Infographic: How To Create An Awesome Meme

Telling a good story is important to moving people into action. Amy Sample Ward and I talk about this in our book Social Change Anytime Everywhere, which is coming out next month. We have found that people respond best to advocacy campaigns that tell stories and use calls to action that connect with them on a human level. Basically skip the jargon, and talk to people like you were at an incredible dinner party. Unfortunately sometimes nonprofits are afraid to get creative, particularly when it comes to humor. Memes are a great way to talk about your issue and use humor to get your message shared. 

For example, if your nonprofit is going to experiment with creating a meme, it's worth noting the following data, according to this infographic How to Cook Up A Winning Meme that examimed over 100 sucessful memes from 1980 to today.

• 42% of memes are pictures
• 41% of memes are video and 29% orginated on YouTube.
• About 27% of memes orginated on websites and 14% on Reddit.
• Prior to 2011, male memes dominated, but in 2011 women memes began gaining more traction.
• Cats make up 7% of all animal memes, which are also quite popular. So if you are an animal welfare group like the Humane Society of the United States or have a connection to animals, this is especially important data.

Five Tips To Be More Influential Across Channels

No matter how big or small our organizations are, we all want to be influential and create social change in this world. Sometimes we can’t help ourselves and feel compelled to measure some of our successes through vanity metrics such as FB Likes or Twitter followers. This can sometimes lead us down a dangerous path of constantly asking everyone under the sun to “like” our photos or political statements on our pages on Facebook or to follow us on Twitter with no real engagement behind it. I discussed this more in depth in my blog post last month that sparked a lot of debate in the nonprofit community “Is Social Media Making Organizations Lazy?”  

Today someone shared this awesome photo with me on FB (oh the irony). Look at these three cute kids holding up a sign that says “Our mommy says that if we get 1 million likes, we won’t get crap! If we want something, we have to work for it. Not beg for it on Facebook.” This is spot on!

Right after I re-shared the photo on FB, a client of mine who we are working with on a web design project, said that they wanted advice on how their organization can be more influential across channels. Another client said, “Our Klout score is terrible. What can we do about it?”

Here was my advice to them and every organization that is looking to be more influential across multiple channels.

1. Influencer scores based on secret algorithms are bogus. They don’t provide real data on how “influential” an organization is. And even worse they set false expectations for organizations who are trying to get an accurate picture of how they are perceived online as well as how they can better engage their base and other target audiences. 

2. Stop being obsessed with vanity metrics.  Define what does influence really mean for your organization. This should be different from organization to organization as each one has different missions and priorities.

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Webinar: Monthly Donors, Social Media, and Cross-Channel Integration: Critical Tactics to Boost Your Fundraising in 2013

Make 2013 the year your fundraising comes of age.

Say good bye to "online fundraising" and "offline fundraising," there is only fundraising.

Leads acquired online are often best nurtured through social networks and converted in the mail, or over the phone if you're after monthly donors. Direct mail donors give more if they are hearing from you via email and social networks.

Join Paul Habig of SankyNet, Sarah Alexander of Food & Water Watch, and Eric Rardin of Care2 as they outline the critical and often easy ways you can boost your fundraising results in 2013.

Monthly Donors, Social Media, and Cross-Channel Integration: Critical Tactics to Boost Your Fundraising in 2013 -- Tuesday, January 29th at 2:00PM ET

In this webinar you'll learn about:

• Building social media into your email and website
• Finding out which people on your email list are on Facebook (without annoying them)
• Engaging on Facebook, converting in email...
• Using Facebook ads to drive online actions
• Phoning your email supporters

This Expert Webinar is FREE but space is limited so make sure you register today!

About the Presenters:

Paul Habig -- Executive Vice President/Creative Director, SankyNet

Paul Habig is Executive Vice President/Creative Director of SankyNet, a marketing company that specializes in integrated fundraising and communications for nonprofits. Paul has more than fifteen years of multi-channel fundraising, direct mail, online advertising, web design, and email marketing experience.  He has developed award-winning strategies for more than 70 nonprofit organizations such as amfAR, African Wildlife Foundation, Covenant House, PetSmart Charities, and the Smithsonian Institution. Paul’s background in the nonprofit world not only includes consulting, but he has also held marketing and fundraising positions at the YMCA, Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), and Pontifical Mission.  He also ran his own Internet marketing business working with brands such as VitaminWater and SmartWater.  He is an active member of the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and serves as Co-Chair of the Web, Tech & Social Media track for Fund Raising Day in New York and also serves as Board Member for the Direct Marketing Fundraising Association. He is a frequent speaker at DMA, DMFA, and AFP workshops and conferences.

Sarah Alexander -- Education & Outreach Coordinator, Food & Water Watch

Sarah Alexander is the Deputy Organizing Director at Food & Water Watch. She directs Food & Water Watch's Online campaigns, as well as overseeing the integration of multi-channel fundraising and advocacy efforts. Over the last 10 years, Sarah has worked on issues related to food sovereignty, genetic engineering, and local food security. Her background is in community organizing, strategic campaigning and legislative campaigns, having previously worked with Green Corps, the White Earth Land Recovery Project, and the American Community Gardening Association.

Eric Rardin -- Senior Director of Nonprofit Services, Care2

Eric is senior director of nonprofit services at Care2.com where he helps hundreds of nonprofits connect with donors and supporters online. At Care2 Eric advises nonprofits on email acquisition and multichannel conversion strategies. He has contributed to integrated conversion efforts on behalf of nonprofits in the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Eric serves on the board of directors of two national nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining Care2 Eric designed and executed integrated advocacy campaigns for environmental nonprofits including the National Environmental Trust, the Alaska Oceans Network, and the Marine Fish Conservation Network. Eric has an MBA from the Carey School of Business at Johns Hopkins University, an MA in Government and International Studies from the University of South Carolina and a BS in Political Science from the University of Wyoming. In addition to his work in the environmental advocacy arena, Eric has extensive experience working on political and issue campaigns from Wyoming to South Africa.

REGISTER to attend this FREE Expert Webinar on TUESDAY, JANUARY 29th at 2PM ET

First-Ever Video Benchmarks Survey for Nonprofits

According to YouTube, 100 million people either like, share, or comment on videos every week. But what kind of a direct impact do these “social actions” really have, especially for nonprofits? Are people who like or comment on these videos signing up for organization’s enewsletters, are they donating money, volunteering, taking an advocacy action? These are the types of questions we hope to see answered in the upcoming video benchmark study for nonprofits being conducted by Edelman, See3 Communications, and YouTube.

While many nonprofits have spent some resources on creating videos, the nonprofit community only has a few real success stories such as The Meatrix, a flash animation about factory farming and of course the Kony 2012 video. This video captured nonprofit’s attention after it received over 80M views in just two weeks after Invisible Children launched it. It also illustrated how a well-produced video could quickly educate people on a human rights issue they previously had little knowledge on.

Of course nonprofit’s also witnessed the downside of the Kony 2012 video success. The media questioned the $700K production video budget, the accuracy of some of the content, the idea that Uganda needs the American’s to come in and save them, and of course the ultimate goal of the campaign.

Nonetheless the video helped Invisible Children raise significant money, which will be publicly released later this year in their 990 form. About 2M people visited the organization’s donation page and the organization said the average donation from the campaign was $20. And according to the Nonprofit Times, about 3.5M people signed up or pledged to participate in their “cover the night” activities.

While your nonprofit may not have had your video go “viral” the way the Kony 2012 video did, it still may have benefited your organization. Unfortunately, your organization does not have any real benchmarks to compare it to and that is why it’s important that nonprofits take this video benchmarks survey.

All survey responses will be anonymous and will be only reported in the aggregate. Survey participants will receive pre-released findings in April 2013, and the final report will be published as a free resource to the nonprofit community in May 2013.

Bonus - participants who take the survey also have the chance to win a $400 donation to your organization or one of ten Starbucks gift cards.

The Best Trends and Lists of 2012

One of my favorite parts about starting a new year is reviewing all of the top 10 (or in some cases the top 133) lists and trends. I find them useful to bookmark, especially when you need to get your hands on an important article that has good data or strategic advice that you want to share with senior leadership to get their buy in. Unfortunately, going through these lists can be overwhelming because there are just too many great lists to dig through. Don’t worry though, we have taken care of the heavy lifting at Frogloop and summarized our favorite “best of” lists that highlights strategists favorite trends and strategies from 2012.

Nonprofit Marketing Posts of 2012

This list of 133 blog posts about nonprofit marketing by Avi Kaplan of Rad Campaign (the web agency I run) is a terrific recap by the nptech blogger community. Avi breaks the post down into important categories such as fundraising, staffing, and metrics. For example:

Change Leadership:

Creating a Culture Where Everyone is a Marketer (Nonprofit Marketing Guide - Beth Ann Spiegel):

Staffing:

11 Qualities of an Effective Social Media Manager (Nonprofit Tech 2.0)

Fundraising:

Six Online Fundraising Appeal Goofs to Avoid (Frogloop - Allyson Kapin): Silly mistakes you can miss without a checklist that can cost your org big bucks.

Give to the Max Day Research: The Ultimate Case Study (Geoff Livingston)

Telling Stories:

10 Ways To Reveal Your Organization's Best Stories (Frogloop - Allyson Kapin):

Content Management and Content Curation:

How to Create Enough Good Content (Case Study) (Getting Attention Blog - Holly Ross)

Mobile:

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Integrated Mobile Strategy (Beth Kanter's Blog)

Full article here.

 

Best of 2012: Tops Apps for SmartPhones and Tablets

Nonprofit campaigners who are looking for helpful apps should definitely check out this post by Marc Saltzman who writes for USA Today. Top apps include:

Pocket:

Marc writes, “quite simply, Pocket lets you easily save content you like — such as an article at usatoday.com — so you can read it later. It's not bookmarking: You don't need an Internet connection to access the content at a later time. Pocket works inside many hundreds of apps, and you can access your saved content on multiple devices by signing into your free account. Consider it a DVR for any online content you want to check out when you have the time. Formerly Read It Later, Pocket also includes a simplified user interface with fewer toolbars; new filters that let you switch between videos, images and text; and easier-to-organize content, including adding favorites, bulk editing and tagging options for simpler searches.”

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200 Year-End Fundraising Email Subject Lines

I have an email hoarding problem. I collect hundreds of nonprofit email messages every year for use in research projects and to keep tabs on what different techniques organizations are using. Last year I decided to unlock the email vault and do some analysis on "80 Email Subject Lines from End of Year Fundraising" from 2011.

For 2012, I analyzed 200 email subject lines sent to me from nonprofits between December 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. Here are some interesting findings, best practices, and the complete list of email subject lines.

Analyzing the Email Subject Lines 

I ran the subject lines of the 200 emails from 54 nonprofits through a text analyzer. The cloud graphic has the most frequently occurring words appearing larger than others. Common language words were removed. You can compare it to 2011's most common words Words like "gift" and "holiday" were used the most in subject lines. "Help" and “donate” were less common. Both "challenge" and "Christmas" appeared a lot. Seven emails made reference to a tax deduction. Only three emails from three separate organizations used my name in the subject line. There were three faux forwards and two faux replies sent to me.  

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Content Metrics You Should Track

Every nonprofit knows that good content is king. If you think your website is filled with outdated and boring content, you may be questioning how well you are engaging your activists and donors. Heck, even if you think you have awesome content, you are probably asking yourself the same the question. Here’s some great content metrics that strategist Jay Baer highlighted on his blog (thanks for the recommendation Beth Kanter) which nonprofits can utilize. 

How are people consuming your content?

This one is pretty basic but nonetheless it’s a good reminder to make sure you are at consistently looking at website analytics through Google Analytics, Ominture, etc. Besides looking at the unique website visits (month over month and year to year), you should also review what content gets the most traffic. Do the same articles, blog posts, fact sheets, generate the most traffic every month? What video’s get the most views? What white papers are downloaded the most?

Are people sharing your content?

Some call social media shares vanity metrics because they have turned into such a popularity contest. However, it’s still worth looking at these metrics to see how people are sharing your content. Is the content you are focusing on pushing out to your constituents the very same content being socially shared the most? Is it other content you did not expect to have a lot of traction?

Be sure and also take a look at the Social Analytics report in Google Analytics.

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