Highlights this month: ethical marketing, voice search, digital evolution and shopping with a giant fundraising cheque.
It’s back to school / work time. If you were off in August or just head-down because everyone else was, here’s some great content and good reads to catch up with.
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Content
- Scope launched their rebrand, disability gamechangers campaign and have been running a series of takeovers on Twitter. Here is a Moment from Sam’s takeover day.
- Nice promo for Woodland Trust’s family membership package.
- Simple, strong 11 second video from social enterprise HeyGirls challenging period poverty. No link for the call to action though. See also BloodyBigBrunch who invited followers to illustrate their periods in gif form.
- You have 5 ambulances and 9 patients – what would you do? Great content from North West Ambulance Service.
- Lovely video storytelling from the Mayhew. Here’s Nayan’s story for #InternationalFriendshipDay.
- Bake Off is back. Selection of the best charity fundraising bakes and cake content in this GBBO Moment.
- Museum Meme day included lots of absolute units and curator frustrations.
Here are some useful reminders about how images can reinforce negative stereotypes. I spotted a call for #NoMoreWrinklyHands and an article shared by Time to Change about the rise of the head clutcher image to illustrate mental health stories. >> Review and improve your use of images.
Comms
- Why the battle for our attention matters for charities by CAF’s Rhodri Davies for Charity Digital News.
- More on ethical marketing in this opinion piece from Sam of NSPCC – Smarter targeting or smarter content? Is a new standard of expected ethics forcing us to change how we think about digital marketing?
- You had me at hello – the importance of a welcome journey and how to get it right via email. Top tips from CharityComms.
- How to think strategically about email personalisation – eConsultancy.
- More email in this from Charity Digital News – Five great automated email marketing programmes for charities.
- Get your split testing right. There is Nothing Magical About 95% Statistical Significance – CXL.
- Our writing guidelines (they’re for everyone, not just for writers) – the Co-op’s approach to writing.
- Downloadable comms planning guide – in the style of snakes and ladders.
- Five Steps To Create A Social Media Content Plan by Teresa Litsa of Lightful.
Digital
- How does your organisation measure up? The latest global charity technology trends: results from the latest Global NGO Technology Report – Civil Society.
- The emoji report: analysis of every emoji published over 2 years on Twitter – Brandwatch.
- What will social look like in the next 10 years? We Are Social.
- Why we need to stop repeating the “50% by 2020” voice search prediction – eConsultancy.
- And what Government are doing about voice search – GDS.
- Facebook subscriptions and content monetisation by Dan Papworth-Smyth.
- The Anatomy of an Optimized Web Page [Infographic]– Social Media Today.
- Your monthly accessibility reminder: image descriptions on Twitter.
- Four Google Adwords scripts that retailers can use to supercharge sales – eConsultancy.
- The New York Public Library release classic books on Instagram Stories – this thread by Jack Appleby shows it in action.
- Promos’ survey found that 44% of consumers watch at least five videos online per day. Read their research into online video habits 2018 based on a survey of 500 people.
- 4 of the top innovative charity digital products – JustGiving – featuring the BECCA app from Breast Cancer Care, Austica’s app, RSPCA’s pet search function and Wateraid’s online donation platform.
- 5 things learnt from the Childline #UnderstandMe campaign by Marnie on NSPCC’s Digital Dunk.
- I am seeing many more organisations recruiting for data analysts in their digital teams. This is interesting from GDS showing how data capture, use and application moves on in an organisation. They are bringing the disciplines of user research and analytics together to reduce the artificial divide created by data created in different ways and by different teams.
- This is also about digital evolution. Cancer Research UK share the things they have learnt through their digital adaption journey. It’s time to throw out your ‘digital’ strategy.
Fundraising
- These charity experiments successfully nudge people to give more – interesting results of research encouraging people to see the broader picture of their giving.
- How to improve your online donation journey by Tim Dixon at nomensa.
- Losing the donor relationship – as we lose access to data about donors, Beate Sorum asks whether this will be fundraising’s digital disruption.
- Truth or dare: why are some causes harder to fundraise for than others? Examples and tips by Olivia Fuller for UK Fundraising.
- YouTube Giving
Alzheimer’s Research UK show some love for a giant fundraising cheque. Here we see it in action at the station, in a shop and on a train. A cheque picture with personality! >> Here are more examples of alternatives to cheque line-up pictures in my post Just say no to giant cheques.
People
- Getting comfortable talking about diversity and inclusion in the third sector. Take part in healthy conversations argues Sushi Juggapah of CharityComms.
- 55 steps to workplace happiness by Henry Stewart.
- The Independent’s Happy List 2018.
- Free digital skills courses from Accenture.
Have you booked your ticket for Being the Story in October? Here’s more about last year’s inspirational event. Being the Story 2017 – carthartic and powerful storytelling. Don’t miss 2018.
And finally….
Blue Peter explain the world wide web – from the BBC archive,1995.
Your recommendations
What did you read, watch or launch this month? Please add your links in the comments.
Can I help you?
Get in touch if I can help you with digital copywriting, content planning, training or strategy. I work with charities of all shapes and sizes. I can help give your comms or digital processes a healthcheck and ideas injection.
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Did you miss July’s round-up? Catch up with more good reads!