ward, "We wanted to say, 'Check out this video and a dollar will be donated.' But brevity is difficult and everyone wanted to add something."

Rather than allow the message to be clouded with extra words, Ward put her foot down. She listened to the details that others wanted to add and boiled them down to a word or two.

"I told everyone, 'For this to be successful it needs to be short—the shorter and more direct the better,'" she says. "Then I showed them examples of effective campaigns."

Orchestrating the model

Early on, Ward and her colleagues realized that they had to map out a campaign strategy. They decided on a three-part plan.

They first focused on the grassroots level. On March 11, they sent the e-mail with the video link to a list of 300 employees, supporters and personal and professional contacts. They hoped the video would receive 30,000 views, which would translate into $30,000 for Operation Homefront. Within 20 days they surpassed their goal.

The key, says Ward, was crafting a persuasive e-mail.

"We've all been e-mailed notes with a link and we tend to delete them," she says. "That was our concern. We tried to avoid that. So even after we fine-tuned the note's content, we then focused on developing a compelling subject line."

They settled on, "Check out this video and support the troops."

The second phase of TriWest's strategy involved reaching out to military channels.

"There is a whole community of bloggers—military families at home, service members who are overseas, and military who are home—who are posting diverse content about their experiences and about the military itself on their sites," Ward notes.

After receiving TriWest's e-mail, many of the bloggers embedded the video on their sites or posted the link.

In the campaign's third phase, TriWest sent out a press release to mass media outlets with a military focus, such as the Military Times newspaper, DefenseLink.mil and the Pentagon Channel. But unlike in the past, the press release highlighted the launch of the viral video.

Each campaign phase added hundreds of thousands of viewers. Today the count is approaching 1 million views.

But since the launch was nearly a year ago, Ward's challenge has been to maintain momentum.

"We're looking at various ways to tag on to other social media outlets, such as blogging and setting up a Facebook page," she says. "The viral e-mail was just a start."

Six tips for launching a successful viral video campaign

1. Determine your target audience. To get your message out, you first have to determine who will be interested in it.

2. Identify where your audience is looking for news. "For us, we knew that they were primarily reading blogs and e-mails to stay in touch—so that's where we had to reach them," says Ward.

3. Develop a key message or objective. Work with your colleagues to brainstorm the main goals that you're trying to achieve.

4. Boil down that objective into a sentence or two. "Don't bog down what you're trying to stay with extraneous detail," says Ward. "Develop one key message and home in on that message."

5. Organize the campaign into phases. Make a plan that seeks to gradually expand exposure, starting from the grassroots level and moving to a nationwide rollout.

6. Follow through on your plan. Send your initial e-mail. Then, let your audience take over before heading into the next phases of the campaign.

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Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.