Advertisement Ideas: Constant Communication Is The Key!!!
If you are a regular reader if this blog you know my commitment to The American Cancer Society Relay For Life and my many successes. In 2016 I was involved with The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Boca Raton and raised $1688.05, http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogg4 is my donation page for this relay. I also was involved in The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Sunrise and raised $1235.35, http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogg3 is my donation page for this relay. My secret to my successful fundraising was that every day I communicated and shared my story with people as to why I relay and asked for donations. In going out into the community I was able to share Relay and where the money goes and the positive impact with others. I was able to recruit a team for The Boca Raton Relay that raised $155. I share this with you to stress the importance of communication. In you business it is important to be out there in the community sharing who you are, what you do, and why people should do business with you. Over the years I have found that the facts they sell but the stories they sell. In building relationships and communicating with people on a regular basis you will have success. The more people you share with the more people know about you and the more money you can raise or the more sales you will have.
I was bit surprised when a People Lead and a Community Representative from The American Cancer Society told me that teams would not be contacted over the summer. I thought wow this goes against every rule of engagement that exists. I have always been one to plan the work and work the plan and keep the already existing participants informed as it is proven your best client/customer or participant is someone who already exists in your data base and by keeping in constant contact and making them feel appreciated they will continue to do business with you or support your organization. When you communicate on a regular basis people feel as though they are part of your business or organization and will support you.
If you do not have a communication plan in place you are definitely planning to fail. People need to be informed and reminded that you are still collecting donations or that you are still open for business. Every month you should have a touch of some type going out to those participating in an event or doing business with you. If you choose not to communicate for 2 months with people because you feel they don’t need the information or it would be overkill you risk the potential of losing them. When was the last time you sent a customer a hand written thank you note in regular mail? When was the last time you called a customer to let them know that a particular product they like is in or that you have a special on your services.
When communicating today more and more people are getting their information through social media so it is important to have messages that are frequent and consistent. I have been to many Facebook Fan Pages for Business and I have noticed that the last entry they have made was a month ago. This is not good as those visiting the page may think you are out of business thus it is important to have a daily post during peak traffic hours with a strong call to action. It is important that you use social media as a communication tool that will engage your audience so that you can follow-up with a communication to encourage them to continue to do business with you or to become a new customer. Good communication is a key component to donor, client, customer acquisition and retention.
The most sough after skills in business and organizations today is effective written and oral communication. In communicating with people on a continual basis will engage them and make them feel important and appreciated. The more effective communication that you can have the more successful you will be. Remember also that each communication should have a call to action that resonates with the recipient.
Advertisement Ideas: Effective Communication: A Case Study!!!
Just now I reached out to a staff partner for a local Relay For Life about a wrap up party for a Relay I participated in and was told no one set it up so I took action called Duffy’s and spoke to a manager and it is set up for 6/28/2016 at 6:30 PM at their Boca Raton location and they will donate 10% of sales back to Relay and give us gift cards. The lesson here is to communicate with people involved in the project and ask for help. You never know who will step up and support you or do business with you until you reach out and communicate.
If you are struggling with communication I recommend this book for you. If you feel like it is overkill remember that people like to feel important and they like to be informed and if they have an issue with receiving communication from you they will let you know.
Use all the tools you are given to maximize your message. Remember to make the ask!!!
