Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

For Nonprofits, It’s Better to be Heard than to be Seen

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Touch your right eye.  Now, your left.eyeball

You have just put your finger on the most valuable commodity online.

Eyeballs are what you have.  Eyeballs are what the social media companies are selling.  Facebook is famous for selling you to brands, and now Twitter is getting into the act.  They will stick ads anywhere they can to offer more viewers to their advertisers.

That’s how they make money.

Nonprofit organizations have a different reason for being.  If you work at a nonprofit, you are trying to accomplish a mission.  Money may be a means to the end, but it is not an end in itself.

Nonprofits shouldn’t be in the eyeball business. We should aim to be heard.

We should be telling stories so well that people continue to hear them all day, inside their heads.  We should be getting our readers to talk about us with their friends.

One person who “gets it” because they read your blog, post, or tweet is worth a hundred who just saw it.

 

 

What a Toddler Taught Me about Communicating

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toddlers communicate

What is she saying now?

My nineteen-month-old niece was crying as if her heart would break.

Her heart was fine, actually.  It was her grandfather’s heart that was cracked open for a triple bypass, in a hospital an hour away.  So her mother had gone to the hospital, and I was spending the day taking care of her.  Alone.

“Honey, what do you want?” I pleaded with her.  And I thought, “If only she could tell me what she’s thinking.”

But she could.  She did tell me.  And your audience is telling you too.  Look and listen to what they do online, and you will find out what they want.

How does a toddler tell you what she wants?

Pointing.  My niece knows the milk is in the refrigerator, the bananas are on the table, and the TV remote is on the couch.  If she points at the table, you know she wants to eat a banana.  If she hands you the remote, it’s time for Bubble Guppies or Sesame Street.

Your audience knows where to find what they want online.  If they’re visiting your website or social media pages often, there’s something there they want.  So, find out where they’re pointing!  The pages, posts, or tweets they visit will tell you what will keep them coming back again and again.

Making happy noises.  My niece laughs, squeals, and talks excitedly in full sentences in a language I don’t understand when something makes her happy.

Your audience likes, shares, retweets, or recommends the content they like the best.  So, listen to their communications with other people to find out what kind of content will keep them gurgling with delight.

Keeping to a routine.  My niece gets up around the same time each day.  Five hours later, it’s time for her nap.  If it’s around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon and she’s rubbing her eyes, I know it’s time to take her to her crib.

Your audience is online at certain times more than others.  Find out their pattern and you’ll know when to post.  They like reading more serious articles at certain hours and they go for distraction at other hours.  Keep track of that and you”ll know what content you should post when.

Oh, my brother-in-law is fine.  Thanks for asking!  And my niece is adorable–and three years old now, with an infant brother.

So I’m back to communicating with my audience: you. I post to the blog on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, at times that you have shown me you’re online. And I hope this message brightened your day a bit. If so, make happy noises: share this post with a friend!

 

Are You Using a Rotary Phone on the Internet?

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rotary phone

How many know what this is?

Does your nonprofit or business use a rotary phone?  Of course not.  Push-button phones are everywhere.  When younger people wonder how to use a rotary phone, they have to look it up.

But are you using a rotary phone on the internet?  The answer is “yes”–if you’re not using social media.

Yes, you have email.  That’s the rotary phone of the 21st century.  You can still use it to get in touch, but it’s slow, and talking to more than one person at a time is awkward.

Yes, you have a website. That’s like being in the phone book.  Most people these days are throwing phone books away as soon as they receive them.  Being listed does you no good if people don’t have a reason to call.

You have a blog?  Good!  A step in the right direction! But it’s a baby step–like putting your phone number in a print ad.  What makes people want to get in touch with you if they don’t know you already?

Social media let you meet people in a relaxed environment.  You get to know each other.  People begin to like you, perhaps even trust you.  They tell you more about themselves.  When it comes time to ask them for something, you know what might appeal to them.  But they might actually approach you first.

That’s why it’s worthwhile using social media and using them well.  Because you don’t want to wait by the phone.

 

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