Nonprofit

Make it a Smart Marketing Year with a SWOT

Published January 5, 2016 | By Elaine Fogel

Marketing your smaller business, startup, nonprofit, or personal brand takes smarts and strategy. Developing and implementing a marketing and branding plan is pivotol to its success. So, let me help you get started by working on your SWOT analysis.

In my new book, Beyond Your Logo: 7 Brand Ideas That Matter Most For Small Business Success, the last chapter is devoted entirely to creating a marketing and branding plan that includes:

I. Market & Situation Analysis – your current marketplace and business position
II. Marketing & Branding Strategy – your business objectives and how to reach them
III. Marketing & Branding Tactics – your business actions to reach strategic objectives
IV. Metrics – measurement methods to determine which tactics are working or not

A SWOT analysis falls within #I (Market & Situation Analysis) and helps identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to your organization. Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, Marketing, Marketing Planning, Marketing Strategy | Tagged Beyond Your Logo - 7 Brand Ideas That Matter Most for Small Business Success, marketing and branding plan, Nonprofit, Small Business, startup, SWOT analysis

My Birthday Wish For You

Published February 17, 2015 | By Elaine Fogel

Today is my birthday and I have a wish for you! Unusual, maybe, but it’s heartfelt.

I wish that you and your colleagues will develop, or improve upon, your organization’s customer orientation and brand-centric mindset. Why?

Because I want you to succeed. These are not the words of a marketer who has ulterior motives to gain your business or sell my new book.

Frankly, if you never call me or read my blog ever again, please… just focus on your nonprofit or business mission, putting customers at the center of every action and decision. Spread the customer passion like an evangelical sermon. Put some joy and fun into your everyday operations and watch the transformation.

Can I blow out the candles now?

Posted in Branding, Customer Experience | Tagged brand-centric mindset, business, customer orientation, customers, mission, Nonprofit

Can Charities Succeed at Fundraising Without Branding?

Published February 12, 2015 | By Elaine Fogel

Many charities depend on fundraising for operational revenue. But, how many could be making more money if they invested in branding?

“Branding?” many ask. “We have a logo. What else is there?”

OMG… so much more! A charity’s brand is way more than a logo, colors, font styles, and its look. It represents every single touchpoint in the organization.

What does that really mean?

Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, Charitable Organization, Donors, Fundraising, Marketing, Nonprofit, Nonprofit Marketing, Philanthropy | Tagged brand reputation, brand touchpoints, Branding, Charities, colors, donation information, favorite causes, font styles, fundraiser, Fundraising, fundraising collateral, logo, mission statement, Nonprofit, nonprofit brand, nonprofit branding, nonprofit customers, social media post, stakeholders, website

How Far Would You Go to Get Donors to Give More?

Published October 24, 2014 | By Elaine Fogel

donors-oxytocin OK, fundraisers and nonprofit folk… how far would you go to get your donors to give more? Would you consider using modern marketing techniques that many retailers use?

What if you had the option of using Aroma, Touch and Words to stimulate giving? Curious?

According to a recent article in The Nonprofit Times, Russell James, III, Ph.D., a professor of personal financial planning at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, tested the effects of aroma, touch, and specific words on charitable giving. His findings are surely fascinating. Continue reading →