Make your nonprofit communications more relevant by always answering So What? and Who Cares? How do you get more relevant? Try the 6 R's: Be Rewarding, Realistic, Real-Time, Responsive, Revealing, and Refreshing.
As presented to the Association of Fundraising Professional (AFP) Charlotte on June 20, 2012.
3. We get 3,000 media messages a day.
We pay attention to about 52.
We positively remember about 4.
The rest?
So WHAT?
WHO Cares?
4. Quick and Dirty Marketing Plan
• Who are we trying to reach?
(Or what do we want someone to do?)
• What’s our message to them?
(Or why should they do it?)
• What’s the best way to deliver that message?
(Or how do we convince them?)
17. Messaging That DOES Work
REWARDING:
Benefits are clear.
REALISTIC:
Barriers are addressed.
REAL TIME: REVEALING:
Context makes sense. Something new is shared.
RESPONSIVE: REFRESHING:
We can tell you are The style is authentic.
listening.
18. REWARDING
MESSAGES:
What’s in it for
them? Is there an
emotional
payoff?
We also call this the Benefit Exchange
19. Example: Teens and Smoking
• What are the benefits
of not smoking?
• Do teens care about
them?
• What DO teens care
about?
• How can we relate
what they care about
to not smoking?
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21. Example: Health Screenings
• Most women know
they need Pap
smears.
• So why don’t they
get them regularly?
• How can we
address the barrier
in our messaging?
Don’t jump ahead to #3. It doesn’t work, and people also have the most fear. Start on #1 and #2. Make #3 your job.
Right Message to the Right People at Right Time
What are trying to get someone else to do? What is the real call to action here?
Once you have identified your target audience and you know who you need to talk to, how do you decide what to say to them? What ’ s your message? “ do the right thing ” is generally not a good message.
The Benefit Exchange answers the question, “ What ’ s in it for them? ” What ’ s the payoff for following through on your call to action? In the nonprofit world, it ’ s often an emotional payoff, such as feeling effective, appreciated, powerful, included, heard, validated, relieved, or some other highly valued emotion.
Barriers to your call to action may prevent your target audience from following through, even when the Benefit Exchange is well understood. This is often when our emotions overrule our heads. I know I shouldn ’ t eat that pound of fudge because I want to lose weight, but I ’ m going to anyway because I ’ ve had a hard week and I deserve it! Take a hard look at your call to action. Is it (honestly) inconvenient, difficult, and expensive to perform? Is it just too hard or confusing? Is there any social stigma attached to what you are asking people to do (What will my husband, neighbor, boss think?)
The story isn’t about you. It’s about being helpful to your supporters, participants, etc.