Let’s face it – the more important  social media becomes to marketing special events, the more difficult it is to be heard above the ‘social media noise.’

The AJFF 2012 is scheduled to start for February 8^th. Incredible that more than 21,000 tickets sold in the first two weeks of sales!

How is the film festival getting above the noise? A focused year-round marketing plan topped with strong social media is key.

AJFF communication strategies consist of a blend of online buzz with compelling content for social media websites and consistent outreach to secure coverage in the news.

To ensure that the AJFF team reached its communications objectives to cultivate diverse audiences, increase awareness and enhance coverage, the marketing committee held brainstorming sessions and developed a social media content calendar.

AJFF 2012 Facebook page is visually compelling. I’m one of the more than 1500 people who have liked the page. Each day I get engaging posts with tickler descriptions of different films including video-clip trailers and reminders to purchase tickets.

AJFF website is geared to provide information on films, location of theatres and ticket sales. The online media center contains press releases and press kits - everything bloggers, reporters and twitter influentials need. Contact information is visible. Email queries and phone calls are answered promptly.

In an earlier post Promoting a Film Festival in 3 weeks! I describe marketing tools to use to increase the buzz and ticket sales for a film festival.

If you would like a copy of my film festival PR template, please contact me at deborah@creative-si.com.

Special thanks to Brad Pilcher and Shayne Walsey, AJFF communication co-chairs and Kendel White from Weber Shandwick for their hard work to make AJFF 2012 a communications success.

Now, if you will excuse me I need to finish ordering my tickets for the festival before they’re sold out!

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Giving Thanks

 

 

My life would not be as rich and meaningful without each and every one of you.

My wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday filled with friends and family.

Deborah

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ReelAbilities ATL Film Festival

“Hi,” my friend said. “Do you have any extra time? I could really use some PR help promoting our upcoming film festival, ReelAbilities ATL. The only problem is that the film festival is in three weeks!”

Well, believe it or not, we met the challenge. A small but dedicated staff and a real commitment to get the message out lead to a successful launch.

Although I would never advocate waiting so late to promote an event, it happens. So, here’s my suggestion on how to proceed:

Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm

• Bring new voices to the table.
• Explore new ways to engage partners.
• Identify possible ways to distribute the message and outlets to approach.
• Look for the story within the story. 

Make sure that the event website is functioning properly.

• Ask someone who doesn’t know how it is supposed to function to navigate the site.
• Is it easy to navigate?
•  Do all the links work?
•  Are the messages clear?
•  Do the links make it easy to buy tickets to the film festival and/or make a donation?
•  Is it easy to find contact information?

Launch a Facebook page.

• Send messages to all your personal friends to “Like” the page.
• Invite your organizational partners to Like and share the site.
• Keep the posts fresh with photos from films, updated press releases, new volunteer opportunities, etc.

Use a news distribution service with social media capabilities.

• Send a link of your html press release to all your partners and ask that they in turn distribute to their media contacts.
•  Be sure to send a link, not a PDF copy of the release.
• Make sure that your news distribution has the capability to add Social Media Links such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to your release.
• Confirm that the service enhances your release by Tweeting and/or blogging about your festival.

Send personalized email to your media contacts

• Paste the release to the body of the email.
• Send a link to PDF and JPEG files housed on your website instead of sending attachments.
• Make personal phone calls to media contacts.

Monitor Your Progress

• Set up a Google Search. I used ReelAbilities ATL + news.
• Be sure and share the results with your leadership and team.
• Track mentions about the film festival in your social media sites

It is never too late to promote your events. If you would like a copy of my film festival PR template, please contact me at deborah@creative-si.com.

Cheers! Now enjoy the film festival.

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Your special event is planned. Now, the critical question is - how do you  increase your attendance?

Everyone points to the benefits of social media to drive your attendance. Social media is a vehicleyou use to enact your strategy. You can increase the value of your special event by integrating social media into your marketing strategy.

But, before you develop your strategy, ask yourself these questions developed by Stacey Ruth, a marketing consultant with Atlanta-based Actio Marketing :

1. Are your attendees active in any of the social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or blogs/forums)?
2. Do you have an awareness problem, and are you trying to reach large number of attendees quickly (and perhaps inexpensively)?
3. Do you have someone on your team with enough time on their hands to populate a social media site effectively? (That means building content that can be pushed out every day in most cases.)
4. Do you have knowledge (or access to someone with knowledge) of best practices for the social media platform you want to apply? Social media is not an “if you build it, they will come” scenario. There is a definite approach to each social network that is uniquely effective — and any number of approaches that are equally ineffective!
5. Would you like to build an extended life to your event and create a community around it? 

If you answered yes to more than one of the above questions, social media including Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, is worth integrating into your event marketing strategy. However, don’t overlook the value of tried-and-true ‘social media’ platforms including Word Of Mouth marketing or WOMM.

Word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM), is an unpaid form of oral or written promotion—in which satisfied “customers” or your organization’s ambassadors tell other people how much they like your nonprofit and invite them to participate in your event. Word-of-mouth is one of the most credible forms of advertising because people who don’t stand to gain personally by promoting something put their reputations on the line every time they make a recommendation, according to Entrepreneur.

Bottom line – know your audiences before you invest the time and energy as part of your event marketing strategy. Use your social media strategy as a way to involve your board and volunteers.

Any questions about specific social media vehicles to use for your event? Be sure and contact me at deborah@creative-si.com.

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I’ve written a lot about sponsorships. Sponsorships are about building effective partnerships that enhance both an organization’s mission and the sponsoring company’s business goals. They are fundamental to your organization’s survival.

Special events are the main key to acquiring corporate sponsorships. And, they lead to other sponsorship opportunities beyond events, such as long-term strategic alliances, and cause-related marketing.

Marketers learned that programs that combine loyalty with value equal profits. Your relationships with your clients, volunteers and community provide that loyalty and help ensure the audience that your corporate partners want. While many marketing verticals are flat, sponsorships continue to grow and provide positive results.

Pat Kahnert, PBK & Associates Inc., is a Marketing Public Relations Effectiveness Consultant. He is committed to ‘Helping Business Leaders and Their Teams Build Better Communities’. Pat’s excellent checklist for designing sponsorships with confidence is a great tool when venturing into sponsorships:

Objectives -

1. I know how to help sponsors connect with community through our event.
2. I focus on desired outcomes and event audience needs and benefits.
3. I ask key influencers to help me reach the right business contacts.
4. I have done extensive research to determine preferences of sponsors.
5. I have a personal contact plan in place for getting to know a prospect.
6. I will focus first on friend raising and then embark on fund raising.
7. I have allowed ample time for establishing a strong strategic”fit” with a sponsor.
8. I understand my prospect’s business goals and primary audiences.
9. All sponsorship partners are clear about objectives, roles and expectations.
10. The contract has been signed with plenty of time to deliver on all promises made.

Implementation -

1. We have developed a customer-centric sponsorship policy with our sponsor’s input.
2. We have developed an integrated project map process to fulfill all obligations.
3. My sponsor has agreed to serve on our event organizing committee.
4. We have organized advisory councils (volunteers, sponsor employees, community)
5. We have secured media sponsors to help raise profile and promotion.
6. Sponsor logo recognition was approved and applied to our sponsors’ satisfaction.
7. We follow a clearly defined risk management policy, with back-ups to everything.
8. We proactively look for ways to leverage sponsor’s name and association.
9. We stress professionalism, and give sponsors regular updates against plan.
10. We facilitate personal introductions of sponsors to others involved.

Measurement -

1. We measured what matters most to sponsors and their key stakeholders.
2. We explained to our event audience what our sponsor’s role meant to their enjoyment.
3. We often asked sponsors if they were pleased with value received so far.
4. We thanked the sponsor publicly and one-to-one for making a difference for our event.
5. We produced a summary of benefits (media, audience, logo recognition, value-added)
6. We optimized promotional investment and publicity effort, keeping within budget.
7. We appreciated the value of our sponsor’s total contribution (money, time and more).
8. We shared feedback from audience, volunteers, employees and customers.
9. We celebrated success and recognized important personal and team contributions.
10. Our sponsor is delighted with results generated and will return next year.

If you have any questions, please contact me at deborah@creative-si.com. I’ll gladly share my Timeline for Sponsorship Efforts with you.

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2010 DeKalb Public Safety Champion Awards

“Who is your Pubic Safety Champion?”

The DeKalb Police Alliance was trying to find a way to increase awareness and funding through their upcoming special event. They knew they needed that something special to tell their story and brand their event.

The 2010 DeKalb Public Safety Champion Awards filled the bill! The awards competition became the story, increasing interest in the organization and the upcoming Police Officers Ball. And, it became the linchpin that pulled together all the elements of the event.

The awards honored men and women in public safety and the community who went above and beyond the call of duty to keep everyone safe. An eye-catching nomination form highlighting the Champion Award statuette was key to all promotional activities, including presentations, press releases, social media initiatives and articles. An on-line nomination form gained the most nominations. All people and organizations nominated were recognized as Champion Honorees; the winners were recognized and saluted at the event.

Here are some hints on how you can create an awards program to better tell your story:

1. Brainstorm – Invite board members and stakeholders to the table. Explore what type of awards program works best with your mission. With the police alliance it made sense to honor people committed to public safety. Look in your arena for best fits.
2. Make sure you have buy-in from your board– This is key to your success.
3. Check the Calendar – make sure no other organization is having a similar awards program around the same time as yours.
4. Be creative and consistent with your messaging and graphic design – Be sure that you take full advantage of the program’s potential by weaving powerful messages and graphics throughout your event.
5. Find an awards sponsor – Write your proposal to show the awards program benefits to sponsors.
6. Publicize, publicize, publicize – Create a dynamic program using traditional and social media. Benchmark your successes and analyze responses to see what segment of your market you’re missing.
7. Use the event wrap-up to position next year’s award program. Start building anticipation. Invite this year’s winners to reach out into their communities to nominate.

Your awards program will unearth many meaningful stories and help ensure your success. If you want guidelines for event management and sponsorships, please contact me directly – deborah@creative-si.com.

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Erica Nicole dedicates song to police officers

No one doubts how important it is to have a celebrity at their nonprofit event. Celebrities add immeasurably to nonprofit special events. They add excitement, attract media attention, increase ticket sales, and help secure sponsors.

Imagine how exciting it was to have Erica Nicole  volunteer her time and incredible talent at the Police Officers Ball.

So, how can you make this happen for your nonprofit event?

As simple as it sounds, the best way to identify that special someone is to ask friends and family. I promise that everyone knows someone and/or knows someone who knows someone with that special talent.

Start with your board. I promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Okay, so now you have a list of names. What next? How do you motivate that someone special to join your cause and participate in your special event?

Rita Tateel, founder of the Celebrity Source offers five ‘secret’ tips for recruiting celebrities:

1. Put yourself in a star’s shoes and ask, “What’s in it for me?” – Before you ask a celebrity to participate in a special event, ask yourself this question as though you were that celebrity: “What’s in it for me; why should I do this?”

2. Make a list of everything the celebrity might want to know. – Once a celebrity has agreed to participate, make a list of absolutely everything he or she might want to know and do — every question this personality might have — from arrival to departure. Then list all of your answers. The best way to help make celebrities (and their representatives) feel secure is to demonstrate that you have considered every little detail and have anticipated their every question.

3. Respect their time. – Time is a celebrity’s most valuable commodity; don’t waste it. The bigger the celebrity, the less time he or she has. There are so many people wanting a piece of the celebrity’s time, celebrities have to ensure that the time they do have to make an appearance is time well spent.

4. Keep briefings brief. – When a celebrity briefing session is necessary, determine whether it must be in person or if it can be handled by phone or e-mail. Of course, we all would rather meet celebrities in person. But, remember my Tip No. 3 — that time is their most valuable commodity.

5. Don’t make any promises you can’t keep, and keep all of the promises you make. – This business is so much about relationships. The quickest way to ruin a relationship with a celebrity or his or her representative is to not come through with something that was promised.

Adding talent to your nonprofit event takes a lot of planning. Every detail is important. But, the benefits far outweigh all of the work!

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It All Starts With Thank You!

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” GB Stern

Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Well, it is unfortunate how many nonprofits do not fully thank their donors.

Of course we thank them, you say.

But, are you sure?

I don’t believe for a second that the lapse is intentional. Now that I’m back on the other side of the fence responsible for implementation, I know how easy it is to inadvertently mess up.

The DeKalb Police Alliance like many organizations does not have a contact management database. All work to this point is done off of spreadsheets. So tracking is all but impossible.

This is not an unusual problem Most CRM databases are expensive. With donations down it is hard to justify the cost, especially when licenses and training on the system are not transferable from one staff person to another.

Then a colleague  suggested I check out Salesforce.com for the Alliance. I knew I didn’t have the budget and could not justify even a seemingly inexpensive CRM program.

Imagine my surprise and delight to learn that Salesforce.com has a Foundation.

“Salesforce.com set out to change the way companies think about philanthropy ten years ago, and today more than ever it continues to define us as a company.” Suzanne DiBianca, Executive Director Salesforce.com Foundation.

The Salesforce.com Foundation is based on a simple idea: Donate 1% of salesforce.com’s resources to support organizations that are working to make our world a better place.

I strongly suggest you check it out –www.salesforce.com/foundation.

Thank you for all you do for your community. And, thank you for following my blog.

 Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to get back to thanking our donors.

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Eizenstat Family welcome Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2nd from right) and Martin Ginsburg (2nd from left). Photo credit: Mary Mahon-Fardis

You’ve heard me talk about how much work goes into planning and executing events. This is a given. But, there are added gifts beyond knowing you are helping make a difference for your organization’s clients.

This blog started with lessons learned from Al Gore. I met and worked with Gore and his staff when he was in Atlanta for the 21^stEizenstat Family Memorial Lecture.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of working with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, when she was the featured speaker at the Eizenstat Lecture. What an honor.

A major donor appreciation dinner was held the night before the lecture. Accompanying Justice Ginsburg was her husband Martin Ginsburg, a prominent tax lawyer and professor in his own right.

Learning of Martin Ginsburg’s death earlier this morning brought back a flood of memories and a realization that I was in the company of not one, but two incredible people willing to share their time and knowledge.

That brief encounter from “strangers in the road” taught me more about humility and gave me a deep appreciation for their supportive relationship.

May your life be for a blessing Martin Ginsburg.

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Building a website from scratch

It started off as an innocent request – “I need a few important changes to the website today!”

“Well, first you have to make a request. Then the webmaster has to schedule the changes. Don’t make any until we see the cost.”

Anyone who works in communications knows how important the website is. This is especially true for nonprofits struggled to ‘cut through the noise’ and raise much-needed funding.

 To some, the word “technology” is titillating – it conjures up excitement and pumps adrenaline to the brain. But to others, “technology” elicits an uneasy feeling in the gut that makes them want to curl up on the couch with a blanket and a book. Exposure to too much of the geeky stuff causes them to just shut down. From a webinar description presented by Jay Wilkinson, CEO of Firespring

So, instead of making that request I wrote the rationale for having a website built on a platform that the organization could manage – without an outside webmaster.

Then I started on a most interesting journey. Although I had designed, not in the technical sense, websites for organizations, I had never actually worked on one. I knew that if I could manage the process . . .well, just about anyone could.

So, please see for yourself. I’d love your opinions on www.dekalbpolicealliance.org.

It is a constant work-in-process, which is just what the DeKalb County Police Alliance wanted.

Are there glitches? To be sure. Do I make mistakes? Absolutely. But, I can fix them.

Now, if I could only find those extra hours in my day.

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