Mail Enterprises Blog
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Jan 6
2012In my last blog post, I shared 3 of the Funniest 50 Tweets of 2011. There was another tweet in that list worth sharing.
#24 by Mike Drucker @MikeDrucker – “Stop saying “11/11/11” only happens once in a lifetime. Every date only happens once in a lifetime. That’s how time works.”
There are a couple ways you could interpret Mike’s tweet. There are no special days. They are all the same. Or, every day is special, because it only happens once in your lifetime.
How did you interpret the tweet? Is it a reflection of how you live your life?
As we start a new year, let’s take the second view of seeing every day as special – a gift we’ve been given that one day will be taken away. And let’s live our lives accordingly.
by Scott Swedenburg -
Dec 23
2011Reading the Funniest 50 Tweets of 2011 produced both laughs and thoughts.
#41 by Josh Hara @yoyoha – “I just want people to accept me for who I pretend to be.”
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that being me, even with all my issues, is easier than pretending to be something I’m not. Each of us is a special and unique creation by God. That alone makes being me easier.
#42 by Paul F Tompkins @pftompkins – “Every week is Shark Week.” An exasperated seal.
It really is true that every week is Shark Week to a seal. When things are going well and you’re not hurting, it’s easy to minimize the hurt of others. The homeless need a meal and warm bed every day, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
#9 by Kenny B @kennyb899 – “Mark Zuckerberg screwed over his classmates and best friend. Do you honestly think he cares about your opinion on the new layout?”
The truth is that outside of yourself very few people care much about your opinion. While social media allows us to express our opinion to the world, we shouldn’t regard our opinion more highly than we ought.
I’ll be sharing more of my favorite Funny Tweets and highly regarded opinions in the days to come.
by Scott Swedenburg -
Dec 20
2011Here’s the final installment of my thoughts on Gini Dietrich’s 8 Social Media Trends for 2012 as they apply to nonprofit organizations.
Trend 6. Social Commerce. The other day I was in the Apple store and I checked in, using Foursquare. It asked me if I wanted to pay using the Apple app. Um, yes! Especially because it was a Sunday and there were a gazillion people there. So I downloaded the Apple app, scanned the mouse bar code, it gave me a subtotal, and I hit OK. It took the amount right out of my iTunes account, emailed me a receipt, and I was on my way. Starbucks does this using your phone and their at-register scanner. You’ll see more and more of this next year.
Emotions drive charitable donations and those emotions don’t just happen when a donor is holding your reply envelope or on your website. Nonprofits need to give donors the opportunity to donate at any time and place. Checkout Mobile Cause’s App2Give as one example.
Trend 7. New Social Networks. I know, I know. We need another social network like we need a hole in the head. BUT there are some cool things, such as Pinterest, that are gaining traction. In fact, yesterday I was scrolling through my Facebook stream and I saw Samuel Gordon Jewelers is having their first Pinterest contest: “Pin To Win.” It’s still way too early to see any results, but rest assured I’m watching what they (and others) are doing with this and other new social networks.
Nonprofits have to be creative in looking for new opportunities to connect with donors, volunteers and prospects. There may be a new social network that’s perfect for you.
Trend 8. Print to Tablet Swap. During the holiday weekend, I was scrolling through the app store on George (my iPad) and I found Catalogue. It stores all of your catalogs in a handy app so you can scroll through any of them at any time. It also recommends catalogs you should be reading, based on your preferences. My mom and I debated its merits the other day. She likes the tactile feel of turning the pages. I think it’s super green and I love that I have them all in one spot. You’ll see a big swap of print moving to the tablet in 2012.
Is it time to move your newsletter or annual report to a tablet? Or at least give your donors options as to how they receive your information.
Have fun being social in 2012.
by Scott Swedenburg -
Dec 15
2011Here’s the second installment of my thoughts on Gini Dietrich’s 8 Social Media Trends for 2012 as they apply to nonprofit organizations.
Trend 3. Integration of All Disciplines. Integration is going to be crucial next year. Today we talk about mobile, social, marketing, public relations, advertising, direct, email, customer service, and sales as if they're working in silos. But 2012 is the year it needs to integrate. Customer service can't do its job without talking to sales. Sales needs the help of public relations. And mobile can't live without marketing. You'll see these disciplines all work together, as if they're in a circle, and not in silos.
Roger Craver did a great job of discussing multi-channel integration this week in The Agitator. Nonprofits have to tear down their silos and turn their power over to a Chief Donor Officer.
Trend 4. Results. If you aren't measuring your results to true dollars and cents, you may work yourself out of a job in 2012. We started to talk about how to do this earlier this month, but it's going to take learning some marketing, product management, and basic accounting (integration, integration, integration) to do this effectively.
Social media is hard to measure, but it has to be done especially as you integrate all the channels.
Trend 5. Email Marketing. As much as I would love email to be dead, something like 107 trillion emails were sent in 2010. It's not going anywhere, yet most of us (as marketers) have forgotten about it. It's not the new, shiny penny and it's kind of old and stodgy. But it's still really effective. Everyone uses email. Not everyone uses social networks (yet).
Yes, there is a place for email fundraising. However, take a moment to read Epsilon’s Consumer Survey Results. One finding showed 30% of consumers prefer receiving solicitations for donations in the mail, versus 9% via email.More to come and much to do.
by Scott Swedenburg