Blogging for your Non-Profit or Business

I met up with two different Non-Profit Organizations this week.  My main goal was to help their volunteers and staff understand the importance of blogging.  I explained Content Marketing and how it relates to fundraising and community support and awareness.  These same tactics and reasoning apply to a For Profit Business.

Here are some pointers I gave:

• Content Marketing is giving your clients or donors information, education and entertainment relevant to your brand, product and services.
• Your staff and volunteers have stories to tell every day. Stories = Content
• Good Content builds validity to your cause, trust in your expertise and a willingness to donate when asked or buy a product from you.
• Not everyone is a writer and that's okay.  Everyone in your business and organization has something to contribute.  I pointed out how the Finance Director of one agency could talk about efforts to cut costs to make donated funds go further.  It doesn't always have to be a client or customer success story.. though those are great.
• You have to have a plan.  What topics will you focus on?  Who will post what?  When and How often will you post?
• Don't get discouraged.  Do keep writing posts.

You also might find these links helpful:

• How to Blog Daily
• How to write a blog post people will read

How are you "marketing" your Social Media Marketing

"Bird" Dog

I help small businesses with their Social Media Strategies.  I consult, train, create content, edit and build profiles.

It's awesome, I really love what I do.  

After it's all said and done, the business owner has to create change.  Great! We have a page on Facebook..but we aren't getting any fans.  

This may seem like a no-brainer, but this is what you need to do:

• Integrate   Do you have your URL's and profile names on your business cards, brochures, stationary, receipts?  Have you changed your "signature" on your email to include a link to your Social Media profiles?  
• Ask   Train your employees to encourage customers to become a Fan or Follower.  Post creative signage with a "Text: FAN (insert Facebook URL here) to 32655.  Ask your customers through email, newsletters, etc.  
• Offer  Make it worth their while to Fan or Follow.  Create a giveaway or coupon that customers can find on your profile.  Warning: You cannot make it mandatory for a "like" or comment to be used for entering a contest, it's against Facebook's rules.  You can offer exclusive coupons and offers.  Also, keep in mind that you may lose some of these fans eventually.  Some of them are just liking your page to get the offer.
• Advertise  Facebook Ads can help get you fans.  I know it, I've witnessed it, it works.  Do you have links on your website? 
• Be Social  Interact with others.  Comment, Like, Retweet, Reblog, Follow... as the business and personally.  We don't call it Social Media for nuttin'.  It's free advertising.  "Hmmm, I wonder what Crazy Mutt Marketing is all about?  I'll just click and find out".
• Be Patient  You are not a Coca Cola. You will not get 10 million fans.  You will be successful, but you have to have some patience and work at it. Give your current Fans and Followers great content and use the tips above.  

Want to get some help? Contact me at CrazyMuttMarketing.com

And... Like our page on Facebook Follow me on Twitter @CrazyMuttmMarket and get more on Tumblr

Engage Your Fans With "Tips"

The Crazy Mutt Content Challenge this week is to post a "Tip" on your profile. 

Social Media marketing is only successful if you keep people interested. One way is to provide some education or information that they will find useful and hopefully entertaining.  An easy way to do it is to offer up some helpful tips, relevant to your business.

There's a reason these people are following your business' pages and profiles. They had an enjoyable experience at your establishment or you provided them with a service they appreciated.  To them, you are the expert.  Whether your business provides plumbing services, serves ice-cream, grooms dogs or digs ditches, you have something to share.

Now I'm not asking you to give away all your trade secrets.  Think of questions you get asked the most often in your line of work.  Get creative, even a little funny.  How about a short "Do It Yourself" video?

If I owned an Italian restaurant, I might make a video on the proper way to twirl spaghetti or how to pair a wine with your meal.  The ideas are endless and only limited to your imagination.  Ask your customers in house, what advice they would be interested in hearing..then give Joe Customer the credit for the "Tuesday Tip".

What "tip" can you offer? Post in the comments!

Having trouble coming up with ideas? I'd love to help.  Contact me at crazymuttmarketing.com.

"The Mutts & Me"

You also might be interested in:

• How to twirl spaghetti

Private Messages on Facebook

The Facebook Timeline introduced Messaging for Pages.  It is a great way to communicate with your fans.  The click away messaging, allows people to ask questions that they don't want the rest of the world to see.  They don't have to bother with opening an email, it just makes things easy for them.. and easy is good.

So check your admin section at least once a day, if not more.  Using a phone app to post to your Facebook is great and can open up opportunities for creative content.  Your private messages from your page DO NOT show up on your phone app... at least not yet.  In the mean time, you can really irritate a customer by inadvertently ignoring them.  

Facebook is a great vehicle to show off your stellar customer service skills.  Social Media is 24/7, just like your email, website or answering service.  That doesn't mean you check your page every 15 minutes.  What is a reasonable turn around for returning a customer email or phone call at your business?  The same should apply to your social media sites.  If you don't have the time to monitor your profiles, assign it or hire a professional to help you.

You can also "turn off" messaging, but isn't encouraging your fans to talk to you the whole point?  I do not recommend this option.

You don't have the time and you don't have the funds in your budget for help?  Stay away from Social Media until you have one or the other.  

Do it right or don't do it right now.


These links might be useful. too:

• Messages for Pages
• Facebook Direct Messages for Pages: Can I Turn It Off.. Should I?
• Who's ignoring their customers?

3 Reasons Why I Love Pinterest and StumbleUpon

It's not because I can waste hours Pinning and Stumbling.  The entertainment value is admirable.  Okay, the addiction is almost frightening. The fact that I have Pin Boards full of recipes I will never try and scads of jokes and articles saved on my StumbleUpon profile have nothing to do with my deep rooted affection for both Social Media sites.



Why do I love them? Content with a capital "C"... and that rhymes with FREE, as in "freeing up your time". But you say, "Maria, you told us to be creative and original! What's up with that?!"  Hold on, don't get your Social Media Panties in a bunch.  Yes, be original.  Yes, be creative.  Yes, give into the dark side once in a while. 


Here's why:

• Both sites let you search within interests.  I help manage a Facebook page and a Blog for a local Dog Park.  In between original photos, Blog articles and "selling" the events and memberships, I need lots of canine related content.  Let me tell you, if there is one thing these dog lovers drool over.. it's meme's.  I search and save meme's like it's going out of style. 
• They are great place to store future content.  I have a Pinterest Board titled For the Crazy Mutts. You guessed it, I use it to store ideas for the Dog Park.  I often Stumble my interest, Dogs.  I either Like a page or email it to myself.  
• Inspiration finds me.  I don't care how creative you are, everyone benefits from a little inspiration.  Millions of creative articles, photos and stories are poured into your lap.  It gets me thinking, "I could blog about this, but I would add....", or "Hmmm, that photo is amazing.  We could do something similar with an added twist!".

Some things to remember.  If the content is not yours, you cannot use it like it is.  Make sure you include links and obtain any permissions necessary.  

Need a content game plan?  Give me a bark. Maria Firakly crazymuttmarketing@gmail.com

These finds might pique your interest, too:

• What is Pinterest?
• What is StumbleUpon?
• The Bark Side

Using Mother's Day to Increase Engagement

It's the perfect time to increase engagement on your social media profiles..Mother's Day.

Here are some ideas:

• Ask your fans to post a photo of their mom, (sweetest, funniest, craziest, etc.)
• Ask your fans to post a short story about their mom.
• Offer a coupon or special for your fans to share with mom.
• Post a photo of you and your employees mother's with a three line story.

Really, it is more than fine to work special occasions into your social media strategy.  The whole idea is to get people talking by triggering an emotion.  What's better than showing mom some love?

On that note.. here's my mom. 

My mother, Claryne.  She isn't crazy about my
Crazy Mutt's and doesn't understand anything
about Social Media.. but she makes the BEST
spaghetti sauce, can make anything grow
 and is a wonderful mom and
grandmother.

5 Tips for Creating Content with Personality

Let your creative personality show. Photography by Maria Firkaly, Crazy Mutt Marketing

When I talk to a prospective client about joining them in their journey towards Social Media Marketing success, I emphasize the use of creativity.  Theirs, mine and ours.  


Really, it's not hard to go "beyond the cookie cutter" in this business.  All it takes is:

• A bit of an outgoing personality 
• A manageable tolerance of risk  
• And a whole lot of self-acceptance 

Why?  You have to be able to start conversations, be willing to experiment and let some of who you are shine through.


If you, or the person you have "assigned" to post content on your profiles, lacks these qualities OR feel you are not allowed to use these characteristics when marketing your business.. your content will show it.  Your insights will reflect it, too.


Here are 5 Tips for Creating Content with Personality:

• Describe what goes on behind the scenes.  Don't always show your staff all lined up looking pretty.  Get down to Business, literally.  Post photos and stories telling fans your story.  Be different.  Be real. Tell the real stories of your customers, too.
• Be believable.  If everything is always sunshine and roses, your posts and your brand will look fake.  You can share the occasional bad with a twist.  Tell your "turning a bad situation into a better one" stories.  Let your fans see the human side of your brand.  This can help them identify with you.  Sharing how you manage life's speed bumps, as a business, gives you credibility.  
• Give a review of a something relevant to your brand.  It could be a product, a book, some research, etc. Be the expert. You are aren't you? How about on video?
• Share your community involvement.  Sponsor a sports team? Do a weekly post on their season, maybe a photo of you and your staff in the bleachers or wearing team t-shirts.  You support a local charity? Let your fans know why.  Participating in a parade?  Share a memory, let your fans choose what kind of candy you should throw. One of the beauties of being a small business owner is the sense of community you can foster.   
• Have one... a personality that is.  Face to face or online, your customers and fans will respond to the friendly, funny, sarcastic, witty YOU.

Want to brainstorm some ideas that are unique for your business?  Let me know you want to Meet with the Mutt or email me at crazymuttmarketing@gmail.com .

You might also like this:

• Be Quotable: The Importance of Original Content in Social Media
• Make your own cookie cutter kit
• 10 Tips for Creating Killer Social Content
• 20 Creative ideas for social media that engages with your customers