Remember, to make online marketing work (if you have an audience that can be reached by it), you need to have a plan, build a messaging schedule, and execute it. We do this for a lot of our programs, knowing it takes a half dozen or more times for people to get the message and absorb it, before we can start calling them to action (volunteer, register, visit, buy, etc). Daily messaging on Facebook or Twitter, even twice daily is not unheard of, since your fans and followers should like to hear from you anyway. Following up with a simple email newsletter once a month to once a week helps too.
Our 'formula' is to come up with a theme for every day around the marketing subject - let's say Bike to Work Day. Mondays and Wednesdays may just be photos of people commuting who look 'normal'. Tuesdays a story on someone who rides to work, Thursdays maybe an old school photo of what bike commuting used to be (horrendous compared to now) - as part of Throw Back Thursdays - or talk about why a sponsor is interested in helping with the program. Fridays are great double days - morning post and a 2PM post - use them to push people to register or a link to read to learn more. Weekends are a different beast, but more short articles works too. All of this can be programmed so you don't have to rush to post each day - spend a few hours a week though and set them all up, and they run on their own. As you get closer to the end of your campaign, add in more and more Asks (sales pushes) - those following you over the campaign won't mind by that point, and are more likely to act.
Be consistent. Be persistent. Don't be afraid to ask (sell).
Display advertising works (like Google), and if you have a local bike or non-profit site or blog that is big, advertise online with them (we have 303Cycling). Don't forget the power of PR - write up a few stories and send them out to the press through your campaign, call the TV and print media and pitch them on ideas - they all have community people who love to cover human interest stories, and bikes are pretty visual and relatable, so they work well.
Good luck!
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Marketing materials
From: Ryan Kragerud <
rjkragerud@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, July 02, 2014 5:37 am
To: The Think Tank <
thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org>
Facebook, and google advertising. All of Bike Longmont's marketing is done online with a focus on keeping our FB pages fresh.
Printing is expensive so we limit it to events or do posters in advance of launching an initiative.
I recommend online marketing.
On Tuesday, July 1, 2014, Ryan Sharpe <
sharpe@sacbikekitchen.org> wrote:
Our local bike advocacy group (on whose Board of Directors I serve) is looking to do some serious marketing, and I was wondering if anyone here was willing to share their suite of marketing materials, to help them get a handle on ideas for what to do, what worked well, and so on.
--Ryan
--
Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen
http://sacbikekitchen.org/1915 I Street, Midtown Sacramento
Open Tu 6-9p, We 6-9p, Th 6-9p, Fr 10a-2p (kids 6-8p), Sa 10a-2p
--
"We all do better when we all do better" - Paul Wellstone
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