differentiate Archives - Claxon Communication

5 Last Minute Tips to Get People to GiveBIG

May 1, 2012 by Erica Barnhart

Get them to GiveBIG! If you’re in throes of planning for GiveBIG, you’re probably wondering how someone could NOT know it’s GiveBIG tomorrow?!

Because they have a lot going on.

AND even if they know it’s GiveBIG, they may not have decided whether they’re going to give to you. Bear in mind they’ve been asked by a lot of non profits to give.

If you’re sending out a Day Of email (which you should), here are 5 tips to up your open rate–a critical step on GiveBIG day:

Put the most important information at the beginning of your subject line: It’s now or not until next year. Make it happen today. Right now. Stat!
Stand out: Again, lots of donors getting lots of email on a busy, busy day. That’s the scenario. Make them laugh. Make them pause. Shock them. Delight them. Make them see how they can play a Big Role on the Big Day. Don’t simply say it’s GiveBIG. That’s expected and they’ll read it a bunch of time. Say it in a way that’ll make them notice YOUR email.
Keep it short: 40-50 characters max. This also goes for the content of your email. This isn’t a ‘getting to know you’ moment. It’s a ‘get on it’ moment. Quickly remind them why they should give and then get out of their way and let them do it.
Use ‘You‘: By using ‘you’, you help people see how they fit in. Sure, it’s about all of us and you’ll be tempted to use ‘we’. In the subject line, it’s all about the ‘you’.
One Call to Action (CTA): Don’t distract with other Calls to Action. In your follow up email (which, of course, you will also send), give them other ways to engage. On May 2, it’s GiveBIG or go home.

Good luck tomorrow!

Match the Non-profit Taglines!

February 28, 2012 by Erica Barnhart

Messaging is an important part of differentiating your organization. And your tagline is an important part of your messaging. It lets people know how you’re different-or the same- as other organizations. Often, it clarifies your Why (aka your Belief Proposition).

See if you can match these famous non-profit do-gooders with their taglines. Did they do a good job of using their tagline to stand out from the crowd?

Quizzes by Quibblo.com | SnapApp Quiz Apps

How did you score? What was the most difficult nonprofit to match?

Word of the Week: Differentiation (lessons from the Academy Awards)

February 27, 2012 by Erica Barnhart

Jean Dujardin, Academy Awards, Oscars — Jean Dujardin differentiated himself by looking dapper in a classic tux. Mon dieux! Photo credit softpedia.com.

For a lesson in differentiation, it doesn’t get much better than the Academy Awards.

When deciding how to stand out on the red carpet, Jennifer Lopez, Jean Dujardin, and Michelle Williams all faced the same challenge mission-driven organizations do: they needed to use their resources wisely to stand out from the crowd.

No matter how famous you are, there are only so many elements to work with. For celebrities, they look at their natural assets and decide how to use dress, jewelry, hair, and make-up to play them up. For organizations, you’ve got a compelling way to make the world a better place and you package it up in your logo, messaging, website, and materials. In both cases, you consider what the competition is doing (or will wear) and if they’re zigging, you zag.

Blending in is fine if you’re an Oscar seat filler. If you’re on a mission to make the world a better place, you’d better make like the stars and differentiate!

When’s the last time you stopped and asked yourself (and your organization): Are we standing out or blending in?