Who Have You Offended Today?
So asks marketing maven Seth Godin in a recent post called “Electable vs. Marketable.” Should nonprofit marketers be “offensive?”
Here's his point in a nutshell:
The temptation of the marketer is to try to get elected. To be beloved by everyone. As a marketer, you hear from someone who doesn't love your product and you work to change it. Eventually, that strategy leads to boredom, to sameness and to stagnation.
Of course Godin isn't really urging you to go out and offend people. He is saying that what is most important is to be remarkable, and if your business (or, The Agitator adds, nonprofit) succeeds at that, some people just won't like it. You won't be their cup of tea. Too bad.
What are you doing to make your organization remarkable? What is its remarkable story? Who are its remarkable people? How well are you communicating its remarkability?
Our advice … Find out exactly what makes your most passionate supporters most excited about and committed to you, then do more of it, much more … talk about it, a lot … and get rid of the chaff.
For a whole host of reasons – online access to unlimited comparative information on every product and interest will suffice here – consumers are becoming vastly more empowered and discriminating. Whether you are a coffee, a camera, a Chinese restaurant or a charity, “remarkable” spells success, while “just another” spells doom.
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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