Nonprofit CRM Software: The 8 Things You Need to Know
Nonprofit CRM Software: The 8 Things You Need to Know
We know your organization is passionate about your cause. We also know running a nonprofit is a lot of work that can often turn chaotic. Luckily, that’s where nonprofit management or CRM software can come into play!
For managing your nonprofit’s data, engaging your donors, organizing fundraising strategies, and everything in between, your CRM can help make your life easier. Whether you’d prefer a cloud-based or onsite system, there’s sure to be a provider that’s perfect for you!
We’ll cover the basic information you’ll want to know about nonprofit management software before you begin shopping around:
- What is CRM software?
- Why should my nonprofit use CRM software?
- Why is CRM software essential?
- What’s the difference between a cloud-based and an onsite CRM?
- What can CRMs track?
- What are the benefits of CRM software?
- How can I use a CRM to fundraise?
- Where do I start my search?
1. What is CRM software?
Nonprofit management software, also known as constituent relationship management software or CRM software for short, is a system for nonprofits to track their relationships—donors and others, alike!
CRMs, the most general and expansive nonprofit software, provide organizations with one central location to store the majority of their data, so they can access information they need when they need it.
To sum up, CRM software lets nonprofits record previous donor and engagement data, implement outreach and fundraising strategies, and provide opportunities for improvement through in-depth reporting and analytics.
2. Why should my nonprofit use CRM software?
Nonprofits typically use CRMs for a multitude of benefits: for better overall organization, as well as data storage, but also for the ability to leverage their data to build and strengthen donor relationships.
CRMs ultimately let nonprofits consolidate their information making it more digestible, so nonprofits can then use their data more efficiently to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of their relationships and strategies.
3. Why is CRM software essential?
CRM software is essential for nonprofits because it uses your previous involvement with donors to indicate the level of future involvement.
While it can’t predict the future, the software’s insights on donors’ preferences and interests can help your organization improve outreach strategies and prepare future fundraising strategies to result in more profitable success.
4. What’s the difference between a cloud-based and an onsite CRM?
Cloud-based CRM software can be accessed through any internet browser on any internet capable device. You’ll simply need your login information and then your staff members can access your software from anywhere, perfect for on-the-go nonprofits!
These systems usually allow different users to have different levels of access so your nonprofit’s president would be allowed more in-depth access than a one-time volunteer. In addition, many cloud-based CRM software solutions offer a free mobile app!
On the other hand, an onsite CRM is a software you’ll download onto one computer, typically a main desktop at your office, because you’ll only be able to access this software from this specific computer.
Large nonprofits typically use onsite CRM software because they have the staff and resources to maintain it. While this type of CRM is often less desirable because it’s only accessible from one location, it can be more secure than cloud-based programs.
5. What can CRMs track?
As previously mentioned, CRMs track all kinds of donor data, but they even track the type of constituents your organization interacts with like:
- Donors
- Staff
- Board members
- Volunteers
- Partners
- Service recipients
CRMs are meant to help you personalize your approach when connecting with donors. With the following information, you’ll have a 360 degree view of your donors:
- Donation history
- Contact information
- Philanthropic interests
- Online engagement
- Volunteer hours
- Communication history
- Custom notes
Because it gives you a personal and warmer edge, CRM software makes the difference when it comes to stewarding donors.
For example, if your donor has previously given to organizations that focus on health, you’ll most likely want to invite her to volunteer at your nonprofit’s next 5K Walk/Run event. This way, she’ll feel as though your nonprofit values her interests just as much as you value her support.
6. What are the benefits of CRM software?
CRM software offers plenty of benefits and helpful aspects for nonprofits, which is why it’s such a popular solution.
Centralize Data
Like we’ve mentioned before, your CRM stores all of your data in one, easy-to-access place! This avoids messy data, duplicate records, and any chaos and instead gives you organized data when you need it.
Conduct Social Media Approaches
Many CRM solutions offer social media outreaches that allow you to target online posts right from your software. You can include donors’ social media profiles within their data profiles in your software.
By choosing a CRM that enables social media options, you’ll be able to gain more exposure and potentially expand your donor base.Plus, your donors will be able to interact with your organization on their favorite platforms!
Check out Salsa’s Social Media Marketing Best Practices for even more ways to harness the power social media to further your cause.
Segment Your Lists
While your organization will have all your data neat and tidy thanks to your CRM, you’ll still have to do a little bit of work, like segmenting your constituent lists. This will simply help you approach different donors in the most appropriate ways.
But luckily, your CRM can house both your donor data and your segmented lists to make the process even quicker!
Plan Stellar Events
Many CRM software solutions will also offer tools to help with event planning.
You’ll be able to track attendees’ RSVPs through your custom made forms, you can keep track of online ticket sales, and you’ll even be able to add all gained information into your donor profiles.
Check out Double the Donation’s Fundraising Event Tools for Nonprofits for more helpful software.
Project Management
You can even use your CRM to manage your staff and volunteers. You’ll be able to manage reviews, connect with your time tracking software, and create workflows and other duties that can then be assigned to different board members, staff members, or volunteers!
Your CRM software can help with relationships outside of just donors, too!
Generate Reports
Most CRM providers will offer customizable reports, so you can focus on what you want to, in order to further what’s important: your cause.
Reports can impact your fundraising, as you’ll learn from your mistakes. With reports, you can determine where your organization fell short so you’ll know to adjust and improve your efforts for your next campaign. The same goes for donor relations, too!
7. How can I use a CRM to fundraise?
There are endless amounts of opportunities your organization can use your CRM software in, especially when it comes to fundraising. To give you some ideas, we’ll cover how you can use it for matching gifts!
As you most likely know, matching gifts are corporate programs that give eligible employees the chance to double their donations. For example, if an employee with an eligible employer donates to a nonprofit and submits a matching gifts request, the employer will match the employee’s donation to the nonprofit, ultimately doubling the donation amount.
While not every employer matches the gifts on a 1:1 ratio, there is still a lot of monetary value in matching gifts!
And luckily for your nonprofit, the matching gift information for your donors can be stored in your CRM software, as well. Make sure your matching gift software is integratable with your CRM for the easiest data transfer.
Combining your matching gift tools with your nonprofit management software allows you to check donors’ matching gift eligibility right on the spot. Plus, when you create your custom donation forms, thanks to your CRM, you can include a field for matching gift submissions, too!
And you can even segment your lists to include all matching gift eligible donors on one list. This way, you can send eligible donors matching gift specific emails and information, to maximize your potential donations.
Plus, the more your donors see your organization promoting matching gifts, the more likely they are to submit their requests and help you earn as much as possible!
8. Where do I start my search?
You’ll most likely start your search for the top nonprofit CRMs online, consulting various online reviews and creating lists of providers you think might fit your nonprofit best. Look for the features your organization really needs and think about a solution that can grow as you do before you begin calling vendors.
You’ll want to follow some best practices for shopping around:
- Step 1: Research.This is where you’ll determine what you need from a provider. You’ll keep your requirements in mind as you begin to browse, checking online reviews and ultimately creating a list of vendors with features that would fit your organization.
- Step 2: Contact. Start calling or emailing vendors to get in touch. You’ll need to discuss your organization’s needs with the provider to determine if you’re a good fit.
- Step 3: Request a demo. See the provider’s demo so you can see the ins and outs of their software before you buy and see how user friendly the software really is. Here’s the perfect chance to familiarize yourself with this vendor and clear up any concerns.
Starting your search will require a bit of soul searching for your nonprofit and then a good amount of executed research in order to find the right provider!
Now that you have our guide to nonprofit management software, you should have a full understanding of how an investment in CRM software can really improve your nonprofit organization. Happy managing!
Dan Quirk is the Marketing Manager at Salsa Labs, the premier fundraising software company for growth-focused nonprofits. Dan’s marketing focus on content creation, conversion optimization and modern marketing technology helps him coach nonprofit development teams on digital fundraising best practices.
Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?
Social networking has become the hottest online trend these days. Every individual in this era knows about social networking sites. The virtual world has its doors open to a large audience and people love this world of ubiquitous connectivity. Social media support has become a necessity in online marketing. Many customer interactions are through social networking sites and people are finding easier and more interesting to stay connected through these platforms. But are social networking sites good for our society? This is a confusing question because it depends on how the society uses it. And yes there is a consensus that social networking has become a kind of addiction in the society.
Let’s look at the advantages of social networking
Increases Interactions
Starting from the obvious one, social networking increases the connections and strengthens interactions between people around the world. You can create hundreds and thousands of authentic friends through these sites. When people are connected globally they are 
equally concerned about each other and social media is the best place to know your loved ones are safer on the other part of the world. The chat facility and video calling enhances relationship and keeping in touch with your loved ones is an emotional feeling filled with more happiness.Social media soon breaks personal impediments and we are soon into a world of sharing happiness, sadness, and all sorts of emotions. A post in a Facebook status can open up a whole new world of conversational opportunities. Apart from just interactions, we are also updated about the daily news around the world. We are updated about any kind of flash and urgent news on the spot from these network sites.
Helps in Business
Social sites like LinkedIn help a business man to enhance his business quite to a major extent.There was a time when business men had to carefully keep business cards stored to maintain the contact. But today, just a click gives the complete details of your client or customer. LinkedIn is predominantly used for business purposes. This site allows users to request introductions to business people who are known to their contacts. Globally, LinkedIn is considered to be an authentic and valuable business tool. Your LinkedIn
platform helps you to stay connected with people within the organization in a professional way. You can also promote your business through Facebook pages which improves your brand credibility and business.By creating a Facebook page, you are sure to get more number of potential customers and your business promises profits.Customers can buy your product through these online network sites at the same time you can earn reputation and goodwill through your business dealings.
Helps Job Seekers
There are people who create pages in Facebook for new job seekers. Here the job availability and details are given so as to help these job seekers to find their perfect job. Unemployment is still an economic issue and these sites pave way to success to a countless young people who wait for a job with bated breath. Many consultancies and companies have found their suitable candidate from social sites. Students and freshers can really rely on these authentic sites and get placed soon and live a good happy earning. There are also scenarios that you post your urgency of getting employed and people in your friend list could help you get a work through their good contacts around the globe.
So these are some of the advantages of social networking sites. The above points clearly reflect that these sites are good to the society and enhance people and business in some way. Apart from the advantages there are disadvantages too. The disadvantage is that when 
people sit in front of these sites for hours, their productivity time is actually wasted. Chatting for hours makes your eyes susceptible to vision problems. Also youngsters and teenagers are more prone to become a Facebook or Twitter fiend. This will directly impact their studies and career. One more point to be added is cyber bullying. Lots of teens are victims of cyber bullying just because of their overuse of these sites.
Concluding, we can say that social networking has both merits and demerits. But the proper use and intention is always helpful in remaining an objective user. If you use social networking sites for a good intention, then your result are more likely to be positive.
Author bio: James Lopez
I’m James Lopez concerning in moderation and preservation of essay writing companies an online community that serves as a stage for college students to cooperate and clarify their doubts about their essay writing requirements.
Let Us Discover Some Information about Contemporary Education
Contemporary education is very much different from the traditional education. Paul Freire’s perspective is one of the most interesting, contemporary, philosophical thoughts. He propagates a pedagogical approach which revolves around students’ dialog. Engaging students in a co-operative dialog process helps to develop a variety of skills in students. It contributes to the academic and social development of students as well. Dialog process is important for enhancing community and building social capital. Students learn to socialize better because of this approach.
Dialog process is supported by cooperation and collaborative learning strategies. Stephan Yelon says those strategies promote three key elements of student learning. They are reflection, support system and preparation for life. Students should learn to work in teams. Teachers should engage students in dialog process by which they learn to be a part of a discussion. They also come to know how to construct knowledge in a manner that is meaningful to them.
Every teacher develops his or her way of teaching and he or she uses a personal pedagogy. In other words, this is defined as the way teachers teach their students. There are different kinds of pedagogies. Some interesting kinds are:
-Learning by listening
-Discovery learning
-Learning by doing
-Learning through discussion and debate
-Blended learning
These pedagogical constructs are used differently for different levels of education by different pedagogues.
Learning by listening: This approach is also called “learning by being told” model. This is a very traditional method which holds lectures very important. This mode of teaching becomes successful only when the instruction is very dynamic. Otherwise this mode of teaching-learning activity turns out to be very dull. This method can be modified and implemented in the contemporary education scenario. The lectures can be recorded and can be put on a digital environment. Students can hear it whenever they want.
Discovery learning: In this mode students go to the library, search literature and learn by discovering information. Nowadays with the internet searching information has become easy and it does not require much time. This is a highly constructive way of learning which is best suited for self-motivated students and also for higher levels of education.
Learning by doing: This is a practical form of learning which gives students “hands-on experience” in what they do. This method is prevalent in science classes since the experiments need to be done in order to learn things.
Learning through discussion and debate: Learning becomes most effective when it happens in a small group. A small class with an effective instructor does great things in the world. Discussions and debates are very popular modes of learning both in the traditional and contemporary education.
Blended learning: This mode of education makes use of factors like body language, greeting, socializing, face-to-face contact etc. This kind of learning is a new development which can be used in technology-supported learning too.
There are a lot of pedagogical methods in vogue. The teaching methods need to be designed and molded by respective teachers to suit their students. For effective learning to happen different contexts need to use different teaching methods.
Author-Bio: Valentine Dennis is an excellent freelance writer who is, in fact, capable on writing any topics and subjects with regards to his area of expertise. His proficiency to write essays and articles has allowed him a great deal to carry out lots of essays academically and non-academically. The characteristic that he has in the writing industry makes him more comfortable to take care of the topics on any subjects without any difficulty.
Can the Web Host You Choose Affect Your Search Engine Rankings?
SEO ranking is very important for a website which is promoting products or services. Most SEO professionals tend to focus mainly on link building, on page optimization and many other techniques to boost the search engine rankings. But the quality of the hosting provider is a widely overlooked factor. The hosting service does not have a direct impact on the search engine ranking. But there are many factors which can indirectly affect the rankings. If you carefully select a suitable hosting service, you can give that extra edge that is required for your website to go one step further.
Minimum Downtime
The search engine rankings are done by analyzing each and every website. So when search engines analyze your website if it is not online your site will not be included in the rankings and will give you lower rankings. This is a very important factor. No matter what you do for page optimization or link building all those effort will be no use if the search engine cannot screen your website.
Right IP Address
When a user accesses a search engine, the user is automatically directed to the local site of that particular search engine. The rankings of the websites are based on the geographic location of the particular website. You can get the best results by choosing a hosting provider from the country where the targeted customer base is located.
Latest updates
You must choose a web host which installs all required software and also keep them updated regularly. It will help your website to be up to the latest standards. This is a definite help for the website to function in order. Also it will keep the website safe from any virus attacks. One way to check the efficiency of the updates of the host is to track the frequency of updates done by the hosting provider to have an idea of the quality of the service provided.
Fast Loading Speed
We generally think that a website has to load fast to keep the visitor attracted to our website. Which is always true but there is another advantage of a fast loading website. Not many know that the loading speed also a vital factor when a search engine evaluates the rankings of a website. The loading speed of your website is decided by various factors such as where the server is located, the processing power of the server’s CPU and the amount of RAM. And even if your host furnish all these requirements you can further improve by reducing the content on the website. Especially if your website contains lots of heavy images, flash files etc. you can re-organize and minimize the use of such heavy multimedia files.
Fewer websites on the server
How many websites are housed on your server is another important factor you have to consider. If the server is overloaded with websites, they will have to share the resources of the hosting server which might compromise the functionality of the website.
About the author: Eric Lewis is an experienced blogger in various fields. He loves writing articles about SEO company and technology. Follow him on Google+.
How will the mechanic complete another cunning battery?
Become an Online Money Making Mogul
Have you ever fallen for one of the old ‘get rich quick’ schemes on the internet like those that claimed that you had nothing more to do than order their super-secret package of information to get started, and from there your bank just overflowed with piles of cash?
Image via CrunchBase
If you have ever fallen for that scheme don’t feel bad, a lot of other hardworking folks have too. However, there are definitely ways for just about any individual on earth to market their talents, hobbies or skills, join or create a niche, and become a part of the brotherhood and sisterhood of those who have made a living, made a fortune and made their dreams of working from home come true.
Micro-Gigs
Are you good at graphic design? Head to some micro-gig sites like Fiverr or UpHype and check out the gigs others have posted there. If you have the skill and the time to whip up logos here and there for the many business that seek them from micro-giggers, you have a marketable skill. By far limited to logos, micro-gig sites usually share some common types of gigs that they accept.
Graphics
Crank out those logs at five dollars or ten dollars each. A good graphics designer likely needs no more than an idea and about fifteen minutes to complete one. This could mean twenty dollars an hour to begin.
Videos
Massive amounts of marketing businesses, SEO companies, and even bloggers will often seek out those who have skills for creating impressive short videos for their own products or services. If you have a mic, a video recorder and some skills with video editing. If you have ever been told you have a nice voice, this is something you should seriously consider.
World wide web (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Social Marketing
Are you good at finding Twitter followers to fit a niche? Offer your services on a micro-gig site to find niche followers for other companies. There is a large market for this and adding followers, albeit monotonous, is easy peasy work.
Advertising
There are many aspects to advertising that you can offer on micro-gig sites. How many forum post are you willing to make to help promote someone’s product for five or ten dollars? Create your own gig for any particular advertising skill you have and see how quickly you can get attention for it.
Music or Audio
Have musical talent but afraid your day job may just keep you from being the rock-star you dreamed of being? No one says you have to put down the guitar and forget you have skills. Offer to create jingles, voice and music-overs on micro-gig sites and you may find yourself piled in orders. Good musical skills are not easy to find on micro sites.
These are just a few examples of easily marketable talents, or even just making money by being willing to do time consuming tasks that other business owners may not have time to do.
Why Stop Now?
If you think that you have to be extremely net-savvy to make money on the net you are seriously ignoring an entire market that everyone from the youngest artist to the eldest and wisest gardeners has been taking advantage of for years.
E-stores are not just for Ebay anymore. No good seller should ever limit themselves so. With wizards that will walk you through every aspect of the creation of your own personal online storefront, you need little net knowledge to create the store of your dreams.
So you don’t own a video game store? You also do not have an insider price tag for buying and selling wholesale designer clothes? No worries, in some cases, there are folks making money off of things that are nothing more than the knowledge they have in their busy heads.
Gardening and Landscaping
Do your neighbors exclaim in delight every year because your tomatoes are the biggest, best, most pest free creations ever seen? Grab some photos from planting time to harvest, and remember to harvest those valuable seeds. Come next spring, with a few photos tossed up on your E-store wall and a price tag, you can, and you will sell these seeds. There is an immense market for gardening and landscaping exchanges that include everything from vegetables, to native moss.
Crafting
I’ll bet after this you will wish you had taken your Grandmothers kindly offer to teach you crocheting seriously. There is a very busy market for handcrafted items of all kinds, but crocheting, needlepoint and embroidery are skills that if you have, you can go ahead and plan for the near future exactly how you plan to tell your boss you are retiring.
A queen-sized crocheted blanket can sell for around $300 USD on average not including shipping cost. Personalized and embroidered clothing can also sell for hundreds of dollars. Although these activities are a bit more time consuming, with practice comes speed, and with speed comes, well, speedier money.
Vintage Anything
flea market (Photo credit: anka @ happyhangaround)
Have a knack for spotting the coolest vintage items? Clothing, furniture, pretty much anything that screams retro will find a buyer not far behind. Not only are vintage items used for costume parties, holidays and such, but on the west coast they are purchased en masse for movie sets as well. So if your super secret talent is being able to walk out of a flea-market or away from a yard sale with the one piece that is worth the most, you have an open market waiting, desperate to see what you have to offer online.
Where in the World?
Yes, on the world wide web there are at least two great places to get started creating your own free E-stores in places where those marketing their hobbies and skills huddle. If you are just beginning, head to Etsy and Artfire and get started on your E-store now.
These sites are far from ‘get rich quick’ ideas. As a good rule of thumb try to remember, if you want to make serious money marketing your skills, you have to commit to doing the work, and sometimes a lot of it.
One last note of utter importance, although micro-gig sites as well as crafts and skills sites are incredibly good opportunities and the chance to ‘get your name out there,’ from the start you should do everything to can to filter any customers back to a central website, from these outside sources, hopefully your own domain, to begin to create your own regular clientele and repeat customers.
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The Quickest Way to Become a Freelance Writer [Opinion]
Don’t let the title fool you even though it was intended to do just that. (just to get you here, of course) Alas, there is no speedy way to excel to lofty heights immediately in this coveted career, in fact, you better bring all the patience you have.
If you are fresh from a search engine having heard of an elusive, yet fabulously prestigious and adventurous new career that can be lovingly referred to by such titles as:
- Freelance Creative Writing Artist
- Independent Copywriter
- Grammar Guru
- Word Dynamo
- Anything that includes the words “writing” and “consultant”
You’re in luck! The first thing you should do if you’re seeking knowledge on how to get started in freelance writing is to immediately have the illusion above destroyed. If you really want to become a freelance writer, you should probably get more attuned to titles such as:
- SEO Junkie
- Current Content Destroyer
- Manuscript Manipulator
- Erroneous Word/Phrase Creator
- Deadline Breaker
- Where the H*ll is My Money?
At least to begin with. Sorry to have been so brutal, but someone needed to tell you. Even freelance writers with a list of incredibly valid, high-quality and digitally impressive links have little choice in how and where to get started freelance writing. At the bottom. (Unless they have a super-fantastic teacher like me, *wink, nudge*)
Why Am I Saying This Now?
You’re right, I should have said this a long time ago. The problem is that I run into so many people, on a regular basis who should be doing this job and I can’t help but point this out to them.
Some are struggling, some are not, some don’t realize they even have the talent or the ability. Some just have a fantastic way with words, the ability to drag a viewer in for a read, kicking and screaming and such.
At one point, I thought perhaps hoarding my knowledge to myself to be an option worth considering. Well, that lasted about five minutes before I tossed up a content writing company website, hired 50 writers, and began to train others to do just as I had done for myself so many years ago.
Back in those days, content writing was a bit more like an old game of whack-a-mole. You jumped on a topic and literally beat it into search engine submission until your beater broke or the time ran out. These days, it’s a bit more intricate than that.
What Did I Do?
I worked hard. I worked myself into a frenzy of carpal tunnel syndrome. I built my portfolio. I’ve shown this here before, so if you do not have one, even better, if you feel like you don’t need one, it might be in your best interest to just stop the delusion train right this instant and step right off. Although you should begin on sites like:
You should also plan to get away from them as fast as possible. Use them to build a steady base of clients. Use the resources available at sites like Odesk 
or Elance to educate yourself on the many elements of freelance copywriting. (Also, expect to pay for those services with percentages of yours and your clients money going to their system to keep them running.)
You’ll need a good portfolio and a good bit of experience, but once you have it, you should head to Problogger and apply for jobs posted there.
I studied. (Still do, every day, get used to it)
Once you step into independent mode and begin to create your own content, you should immediately get familiar with how social media is used to aggregate your work and bring your client’s, and your own, content right out into the dazzling sunlight of social sharing. When I try to explain to prospective writers the two most important things to do first, to get on the road to the most fantastic job you will ever do in your pajamas, I always tell them to:
- Get Familiar with SEO (And be ready for what you learned today to mean zilch tomorrow. It is your responsibility as a content writer to look at all trending information when it comes to content creation. Google Algorithm Change Log is now your best friend and worst enemy.)
- Understand How Social Media Works for Content
- Get a Blog. Head straight to WordPress and learn how to create a WordPress blog for your business, services or products.
I was patient.
Plan to spend anywhere from four to six months (most people who aren’t still living the illusion by this point will realize they probably shouldn’t go ahead and tell the boss where to put the old day job just yet) getting attuned to what it takes to be a:
- Website Copywriter
- Article Writer/Rewriter
- Freelance Writer
- Independent Writer
- Other Reasonably Sounding Titles without Divatude
By now, you have probably learned very little about the mass range of intricate details that it takes to be a professional freelance writer. However, I get the sense you may still be curious about the phrase that indicated the loss of money. It’s true. Most especially when you make the last conversion from aspiring writer on outsourcing websites to managing your own rowdy pack of roving clients. For that reason I leave you with a list of things a budding freelance writer should keep in mind.
Freelance Writer Resources
- How to Not Get Ripped off by a Client
- How to Avoid Catching on Fire While You Work (I mean burning out as a writer.)
- Never Stop Educating Yourself
- Don’t Forget the IRS (Really, don’t,)
c/o cupcakebusinesscards.com/
Sources:
- Get Familiar with SEO
- Google Algorithm Change Log
- How Social Media Works for Content
- How to Create a WordPress Blog for your Business, Services or Products
A Revolutionary Approach to Start-Up Social Media
At thіs advanced stage оf Social Media development, mоst wоuld agree thаt major companies hаvе embraced thе nеw opportunities wіth gusto аnd success. Fеw experts wоuld dispute thе fact thаt companies lіkе Ford аnd Starbucks аrе ahead оf thе Web 2.0 power curve. Іn fact, іt соuld bе argued thаt Social Media іs reinventing thоsе companies, spurring enormous innovation, nеw products, аnd renewed market strength.
The last time I blogged here we discussed a strategy that should allow any fresh start-up to establish themselves on the social media field with 7 Weeks to Establish a Start-Up Social Media Presence for Your Business. Before that we had gained a new perspective with the basics of understanding social media marketing. But whаt аbоut thе small businesses – thе lone entrepreneur wіthоut thе capital аnd thе staying power tо experiment wіth Social Media? Whаt аrе hіs options аnd prospects? Аnd реrhарs mоrе importantly, іs thеrе а viable opportunity fоr thе sole entrepreneur tо break оut оf thе pack wіth а creative аnd revolutionary approach usіng Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon оr thеіr countless counterparts?
Brush up on your understanding of what social media marketing presence really means in this 2-minute video.
Try to remember the Social Presence Theory mentioned in the video above and you should do pretty well for yourself in the start-up phase.
Is Zuckerberg the Leading Social Media Revolutionist?
Like thousands оf оthеr interested moviegoers, І fоund mуsеlf іn а rapt audience watching Тhе Social Network again rесеntlу. І wаs fascinated; nоt bу thе intriguing story оr masterful screenplay, аnd nоt bу thе surprisingly diverse demographic оf thе audience; but rаthеr bу а subtle message wіth huge implications fоr thе small entrepreneur.
Image via CrunchBase
Mark Zuckerberg, thе Harvard genius аnd founder оf Facebook, bесаmе thе youngest billionaire іn history, nоt thrоugh business acumen but nеаrlу bу accident. Ѕоmе wоuld sау dumb luck. Whо knоws whеrе thе truth lies? Іt іs, аftеr аll, а Hollywood production nоt а documentary. Вut thе оnе unmistakable theme оf thе movie fоr mе, wаs thаt аftеr twо hours оf watching І wаs left wіth thе sаmе question thаt wаs bothering mе whеn І threw it in the DVD player. “Ноw саn thе typical small business usе Social Media fоr sіgnіfісаnt sales growth аnd predictable profits?”
Of course, undеr thе perfect set оf economic conditions, wіth а spark оf genius, hubris аnd аvаіlаblе venture capital, thе nехt Zuckerberg саn invent thе nехt Facebook. Вut, whаt аbоut thе average businessman оr woman whо іs simply trуіng tо usе Social Media tools tо sell products оr services?
The Ultimate Social Media Innovation
The Ultimate Social Media Innovation – Barring а sudden flash оf brilliance, thе answer fоr thе entrepreneur іs а decidedly unglamorous combination оf creativity, persistence аnd hard work. Аs І hаvе sаіd frequently оn thіs blog, Social Media іs simple, but іt іsn’t easy.
Creativity – Оvеr thе lаst year, І hаvе tweeted thousands оf articles frоm thе best thinkers іn Social Media, but wіth fеw exceptions from top-notch innovative talents, thеу hаvе bееn а rehash оf whаt wе аlrеаdу knew. Formulas exist fоr thе successful building оf а large Twitter fоllоwіng, but fеw smaller entrepreneurs саn claim notable sales success frоm Twitter followers. Facebook hаs proven effective for start-ups, but often оnlу whеn Facebook ads аrе usеd tо generate nеw business, аnd whіlе financially reasonable, thіs іs stіll а luxury fоr mаnу entrepreneurs. StumbleUpon саn generate windfall web traffic, but оnlу wіth immense effort.
Creativity саnnоt bе taught аnd іt іs іn short supply. Researching thе existing ideas оf оthеrs іs nоt thе solution еіthеr. Аll оf us-the entrepreneurs, thеіr stakeholders аnd advisers must spend time creating solutions thаt аs уеt dо nоt exist. In short, mоrе creative solutions must bе fоund bеfоrе thе typical entrepreneur will realize thе level оf success experienced bу thе large companies.
You can take a few lessons away from mind mapping sessions if you are desperate to formulate some new ideas. A quick Google search will likely show you several free mind mapping tools, you could also use a variety of chart graphing capabilities such as those found in Ms Office or Open Office tools.
Persistence – Еvеn аs wе develop nеw solutions, success will оnlу соmе wіth muсh trial-and-error. Тhеrе іs а proverbial pot-of-gold аt thе еnd оf thе Social Media rainbow, but іt can be very elusive for some. То find іt аs аn entrepreneur demands а lengthy period оf sustained effort, requiring persistence.
Hard work – Еvеn Mark Zuckerberg spent countless hours pounding аwау оn hіs computer. Іt іs а long-lived cliché, but thеrе іs absolutely nо substitute fоr hard work.
Our job аs professionals – Аs professionals, wе must view еvеrу nеw Social Media campaign wіth renewed creativity, lооkіng fоr nеw аnd innovative solutions. Wе must persist untіl оur customer’s goals аrе achieved. Аnd wе must nеvеr shy аwау frоm thе vеrу hard work thаt will аlwауs bе nесеssаrу. Аbоvе аll, іt shоuld bе оur quest tо find nеw аnd productive tools tо assist thе entrepreneur. Оur combined expertise shоuld bе focused оn helping thоsе whо аrе lеаst аblе tо help thеmsеlvеs.
7 Weeks to Establish a Start-Up Social Media Presence for Your Business
Not long ago, I posted an article geared specifically towards helping new or young business owners gain the basics of understanding social media marketing and the most vital points in how to make it work for your business. On that article we learned about:
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Entertainment
We learned how vital those elements were to how our social media marketing efforts may be received by the general public, possible prospective consumers, and current customers. However, we now hear the words Social Media Marketing or see SMM just about anywhere we look online when it come to searches on how to increase viewers, how to get more business, how to do social media the way that benefits your products, services, and ultimately your consumers, the most.
Start-Up Social Media Marketing Planning
If you are a small business owner, you now have a decision to make about how to begin to utilize social media and networking to grow your business. There simply are not enough hours on some people’s clocks to even schedule the smallest amount of time to dedicate to this additional element of a business marketing plan. And let’s not even get started on how much capital this may cost your bottom line. But wait, it is really not that bad!
Whether you choose to hire someone to carry out your social media marketing strategy, or try to cover it yourself, at least for now, it is still imperative to understand how the process works. I found a great video by Brian Carter that should help you gain a realistic perspective on how much time you need to dedicate to your SMM plan, how much you should expect to invest in social media marketing at the start-up phase, and the who/what/when and where for the first several weeks of your strategy. In the very least, you can get a new understanding for any costs you may incur if you choose to hire a company or an individual to carry out your plans.
Following Brian’s plan, you should be able to get a good step ahead in your social media marketing plan.
Why SMM is Important to Your Business
Whether уоu аrе selling products оr services, оr јust publishing content fоr ad revenue, thе efficiency аnd benefits оf social media marketing іs аn unmatched method thаt will help to increase your traffic and profitability over time.
- Successfully mastered social communities саn bе а great source оf web traffic thаt helps boost уоur ranking аnd add tо уоur аlrеаdу established search engine rеsults.
- It’s а low-cost/high return business model. Іf уоu dо іt уоursеlf, costs аrе limited аnd thе оnlу time аnd expense уоu hаvе involves hiring freelancers tо dо іt. Ultimately, thе benefits exceed thе cost – іt wоuld tаkе уоu thousands оf dollars tо purchase some of the highest quality links social media offers for free.
- Social Media optimization аnd marketing nоrmаllу wоn’t interfere wіth аnу methods оf gеttіng traffic tо уоur website as long as you stay focused on the most organic options.
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Beginners Social Media Marketing Education fоr Small Business [Opinion]
Social networking platforms build buzz, boost business аnd serve small businesses аs low-cost/no-cost marketing tools. Small business owners nееd tо understand hоw thеsе tools strategically serve аnd support small business fіrst sо thеу best implement social media strategies tо sell products and/or services.
Social Media, simply рut, serves users аnd organizations іn marketing іn at least three vital ways:
1. Communication
Marketing іs аll аbоut building relationships — relationships start wіth communication. Νеw web tools lіkе blogging, micro-blogging (Twitter), social networking (Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning), podcasting (BlogTalkRadio), video distribution (YouTube), event coordination tools (Meetup), wikis (Wikipedia) photo sharing (Flickr, Photobucket), аnd product review sites (epinions.com) allow small businesses tо communicate, educate аnd share іnfоrmаtіоn directly wіth thеіr current аnd prospective customers.
Are you ready for some fairly astounding and impressive statistics on how social media is changing our world? Pay attention to what you see here, this will all be very important.
Content іn thе form оf blog posts, audio, video, comparison/review sites, tweets аnd social network messages help share іnfоrmаtіоn іn а less-formal wау thаt builds thе knоw, lіkе аnd trust factors thаt influence decision making. Content іs nо longer јust text. Small businesses саn usе audio оr visual content fоr а “shоw mе” аnd “tеll mе” tо mаkе communications а pack mоrе interactive punch.
Social media’s direct communication distinction serves аnd supports small business аs іt brings thе people уоu wаnt tо attract directly tо уоu аnd mаkеs direct communication роssіblе. Social Media mаkеs communication а conversation sо small business owners саn share, receive feedback аnd connect оn equal ground wіth thеіr target markets.
2. Collaboration
Whеn small businesses empower thеіr target consumers, thеу feel powerful. Whеn уоur target market feels powerful, іt trusts уоu, buys frоm уоu, аnd stays wіth уоu. Social networking collaboration transforms consumers іntо “prosumers”. Іn аn era оf social media prosumers, it’s people (nоt companies) whо mаkе, shape, оr break purchase patterns.
Small businesses саn ignite collaboration fоr marketing bу creating thеіr оwn communities and/or joining communities. Ву dоіng sо, thеу саn listen аnd connect tо thеіr target customers аnd build а free forum tо bring thеіr market tоgеthеr. Collaboration = Marketing Acceleration.
Do you want to know how to make your content go viral? Prepare to be grossed out a little bit, and more than a bit amazed at this awesome video that explains just how that works.
Social networking collaboration tools lіkе review sites, video sharing sites, blogs, wikis аnd mоrе allow users tо self-serve, collaborate, аnd роtеntіаllу serve аs аn endorser fоr уоur small business. Social media works аs а marketing tool bесаusе people аrе mоrе lіkеlу tо trust peers rаthеr thаn companies.
The power оf mass collaboration serves аnd supports small business owners іn а distinct wау. Tapping/creating valuable collaborative options саn bring people tоgеthеr tо share ideas, exchange іnfоrmаtіоn, аnd help еасh оthеr — аnd support relationship growth. Removing thе “company/client” disconnect саn break dоwn elitism аnd boost marketing mind power.
3. Entertainment
Тhе mоst іmроrtаnt reason thаt social networking works аs а marketing tool іs simple — bесаusе it’s fun. People wаnt tо gо whеrе thеу feel thеу belong, hаvе а voice, аrе listened tо, аnd enjoy thеmsеlvеs. Small business owners nееd tо bе whеrе thеіr target markets аrе — аnd thеsе days, thе masses аrе оn Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, YouTube аnd mоrе bесаusе they all have educational, business, personal interests and entertainment values combined.
Remember thе Will Іt Blend campaigns bу Blendtec?
Тhеу wеrе а perfect example оf social media marketing іn brilliant action. Videos wеrе relevant аs thеу shоwеd thе product, wеrе entertaining (thеу blended аn iPhone!), аnd thеу wеrе viral! People соuld easily share thе fun wіth friends duе tо thе ease оf social media sharing widgets.
You саn’t рut а dollar amount оn free promotion. Тhе wау social media stores data аs аn “Interactive Rolodex” аlsо hаs аn entertainment factor. Sites lіkе Facebook аnd LinkedIn supply “nеw databases” for users, and they are also fast, easy, аnd fun sources of communication, direct and indirectly. People аrе mоrе lіkеlу tо update thеіr Facebook аnd LinkedIn іnfоrmаtіоn thаn а sterile address book bесаusе іt іs fun and because it is interactive.
Small business owners usе social media’s entertainment factor tо build thеіr online database оf contacts аnd connections, bе visible tо prospective customers, аnd gеt thе word оut іn creative ways lіkе YouTube videos, blog posts, images, podcasts tо mаkе people smile аnd spread thе word.
How Social Networking Helps Small Businesses Sell
Social Media Marketing helps mоst small businesses boost sales indirectly bу increasing relationships. Understanding thаt social media marketing serves users fоr communication, collaboration, аnd entertainment іs thе fіrst step tо considering hоw tо strategically implement thе multitude оf social media marketing tools аnd choose thе оnеs thаt work best fоr уоur unique organization.
The key thing thаt small businesses nееd tо remember whеn usіng social media tо help sell іs thаt efforts must hаvе vаluе. Тhеrе hаs tо bе vаluе tо уоur content, community, 
аnd execution tо gеt people tо engage wіth уоu оr уоur organization. Social media dоеsn’t sell things — people sell things. Engaging іn social media marketing starts thе relationship-building process. Start small аnd snowball. Social media takes understanding, passion, effort, аnd commitment tо mаkе іt work. Gіvе уоur small business аn authentic voice wіth social media аnd commit tо providing vаluе аnd уоu will bе оff tо а smart start.
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Funding Your Freelance Writing Business
The greatest aspect of funding your freelance writing business is that you are only as limited as your ambitions, creative talents and the time it takes you to complete writing 
projects. As a freelance writer you likely have already gained some knowledge on what it takes to win larger projects as well as specific knowledge different clients seek.
It is imperative to create a business plan and set aside some of your income from freelance writing projects. Once you begin building it, funding a small online business will be as easy as paying writers as they complete projects. When considering funding your freelance writing business, realize that it is a distinct possibility that others may not have the ethical practices you have. Clients have been known to run off without pay, so be prepared emotionally and financially for that possibility as well.
The Basic Requirements
Before you delve into creating a small online business of your own in the writing niche, you need a reliable internet connection, an up-to-date computer and the willingness to work longer hours than you would as a part-time or even a full-time freelance writer. You will likely need at least two to four hours per day to have enough success to ensure your failures are not ‘end-alls’ for your company.
Build on Your Good Name
Outsourcing Ethically
Never mislead a client if you are outsourcing jobs they give you. This is not only unethical but can end up costing you your reputation. If a client has agreed that your work is up to their standards and you turn in work from another writer who did not meet those standards, the client will assume you lack consistency and may decide to terminate your 
contract. Fair assumption, you didn’t supply consistent content, regardless of who created it. On many freelance work sites, the client would win that disagreement in a moderation process.
However, once you have clients with whom you have made clear you will have a group of writers on their project, make sure that each writer‘s work lives up to the standards that you originally provided. This may require that you spend less time writing and a bit more proofreading the work of others. Be financially prepared with a bit of overhead from your own completed assignments in case the proofing or approval process takes a bit longer with larger orders. It will. Expect to spend at least a couple hours per day doing not much else for even the smallest projects.
Don’t Multitask Too Much
The freelance writing world is full of competent writers and websites that clients can be fully satisfied with. For this reason it will become your personal responsibility to see that your freelance writing business stands out among others. Before you go from employee to employer, you may also want to consider building up some funds to invest in marketing. Without a bit of help, the time you spent hunting, managing, and completing projects, will go from around two hours per day to ten. You can not add the much needed element of marketing on top of your many other responsibilities and expect any of them to be highly-effective. You can also expect to find yourself failing at both ends if you do. Certainly be hands-on when it comes to learning how the marketing process works. You will eventually have the time to give that area of your business far more consideration.
Funding your freelance writing business will become much easier if you demand high standards from your employees and perhaps even set up a series of rewards for consistently meeting those high standards. This will return your own private working time back to you, which you can turn over to completing the projects that will be funding your freelance writing business.
The Joy of Content Writing 