We live in a world driven by consumerism. And in many ways, we depend on that consumerism to enjoy the lifestyle we have. Whether consumerism is ultimately good or bad for our society is a debate better left to other posts by other writers. What isn't up for debate is that consumerism is here, and it's here to stay for a very long while.
How does this tie in to the type of marketing information you feed your audience?
Imagine that you really, really love cheese puffs. In fact, you're a cheese puff connoisseur of sorts. You know the different types of processed cheese that are used. You can tell the difference between yellow cheddar and white cheddar at first whiff. So everyone feeds you cheese puffs -- for every meal, every snack, every day. Eventually (and the limit is different for everyone) there will come the sad day when you can no longer stomach cheese puffs. They'll lose their appeal. They'll have no effect on you. None.
Today's average consumer is very near its cheese-puff marketing limit. Every one of us has been super saturated with advertising, and even the best campaigns are losing their potency.
If you want to impact your audience and create loyalty, then you will have to change what you are serving. (This is especially true for the nonprofit organization who often caters to the more savvy and world-weary members of our society.) Think fresh and nutritious. Think education.
Instead of a sales brochure, write up an informational brochure that educates your reader about issues relevant to your industry. For example, if you are a nonprofit organization that works with hungry children in the world, create informational pieces that educate your audience about world hunger. What are some of the causes? The effects? The solutions? Then, in a tactful, subtle way, educate them about what you are doing to help. Perhaps even a teaser such as "Want to learn more about how you can help end world hunger? Visit www.wonderfulnonprofit.org" will suffice.
Make your company newsletters as much about educating as about promoting the wonderful things you've done. Start a blog, much like this one, designed to educate interested readers about topics relevant to your industry. Post news-like podcasts featuring stories related to your sphere of influence. Instead of using a loud sales pitch on your local radio station to advertise, stage your advertisement like a news bulletin and inform readers about a story relevant to your company. (World Vision, the nation's largest international nonprofit, excells at this. Often, you can't tell the difference between their "news update" and the radio station's regular news breaks.)
The results will surprise you. Suddenly, you're not just another pesky sales person. You're an educator. An expert. People will turn to you for information. They'll feel kindly toward you because you're not just sucking the consumer out of them; you're feeding them delicious, nutritious information. And every marketing person knows that goodwill can take you a very long way with your target audience.
So throw out the cheese puffs and bring in an apple for the teacher.
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