My PRgative

Expert tips and tools for nonprofit marketing communications

Listen, get involved, give up control, be honest and think long term to successfully tap into people’s motivations to change the world, according to Ed Schipul, CEO at Schipul – The Web Marketing Company. Schipul recently headlined an IABC workshop for nonprofit marketing communicators in Houston.

See several presentations at http://www.slideshare.net/eschipul.

“Social media is not about you; it’s about people’s relationships with you,” he said, underscoring the effort it takes to generate conversations. “Don’t just talk about yourself. Ask questions, engage people and link. Most of all, be inspiring.”

He said strive to earn trust so people will want to spread your message. “Listen, inspire, engage and let go. Don’t spin the truth. Be open, honest and transparent in everything you say or do.”

Schipul highlighted how storytelling tools on the web such as blogs can be combined with the art of listening to tap into material, social and ideological motivations. Quoting Katya Andersen of the Network for Good, he underscored that “the message is not about the charity; it’s about why the messenger cares.”

He said your organization’s story will be told most effectively with four elements: the message, conflict, characters and plot.

As an example, he highlighted the Houston Zoo’s celebration of the life of Mac, the baby elephant (http://www.houstonzooblog.com). Through the blog, the contest to name the animal garnered more than 7500 entries. A birthday card contest and sales of thousands of elephant adoption packets resulted in huge social buy-in.

When the beloved baby elephant died unexpectedly, the blog was expanded as a forum that helped turn the tragic loss into something positive to help a community heal. People engaged in telling personal stories, posting pictures, sharing video and zookeeper chats.

Technical tips and tools
The title of your blog post is highly important for search engine optimization.

Content with pictures increases readability and conversion rates.

Use tags to highlight additional things relevant to your topic that may have been left off the main blog post.

Assign a category to your blog post; it affects rank.

Weave your audience into your story and engage their participation by embedding at least one widget within your post, such as:
• http://www.intensedebate.com
• http://www.chipin.com
• http://www.polleverywhere.com
• http://www.polldaddy.com