Increasing Your Digital Fundraising Presence in a COVID-19 World

by AMPERAGE. Published Yesterday in AMPERAGE Fundraising.

As fundraisers, we tend to be social people. We get to know people over a cup of coffee and attend social events hosted by our volunteers and donors. COVID-19 has put a halt to those interactions, but as fundraisers we cannot just sit back and wait for the doors to open. Our nonprofits depend on […]

Continue to Full Article →

The Future Will Not Work the Same

by Mark Mathis. Published 1 weeks ago in One-Minute Marketer.

I’ve been hearing a lot of people say, “When things get back to normal …” “We’ll do that in the new normal.” “I just want to get back to normal.”

As I learned when the floods washed away our Cedar Rapids offices, when the TV tower collapsed in an ice storm, when recessions rocked businesses, normal — that feeling of conforming to a standard, the usual or expected — never comes back. It’s new, but it is never normal again.

According to statista, “Millennials have now been devastated by not just one but two ‘once in a lifetime’ crises — the 2008 Financial Crisis and COVID-19.” That will change how millennials view the world forever. “One key trend that has emerged and remained largely overlooked is the massive, swift and efficient transition most office workers made to continue doing their jobs from home,” says Niall McCarthy, data journalist at statista.

This should change every marketing personna or profile of millennials. They can now work anywhere and at any time. That will change the workplace forever — and how millennials spend their hard-earned money.

The Most Important Marketing Thing to Remember in a COVID Crisis

by Mark Mathis. Published 2 weeks ago in One-Minute Marketer.

This will be a very simple, blog post.

The most important marketing thing to remember in a COVID crisis is your audience. By the way, all our audiences have changed. They have not changed in demographics, they have changed in psychographics. We all have changed.

It’s been hard on everyone and especially your customers, donors, stakeholders, patients, potential students and friends. Your target audience, at a minimum, is uneasy and unsettled. Some are so uncomfortable with their current state, they are angry. Most are just worried and dealing with all levels of anxiety.

They want information, not hyperbole
They don’t want fake compassion
They want ideas
They need confidence

The best way to be relevant to your new-normal audience is to read all your marketing out loud. If you’re too embarrassed, then there is something wrong with your copy. Read out loud all your messaging, letters, ads, sales sheets, speeches, blog posts and posters. It is best to read out loud to a group of people (on a Zoom meeting, of course) similar to your audience. Read to people who will be honest.

We’re all embracing the unknown. Yet focusing on your audience’s current condition will help your copy connect in a relevant way.

You’ll Need More Fresh Content in a COVID World

by Mark Mathis. Published 2 weeks ago in One-Minute Marketer.

I’ve been consuming pounds and pounds of content during this crisis. And from time to time, it will appear as if some organizations haven’t added any fresh content for years on their website or in their social feeds. And it made me wonder: Is fresh content in a crisis even more important? I believe the answer is yes, but I couldn’t find any research to back up my hypothesis.

Interest heightens for news and information during a crisis. And this crisis is a doozy. So with consumption of media sky high, the need for more and new content makes sense.

In normal times, we can see Facebook campaigns drop off when content begins to get stale. Google knows when you last updated your website and other content. The algorithms Google uses rewards fresh, up-to-date content. According to Brandbliss, “Google employs a so-called freshness factor, an algorithm that prioritizes new, frequently updated content over old and outdated web pages. Why? Because nobody likes stale content, and certainly not Google.” So even in non-crisis times there a real SEO/robot reason to have fresh content.

The balance is always how to use the power of frequency against when a message’s effectiveness degrades. We know that you need a frequency of around 10 to 15 to breakthrough clutter, but during a crisis, when people are watching sources for news and information you may only need a frequency of around 5. And you many need more diversity of messaging. You can spread out your messages and run different messages simultaneously, but you are still going to need more content. Lots and lots of fresh content.

Building and Authority Website

The more informative and valuable content you publish (that is industry specific), the greater authority Google grades your website. The specialists win, but if you’re not selling yourself a specialist, then your authority grade diminishes in Google’s eyes.

In 1996, the year we started our advertising and fundraising firm, Bill Gates said that on the internet, “Content is king.” In a crisis, fresh content is kingier.

In These Changing Times…

by Mark Mathis. Published 3 weeks ago in One-Minute Marketer.

We’ve learned a lot of new words during these COVID-19 times. Such as COVID-19 (which stands for corona (CO) virus (VI) disease (D) started in 2019 (19). It is a novel (new) corona (halo which is what the virus looks like under electron microscopic examination) virus ( an infective agent able to multiply within the living cells).

When you listen to current advertising, these “times” seem to need an adjective. Here is a list of the most common adjectives I’ve heard. The word “times” is usually followed by “remember.”

“In these uncertain times”
“In these troubling times”
“In these unsettling times”
“In these changing times”
“In these volatile times”
“In these shifting times”
“In these dark times”

Yet, it is these kinds of times that bring about new thinking, metamorphosis, revolution and innovation. It takes the “dark” times sometimes, to show us the “light.” It’s these “changing” times that can bring about real change.

I’m ready for a change to new times with new adjectives. How about:

In these instructive times
In these evolving times
In these innovative times
In these transformational time

In these reflective times, it’s good to reflect and remember these times will change and they will change us.

There Are Stages to Every Crisis

by Mark Mathis. Published 3 weeks ago in One-Minute Marketer.

If you search for crisis stages you will get millions of answers. Yet one thing that is consistent is that in every crisis there is an associated communication crisis. Sometimes layered crisis communications problems. As Dr. Seuss says, “I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind.”

From working with organizations of all kinds, we find there are 4 typical stages to any communications crisis. Strong public relations is needed at any stage, but when we get calls are usually at the “Emergency or Anger” phase. The problem is that during “Recovery and New Reality” stages people are forming ongoing relationships for the future.

The one thing we often see from organizations in crisis is a need to go silent. The second problem is going slow. Most feel safe going slow and silent. But that is probably only good in submarine warfare. However, silence is never a good strategy in the court of public opinion. And slow only makes you irrelevant.

When our business flooded in 2008, I remember those who stood up for our business and thoroughly communicated with us throughout the crisis. It is a very short list and not made up of the business leadership you would think.

Each of the 4 stages have unique messaging associated with the problem. No one stage is the most important: However, pay special attention to the Anger stage. This stage can last the longest and bleed into other stages. It is the stage where blame is set–even if it is not deserved. Every crisis needs a scapegoat. And there will be a search until an adequate one is found — best to do messaging to make sure your organization name is not a goat.

The end of the Dr. Seuss quote goes like this, “I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bough a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” The big bat of any crisis is solid public relations/communications strategy.

If I Open Will They Come?

by Mark Mathis. Published 4 weeks ago in One-Minute Marketer.

“If you build it, he will come.” If you’ve watched the movie Field of Dreams or you are from Iowa, you know the quote. The “he” is Shoeless Joe Jackson. And he will come if you build a baseball field in a cornfield. Today from restaurants to hospitals all are asking a similar question, “If I open will they come?”

The answer from research is not right away. Revive Health from Nashville, conducted research that found 90% of people with acute healthcare needs are experiencing “debilitating fear” and are “paralyzed” by that fear to go back to a healthcare facility for the care they need.

Morning Consult conducted a poll and found that:

70% of US citizens will not eat in a restaurant for 2 to 6+ months
55% will not attend a movie for 2 to 6+ months
53% will not attend a religious event for 2 to 6+ months
45% will not attend a work conference for 2 to 6+ months

It will take time for all us all to get more comfortable with the new normal. And our marketing will need to help alleviate fear and reassure people at a high level. The research shows that people want to know how you are specifically social distancing, how you are minimizing the risk of contact with staff and how you are sanitizing. And you can’t just say we are cleaning; people want to know down to the smallest detail what you are specifically doing to keep them safe.

True, it is difficult to know through research what people will do in the future. But right now there is a great deal of hesitation and fear concerning COVID-19. If you open and you tell people in great detail how you are keeping them safe, then they just might come. Before they will come to a baseball stadium they will need hand sanitize dispensers, information on sanitizing, thermometer screenings, half seats sold, masks, no lines for entry, pre-packaged delivered concessions…

You clean message is some much bigger than your messaging: Your proof of performance will need to continue throughout the experience in word and deed.

What Will COVID-19 Tell Us About Ourselves?

by Mark Mathis. Published 4 weeks ago in One-Minute Marketer.

We will change. COVID-19 is changing us all. I believe we all know that. After every major catastrophe from floods to hurricanes to economic meltdowns, we change as a people. That change will also change marketing and messaging.

“In an important sense 9/11 does mark the end of an era, for it reveals that the United States is vulnerable to attacks on its home soil,” wrote Gail Makinen in the conclusions of “A Retrospective Assessment” of the 9/11 attacks for the Congressional Research Center.

COVID-19 will be an end of an era for us as well. We now know we are vulnerable to a pandemic on our home soil and right into our own homes. We also know that no matter how much isolation you try to practice, we live in a global world that can be impacted by a tiny virus half a world away — the Butterfly Effect.

This unprecedented disease disruption is also changing what we know about ourselves and our world:

We now know how economically interconnected we all are, from the dry cleaner to family restaurants to large corporations to China, where most of our N95 masks are made
We now know there are heroes of all kinds, from healthcare workers to the person who delivers toilet paper to the grocery store
We now know that our mothers were right: Wash your hands again and again
We now know how important custodial and facility management people are to our health and safety
We now know that bowing to each other is a better way of showing respect — and respect for someone’s health — than shaking hands
For some odd reason, we now know that more than 50,000 people die of the regular flu each year and that the same guidelines for COVID-19 should apply during flu season
We now know that packing ourselves into tight places with lots of people may not be the best thing for our health
We now know there is no magic, just science to the process of developing disease treatment and vaccines (and it takes longer than you think it should)
We now know how important the news media is to getting information in a crisis. We also know to fact-check and temper what we hear from all news sources
We now know anecdotes are not data
We now know how truly fragile this world is and how important we are to each other

And we all now know real friends social distance. Stay safe.

Remember 9/11?

by Mark Mathis. Published last month in One-Minute Marketer.

When you are as old as I am, you realize all life is a circle — and unfortunately, the circle seems to rotate from one crisis to another. Our agency has endured recessions including the Great Recession, floods, 9/11 and now, I hope, a pandemic.

When I was hired as the marketing director at an NBC-affiliate TV station, the broadcast tower collapsed in an ice storm. For an over-the-air TV station, that is a major crisis.

There has been a lot of talk of “reopening” the country to business, and I’ll celebrate that day. What is more likely to happen is that the doors will open, but the business will trickle in and slowly build back to what we expect. After 9/11, business didn’t immediately bounce back, but by the end of the year, GDP actually showed a slight increase. Yes, this crisis, like all that have gone before, will change us, but what won’t change is the fact that you need to be ready.

Now is a great time to plan. We are in a crisis state-of-emergency phase right now. We’ll move to the recovery phase shortly. Are you ready for the next stage? If you were not prepared with a crisis plan for COVID-19, it’s time to get a marketing plan in place for the COVID-19 recovery. The third phase of this crisis will be the “new reality” phase. Don’t be flat-footed again. This is the time to be first out and active.

It’s a fact, after something that has threatened our health and economic health, our societal norms and values will change. This change in typical behavior may adjust over a number of years. Yet we do know that the organizations that look ahead and plan and then execute on that plan will win. Remember 9/11 and remember what we built after that crisis. Together, we will win.

Digital First to Digital Only

by Mark Mathis. Published last month in One-Minute Marketer.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, there was a phrase many were using in marketing meeting. The phrase was “digital first.” It was a reminder to make sure there was a digital component or alternative to a marketing campaign.

Now, that phrase has gone from first to only: You must be “digital only” for the near future. We’ve been forced to think and act digitally all of the time. No big meetings. No trade shows. No events. No in-person presentations. No normal marketing for now.

This has caught most of country flat-footed. You’d think everyone was digitally oriented, but using email and Zoom doesn’t mean you have a digital marketing strategy. Even retail was only 15% digital going into the crisis despite all you’ve read and seen — just 15 % of the total. that’s means 85% for the most part stopped in mid-March.

Here are some ideas our clients are finding helpful in this crisis:

Websites not built on ease-of-use platforms (such as WordPress) are difficult and expensive to change out and update on the fly in a crisis. You need a CMS that has user experience at the center of its core in a crisis
Website notification bars are helpful in communicating temporary, ever-changing emergency information. These notification bars can be used for any information that needs to be communicated quickly in the future from disasters to changes in hours of operation.
E-commerce solutions need to be built into your site. You need a stable and safe way to accept orders and donations electronically. Many organizations that didn’t have retail as part of their revenue stream will need e-commerce. We’ve heard of nonprofits selling support T-shirt and items to generate revenue instead of donations.
Video is a critically important way to communicate in a crisis. Video messages help communicate quickly, but just like a Zoom meeting have the human touch and communicate emotionally
Organizations need infographics and content to fill social media channels especially when there is little going on in the organization in terms of activity, events and daily interactions
Crisis communications is different than regular communications. We’ve all changed in one way or another and messaging needs to change as well.

Some are already awakening to the new reality. Some are still in the shock phase of crisis communications. It is going to be different marketing world in this age of COVID-19. It will not end on one specific day. If you just go dark during this time, how much harder will it be to come out on the other side?

Get Electrifying News

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter. You can look forward to a full range of news, stats, and helpful resources. Being a subscriber also grants you access to our white papers.

I'm interested!

AMPERAGE Marketing

Cedar Falls
6711 Chancellor Dr.
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
319.268.9151
Fax: 319.268.0124

Cedar Rapids
Alliant Tower
200 1st Street SE, Suite 105
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
319.298.0242

Quad Cities
2550 Middle Road, Suite 308
Bettendorf, IA 52722
877.932.3279

Wausau
3550 Stewart Ave,
Wausau, WI 54401
715.845.2382

Welcome Creative Communication & Design Visitors!