Here are four bedrock suggestions for succeeding in your marketing (i.e., fundraising) in the coming year.

Writing in eMarketing & Commerce, Lisa Wehr of Oneupweb, a digital marketing agency, offered these recommendations in a commercial marketing context. I’ve reproduced the essence of her recs, followed by my fundraising "spin" on each.

1. Plan early and follow through. Have campaigns and discounts in place much earlier than what you’re used to. Mother’s Day, Fourth of July and even Labor Day — you should be preparing your campaigns for these holidays right now. And don’t let up. Retailers that prepare their campaigns early then follow them completely through will be the most successful in 2009.

[Fundraising spin: Think in terms of coherent "campaigns" — multiple components, strong and novel positioning, communications reinforcement — not just episodic, standalone "appeals." How many fundraisers simply say: It’s time for special appeal  #4, what in god’s name are we going to write about now?!]

2. Compel your customers to buy now. Over the past several months, consumers have become incredibly budget-conscious. This means they may take days or weeks to make purchase decisions, surfing around to find the best deals possible. Don’t risk losing business to your competitors. Offer special incentives to compel consumers to buy now, such as free shipping all year.

[Fundraisng spin: If you aren’t asking for a contribution, your competitor is. If your need is real, it is now!]

3. Get connected and stay connected. Search has changed, and it’s important to realize that optimizing your Web site alone is no longer enough for online success. Today there’s opportunity in every click, connection and conversation, which means you need to optimize your complete online presence. Maintain a two-way dialog with your customers through social media. Stay top-of-mind through e-mail, natural and paid search, social media and online banner ads.

[Fundraising spin: The more "engagement" you offer your donors, and the more appealing they find it, the more loyalty you’ll build and the more money you’ll raise.]

4. Integrate, integrate, integrate. You can’t put enough importance on this. Integration is key to building and maintaining your brand. Greater awareness of a Web site created by a paid ad can lead to more natural search engine traffic. In similar fashion, people are more likely to click on paid promotional ads of marketers they recognize, such as those they’ve encountered through social media. So it goes with natural search, direct mail, online banner ads, collateral, video, podcasts, etc.

[Fundraising spin: You’ve got to utilize every communication tool and opportunity you have for your brand to become and remain "top of mind" and to increase the number of touch points that enable donors and prospects to self-initiate contact with you.]

Tom