Connect with us

FACEBOOK

What Nonprofits Taught Me About Social Media Marketing

Published

on

what nonprofits taught me about social media marketing

It’s no surprise that the coronavirus has caused either a spike or downfall for companies and marketers across the world. Times are scary for sure, not just from a global, economic and healthcare standpoint but as a marketer, it’s hard to know when and what to share. The news is overwhelming and you might even question if it’s okay to continue marketing when people and the economy are hurting. While sales will likely suffer (unless you’re lucky enough to be selling toilet paper, hand sanitizer or face masks), times like this can present an opportunity to increase brand awareness and present your company as one that strives to come alongside people during crisis. Increased brand awareness and building a customer base that knows and trusts you can result in loyal customers during and post pandemic.

I was sitting through a client call the other day brainstorming social strategies for an ecommerce business and realized a lot of their strategy was similar to what I learned in my previous career as a nonprofit professional. I worked in the nonprofit sector for 5 years prior to entering the digital marketing world and a lot of our marketing strategy was based off emotional appeal. This is because service-oriented nonprofits support people during times of struggle. People, specifically donors, enjoy the feeling of being able to make a difference. Successfully figuring out how to reach out to donors is one of the many duties of a nonprofit marketer. Little did I know the skills I learned in the nonprofit world would be relevant to digital marketers during trying times.

Here are some ways to put a positive spin on your ecommerce marketing techniques during these times of uncertainty. I’ve pulled some ads from my favorite brands to share how businesses are utilizing these techniques during times of crisis!

1) Be Sympathetic – Most people don’t appreciate the person who cracks inappropriate jokes at the wrong time at the big family reunion. Don’t be that person. Don’t market images or services that go against social distancing or other protocols in place (Seriously, it will likely be disapproved anyways). Instead, consider messaging that supports your customers in a time of need. Brooks Running even encouraged their customers to support local running stores. This depicts that they’re a company who cares about more than just profit.

Brooks Ad Screenshot

2) Do Research On Your Industry- What are some trends, positive or negative within your industry? Be sure to utilize knowledge and data already present. No need to reinvent the wheel entirely!

3) Use Lighthearted Humor – While I absolutely don’t deny the severity of the current crisis, sometimes a bit of tasteful, light-hearted humor can score a win with your customers. Are you a fashion company? Perhaps poke fun at all the remote workers wearing sweatpants all day when working remotely. Are you a grocery delivery service? Then advertise being able to get groceries delivered without walking away from your refrigerator. Get creative with brainstorming fun ways to engage with your customers! Here, Barry’s Bootcamp is poking fun at the fact you don’t even need to change your wardrobe to workout.

Barrys Ad Screenshot

4) Interact With Your Customers – Intentionally interacting with your customers shows you care. While several businesses are likely too large to maintain this type of contact with customers, any kind of interaction with customers can be viewed positively! Comment on social media posts if possible and even feel free to go live with stories on Facebook or Instagram. If you’re selling products online, be sure to have stellar customer service or chat commerce. Internet usage is up, especially during times of social distancing so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. Here, Kodiak Cakes is asking their followers what they eat for breakfast. This is a fun way to get to know your customers and engage with them on social media.

Kodiak Ad Screeshot

5) Giveaways & Stories – Who doesn’t like free stuff? Can your business afford to do giveaways in return for customers retweeting, commenting or sharing your posts? Not only will this result in a happy customer but it can also make brand awareness skyrocket. Can you offer free delivery for online orders with limited access to stores? Do you have positive testimonials of customers who love your product? Don’t be afraid to share that on social media. People will love it. Here, Nature’s Bakery is having a drawing for a month’s worth of snacks and a water bottle if people follow them and tag a friend.

Natures Bakery Ad Screenshot

6) Have A Clear Call To Action – This is probably one of the most important things to remember as a marketer. What do you want your customer to do? Don’t forget to include this in your messaging! One of the biggest mistakes you can make is successfully increasing brand awareness without prompting your customers to take action. Be sure to have clear, measurable KPIs and conversion actions in mind. Here, Mrs. Myers is telling customers to purchase their new scent for their cleaning products.

Mrs Myers Ad Screenshot

Wrapping it Up…

In the nonprofit marketing world, it is best practice to split your content evenly into three areas – Appreciation, Advocacy & Appeals. While there are obvious disparities between nonprofits and businesses, not every post has to promote your product or service. It’s okay to add variety in moderation. Sometimes we need to courageously take a few steps back in order to move forward in the future. Below, you can see Starbucks sharing a story about one of their partners (employees) going above and beyond to serve a customer. Note how they don’t use every post to prompt customers to purchase but they also use posts as an opportunity to share stories.

Advertisement
Starbucks Ad Screenshot

People will remember your business for treating them with kindness during these times and this will likely result in returning or new customers. Be sure to have fun with your marketing! While businesses and nonprofits have their differences, I think there are a few practices from the nonprofit sector that businesses can learn from during trying times!

PPChero.com

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address

FACEBOOK

Facebook Faces Yet Another Outage: Platform Encounters Technical Issues Again

Published

on

By

Facebook Problem Again

Uppdated: It seems that today’s issues with Facebook haven’t affected as many users as the last time. A smaller group of people appears to be impacted this time around, which is a relief compared to the larger incident before. Nevertheless, it’s still frustrating for those affected, and hopefully, the issues will be resolved soon by the Facebook team.

Facebook had another problem today (March 20, 2024). According to Downdetector, a website that shows when other websites are not working, many people had trouble using Facebook.

This isn’t the first time Facebook has had issues. Just a little while ago, there was another problem that stopped people from using the site. Today, when people tried to use Facebook, it didn’t work like it should. People couldn’t see their friends’ posts, and sometimes the website wouldn’t even load.

Downdetector, which watches out for problems on websites, showed that lots of people were having trouble with Facebook. People from all over the world said they couldn’t use the site, and they were not happy about it.

When websites like Facebook have problems, it affects a lot of people. It’s not just about not being able to see posts or chat with friends. It can also impact businesses that use Facebook to reach customers.

Since Facebook owns Messenger and Instagram, the problems with Facebook also meant that people had trouble using these apps. It made the situation even more frustrating for many users, who rely on these apps to stay connected with others.

Advertisement

During this recent problem, one thing is obvious: the internet is always changing, and even big websites like Facebook can have problems. While people wait for Facebook to fix the issue, it shows us how easily things online can go wrong. It’s a good reminder that we should have backup plans for staying connected online, just in case something like this happens again.

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

FACEBOOK

Christian family goes in hiding after being cleared of blasphemy

Published

on

Christian family goes in hiding after being cleared of blasphemy

LAHORE, Pakistan — A court in Pakistan granted bail to a Christian falsely charged with blasphemy, but he and his family have separated and gone into hiding amid threats to their lives, sources said.

Haroon Shahzad (right) with attorney Aneeqa Maria. | The Voice Society/Morning Star News

Haroon Shahzad, 45, was released from Sargodha District Jail on Nov. 15, said his attorney, Aneeqa Maria. Shahzad was charged with blasphemy on June 30 after posting Bible verses on Facebook that infuriated Muslims, causing dozens of Christian families in Chak 49 Shumaali, near Sargodha in Punjab Province, to flee their homes.

Lahore High Court Judge Ali Baqir Najfi granted bail on Nov. 6, but the decision and his release on Nov. 15 were not made public until now due to security fears for his life, Maria said.

Shahzad told Morning Star News by telephone from an undisclosed location that the false accusation has changed his family’s lives forever.

“My family has been on the run from the time I was implicated in this false charge and arrested by the police under mob pressure,” Shahzad told Morning Star News. “My eldest daughter had just started her second year in college, but it’s been more than four months now that she hasn’t been able to return to her institution. My other children are also unable to resume their education as my family is compelled to change their location after 15-20 days as a security precaution.”

Though he was not tortured during incarceration, he said, the pain of being away from his family and thinking about their well-being and safety gave him countless sleepless nights.

Advertisement



“All of this is due to the fact that the complainant, Imran Ladhar, has widely shared my photo on social media and declared me liable for death for alleged blasphemy,” he said in a choked voice. “As soon as Ladhar heard about my bail, he and his accomplices started gathering people in the village and incited them against me and my family. He’s trying his best to ensure that we are never able to go back to the village.”

Shahzad has met with his family only once since his release on bail, and they are unable to return to their village in the foreseeable future, he said.

“We are not together,” he told Morning Star News. “They are living at a relative’s house while I’m taking refuge elsewhere. I don’t know when this agonizing situation will come to an end.”

The Christian said the complainant, said to be a member of Islamist extremist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan and also allegedly connected with banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, filed the charge because of a grudge. Shahzad said he and his family had obtained valuable government land and allotted it for construction of a church building, and Ladhar and others had filed multiple cases against the allotment and lost all of them after a four-year legal battle.

“Another probable reason for Ladhar’s jealousy could be that we were financially better off than most Christian families of the village,” he said. “I was running a successful paint business in Sargodha city, but that too has shut down due to this case.”

Regarding the social media post, Shahzad said he had no intention of hurting Muslim sentiments by sharing the biblical verse on his Facebook page.

Advertisement



“I posted the verse a week before Eid Al Adha [Feast of the Sacrifice] but I had no idea that it would be used to target me and my family,” he said. “In fact, when I came to know that Ladhar was provoking the villagers against me, I deleted the post and decided to meet the village elders to explain my position.”

The village elders were already influenced by Ladhar and refused to listen to him, Shahzad said.

“I was left with no option but to flee the village when I heard that Ladhar was amassing a mob to attack me,” he said.

Shahzad pleaded with government authorities for justice, saying he should not be punished for sharing a verse from the Bible that in no way constituted blasphemy.

Similar to other cases

Shahzad’s attorney, Maria, told Morning Star News that events in Shahzad’s case were similar to other blasphemy cases filed against Christians.

Advertisement



“Defective investigation, mala fide on the part of the police and complainant, violent protests against the accused persons and threats to them and their families, forcing their displacement from their ancestral areas, have become hallmarks of all blasphemy allegations in Pakistan,” said Maria, head of The Voice Society, a Christian paralegal organization.

She said that the case filed against Shahzad was gross violation of Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which states that police cannot register a case under the Section 295-A blasphemy statute against a private citizen without the approval of the provincial government or federal agencies.

Maria added that Shahzad and his family have continued to suffer even though there was no evidence of blasphemy.

“The social stigma attached with a blasphemy accusation will likely have a long-lasting impact on their lives, whereas his accuser, Imran Ladhar, would not have to face any consequence of his false accusation,” she said.

The judge who granted bail noted that Shahzad was charged with blasphemy under Section 295-A, which is a non-cognizable offense, and Section 298, which is bailable. The judge also noted that police had not submitted the forensic report of Shahzad’s cell phone and said evidence was required to prove that the social media was blasphemous, according to Maria.

Bail was set at 100,000 Pakistani rupees (US $350) and two personal sureties, and the judge ordered police to further investigate, she said.

Advertisement



Shahzad, a paint contractor, on June 29 posted on his Facebook page 1 Cor. 10:18-21 regarding food sacrificed to idols, as Muslims were beginning the four-day festival of Eid al-Adha, which involves slaughtering an animal and sharing the meat.

A Muslim villager took a screenshot of the post, sent it to local social media groups and accused Shahzad of likening Muslims to pagans and disrespecting the Abrahamic tradition of animal sacrifice.

Though Shahzad made no comment in the post, inflammatory or otherwise, the situation became tense after Friday prayers when announcements were made from mosque loudspeakers telling people to gather for a protest, family sources previously told Morning Star News.

Fearing violence as mobs grew in the village, most Christian families fled their homes, leaving everything behind.

In a bid to restore order, the police registered a case against Shahzad under Sections 295-A and 298. Section 295-A relates to “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs” and is punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years and fine, or both. Section 298 prescribes up to one year in prison and a fine, or both, for hurting religious sentiments.

Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2023 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, up from eighth the previous year.

Advertisement



Morning Star News is the only independent news service focusing exclusively on the persecution of Christians. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide complete, reliable, even-handed news in order to empower those in the free world to help persecuted Christians, and to encourage persecuted Christians by informing them that they are not alone in their suffering.

Free Religious Freedom Updates

Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post.

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

FACEBOOK

Individual + Team Stats: Hornets vs. Timberwolves

Published

on

CHARLOTTE HORNETS MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on X: Facebook – All Hornets X – …

Source link

Keep an eye on what we are doing
Be the first to get latest updates and exclusive content straight to your email inbox.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Continue Reading

Trending

Follow by Email
RSS