Social Media Growth

I am a super fan of social media. I love being connected with people and getting up to date information quickly. Even if you are not an avid user of social media like me, you can't ignore the rapid growth.

Search Engine Journal recently produced a serious of infographics to show that social media is not "over-hyped" but is a rapidly growing industry. A couple of the infographics that resonated with me were (click on the graphs to enlarge them):

There is growth shown in every age group and every age group is using social media.

More and more companies are using social media for marketing.

There has already been significant growth in this industry and this trend will continue to grow. As more and more people use social media, companies need to recognize this channel and include it as part of their multichannel approach.

How do you personally use social media? How does your company use social media? 

--L

DMI's Community Weekend - Italian Festa Edition!

Happy Friday! One of the things I look forward to over the weekend is hanging out with family and friends and eating a great meal.

There is a perfect event that will fulfill both those requirements this weekend! It is the 31st Annual Italian Family Festa!

The event runs from 12pm-9pm on Saturday (08/27/11) and 12pm-6pm on Sunday (08/28/11) at the Guadalupe River Park in San Jose and admission is free! There will be live entertainment, wonderful Italian food, cooking demos, bocce ball, arts and crafts and much much more!

You can also feel good about enjoying this wonderful event because proceeds from this event will benefit the Italian American Heritage Foundation Scholarship Program and the various events held at the Italian American Heritage Foundation Cultural Center.

Enjoy the weekend. I hear the weather will be fantastic!

--L

Better Know a DMI Employee!

Who's ready for our 4th installment of Better Know a DMI Employee?

Today's interview is with our Operations Officer, W. Let's get to know W better!

L: How long have you been with DMI?

W: A little over 8 years.

L: What do you do when you're not at DMI?

W: I hang out with my family. 

L: Is there anything in particular that your family likes to do?

W: We play a lot of soccer. Even my 3 year old is going to start playing.

L: 3 year olds can play soccer too?

W: He's tired of sitting on the sidelines.

L: Wow! Is there anything else you do besides soccer?

W: I go to school which takes up a lot of time.

L: What are you studying in school?

W: I'm pursuing an MBA emphasizing in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

L: That sounds very interesting. Is it hard to balance work, family, and school?

W: Yes but I find a way to prioritize everything. Like most things you have to set your priorities.

L: Great advice! Thanks for your time. I know you're a very busy person.

I hope everyone enjoyed getting to know another DMI employee.

To read the previous interviews click on the links below:

http://datamarketinginc.blogspot.com/2011/03/better-know-dmi-employee.html

http://datamarketinginc.blogspot.com/2011/05/better-know-dmi-employee.html

http://datamarketinginc.blogspot.com/2011/06/better-know-dmi-employee.html

--L

DMI's Community Weekend - End of summer!

The summer is officially winding down. Kids are back in school and fall clothes are on the shelves of all the department stores.

We must celebrate the end of summer! Happy Hollow Park and Zoo is having an End of Summer BBQ with live music! The event is this Sunday (08/21/11) from 2-6pm.

Best of all, music and games are included with admission price (tickets to the park and zoo are only $12!). They will have BBQ, beer, and wine available for an additional charge.

So bring your family out and enjoy some good food and the nice weather while you still can!

Have a great weekend!

--L

Current Trends in Individual Giving

I came across a blog called The Non Profit Times while going through DMI's twitter feed (follow us @datamarketinc). The blog post offered 5 recent trends in giving that came from Margaret Holman at the 2011 Fundraising Day in New York.

The 2 trends that stuck out for me were:

• "Major donors continue to give, but they are narrowing their focus to fewer charities for bigger impact."

•  "Some trends are still true. For example: The most generous donors are likely to give by mail... and Giving still happens because donors are involved with organizations; 42% of donors volunteer with their organizations."

These 2 trends are important because it shows the importance of cultivating and growing your donor base. You want to make sure people know they are having a direct impact with their donation by communicating effectively and direct mail still is the effective method of communication. The organizations that show major donors what their donation will actually achieve, have a better chance in securing their donations. People are not able to give to as many charities as before.

Also donors want to be involved and engaged in the organizations that they support and that same principle works the other way around. Those who are already involved and engaged in organizations have a higher chance of becoming donors. 

For those involved in non profit organizations, do you feel that these trends are accurate in what you are seeing internally?  For those who are donors, do you feel that these trends are accurate in your personal giving patterns?

--L

Fun and creative QR Codes

QR codes are everywhere these days. I know I've mentioned them plenty of times on the blog.

I came across a post that showed off some very creative QR codes. I never realized you could alter the image to be more appropriate to your brand.

"'Designer QR codes are not only a way to make your 2D barcode stand out, but they also add a more human element to the otherwise cold and techie appearance.' says Patrick Donnelly, QR code designer and expert. 'This could be the difference between someone scanning your code or not.'"

My favorite one was:

This is a really interesting way to stand out in the crowd and also incorporate your logo or brand into the barcode.

Which ones did you guys like? Are designer QR codes something your company/organization would be interested in?

--L

Who is your audience?

Knowing your audience is to any marketing campaign. But what do we do when the audience is constantly changing?

A recent article titled Mosaic Marketing Takes a Fresh Look At Changing Society in the New York Times highlighted an agency that specializes in cross-cultural marketing. "As results from the 2010 census continue to be released, the changing demographic makeup of the American consumer market is increasingly a topic for discussion -- and action -- among advertisers and agencies. One trend to emerge is known as cross-cultural marketing, aimed at a general market that may be more of a mosaic than a melting pot."

This is a new approach to marketing because usually "traditional multicultural marketing is directed at specific demographics groups like Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, women or gay and lesbian consumers."

Many large companies such as British Airways and Ikea are starting to use this new approach in their advertising campaigns and it seems that many other companies are signing on. Instead of singling out specific demographic groups, they are looking for agencies to find common ground between people so that the advertising appeals to all groups and is more cohesive. They are looking for "cross-cultural nuances that could work cross-culturally."

I think this type of approach can be useful in every aspect of marketing including direct mail. The data, creative, and copy should "appeal to consumer similarities rather than differences."

What do you think about this new approach?

--L

How do you reach your donors?

I'm still in shock that it's August already. The summer is moving so fast!

DMI attends and sponsors Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) lunches. These lunches provide a great opportunity to connect with other people in the fundraising field. They recently had a very interesting article on their website (which is a great resource) regarding how to reach donors in an integrated way.

"Integrated marketing incorporates multiple channels in a combination that works best for the message. The message is consistent across channels and is seamless to the recipient."

The report provided a "snapshot" of what other nonprofit organizations "are doing to integrate their messaging." The main takeaway from the report was that not enough organizations collect physical addresses for online donors and not enough people collect email addresses for those they mail to. Also, the two methods need to coincide and have the same look and feel.

This is great information not only for nonprofit organizations but also for any company or business. 

DMI knows how important it is to create an integrated direct marketing campaign. When we create project schedules we make sure to take into account all the other various outreach efforts and attempts to make sure the campaign flows smoothly.

How does your organization or company handle email and direct mail campaigns?

--L