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Stuart O'Brien

Charity Marketing

GUEST BLOG: Guide to creating a successful charity marketing campaign on a budget
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By Where The Trade Buys

Designing and launching a marketing campaign is tough enough even when you have limitless cash to fund it — so how do you do it if you’re a charity with a strict budget?

Here, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to help you create, run and launch a cost-effective marketing campaign that will help your organisation achieve its marketing goals.

Marketing goals

What are you expecting from your campaign? Need to improve people’s awareness of your organisation? Have a fundraising target? Want to interest donations from businesses? Decide what it is and let that guide everything else you do to make campaign management easier and prevent unnecessary spending.

Any target is achievable, as long as your objectives are precise, measurable and realistic.

Analyse your target audience

Audience research is central to any marketing campaign — so get this completed as early as possible. Who is the audience you want to target in this campaign? A good place to start might be with your organisation’s current donors. This way, you can find out the interests, likes and motivations of people who already choose to donate to you, which will help you create content that others will engage with. You can do this for free by using your website’s analytics and metrics, checking out social media accounts, or via a postal survey.

Defining your audience now means you’re less likely to make an error later that could take unnecessary money from your marketing budget.

Determine your campaign’s key message

Now, it’s time to decide on your campaign’s central message — if you want people to identify with one idea or concept, what would it be?

Why not create a story? Some of the most powerful charity marketing campaigns have succeeded due to how they tell a story pertaining to the organisation. For example; US organisation, charity: water, dedicates a section of its website to real-life stories of people the charity has helped, and is renowned for its vivid images and poignant videos.

Take a look at how your organisation has helped others and pick a willing case study to build a narrative around. Carry out interviews, take pictures and even do a ‘day-in-the-life-of’ detailing a colleague or recent beneficiary of your charity. Good photos and insightful case studies make excellent pamphlets and leaflets that you can post around your local area. After all, showing people what your charity can do is far more effective than just telling them.

Write effective campaign copy

Your campaign content must maintain a chatty and friendly tone throughout if you want to engage with your audience. Nobody wants to read something that sounds stiff, stuffy and arrogant.

Strong, emotive and informative copy is an excellent accompaniment to a well-shot video or powerful photo, and often helps get your message across. Make sure your copy is punchy and powerful with a strong key message — such as: ‘Likes don’t save lives’ from UNICEF Sweden or ‘Help is a four-legged word’ from Canine Companions. Taglines like these jump off print marketing products like pull-up banners and posters. If you pair with a striking image, you massively increase your chances of marketing success.

What if you need extra funding?

While there are ways to fund your own marketing campaign, it’s always good to see if you can get extra funding. The sources below are good places to start:

  • Public: today, people are encouraged to donate due to government-introduced measures such as: Gift Aid (charities can claim back tax from donations) and Payroll Giving (employees donate automatically from their monthly wage).
  • Business: apparently, the number of corporate donations are growing.
  • Trusts: there are thousands of grant-making foundations across the UK which collectively have given billions of pounds to charitable causes.
  • Local government: although the amount given from these bodies differs, you can browse this list of local authorities for more information.

Get your campaign seen and heard

When it’s time to distribute materials for your campaign, you want to capitalise on all avenues in order to maximise the chances that your campaign will reach a wide audience.

Print marketing is an effective way to reach people with a professional-looking, well thought-out product that they can keep. Almost 80% of charitable donations come from direct mail, according to a report by the Institute of Fundraising. The same report detailed that print inspires loyalty, with more than half of the people surveyed stating that they find print the most credible marketing channel and a quarter keeping printed products for future reference. Since print is such a popular marketing channel for charities, many design and print agencies work closely and often with non-profit organisations. So, don’t hold back from getting in touch and discussing your options.

To help you stick to your budget, incorporate your social media platforms and reach people with posts, photos and Tweets. This format is a good way to engage with a lot of people quickly. In 2014, the Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen’s Families Association (SSAFA) launched a video marketing campaign to raise awareness and hallmark the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Despite only running for two weeks, the campaign was covered hundreds of times in the media and achieved more than 14,000 social media shares.

It’s definitely achievable to create a functional, effective marketing campaign without spending thousands. Keep these tips in mind when you decide to design and launch your own campaign.

Sources:

http://www.companygiving.org.uk/content/help/sources-of-funding.aspx

 https://econsultancy.com/blog/62645-five-tips-for-charities-to-rock-their-digital-marketing

https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/05/23/charity-fundraising-print-importance-direct-mail-infographic/#.We8LHmhSyUk

https://blog.kissmetrics.com/marketing-lessons-from-charitywater/

Flint Group acquires Eston Chimica
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Luxembourg-based printing and packing supplier Flint Group has acquired water-based inks firm Eston Chemica.

The acquisition is part of an ongoing strategy by Flint Group to grow organically and from tactical acquisition.

Italian firm Eston Chimica manufactures and sells water-based inks for flex and gravure applications to printers located across Italy and Southern Europe.

Discussing the move, Kim Melander, vice president and general manager EMEA ,Flint Group, said: “Eston Chimica’s state of the art facility in Italy is fully automated providing Flint Group important geographic expansion plus full manufacturing capabilities in Southern Europe – an excellent complement to our established manufacturing facility in Europe.”

Nicola Mellon, chef executive of Eston Chimica, said: “The team at Eston Chimica is the principal reason for our business success thus far and we are very excited by the prospect of growing our business as part of Flint Group. In combining our strengths, we are able to offer our customers cutting edge innovations in both inks and coatings and customer-focused support. The water-based packaging print sector is growing and changing; this partnership gives us the opportunity to stay one-step ahead and effectively plan for the future.”

Print & Digital Innovations Summit

SAVE THE DATE: Print & Digital Innovations Summit 2018
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The next Print & Digital Innovations Summit has been confirmed for November 22nd 2018 at the Hilton London Canary Wharf – secure your place today!

This year’s instalment of the event was it’s most successful ever, with UK’s print marketers descending on London for a day of networking and deal making.

To recap, the event allowed industry professionals to meet suppliers across a range of segments, including Digital Print, Direct Mail, Creative & Design, 3D Print, Banners & Posters, Brochure Printing, Integrated Marketing Solutions, Packaging & Labels, POS and Print Management.

There was also an educational seminar programme hosted by industry thought-leaders, opportunities to network with peers and full hospitality throughout – all of which will return in 2018.

To confirm your place, all you have to do is complete this short online form.

Alternatively, if you have any questions, or if you’re a solutions provider and would like to showcase your products and services at the event, please contact Sam Walker on 01992 374054 or email s.walker@forumevents.co.uk.

Digital Marketing Solutions Summit

Find the partners you need at the Digital Marketing Solutions Summit
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Don’t forget to book a place at the Digital Marketing Solutions Summit, which takes place on May 15th at the Hilton Canary Wharf.

It’s entirely free for you to attend – as our VIP guest, you will be benefit from:

• A personalised itinerary of face-to-face meetings with innovative suppliers who match your requirements and upcoming projects. No time wasted, no hard sell.

• Access to educational and inspirational seminar sessions.

• Networking opportunities with like-minded peers.

• Full hospitality, including lunch and all refreshments.

But don’t just take our word for it. This is what some of our 2017 delegates had to say about the event…

“Very useful; we will definitely be reviewing opportunities for new relationships and appointments.”
30 Euston Square

“Very informative event. I enjoyed the seminars and had some successful meetings with potential suppliers.”
Caribbean Tourism Organisation

“Fantastic event! Great variety of agencies and perfect set-up to get the most out of the day!”
Clasado Biosciences

“Great day, very insightful & made some good contacts.”
Hammerson

“It was a good way to meet lots of service providers in one place – like speed dating for marketing services.”
Smart Currency

The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit is entirely FREE to attend. Simply click here to register.

Or contact Camilla Watkiss on 01992 376 727 / c.watkiss@forumevents.co.uk for more information.

Alternatively, if you’re an industry supplier and would like to showcase your products and services at the event, contact Sam Walker on 01992 374 054 or email s.walker@forumevents.co.uk.

Ransomware

INFOGRAPHIC: Protecting your business – and customers – from ransomware
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Ransomware has seen a resurgence in the past couple of years, and will only continue to grow – but there are ways of protecting your business – and customers – from the threat.

The malware threat finally hit mainstream headlines in 2017 with the global Petya, WannaCry and Bad Rabbit Ransomware attacks.

High-profile victims included the NHS in the UK, international shipping company Maersk (which lost over £234 million as a result of the attack) and American pharmaceutical business Merck, which reported early losses of $310 million.

It’s not just big-name businesses that are targeted by Ransomware; in fact, only 25% of businesses hit by Ransomware have over 1000 employees; the hackers don’t discriminate based on business size.

In fact, smaller businesses are seen to be easier targets for ransom payments, due to their lesser ability to quickly recover from an attack. 22% of small businesses successfully infected with Ransomware suffered so much they had to cease operations immediately.

The ever-growing threat of cyber-attacks like ransomware mean businesses need robust continuity plans that ensure they can recover in the event of a cyber-attack.

This infographic by IT support company TSG highlights some of the key statistics around ransomware, with tips on how to prevent an attack.

Ransomware Infographic - Technology Services Group

Ransomware Infographic – Technology Services Group

Dean Packaging secures £900,00 funding investment
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Monmouthshire-based Dean Packaging has secured almost a million pounds from Santander Business Banking.

The investment, £973,000, will help the company grow and attract new clients locally and from across the UK.

The company has over 20 years of experience as a leading supplier of packaging materials to the food and industrial sectors, with a turnover of £1.8 million.

Paul Williams, relationship director at Santander Business Banking, said: “We are delighted to be supporting a successful local business in its aspirations for growth.

“Dean Packaging have secured the market in South East Wales and Herefordshire and we are happy to be supporting the team as it looks to invest in growth and expand its footprint.”

Ian Kennedy, director at Dean Packaging, added: “We reached a point where we were looking to invest for growth – the team at Santander has been very supportive and listened to our needs to provide a funding solution that really worked for us.”

The company hopes to surpass £2 million turnover in 2018.

QR codes need to fit advert design and brand or risk being ignored
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New research by King’s Business School has revealed that unless Quick Response (QR) codes fit ad design and brand they risk being ignored, with people unlikely to scan them.

Professor Shintaro Okazaki warns that marketers need to be aware that a complex visual design combined with a QR code that isn’t perceived to belong can be thwarting their intentions of drawing in potential consumers.

“Many firms all over the world are using QR codes, but the numbers of people actually scanning them are still quite low,” Okazaki says. “Incorporating them effectively into a campaign remains very important as it’s one of the few ways to jump from a 2D advert to the internet.”

The researchers found that people could be overwhelmed by ads that are too complex and include a code that lacks aesthetic appeal, unless they are unusually curious.

Okazaki says the key to successfully using QR codes lies in giving people a tangible incentive to scan, like coupons or competitions, and ensuring that the code fits with the branding.

“This is all in the design process. The code should be incorporated into the advert and extensive feedback should be sought, perhaps by conducting in-depth pretests. If the QR code fits harmoniously in the design, even consumers who are only slightly curious will be more likely to scan it.”

The researchers used Coca Cola advertising posters to assess how curiosity, the complexity of a visual design and the perceived fit with a brand affected consumers’ intentions to scan. The findings were recently published in the Journal of Business Research.

Paddington versus Coca Cola – who’s making consumers ‘feel’ Xmas?
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It may still be November (just), but for marketeers the Christmas season started way back. For many consumers, it started when John Lewis dropped the latest in its now iconic festive TV campaign – but where does the department store’s Moz the Monster creative sit with viewers?

According to recent research by Realeyes, the John Lewis ad isn’t even in the top 10. Realeyes uses webcam and facial recognition technology to measure how people feel when they view advertisements. And Lucid tracked over 3,000 viewers to track their engagement.

Their results showed that the Coca-Cola ‘Gogglebox Holidays Are Coming’ creative topped the poll. John Lewis’ Moz the Monster campaign listed at just number 17.

The top ads for creating emotions, according to Realeyes, are:-

Coca-Cola – Gogglebox Holidays Are Coming

Vodafone – A Christmas Love Story

McDonalds – Carrot Stick Christmas

M&S – Paddington & The Christmas Visitor

Currys/PC World – Merry Techmas

H Samuel – Beautiful Christmas Gifts

Waitrose – Christmas Gifts

Heathrow – Bears Christmas

Pandora – Do You Get What You Wish For?

Tesco – Turkey, Every Which Way

“Whilst the hype around Christmas ads has now become a national pastime, it’s sometimes forgotten that their job is to help sell more products and people’s emotional response plays a big part in where they decide to shop,” says Mihkel Jäätma, Realeyes’ chief executive.

“This year saw advertisers trying to be more authentic by using real-life situations, humour and romance to relate to people, which could be seen as a way to cheer them up via universal themes after what’s been another divisive and turbulent year.”

Burberry tops Instagram Brit list
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Fashion, cars and luxury brands dominate the chart of the most popular Instagram feeds in the UK with Iconsquare’s second annual ranking once againe putting Burberry in pole position.

In terms of media brans, the BBC News, with 2.5m followers, was the most popular British media brand on Instagram, followed by Vogue and Top Gear close with 2.3m followers each.

However, all the brands in the UK listing are dwarved by international brands such as Nike, Victoria’s Secret and Chanel.

The top UK Instagram favourite brands, as over end November, are:-

Burbery – 10,400,000 followers

Topshop – 9,200,000 followers

Jimmy Choo – 7,300,000 followers

ASOS – 6,600,000 followers

Jaguar – 5,500,000 followers

Alexander McQueen – 5,300,000 followers

Aston Martin – 4,700,000 followers

Bentley – 4600,000 followers

Stella McCartney – 4,500,000 followers

Rolls-Royce – 4,200,000 followers

“A strong social media presence is an essential component of any successful marketing strategy, “ said Iconsquare CEO Romain Ouzeau.

“The top ten most popular British brands on Instagram have all been able to successfully promote aspirational lifestyles to a wide audience of people and will reap rewards this holiday season.

 

Workbooks aids CRM management with Enrich
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UK-based CRM vendor Workbooks has launched its data enrichment tool, Workbooks Enrich, which is designed to increase productivity and make life easier for marketing and sales departments through richer information on contacts in their CRM.

Enrich automatically searches the web and pulls in data to provide users with a far more detailed view of the people and organisations they are engaging with.

This information enables greater personalisation of sales conversations, marketing campaigns, and customer service engagements. Consequently it drives far greater effectiveness across those core business areas, delivering significant returns to Workbooks users.

To date, organisations have either managed without this information or salespeople, marketers and customer service reps have had to search for it themselves. Workbooks Enrich does all this work for them. They simply enter the contact email address and Workbooks Enrich gathers any public information available on the web, including data from sites such as LinkedIn, Google, Facebook and Twitter, and enhances the personal and corporate profile for that contact in CRM – at the click of a button. It is delivering efficiency as well as effectiveness.

“As consumers we are very used to finding the information we need available at the time and place we need it,” says Workbooks CEO, John Cheney. “With Enrich we’re changing the game. We’re bringing the ease and functionality of the consumer world into the business world, providing our users with immediate access to valuable data. We help our customers get 360-degree insights into the people that matter most to them. It’s yet another exciting addition to the fast-growing Workbooks suite.”