Obviously the train of thought here is that if you know where everybody goes, you should go there too.  But simply going isn’t enough; it’s knowing where to go that’s key.

If you could reach your entire audience on social networks, how many do you think you could you find?  And, where would they be? 

Acquisition is a Numbers Game

Some would argue that the marketing industry has always been a game of numbers.  Nowhere is the number game more dialed than in the game of acquisition.  It’s simple math really, the more people you have coming into the top of the funnel that you can expose to content and offers, the better.  If you have a greater volume of people coming in, you’ll have a greater volume of people you can convert for some reason down the road (i.e. make a purchase, donate, attend an event).

In the old days, we worried about getting more postal addresses to mail to.  Then, we focused on email.  Now, across the digital landscape we can engage our audience across Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Google+, and new networks emerging every day.  If you’re like us, you’ve spent lots of time and money to acquire more social network fans and followers over the last few years.

Knock, Knock. Who’s There?

BUT, who are these people you’re recruiting?  Are they the same as the people you want to reach?  Could you be reaching more of your audience on any of these social networks?

The real question for brands becomes, who exactly is behind those numbers? According to Forrester Research’s latest State of the U.S. Consumer Report, generational barriers are seemingly non-existent for the #1 social media powerhouse, Facebook; while Gen Y and Gen Z make up the contributing body on Twitter. In touching upon the idea of demographic segmentation last week, the next logical question obviously becomes, “How many of my audience members could I reach online?”

Really, It Is A Numbers Game.

Nielsen can estimate you how many consumers you reached with last year’s multi-million dollar Super Bowl spot or the number of households watching during this week’s Dancing With The Stars finale.  In that same respect, Facebook Insights will tell you how many people read the article you posted about the “Situation” suing his favorite clothing line.

But, assume you could tie these exposure estimates to specific members and segments of your audience.  Then, break the audience potential down in terms of the maximum addressable audience, and the game changes.

A Three Digit Number Isn’t Always the Best Kind

Referencing Forester’s latest research again leads us to the conclusion that 24% of ALL adults online in the good ol’ U. S. of A. use Twitter.

Say Giveo’s super-hero-specialists do what they do best and find out all there is to know about your email audience across social networks. They do some data analysis…blah blah  blah blah (ed: that’s technical speak)…then, they tell you that they’ve located 14% of your email audience on Twitter.  Think about what you can do with this.  Consider these scenarios:

SCENARIO ONE If you’re targeting a younger set of 18-22 year olds (38% of which are on Twitter) there’s good news and bad news in the 14% number.  The bad news is you’ve got to get that Twitter audience number up if you want to connect with them in that medium.  The good news is that you know how far you have to go.  So, armed with the goal of connecting with and expanding your audience on Twitter, you can quickly design an effective program to acquire Twitter handles and convert your email audience to Twitter followers.

SCENARIO TWO If you’re targeting younger boomers who are 46-55 years old (of whom about 15% are on Twitter) you can rest assured you’ve got your Twitter acquisition dialed.  Pat yourself on the back and keep doing whatever you’re doing.  If you’ve got more marketing dollars to spend on this audience, go spend them on conversion or cultivation.

What’s Next?

With audience discovery tools like Giveo, we can start to estimate these critical dimensions of where your audience is addressable online.  As well, we can look at them in different slices and by different characteristics.  Like what are these Twitter followers spending money on?  Are they donors?  Do they buy things through catalogs?  Using these insights we can build more compelling campaigns and offers than ever before.

So tell us, if you could know one thing about your social audience, what would it be?

Originally posted her: One Simple Rule Jason’s Furniture Taught me About Social Targeting by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

Consumers all over the world use social media to connect with each other and willingly share their interests, purchase behaviors, hobbies and demographics. For a marketer, this information is gold. This type of information gathering is unprecedented in any other channel. Consumers are actively and eagerly sharing valuable information about themselves that otherwise marketers could not acquire unless they conducted expensive and time consuming surveying and research.

Why Is This So Great?

For years marketers have had the ability to segment an audience into groups, but social spaces offer marketers the ability to view their audiences behaviors on an individual scale. So, instead of marketing to a broad segment of people, we now have the ability to promote to a specific person, which enables an organization to create more relevant messages and therefore increase conversions.

Imagine This.

You have an email file that your organization has developed over the past ten years. Maybe you know the residence of the people in the file and the last time they engaged with your organization. How does that help you effectively market to their needs and interests?

What if there was a tool that took the information you had and returned an appended file that not only included residence, but also included information on hobbies, age, marital status, friends, places visited, page “likes,” and more? That would provide some serious targeted marketing ammo.

But Wait, There’s More.

What if the appended file that has all of that valuable lifestyle and psychographic information could be segmented even further to provide even more detailed information on the actual purchase behaviors of these consumers? Marketers could perform some seriously targeted messaging and get a lot more out of the advertising and marketing dollars they spend.

The Great News? We’re Working To Make This A Reality.

Giveo is currently developing a tool that can perform all of the appending and analysis mentioned above. We want to put the power of data in your hands and then make that data work for your organization using our powerful software.

Learn more! Sign up for our early access program.

What marketing efforts do you think these tools could most impact in your industry?

Originally posted her: Social Data + Segmentation = Magic Marketing by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

What’s In A Fan Count?

Beyond reaching a network of followers of four, five or six digit numbers however, exists another dimension of progress that may be the most beneficial to online audience engagement. Unfortunately, when a substantial milestone like 100,000 subscribing members is reached many think, “job well done!” and retire to the office water-cooler to brag about gaining seven points on their Klout score this week alone. In reality, that’s the precise moment when the next steps should promptly begin.

Giveo’s Andrea Steffes-Tuttle has pointed out before that tuning your marketing “instruments” to work together and create one impactful “song” is the ultimate goal. Aiming for the highest possible convergence of all those fans you so diligently recruited will create that “harmony” every brand is searching for. And eventually lead to the consumer follow-through you had hoped for: a purchase, a donation, a quantifiable action. So what changes a fan to a consumer? How can you connect the dots?

Analysis

A recent Giveo client approached us, with an accrued five-figure email list and half that number of Facebook “Likes” under their arm and asked “Okay, now what?” What they were seeking without realizing it was a more impactful way to reach current and potential supporters to drive action. They had diligently collected followers and fans without a plan in place to further implement that resource.

What They Knew: with a strong supporter base in two different channels, they could reach a large audience online quickly.

What Giveo Knew: the lists they were using were not working in concert. But by overlapping them we could show our client how to complete the circle, expose their audience to more messages in a less obtrusive manner and hopefully convert fans into donors, volunteers and information consumers.

Campaign

Giveo’s super-hero specialists provided our client with a simple solution: build a bridge. Using Giveo technologies and expertise, a campaign was executed to drive stronger overlap between channels, increasing impressions and improving equality between them.

Results

By reaching out to the subscribing public, Giveo was able to generate a 14% increase in Facebook Likes and a 10% increase in email subscribers. However, the important take-away from this campaign was never intended to be, in order to reach your audience simply bombard them. Our client had established contact with their fans online, our goal was to show them that more could be done to strike those fans into action, faster. With clear data that facilitated better engagement, they will now be able to interact with their audience more frequently and relevantly.

What’s Next?

It’s research like this that could allow your company, business or brand to get more from your follower-investment. Have you considered the improved engagement you’re missing by not cross-referencing your audience across channels?

Further more, from a retrospective point of view we as an “audience” are constantly complaining about being barraged with too many messages. What if the emails, tweets and posts we received could be tailored? What if you, as a business, could determine how your audience reacted and responded to different channels in order to interact with them better?

Intrigued? Stay tuned for a white paper from Giveo soon with more details on audience convergence and targeting more appropriately.

Originally posted her: Parity: It’s No Joke. by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

While I understand this type of knee-jerk reaction when an organization doesn’t immediately see results from their non-traditional efforts, I have to emphasize the value of online marketing and the investment in social media and here are four, research supported reasons why:

The world is moving online.

While offline fundraising still drives the majority of fundraising dollars, online fundraising is growing and has shown to be a valuable complement to traditional fundraising methods. According to a study referenced on Social Media Today, online fundraising grew 34.5% in 2010 and continues to be the best way to acquire new (and younger) donors.

Invest time in online channels, now. You will increase brand awareness, cultivate new donors and be prepared to raise some serious moolah through online fundraising down the road, as this channel continues to grow.

An integrated approach is more effective

The key to raising more money is to figure out how to utilize offline and online channels together.

While more dollars come in through offline channels right now, there are a few facts you should consider:

-       the median age for an online donor is 24-55

-       32% of online donors earn $100K+ vs 18% of offline donors

-       the median gift of first time online donors is almost double that of offline donors

This is pretty compelling data that supports the importance of engaging supporters online.

Additionally, the more times your message is viewed, the higher the likelihood that your audience will take action. To do this effectively, an integrated approach is suggested.

Social media engagement begets huge consumer loyalty.

A recent study, done by Constant Contact found that 56% of consumers said they are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after “Liking” that brand on Facebook. This rule extends to nonprofits, as well.

Social media offers your organization the ability to increase brand loyalty, create a brand “persona” and conduct meaningful interactions with your audience that foster a deeper relationship between your organization and it’s supporters.

Innovation inspires.

Social media and online marketing efforts aren’t just for fundraising. Online marketing strategies allow your organization to illustrate its value through creativity and innovation.

They also offer an opportunity for you to engage with your supporters. No other media channel offers your organization a tool to facilitate conversations with people interested in your cause. Take advantage—pose questions, take polls, respond to questions, give praise, crowdsource content, hold contests, run sweepstakes and engage with other brands.

So what now?

Take the chance, lay your bet down and incorporate social media and online marketing efforts into your current marketing and fundraising strategies. You will see a return.

Those who are willing to bet big in online win. Ten years ago no one wanted to invest in fundraising through email because it was unproven. Now email marketing and fundraising is a required strategy.

While your competitors are still weighing the decision, you can be building your audience and by the time they’ve realized the value, you will already have a base built that will allow your organization to make a bigger impact and increase awareness in the future.

What’s keeping your organization from investing in online?

Originally posted her: The Big Bet by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

Premiums: A Tired Model
NPR affiliates have been working hard to convert listeners to donors at pledge time.  Realizing that the workhorse canvas tote bag is 30 years old and tired as hell, some stations have introduced innovative, compelling incentives that include the hilarious Alec Baldwin ads and a This American Life USB drive with 35 hours of podcasts. These are all great, but from an organization’s perspective, inventing and ordering premiums are expensive and take a lot of time.

A Transcendent Innovation
This year, I believe I have witnessed a truly transcendent advance in incentive science.  I was listening to KUNC here in Boulder, CO when I heard it.  Instead of offering the traditional totebag, USB drive or mug in exchange for a pledge, the on-air personalities told me that if a donation of $120 or more was made that a local business would donate 40 meals to my local food bank.

Here’s why this is so awesome for me as a supporter:

• I’m Part of Something (Even) Larger: I often give because I want to feel like part of a larger community that supports public radio. Giving and getting the extra-warm-fuzzy of supporting the food bank is even better.
• Double Bang for the Buck: In a tight economy, it’s great for me to be able to help two different organizations with one donation.  It’s not that I won’t also support other charities, but given an offer where I can help two rather than one, I’ll take it!
• I Don’t Get Another Thing to Throw Out: Let’s face it, I probably throw out the mug/poster/tote bag at most one year to the day I receive it. I don’t need the extra clutter. The food bank contribution prevents that.
• I Love KUNC and Mountain Sun Even More: The sponsor who donated to the food bank when I made my donation was Mountain Sun (home of the finest nachos and ale in the US). This collaboration gives me that positive feeling you get when you discover your best friend and your sister get along really well.

Here’s why this would be awesome for me as a marketer:

• Brand Extension: As an organization that generally serves the community, we can solidify our reputation and put our money where our mouth is by making a quantifiably specific contribution to another community-serving organization.
• Reduced Friction: By partnering with a business that writes the check to the food bank, there’s way less ordering, fulfilling, and check writing than when I have to send out gifts like mugs and tote bags.
• Innovation Begets Buzz: People love this promotion and are talking about it, giving KUNC more exposure and (hopefully) more donors.  Check out the comments on their Facebook wall.  And, look at me, I’m writing this Pulitzer quality blog post about them right now.

• Conscious Consumers Dig Traceability: Transparency is a steadily growing demand in all consumer industries, from food to automakers. KUNC lays their hand on the table for all to see, from donation (NPR) to partnership (Mountain Sun) to direct benefit (a specific number of meals that can be mathematically calculated). And in a time when a dollar going to a cause is spent more scrupulously, that’s a very good thing.

What’s Next?
This was a newsworthy campaign from the start but lets not forget a drive like this is in rare form for another reason: the results will have greater traction because of the news we’ll hear after everything has wrapped. In this case, a direct community benefit of nearly 50,000 meals donated to Colorado food banks alone.

I think this is just the beginning of using philanthropy as an incentive to encourage philanthropy.  I’m already working on some ideas for organizations that Giveo works with to use a similar model with their corporate partners.

What do you think? Have you seen results using incentive to encourage support?

Originally posted her: Philanthropy: A Radical Reinvention of the Tote Bag by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

Leading up to the big day, the 9 News team has geared up for a little friendly competition on Facebook and their website. The “game” is simple: choose your favorite 9 News team and help them become number one by donating to the cause.

So pick a team, spread the word and help the 9Cares Colorado Shares teams raise money to feed those less fortunate right in your neighborhood.

Originally posted her: Efforts for Good: Friendly Competition For A Good Cause by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

To quote their website, “Travel is about experience, something that stays with you for the rest of your life.” For someone with an insatiable appetite for globe trotting, truer words could not be written. But sadly, many of us don’t experience this incredible sensation of discovering new cultures and countries until much later in life.

Personally, I consider myself highly fortunate that I was given the opportunity to study abroad in Europe during college and explore over a dozen new countries, fueling my traveling addiction. But in this economy, not as many students can be as lucky.

As a company who “makes goods for travel, not trips,” Grand Trunk Goods is looking to change this. They’re running a contest for the month of October, giving a few students the opportunity to win a study abroad scholarship to anywhere in the world.

Students will be required to submit a video of themselves explaining why they should be chosen as the Grand Trunk Ambassador, in addition to what country they want to travel to and why.  The grand prizewinner will be awarded a $2000 scholarship and a $1000 prize pack from Grand Trunk Goods.

Giveo is providing the crowdsourcing platform that will enable a three-phase campaign—submission, voting and the Grand Trunk Ambassador winner announcement. Applicants can submit their videos and complete their application from October 1 – 28. Once applications are reviewed and approved, the voting phase will open. From November 1 – 30 fans will be able to vote on their favorite video to determine the six finalists. One winner and two runners up will be announced by December 15.

So students, what are you waiting for? Submit a video and get out there and explore the world! Take it from me—it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Casey Hopkins, Social Media Manager at Giveo — Contact Casey

Originally posted her: Efforts for Good: Grand Trunk Goods Crowdsourced Study Abroad Contest by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

Web 2.0 Offers Us New Ways to Measure Engagement

Thanks to the innovations of “Web 2.0,” marketers have started learning the importance of interacting with their community one on one, and the benefits that it can yield: word-of-mouth marketing, brand loyalty, and so much more. But many people in the nonprofit sector are still viewing measurement frameworks too broadly, remaining focused on page view, Facebook like, Twitter follower and visitor counts.

Where Volume Stops Mattering

Say you run a campaign to gain more Facebook fans and Twitter followers. You now have a few thousand of each, from your giveaway contest. Awesome! But how many of those people actually care about your cause? How many are talking about your cause to their friends, interacting on your page, or more importantly: are they donating or volunteering?

Easy Ways to Focus on Quality Over Quantity

This is where quality over quantity comes into play. High page views, numerous followers and multiple visitors are fantastic, but converting them to high-quality advocates for your brand takes work. Here are a few tips:

1. Listen to what they tell you. Your fans are bound to contribute complaints, questions and thanks to the possible one-on-one interactions via social media, make sure you address them. A little can go a long way and soon instead of complaining they will be singing your praises for great customer service.
2. Ask questions and respond to their answers. “How was your weekend?” A question as simple as this is something that fans can get behind. They’re excited that you care enough to ask the question and they want to give you their answers. But taking it one step further and acknowledging them by liking their comment or responding will mean the world.
3. Give away free branded swag. Many companies just have this lying around their offices collecting dust. If a fan posts a great comment on your Facebook page or tweets how much they love your business, thank them and ask them to DM their address to send them some swag. Free physical marketing for you, plus endless word-of-mouth marketing from your fan.

Originally posted her: Quality Over Quantity: Why Page Visits Don’t Matter As Much As You Think by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

But Paradigm Project is changing this. They’re a social enterprise working to create a sustainable social, economic and environmental value within developing world communities. Their latest campaign is the 2011 Wood Walk: a 136-mile stretch from San Diego to Los Angeles taking place October 4^th to the 13^th.

Okay, so what? People walk for charity all the time.

Originally posted her: Efforts for Good: Ignite Your Mobile Fundraising – Paradigm Wood Walk by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing

In one word, the answer is “Coordination,” just like an orchestra.  Together, a group of musicians in the same room can create a lot of noise.  But, when coordinated and led together, they make amazing music.

As your organization’s marketing “conductor” you MUST ensure that all of your “instruments” e.g. digital marketing channels are working together to create one impactful “song.”

There are thousands of social and digital tools and spaces. Are you in the right ones and are you using them in concert with one another?

You probably have a website and maybe your organization is using Facebook, Twitter and email, but are you using PPC? Do you have a blog? Are you considering mobile? If you are using a multiple channel approach, are all those channels working together, towards the same goal? Many organizations, using one or all of the tools listed above, are doing it without a strategy or a defined intention. Digital marketing, when done right, can be very powerful, but how do you ensure that you are using these tools effectively?

Here are the components of a coordinated digital marketing campaign:

Preparing Your Ensemble

It is important to have clear objectives when it comes to your digital efforts. What is the goal? What action are you driving users to take and where do they need to go to fulfill that action? Chris Brogan talks about defining how you are using your “outposts” to drive traffic to your “home base.” What is YOUR “home base?”

It will be different depending on current campaigns you are running. The point is not where it is, but that the goal, the “home base,” be defined and that the messaging and call to action is clearly and consistently communicated across all channels.

Make Sure Everyone’s Using the Same Sheet Music

Make sure all departments are involved and informed. From human resources to sales–it is important that anyone representing your organization be equipped with the information necessary, to allow your organization to maintain a consistent message

Distinct Notes Together Make a Song

Once the “home base” is defined and the call to action is determined, all channels should work together to drive users to the location to complete the action. The messaging should be consistent with your organization’s brand and the call to action should be clear and simple. This is especially important in terms of “search.” Google has begun to incorporate new algorithms that account for social linking. Which means your message can be pretty powerful if you maintain consistency and clarity across your online channels.

Call and Response

Additionally, something that often gets overlooked is the role that social dialog has in the overall strategy. Be sure to plan for engagement and response within your overall strategy. It’s vital to the success of your campaigns and your organization’s success in social spaces.

Don’t Forget to Record Your Performance

Lastly—How will you measure success? What tools will you use to track activity and conversions. Some suggestions can be found here, on Beth Kanter’s blog.  It is important that you identify where traffic comes from and if those initiating the requested action, actually followed through, in order to track conversion and identify your most effective channels.

By tracking and measuring activity and conversion, your organization will be able to monitor the success of the campaign and use that information post-campaign to improve future efforts.

Tell me. Does your organization incorporate all of our suggested components? Are there pieces we aren’t considering?

Originally posted her: Coordination: Conducting the Digital Orchestra by Giveo Giveo. View the full site here Giveo - Data + Marketing