Celebrating our non-profit heroes

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Monday, December 19, 2011

At SpinWeb, we love working with charitable non-profits. We love working with many different kinds of organizations but non-profits are very special to us because they are so focused on changing the world for the better and they encourage others to give, volunteer, and devote resources to causes that create real improvement in people's lives.

This holiday season, we are highlighting our charitable non-profit clients who are filled with smart, caring, selfless people doing great work. These people are often overworked and under-appreciated and we are grateful for their efforts.

At SpinWeb, we are encouraging our employees to consider making a donation to one or more of our charitable non-profit clients. If they do so, SpinWeb is matching that amount.

I would also like to encourage our subscribers to read more about these wonderful organizations and the work they do and consider making a donation, or perhaps even volunteering. We at SpinWeb would appreciate your support and I know our clients would, as well.

Alpha Center: www.alphacenterdayservices.org.

Established in 1978, the Alpha Center is an Adult Day Service program for the frail elderly age 60 and over in Delaware County. Activities are focused on the needs of the this age group with emphasis on education, entertainment, and mental stimulation with socialization and exercise promoted in a five hour structured daily program. Learn more about volunteering at Alpha Center.

Alternatives, Inc.: www.alternativesdv.org.

Alternatives Incorporated of Madison County strives to eradicate family violence in all its facets through education, prevention, and intervention in Central Indiana. Alternatives' philosophy is that all persons have the right to live in a loving, caring, safe and secure environment. Alternatives supports victims through the initial crisis with the ultimate strategy of helping them achieve abuse-free and financially independent lives. Help Alternatives end violence against women by donating online.

Animal Rescue Fund (ARF): www.munciearf.com

The mission of the Animal Rescue Fund (ARF) is to provide shelter, medical care, and love to abused, abandoned, neglected, and unwanted animals until permanent homes can be found. Through educational efforts, public awareness, and community involvement, ARF seeks to relieve animal suffering; to prevent cruelty, abuse, neglect and overpopulation; to eliminate euthanasia as a way of animal control, thereby creating a "no-kill" community in which both animals and humans benefit from the goodness of each other. I have a special place in my heart for this wonderul organization because my cat, Zoe, was rescued by ARF before I adopted her. If you love animals, learn how you can make a difference by helping ARF.

Henry County Community Foundation: www.henrycountycf.org

The Henry County Community Foundation, Inc. is a public trust which secures permanent funds for philanthropic purposes. Henry County Community Foundation has distributed over $11,000,000 back into the community, helped over 2400 students, sponsors several annual events, and has granted multi-year grants for the construction of buildings throughout Henry County since 1985. Consider giving back to the community in Henry County with an online donation.

Hillcroft Services: www.hillcroft.org

Hillcroft Services, Inc. provides residential, employment, and community support services to individuals with disabilities in a ten (10) county area in East Central Indiana. The mission of Hillcroft is: "To provide innovative services and supports for People with disabilities and their families; resulting in extraordinary differences in People's lives.” Hillcroft is focused on creating a culture of strong values, understanding the importance of ethical behavior, and maintaining high quality  services to the people served. I have toured Hillcroft's amazing facilities more than once and I am always moved by the great work they are doing and the real difference it makes to the individuals with disabilities that they work with. Take a look at this powerful video that helps offer some insight into what Hillcroft does. Then, consider making a donation.

Johnson Memorial Hospital Foundation: www.johnsonmemorialfoundation.org

There are the approximately 44 million uninsured Americans who need health care whether they can pay or not. According to the American Hospital Association, nearly one-third of U.S. hospitals lose money every year. These strains have made foundations and fund raising more important than ever to hospitals’ survival. The Johnson Memorial Hospital Foundation supports such diverse initiatives as providing scholarships for emerging health-care leaders, assisting the building of state-of-the-art Cancer Care Center, helping the endowment of a medical clinic for the uninsured, and assisting in the establishment of a successful healthy community coalition. Do your part to ensure that the community of Johnson County has access to life-saving, quality health care with an online gift.

Massage Therapy Foundation: blog.massagetherapyfoundation.org

The Massage Therapy Foundation advances the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education, and community service. In addition to funding research that move the massage therapy profession forward, the MTF also funds a variety of powerful community service programs. If you support the massage therapy profession and like the work you see from the MTF, consider donating online to help these efforts continue.

Muncie Mission Ministries: www.munciemission.org

Muncie Mission Ministries is a faith-based, not-for-profit agency that has brought hope to the poor, needy and homeless in East Central Indiana for over 80 years. Muncie Mission's primary services are provided in a Christ-centered environment designed to provide basic needs and teach life skills, while guiding residents through various problems that have brought them to the organization's doorstep. This program is centered on spiritual healing and enrichment. Specific efforts include: a shelter and home for homeless men, noon meals for the needy of the community, recovery/counseling programs, educational programs (GED, computer, tutoring), industrial program teaching job skills for men, family ministry, baby cupboard ministry for needy mothers and newborns, and attic window stores providing clothing, furniture and household items. Help the homeless and needy citizen of East Central Indiana with an online donation to Muncie Mission Ministries.

The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County: www.cfmdin.org

The mission of The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County, Inc. is to encourage philanthropy, assist donors in building an enduring source of charitable assets, and exercise leadership in directing resources to enhance the quality of life of the residents of Muncie and Delaware County, Indiana. The Foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations working in areas of economic development, education, community betterment, the arts and culture, and human services. Help making Muncie and Delaware County a better place to live with your online gift.

United Way of Madison County: www.unitedwaymadisonco.org

Everyone deserves opportunities to have a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health. That’s why United Way’s work is focused on the building blocks for a good life: education, income, and health. United Way's goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place. Consider a donation to the United Way of Madison County or perhaps even volunteer.

Youth Opportunity Center: www.yocinc.org

More than a beautiful 75 acre campus, and beyond an accredited program or diplomas on office walls, the YOC is about people helping people. Not just in small ways, but in life changing ways. Since the early 90s, the YOC has provided a safe place for troubled children and families. Now, almost two decades later, hundreds of individuals have been helped by the over 380 YOC staff members who dedicate themselves each day to making a difference in a child's life. YOC relies on support from donors to continue this mission, so consider making an online donation if the work they do inspires you.

As you read more about these amazing organizations, I hope you find a program, a story, or a cause that inspires you this holiday season. If so, please consider making a donation to the organization that would you like to support. You may also want to volunteer or even simply tell others about the work they are doing by sharing this post.

There are many people (including four-legged furry people) in this world who are less fortunate than you and I are. It's through the wonderful work of non-profit organizations like these that we can begin to make a difference.

Thank you to our charitable non-profit clients who work tirelessly to truly make the world a better place. You are our heroes and we celebrate you.

Creative ideas for online sponsorship packages

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Monday, December 12, 2011

Sponsors are a significant portion of revenue for many organizations. Many of our non-profit and associations clients depend on attracting sponsors to help them fund programs throughout the year.

For a long time, sponsorship meant contributing funds and then getting your logo displayed on some of the marketing material tied to a particular event. Or sometimes it means paying for a web banner to run on the organization's website. In general, most sponsorship packages consist of placing the sponsor's logo or banner in sort sort of visible spot and leaving it at that.

It's important for organizations to take care of their sponsors and treat them well. While the traditional packages used by most organizations do have value, there are some other ways to get creative and offer even more value. Since the traditional banner ad model lacks personality and a human connection, it's sometimes a good idea to include other options that introduce a more personal connection to your sponsors.

Why would an organization want to add more value in sponsorship packages? Sponsors are looking for a return on their investments. If they see value in their sponsorships that lead to more business, they are more likely to purchase additional packages in the future. They might even spend more money next time, which is a revenue opportunity for your organization.

Much of today's communication is done in the digital realm. This has created all sorts of opportunities to design creative sponsorship packages using newer digital tools.

So how do you leverage today's digital landscape to add more value for your sponsors?

To start with, you need to have a strong content marketing plan in place. This will open up a lot more options while giving your sponsors a more receptive audience to talk to. While traditional marketing is more about shouting and fighting for attention, content marketing is a more thoughtful approach which can often lead to a more loyal audience.

Here are some things that your organization can tie into a strong content marketing plan to create unique sponsorship packages:

1. Video interviews. Consider offering sponsors a video interview (or even a series) as part of their packages. If your sponsors are local, have them drop into your office and record a short interview in which you ask them about their products and services in a thoughtful conversation using a flipcam or smart phone. If they are not local use Skype or GoToMeeting. Have the guys at Candidio (affiliate link) do some touch-up for you. Then, publish the video on your website and social media accounts to get it in front of your members. Perhaps even include it in your blog or email communications. You are blogging, right?

2. Guest blog. Speaking of blogging, offer your sponsors a guest blog opportunity so they can demonstrate thought leadership to your audience. Of course, this becomes more valuable as your blog gets more traffic, which means it's a good idea to maintain a great blog that is well-distributed.

3. Sponsored QR scavenger hunt. QR codes are becoming more ubiqutous and there are fun things you can do with them, such as a QR code scavenger hunt. By allowing your sponsor to put together this fun event at your convention, you create the opportunity to get your sponsor's brand and messaging in front of people via video, as well as give away a great prize. It's a complex game, but has potential to really create broad awareness of your sponsor's brand and messaging. Or, on the flip side, of you are creating your own QR scavenger hunt, offer sponsors the option of hosting a QR code at their exhibit booths in order to increase traffic.

4. Use social media. If your organization is active on social media and provides value on a regular basis, you will likely have a strong following on networks like Twitter, Facebook, and in your LinkedIn groups. Consider designing sponsorship packages that include thoughtful promotion of their companies via your social media profiles. For example, if your sponsor reserves a week on social media, you could tweet things like "This week's sponsor is Acme, Inc - we love how they take care of our members. Be sure to read this case study (link)."

5. Run your own groupon-style email campaigns. This is especially relevant for associations. Groupon is a "daily deal" service that sends deeply-discounted special offers out to a database of subscribers. Associations can run their own mini-Groupon service simply by leveraging their existing databases of members. It needn't be as elaborate as the mainstream services. All the association needs to do is start setting an expection for members that every week (for example) members will get a special offer via email from a sponsor. Any sponsor wanting to purchase a spot pays a sponsorship fee to the association. The sponsor then creates a special offer with some sort of discount and the association sends it out in the weekly email. It's a win-win-win. The association gets revenue, the sponsor gets exposure, and members get a discount on relevant products or services.

They key to these ideas is relevance and clarity. You will want to make sure that you only accept sponsors which align with your organization's values. Additionally, you will want to make sure to keep communications clean and un-cluttered. This is espcially important in email communications.

You can also consider mixing and matching ideas to come of with other variations. If you stay focused on taking care of your sponsors, providing value for your constituents, and maintaining a strong content marketing plan, you will have an excellent opportunity to create more revenu for your organization though creative sponsorship packages.

If you need help designing and executing packages like these, don't hesitate to contact us. I would also love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

Getting ranked on Google: organic SEO vs AdWords

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Monday, December 5, 2011

A lot of organizations are concerned with being on the front page in Google. Traffic from search engines can be a significant source of leads to your website.

However, a lot of misinformation and confusion exists around the practice of search engine optimization. At SpinWeb, we often talk with clients who have a goal of being ranked very well in Google but are not familiar with exactly what it takes to get there.

Many organizations come to us asking about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). They often have preconceived ideas about what that means. Sometimes they think that scattering a few keywords across their websites will do the job. Other times they understand (correctly) that SEO can be expensive time-consuming process involving external factors as well as on-site factors.

However when we dig deeper and get to the root of the question, what most organizations really want is simply qualified website traffic.

There are two ways to bring traffic to your website from Google. One method is to optimize your website for organic search. The other is to use AdWords.

Organic SEO refers to the listings in the main area of Google's search results. These listings show up in the center of your screen and are displayed based on Google's natural algorithm. These listings cannot be paid for but can be targeted through content and external factors.

AdWords is Google's advertising program. AdWords listings show up at the top and on the side of Google search results and will typically appear in yellow at the top and in small boxes on the right-hand side. These are listings that can be paid for directly through Google's advertising program. The nice thing about Google's AdWords program is that you only pay for direct leads to your website. The only time money is deducted from your account is when someone actually clicks on the ad and visits your website.

So which method is better for your organization?

It depends on a number of factors. One factor to consider is the actual product or service that you sell. Organic SEO is typically an expensive and time-consuming process. Though it can lead to a significant payoff and excellent ROI, organic SEO will typically require a monthly investment of at least $2,000 if paid to an SEO company. If organic SEO is done in-house, it often requires many hours of careful planning, analysis, and labor. Either way it's a significant investment. If the product or service sold has a high-dollar individual sale price, organic SEO might be worth it. For example if you sell jewelry, legal services, laser eye surgery, or vacuum dehydrators, then you don't need very many additional web leads to see a positive ROI from your campaign. However, if you sell five dollar widgets, then the volume needed to see a positive return may not be worth it when compared to the efforts invested in organic SEO.

Additionally, organic SEO takes time to bear fruit. It's not uncommon for an organic campaign to start delivering results only after six months (or more) of hard work. An organic campaign is a marathon, not a sprint.

The AdWords program, on the other hand, has some distinct advantages of its own. An AdWords campaign can be up and running in 24 hours. Additionally it can be started with a much lower budget. For this reason, AdWord can be an excellent program for smaller organizations or companies with a lower-ticket sale. AdWords is also a very nimble program. It allows advertisers to quickly tweak, experiment with, and optimize campaigns on-the-fly.

This can also make it a valuable program for short-term campaigns or for companies with a lower advertising budget.

So what next?

If your company has an advertising budget of at least $2,000 a month, sells a product or service with a high price tag, and is comfortable with a delayed long-term investment, then organic SEO might be an excellent fit.

If your company is on the smaller side, has a more limited starting budget, and would like to see results very quickly, Google's AdWords program can work very well.

Either way it's important to make sure that someone is managing your search engine marketing program very carefully. If your company has someone in-house with the time and the expertise, that person can often be a great fit for managing your organic SEO campaigns or your AdWords campaigns. If not, it can make a lot of sense to outsource this task to a digital agency (like SpinWeb). Proper management and monitoring of your search engine marketing campaigns ensures that money is not wasted and that your campaigns are producing optimal results.

Why non-profits need marketing

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Monday, November 28, 2011

Marketing is something that pretty much all businesses do (or should be doing). Selling products and services requires finding customers. However, in the non-profit world where the task is usually to do more with less, marketing sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. I've observed countless terrific non-profits doing great work that truly makes the world a better place, yet struggle to generate revenue because of weak marketing.

Non-profits have customers, just like a business. They are typically called donors, members, sponsors, or volunteers. These people sometimes needs to be persuaded to work with your non-profit, just like a business customer. They need to understand the benefit of becoming a donor, member, sponsor, or volunteer. They need motivation.

Too often, non-profits operate under the cloud of "no budget", "on the cheap", or "all volunteer". While a frugal mindset is not necessarily a bad thing, it can sometimes keep great non-profits from reaching their potential due to lack of marketing.

So how does a non-profit utilize marketing?

1. Tell stories. Non-profits typically have a mission that involves creating change. Maybe it's providing aid to a specific group of people, or providing value to a community. This work comes with stories that are emotional and relevant. Get on video and tell these stories. Get your board members, volunteers, and staff members on camera to speak from the heart and explain why they come to work every day. Post these videos on your website and on social networks. Get stories out there.

2. Have a plan. Too many non-profits are just "winging it" when it comes to marketing. They give the task to an inexperienced intern, an overworked staff members, or a volunteer who will get around to it one of these days in his or her spare time. This usually leads to disorganized execution. Create a marketing plan that defines who your customers are, how you are going to reach them, and what your system is for motivating them. A roadmap gets everyone on the same page.

3. Don't be afraid to spend money. I've seen a lot of non-profits that are terrified to spend money on marketing. They feel that it's irresponsible to spend money on marketing. Quite the opposite. It can often be irresponsible to avoid spending money on marketing. How else will you reach the people who can support your cause?

Volunteers help run operations. Donors, members, and sponsors bring in revenue. Revenue and operations keeps an organization running. Not so different from a business, right?

Non-profits are doing great work and changing the world. For this reason, they need to devote attention and resources to reaching those people who can support them and help them continue the work. There is a balance to be found between creative use of limited resources, and proper budgeting for marketing. Embracing marketing principles that serve the business world can ensure that your non-profit grows, flourishes, and continues to make the world a better place.

When to outsource your marketing

Posted by: Michael Reynolds, President/CEO in General on Monday, November 21, 2011

Lead generation is a critical part of any business or non-profit. In order for an organization to serve customers or constituents, that organization must first identify, attract, and retain them. This is what marketing does. For this reason, it is arguably the most important department in your organization.

However, marketing is sometimes a misunderstood and often neglected department. For one thing, it looks easy. Just run some ads, print some brochures, send some emails, and call it marketing, right? This is not quite the case. Marketing is hard work, and includes careful planning, measuring, content creation, and optimization.

Some organizations assign the task of lead generation to one staff member who may or may not be qualified and who may or may not have a strategy. Marketing is easy, right? Anyone can do it.

Not so fast. Modern marketing takes skill, effort, and perseverance. Some of the most effective forms of marketing use digital tools, like websites, social media, email, video, and other tools. For this reason, the majority of organizations who want to compete effectively need to embrace the technology that drives today's marketing.

If lead generation is so important, why do so many organizations neglect it by making it a side project or giving it to an overworked employee who also has many other responsibilities? Often times, these organizations would be better off outsourcing their marketing departments in order to ensure that it gets the attention it deserves.

Why should you outsource your marketing? There are a number of advantages and here are just a few:

Stay current: By outsourcing to an agency with expertise in this area, your organization can stay on top of current trends and best practices. The digital landscape changes quickly and a marketing agency's job is to live and breathe this stuff.

Cost effective: It can often be more cost effective to outsource this part of your business when compared to the cost of of a full-time employee.

Better strategy: Your marketing strategy can often be more effective because you are buying an entire team that can pool resources together to execute a plan better than a single person could.

So, how do you know if you're a good candidate to outsource your marketing?

If your organization is a non-profit that employs a busy, overworked staff. A non-profit? Marketing? Yep... non-profits needs to market, too. Non-profits and associations need to attract members and donors and this requires marketing. Many non-profits aren't comfortable thinking about lead generation and marketing because it feels selfish and overly commercial. However, non-profits need money to survive, and this money comes from members and donors. Non-profits often lack internal marketing expertise or resources and therefore can benefit a great deal from outsourcing these activities.

If you are a small business with no marketing director. Many small businesses lack a formal marketing director. They might have sales people but this is not always enough. By subscribing to outsourced marketing, these small businesses can benefit from a lead generation system that helps support the sales team. This leaves the owners and other employees free to do what they do best.

If your marketing director is trained in traditional strategies. Many organizations are seeing great benefit from outsourcing the digital components of their marketing plans. Often times, a traditional marketing director will do a great job of overseeing the big picture, but may lack training in how to use specific technologies or how those technologies relate to the overall plan. This is a great opportunity to supplement your marketing activities with service from a digital agency.

If you don't have a clearly defined marketing plan. As mentioned before, printing some brochures, handing out promotional products, and posting status updates on Facebook is not a marketing plan. These are individual activities which may or not be producing results. Without a plan, they don't mean much. If you're not sure why you are doing these things and how they fit into the big picture, then you don't have a plan. This is a great opportunity to get some help from a digital agency that can create a plan for your organization and help you execute and optimize it.

Many organizations are seeing great value in outsourced marketing, especially since technology changes so quickly that it can be difficult to keep up. As you might expect, SpinWeb creates and executes digital marketing plans for organizations of all kinds, so please send us a note to learn more.

If you are not sure how effective your marketing plan is, lack internal time or resources, or don't have the time to keep up with the latest trends in technology, outsourcing may be a great choice for your organization. Please feel free to continue the conversation in the comments below.