Kent Gilliam

8 Ideas for Social Media Rewards

Last month during my kid's spring break we took a little trip to a favorite destination of mine as a child, the Science Museum of Oklahoma. This place was always a magical place of learning for me! Thirty-something years later was no different. Ok, maybe it wasn't as "magical" but still I learned something before I even walked in the door. I saw something I had never seen before. It was right in front of their building with a familiar giant "F" in a blue box painted in the parking spot and a sign that read "Facebook Fan Parking." I thought to myself, "what a unique reward." I took a picture and as soon as I got back from vacation I emailed some of my teammates and asked for examples of social rewards from other nonprofits. To my shock and somewhat dismay, I realized that hardly any nonprofits are rewarding their constituents for social engagement. So I really have to ask, why not? The for-profit world tends to understand the value of their social customers and establishing some sort of social media reward program. They take advantage of the information from a 2010 study by CMB Consumer Pulse that says 51% of Facebook fans and 67% of Twitter followers are more likely to buy their product SINCE becoming a fan/follower. They also take advantage of the information that 60% of Facebook fans and 79% of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend their business/product SINCE becoming a fan/follower. If for-profits take this information and reward their consumers then why shouldn't nonprofits? Both have the same marketing goals: reach more people and raise more funds. To find examples of social media rewards I really had to look at the for-profit world. What I found were rewards that ranged from the very simple to the very expensive. I found some Facebook sites that simply rewarded with a "thank you [NAME]" while some businesses, like Coca-Cola, have Facebook pages dedicated to rewarding their customers (My Coke Rewards). I know the best-practice for a blog post is to keep it short, but instead of making you chase link after link of reward ideas I thought I'd go ahead and post some of my favorite, and simple, social reward programs here. These are found throughout the internet and not really new ideas but it's my hope that you'll read one of these and implement at least one social reward idea into a program of your own if you don't already have one in place.

Social Reward Ideas

1. Bricks-to-Mortar: Like the example above of the Facebook Fan Parking space, being able to tie your online engagement to an in-person engagement is a big win! Not only are you driving online traffic but you're also driving foot traffic. Think about ways you can reward your social media contacts throughout all possible touch-points. If they go to an event, visit your building, volunteer, shop at a business that supports you, or visit a location where you're organization is making an impact, reward them by acknowledging their social engagement with your organization.     2. Offer A Freebie: We know it's often hard to justify taking money that would normally go toward your cause, but who says you have to pay for it? Do you know local restaurants, cupcake shops, hardware stores or grocers that would be willing to provide gift certificates for a prize drawing? Promote their business and your cause by offering a gift card at different levels. Example: For every 25 new likes/followers, all your fans/followers will be entered into a drawing. This gets your current social constituents to get their social contacts to participate!     3. Offer Exclusive Discounts, Coupons and Content: Offer registration discounts exclusively to your social media contacts. Or maybe an "early bird" registration discount that is announced only through a social channel. Or reward them with "privileged access" for following or being a fan. Every organization has some sort of opportunity to provide a discount or access as a reward.     4. Help Fans Give Back: While I was on the Convio consulting team I worked with an organization that organized a great partnership with a local company to help them increase their number of Facebook fans. The concept was simple, for every 10 Facebook fans this company would donate one box of diapers. This campaign was a big part of their success to grow their number of Facebook fans from about 50 to 2,000 in just over 3 months! This was a big win for the organization but it also rewarded new Facebook fans by essentially making a donation in their honor.     5. Acknowledge Them: Show your social constituents that you're listening to them and watching them on your social media channels. Use the "@name" functionality in Facebook to tag a highly-engaged social constituent in one of your posts or mention them in a tweet.     6. Give Constituents Control: Don't gasp! This isn't like letting your child stay the night with a family you barely know (parents only did that when I was a kid). But do give your constituents control over, or the ability to decide, things like the theme of your next event or the cover of your annual calendar. Don't be timid! Let loose! I have a feeling what you'll realize is that your social media contacts are amazingly creative.     7. Challenge Constituents: Everyone loves trivia! Ok, maybe not everyone but I'd bet a lot of your constituents do. Make it fun and rewarding to learn about your organization and your mission. Ask social constituents to respond with their answer and then share the correct answer by re-tweeting or sharing their response. Reward the first person with the correct answer by promoting them as a "top fan" or "top follower."     8. Celebrate "Kent Gilliam Day!": So you don't actually have to celebrate me (although you can if you want) but definitely celebrate your most socially-engaged constituents. Chances are they are also a volunteer and/or a donor. You can simply print a certificate to give to the constituent and then post the constituent's name on your website and Facebook page. With the new Facebook "cover photo" it gives you great real estate to promote a Facebook fan's "Day" at your organization.

The biggest advice I can give about a social reward program is have fun with it! Make it exciting. Make it challenging. Get your staff and volunteers to get involved because success can be as simple as how many you have participating and not so much what the reward is you're offering. If you have a social reward program or idea specific to your mission, I'd love to hear about them!

Just in case you're not sure of the value of your social media engagements and the traffic it sends to your website, here's a Google Analytics project that you can put in place to see exactly what social media site is generating the most website traffic for your organization. I recommend comparing the metrics for 1) Pages per Visit 2) Bounce Rate, and 3) Average Time on Site for your site visitors who access your site through a social media link and those who arrive at your site through a search tool or direct URL. Through this reporting I think you'll easily see if social media engagement is important to your organization.

Welcome to our Community

The new Convio Community is live!

The Convio Community is an online hub for Convio clients to share solutions, ask questions, connect with peers and showcase successes. With new architecture, navigation and design, it was all built with you in mind…making it easy for you to quickly find the solutions and ideas you need.

While the whole Convio team and I are super proud of this new powerful collaboration space, its value really lies in your hands. Like so many things in life, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. We believe collaboration is contagious so the more active members there are, the more resources it will offer and the more awesome results for the entire Convio Client Community.

The Community is just one tool in your success toolbox. Make sure you also take advantage of…

• The LearnCenter
• @ConvioHelp
• Connection Café articles
• How-to guides
• Research

See you online!

A Veterans Day "Thank You" from Convio

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the only thing on the news on August 2, 1990. That’s the day Iraq invaded Kuwait, an event that would start a domino effect that has lasted more than 20 years. I was just 19 at the time and not really sure what I wanted to do with my life. I wasn’t college material (back then) but knew I wanted adventure so two days later on August 4th I enlisted in the Army as an Infantryman. By August 19th I was in the front-leaning-rest position on Sand Hill in the pine wood chips of Ft. Benning, Georgia with an ominous Drill Sergeant Davies yelling at me like I had just stolen his life savings.

I loved every minute of being a soldier. I loved the patriotism, splendor, hard work, discipline, team environment, commitment, willingness to die for the man/woman next to you and especially the service to humanity. It was exciting! I got to repel out of helicopters from 100 feet, bound through building windows, sleep wherever our unit stopped for the night, and shoot some of the military’s best weapons.  But most of all I met some of the most amazing people I will ever know like: Private Curtis Strange from Baltimore; Private Dana Gordon from New York; PFC Kurt Feurst from Illinois and the list goes on.

I’m now 40 years old and had it not been for a bad car wreck in 1996 that ended my career in 1999, this past August could have been my 21st year in the military. I felt my opportunity was cut short, but unlike the more than 1.2 million US soldiers who have lost their lives on the battlefields of the world, I get to wake up and kiss my wife and kids in the morning, complain about a bad call against my favorite football team, watch my hair turn gray and simply grow old. And while I’m enjoying those every day miracles, I’m proud not only to have served my country as a soldier but to continue serving my community through you – the many nonprofit organizations and causes that do so much important work at home and abroad.

I know that since I am a veteran that I have a unique appreciation for Veterans Day. I know of the personal and family sacrifices that military men and women have to make but fortunately I am here today because I didn’t have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I hope you will take time today to remember those who have fallen, those who have sacrificed, those amazing men and women who wear and have worn jingling dog tags, who proudly stand guard so in your neighborhood there is peace. Take time today to say “thank you” to a veteran.

On behalf of everyone at Convio I want to say “THANK YOU!” to all those who have served and continue to serve our country. You will never be thanked enough. You will never be forgotten.

Former Sgt. Michael K. Gilliam
U.S. Army  |  1990 - 1999

Find us at 2011 Summit!

Are you attending Convio's 2011 Summit? If so, we hope you'll find your way over to the Customer Care Center table in between sessions and take advantage of the resources and support being provided. We hope you'll at least come by and say "hi" and meet the faces behind those Convio voices and emails that you know. This information will be shared in the 2011 Summit guide but I wanted to give you a peek at what everyone involved with your Convio Client Care team is preparing specifically for this year's attendees:

 Monday, Oct. 3, 2011

• 8:00a – 11:15a: “Convio Community: Membership has its privileges”
  Find out what being a member of Convio's Community provides that will help you maximize the use of your Convio tools. Come by and get your resource information sheet with important must-have URLs that will give you quick references to solutions you need.
  
  
• 12:30p – 2:00p: “Free ‘Do It Yourself' Kits: Tastes great! Less filling!”
  After grabbing a bite to eat, swing by and learn about Convio's DIY online workshop and how we can help you achieve great results in less time. We'll show you where to find our kits that will help you quickly complete projects such as: Sustainer Campaigns, eNews & eBlasts, Housefile Building, Welcome Series eMails, Social Media Integration, Gala & Event Promotion, End-of-Year Fundraising, Advocacy, TeamRaiser, S-tags & Conditional Snippets.
  
  
• 3:15p – 3:45p: “Convio LearnCenter: We're gonna pump…you up!”
  Looking for a little more when it comes to knowing how to use your Convio tools? Let us show you how to super-size your skills through the use of Convio's LearnCenter and Community Monthly Webinars. You'll learn more about career path training, on-demand training and scheduled live training.
  
  
• 5:00p – 6:00p: “Day 1 Wrap-up: Holy guacamole Batman!”
  Brain hurting yet from new-idea overload? Feel like you need more information to help you understand how you can achieve something from a session? Let us help you with some of those questions or ideas so you can enjoy the night and get a good night's sleep.

Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011

• 8:00a – 9:30a: “Convio Service Modules: Yeah baby yeah!”
  It's doesn't take an international man or woman of mystery to get things done. It just takes knowing where to look. Convio's full schedule of Service Module sessions are guaranteed to have an upcoming course that can put Convio to work for you and help you get a project completed and out the door in just a matter of weeks. Come find out what's going on now and what's coming up in 2012.
  
  
•  10:45a – 11:00a: “Support on Twitter: It's a bird… It's a plane… It's …”
  ...@ConvioHelp of course! No spandex at this table but there is plenty of information about how you can use your Twitter account to keep up to date on new industry information, Community activity and even ask support questions.
  
  
•  10:45a – 11:00a: “Find A Solution: Whoomp! There it is!”
  What are you looking for? Whether it's a Convio resource or one simply floating in the Web somewhere, let your Convio Community Manager help you find it.
  
  
• 12:15p – 2:45p: User Group Lunch: “Where everyone knows your name”
  Interested in a Convio User Group or already participating in one? Join us for lunch and share some great discussion! Look for the User Group tables when you get your food.
  
  
• 4:00p – 5:30p: “Day 2 Wrap-up: What you talk'n bout Willis?”
  Need answers for “Day 2” questions? Come by our table and get additional information and/or resources that will clear up any confusion or help you determine how to use your new inspiration when you get back to the office.

Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011

• 8:00a – 12:00p: “That's a wrap!”
  We'll be moving from our table to a room where your Convio Customer Center friends will be available throughout the morning for an open Q&A forum. We'll also be setting up specific times for verticals to join us and find out how you can use the functionality of the Community to improve your peer networking. Feel free to stop by our and say hi, ask questions or just feed the animals we call Convions. Let us help you leave Summit with no questions unanswered or resources provided. 

I know I'm excited about the Convio 2011 Summit and I'm definitely looking forward to meeting, and helping, all of Convio's amazing clients! See you in four weeks!

Quick promo before you click away! Do you need to improve your monthly newsletters or do you need a newsletter or newsletter archive page? Then you should sign up for our FREE eNews & eBlast Service Module running in September. We're opening our calls to anyone and everyone to join and learn best practices and receive a free kit with two email templates and one newsletter archive page (NEW!). After the 4-call series, you can use the kit to create or modify your own newsletters OR have Convio implement it quickly with your brand! First call is September 8th so get signed up and get the conference call information today! customer.convio.com/sm_free_eNews_Module

The Dreaded '6/30'

To me tomorrow’s date, June 30th, has always seemed like a cruelty of nature. Like that of covering a dog in hair and then not giving him/her sweat glands, for many organizations 6/30 means the last day of the fiscal year… the last day to meet your fundraising goal and balance the books for the fiscal calendar. The cruel part? Trying to raise money during what many see (and has always been the case for me) the slowest fundraising time of the year.

I’ve never understood why organizations that have a 7/1 – 6/30 fiscal calendar don’t approach 6/30 like they do 12/31. I know the “spirit of giving” wave isn’t rolling in during the heat of summer but the deadline is still just as important. You have a forecast to meet… A budget to balance… Programs to fund.

So if your fiscal year is ending tomorrow, what have you done this month to reach (or exceed) your goals? What is your plan for a final appeal tomorrow? I’m willing to wager that less than 2% of nonprofits whose fiscal year ends tomorrow have a “last chance” appeal queued to go out tomorrow.

If you don’t have an email ready for tomorrow, here’s my recommendations…
Spend the rest of today looking at every budget line-item and see where you can make one last appeal for support of a specific program. Strongly appeal to supporters that by midnight tomorrow night your budget has to be balanced and that the gift they make could be the difference between your organization continuing vital services or being forced to reduce resources for those in need.

Don’t have enough time to create a new email? Take a look at your past year’s appeals. Which one performed the best? Can you revise it into a new appeal that gives an update? I bet if you look close enough you’ll find a gold nugget of an appeal that would be perfect.

I know time is short if you haven't already started, but if you have time, take a look at your donors whose last gift was during your end-of-year campaign, especially your last-minute 12/31 donors. These supporters should receive a message acknowledging their EOY gift with an appeal stating the importantace of meeting your 6/30 goals.

And my biggest recommendation…
(In my best southern-drawl double-negative voice) DON’T DO NOTH’N! Finish your fiscal year strong! You're almost to the finish line... or back to the starting line... depends on how you look at things. After you're done, celebrate reaching your 6/30 goals by taking a cool dip in the pool!

Happy 4th of July and Happy Fundraising