I have been asked a couple of times recently on tips for writing blogs for nonprofits. Thirteen doesn’t seem like the best number, but I am not superstitious, so here they are:

1. Make it personal. Pretend that you are writing an email to a friend. Your tone and manner should be friendly and not “corporate sounding.”
2. Stories are great. Sharing the impact of what you are doing is powerful and builds trust with your audience. Who doesn’t want to support an organization that is making a difference?
3. Have a focus. You don’t want the blog to be too general or broad. Be really sporadic about updating us on the office manager’s cute new dog
4. Write about one thing per post. If you have multiple topics, write multiple posts and schedule the other posts for different days — just change the publish date to the date you want the post to become visible. It is like getting a buy-one-get-one-free deal when you discover you are writing two posts instead of one!
5. Engage your audience. It is great to ask opinions and feedback and get others to share. Until you build an audience, encourage your supporters and friends to leave comments.
6. You don’t have to write a lot.  A paragraph or two is just fine.
7. Make it scannable if it is long.  In email marketing, I am always telling people to keep it short. A blog can be longer if you have good content, but make sure you use subheads. The goal is for someone to be able to scan your subheads and get a gist of what you are writing about.
8. It is great to have a summary in the first paragraph or a subhead that has some punch.
9. Have a great title. Your title is important. “July Update” is not going to get me to continue reading.
10. Pictures are great. Even a couple of shots with captions can be effective for making a point.
11. Videos are great, but keep them short. A 10-minute pan of the sun rising is not too exciting. A one-minute testimonial is better.
12. Encourage people to take action. What would you like them to do after reading your post? Don’t assume they will know: tell them.
13. Link to other things. Of course, linking to other places on your website is great, but don’t limit yourself.  Just make sure links open into a new window so they don’t leave your blog.

What would you add to the list?

Spire2 was nominated for the Wheaton Chamber of Commerces 2011 Gammon Awards for the work we did for the Downtown Wheaton Association.

As part of our Spire2’s redevelopment of www.downtownwheaton.com Spire2 recommended that the association start an email marketing program. Spire2 created the Downtown Wheaton Shoppers’ Club program. This free club with a monthly newsletter creates a channel for the association to communicate on behalf of membership while enhancing the image of Downtown Wheaton. The club is also critical in driving traffic to the website to learn more about upcoming events and news from stores.

The results have been incredible. The first five campaigns averaged an open rate of 61.9%. The club grew almost 400% in the first 12 months and continues to grow with new members joining on a daily basis. “As other forms of advertising continue to be less effective, developing a house list has become a strategic move in helping us stay connected with Wheaton residents and those who are passionate about the value of shopping locally,” says Noel Wiedman, manager of the Downtown Wheaton Association.”

Along with creating and managing the program for the Downtown Wheaton, we helped the Downtown Wheaton Association develop some strategies to promote the club. The most visible and unique was the creation of the sidewalk decals (shown above). These proved just as effective in building awareness for the Shoppers’ Club to merchants as it did for residents. Thanks goes to The Sign Authority for their help in finding a material that lasted well beyond the manufacturer’s guarantee – making these a very cost-effective promotion.

The awards are chosen by the public, so I will post the link for voting as soon as it goes live. If you shop in Downtown Wheaton and you are not part of the Downtown Wheaton Shoppers’ Club, sign up and you will be automatically entered to win a $100 gift certificate.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE : I am the third option under the “Nathan Lewis Best Marketing of the Year Award” You don’t have to live in Wheaton to vote!

Website development that ignores design is doomed to fail. There – I have said it, and it is off my chest. I was thinking it the whole time when I was listening to the presentation on how a new site will solve all the problems and make everything easier and better.

The site was purchased from a hosted web solution that promises all the functionality you could dream of. The fees to get the site up and running were negotiated down to an amazingly low price. The site was not designed, but assembled. The home page is cobbled together with bad photos and a variety of clip art images, but who cares because we have all this functionality.

Before you say I am a bitter designer, I will give you three reasons why hosted solutions that don’t include a signficant investment in design customization fail:

1. First impressions matter. We live in a branded culture, and if your home page looks bad then you are sending out a very strong message, and I can assure you it is not a good one. Would one go to and meet a prospect in grubby old clothes and tell them, “Yeah, I look bad, but I do my best work in these clothes.”
2. Functionality-driven development always lacks usability. It is just as important to consider how a website works as it is to consider what the website does. If it is difficult, confusing, or annoying for site visitors, they will not stay, and they will not return. Websites are brand experiences: if it is not a good experience, do you expect people to come again?
3. Functionality does not build traffic. When people focus on functionality, they often get most excited because they believe they can please everyone with all the functionality they will have. This one-size-fits-all approach leads to one thing – mediocrity. Do something well, really well, and then people will notice.

I am sorry to break the news, but if you are looking at web-based service, and you think it is “too good to be true,” then it most likely is. Some of the off-the-shelf functionality is really great, and I do think it can work, but make the investment in design and usability.

Good web development is going to focus on doing something really well. You can build on success. The only thing you can build on with mediocrity is, well… nothing.

I am a big fan of electronic communication, and I believe it is the center of an organization’s brand. When consulting on web development projects, I have recommended that organizations consider how the online world interacts with the execution of their mission instead of thinking about their website as a place to communicate what they are doing.

Yet I am more excited about print work than ever. Why, you might ask? Isn’t print just going away? Yes, many forms of printed communication have been effectively converted to electronic channels. But print still has a place. A more special place.

I think of print as a marketing gift to your target audience. What can I create that will be perceived as something special to be received? In a world where so much of communication is electronic, a printed piece perceived as a gift makes a huge impact. Two years ago, I was asked to use quotes of grateful students in a year-end appeal.  Instead of sprinkling quotes on a brochure, I made the quotes into a little book (just one color on the cover and two colors for the body to keep costs down). We spent a couple of hundred dollars more for production, but it more than paid for it in ROI. The response rate and giving beat the previous year.

Another reason to be excited about print

Many are mistakingly focusing exclusively on electronic channels to communicate. This makes those who are using printed communication stand out more and receive a better response. When I counsel start-ups, I always suggest that they include some printing in their marketing budget. I wouldn’t recommend an overview brochure, but I would take the time to celebrate a holiday other than Christmas with a special mailed greeting or invest in custom note cards if you will commit to using them.

As central as electronic communication is to an organziation, do not forget to include some print communication. Everyone responds well to gifts.

Need help with rethinking your print communication? Want to rethink your electronic communication strategy? Spire2 offers experience with both channels and can help you discover ways to use print and electronic communication more effectively. Contact me here to learn more about ways we help clients reach business objectives or call 630.462.2567.

We recently helped a small association utilize an off-the-shelf solution to better manage membership and connect members to each other. The West Suburban Philanthropic Network provides guidance, networking opportunities, and education for professionals working for non-profit organizations. On the new website we used web host Wild Apricot. All the functionality to manage membership, events and communication are built right into the monthly fee. The solution has all the functionality of a big association at a fraction of the cost to develop and run. For an organization like WSPN, it was a perfect solution.

Spire2 is out to prove that promotion doesn’t have to cost a lot. We created little cards (check out moo.com) and sent out Valentine’s greetings to prospects and customers.  I texted a bunch of these to my wife from the list we gathered at the office and the overall effect was positive. So I am challenging you to get your phone out and text a couple to someone special in your life. Happy Valentine’s Day. And let me know how it goes.

Here is the list we gathered:

Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?

Didn’t I see you on the cover of Vogue?

You make me melt like hot fudge on a sundae.

Were you in Boy Scouts? Because you sure have tied my heart in a knot.

Hello. Cupid called. He says to tell you that he needs my heart back.

I think you’re sweet.

Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

I like that shirt.

You’re cute.

I lost my number. Can I have yours?

Hey there, sugar

If beauty were time, you’d be eternity.

If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone as beautiful as you, I’d have five cents.

You’re so beautiful that you made me forget my pickup line.

I was wondering if you had an extra heart. Mine seems to have been stolen.

You look beautiful today, just like every other day.

You make my heart sing.

All you need is love.

Do you have a Bandaid? Cuz I just scraped my knee falling for you.

You’re eyes are bluer than the ocean, and I’m lost at sea.

How was Heaven when you left it?

Was your father a thief? ‘Cause someone stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes.

If a star fell for every time I’ll think of you, the sky would soon be empty.

I think you’ve got something in your eye. Oh never mind, it’s just a sparkle.

Oh, that’s why the sky is so gray today. All the blue is in your eyes.

I don’t know how to say this, but I think you have stolen my heart.

Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?

Hey beautiful…that is your name, right?

Do you have a map? Cuz I just got lost in your eyes.

The bad news for those with no website is that search engines are making your business invisible. As smart phones grow in popularity, more and more people are turning to the Internet to find local businesses. A phone book is too labor intensive when I can search for anything on Google and it shows up on my iPhone and with another touch I can call the number.  The good news is that even if you don’t have a website you can be found online. It’s fast, free, and painless to register your business with both Google and Yahoo!.

Register with Google Local Business Center
Register with Yahoo! Local Listings

Google allows you to edit keywords and tags. Make sure you check out this video to get the most out of your listing.

Don’t take this as my endorsement to skip having a Web presence, but an encouragement to take control of your Internet destiny before you disappear.

Email signatures are a zero-cost marketing tool. But why do most people use the signature file to include scary legal language or have nothing in their signature?

The key is to create a graphic signature that won’t become an attachment to your email because attachments should be just that, an attachment of a file you are sending, not an image in your signature.

Keep your signature short and simple, but tell something more about the company; inspire people with something thought-provoking, or highlight a service or offer. A signature with contact information is the minimum.

Follow the steps below to insert an image without it becoming an attachment to your email.

Note: This works in Outlook Express 6 for Windows. I am guessing the full version would be the same, but I make no guarantees with a Microsoft product.

1. Right click and select “Save Target As” to download the HTML sample file and open in Notebook or a text editor program.
2. Download the diagram (PDF) showing you the three text edits to make to the HTML file. Follow the directions and save the file on your computer.
3. In Outlook Express under “Tools” select “Options.”
4. Select the tab labeled “Signatures,” then select “New.” Under “Edit Signature” select “File” and browse to the location of the HTML file you have edited and saved.
5. Select the tab labeled “Send.” Make sure “HTML” is checked under “Mail Sending Format,” then select “HTML Settings” and make sure “Send picture with messages” is unchecked.
6. Select “OK” at the bottom and you are set.