Today marks the launch of the national Do-Not-Call registry in Canada. It’s been a long time coming and I for one am so thankful we’ve finally got one north of the border.
Funny thing is that I’ve been trying to register my number all morning and I’ve gotten various error messages that range from an error capture by the programmers that developed the site which reads: “The service is not available. Please try again later”, to a complete failure of a “page cannot be found” error.
The reason for the problems is that the registry is getting absolutely hammered by requests and it can’t handle the volume.
But if this new service is that popular, then it follows that people must really hate telemarketing. In fact, I’m pretty confident that I can say that I’ve never in my life met a person that likes telemarketing calls.
So the question that stands out to me is why are so many firms still using this means of communicating to potential consumers? It can only be for one of two reasons. Either it’s a proven tool or a lot of companies and organizations are making really dumb decisions and throwing money at a marketing tool that stinks.
And even if it is a proven tool...is it really a good idea to incentivize your customers into buying or supporting your organization by annoying them to the point that they buy or give just to get you off their backs? That doesn’t sound like a recipe for creating long-term consumer advocates – I just don’t get it.
One challenge that I think many corporate and not-for-profit organizations face is having too many irons in the fire.
As a marketing firm whose client–base is comprised of so many ministries and non-profit organizations that are doing critically important work, one of our ongoing risks is to get over-committed/under-resourced. It’s tough because we really are all about wanting to help these organizations succeed in their work.
But it’s important for us to make a point of stepping back and evaluating at what point do we get so busy with helping many important organizations, that no one gets served.
Yesterday, Ray and I had a meeting with Mark Peterson, the Executive Director of the Bridgeway Foundation (a client of ours). We went through a tough time with Mark about a year-and-a-half ago and he blogged about it just today. Check it out here.
We’re thankful for clients like Mark, who not only allow us to be a part of the important work that they are doing, but that we can also call a friend.
At the end of the day, we’ve learned some valuable things through this process and we’re hopeful that what we’ve learned can not only help us, but you too.
“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” - John Powell
I’ve been thinking about something lately and am wondering how all of you feel about it. I’m talking about the Mobile Web. I’ve been reading a book called Mobile Web Design by Cameron Moll and he was throwing out some crazy numbers when it comes to mobile adoption around the world and how it’s affecting web browsing and more importantly, the future of web browsing. He states that in the past 35 years, mobile usage is approximately 2.7 billion mobile phones strong. Some countries have over 100% mobile phone penetration.
I just got a new Blackberry with strong web surfing capabilities. It’s really funny to me that I now get very impatient when I surf on it (my BB) and all they have available is a regular web page, (way to much information for a mobile surfer) or even worse, something that doesn’t work at all.
It seems to me that we are in the middle of a very dynamic shift on how we use the web. I think it’s time to start considering whether mobile surfing is right for our different organizations. Can you see the possibilities?
I’m not sure if this is going to become a regular feature here or not, but something came across our desks here in the office this week that we simply can’t keep to ourselves and it seems fitting to share it today. Happy casual Friday!
Google is celebrating its tenth birthday – which is amazing if you consider how much a part of our lives and even our language it has become (we no longer do an online “search”, we “Google” things).
One of the reasons that Google has been as successful as they have been, is that they march to the beat of a different drum – there’s a new term for that too, it’s called being “Googly”. And in true Googly fashion, they are celebrating their tenth birthday with the launch of Project 10 to the 100. See www.project10tothe100.com
But while having a massive corporate entity act in these kinds of innovative and socially responsible ways can feel really different and new, it’s not really a new concept is it? It’s more about the how.
The question is: are we learning anything from the example that Google and other innovators are setting in finding new and exciting ways to come together, utilize the tools we have at our disposal and make a difference? Or even more fundamentally, do we understand the tools we have available to us?
Google is leveraging the input of the WHOLE WORLD to come up with the best ideas and then funding the best suggestions.
The infrastructure is here...today...to do this. What’s holding us back?
Technorati, the leading blog search engine, has released its annual report on the state of the blogosphere and it contains some really interesting findings. I’ve got some thoughts already but I’m still chewing on the practical outcomes of the numbers. I’d love to hear your impressions – especially on how blogging and the findings of this report apply to ministries and non-profits. Check it out at: http://www.technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/
On my drive into work, I used to pass by a sign for a business that read “London’s rust proofing specialists”. I don’t doubt that other body shops and oil guard facilities in town would take issue with that statement, but then again, grandiose statements like that have become a mainstay in marketing.
But as bold as that statement is, that’s not what had the most impact on me as a passer-by. It was more the fact that the metal stand from which the sign hung, and even the sign itself, was covered in rust.
It’s a stark example of how organizational communications can dirty up the brand. But let’s be clear on the fact that inconsistent representation of a brand doesn’t always have to be that overt to damage the brand. In fact, it’s the subtle nuances of inconsistency, when reinforced over time, that are the things we really have to be on the lookout for.
For those of you who are AdvancedMinistry users, I am pleased to announce that we are making great headway on a new development language for AdvancedMinistry called AMDL – AdvancedMinistry Development Language. For those of you who aren’t AdvancedMinistry users and have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain...
Ever since we launched AdvancedMinistry, we’ve had numerous people tell us how much they like our designs BUT, they really wish they could change the background, a color, an image, etc. With AMDL, you will have the ability to start with any template that you want, and modify it to fit your ministry’s brand (beyond simply replacing the banner image). Furthermore, you will have the ability to move components on your homepage using a drag-and-drop technique (like Facebook) and create custom templates to suit your ministry’s needs.
We also have another group of people that loves the way AdvancedMinistry handles content, but wish they could use their own design with the AdvancedMinistry back-end. AMDL will allow you to do that as well. We will provide designers and developers with an AMDL manual that will show you how to integrate AMDL components into your own HTML and CSS!
We hope to get AMDL version 1 launched in late Fall and announce our plans for AMDL version 2 by the end of the year (which believe it or not, is going to be even more impactful than version 1).
Thanks to everyone for all of their feedback. Please keep it coming!
What struck me most in this post were two back-to-back comments by Jim Couchenour, director of marketing and ministry services at Cogun Inc., a church building design firm.
"...the building must reflect the values and integrity of the congregation in order to work."
"Buildings without relationships have no meaning".
What occurred to me when I read those statements is how applicable they are to marketing materials as well - especially in the ministry/non-profit context.
Our greatest client success stories always revolve around how the communications pieces we've designed and/or developed for an organization have led to a relationship. But what if our communications could not only lead to, but actually be a place where relationship happens?
Our primary goal when we come into work each day is to help faith-based and not-for-profit organizations succeed in their calling. We do that, in part, through our service offerings, but being able to share a bit of what we know about effective communication through a blog falls right in line with that goal as well.
It’s also a test-bed for us to see how this whole blogging thing works. There’s no doubt that corporate/organizational blogging is an established and growing tool – but we’d like to get a first-hand taste of how it works!
Finally, it’s another way for us to communicate with you. We’re hopeful that this blog will become a catalyst for many meaningful conversations. We’ll start the conversation, but we’re looking forward to having the chatter flow in both directions.
Xpiritmental is a resource. It's a place to learn and to share thoughts on marketing, ministry, design, service, the Web, culture and more. We'll start the conversation, but we're looking forward to hearing what you've got to say.
Funny thing is that I’ve been trying to register my number all morning and I’ve gotten various error messages that range from an error capture by the programmers that developed the site which reads: “The service is not available. Please try again later”, to a complete failure of a “page cannot be found” error.
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