Thursday, October 18, 2007

WLA Conference - Non-Profit Marketing

Don McCartney, UW-Green Bay

What is marketing? Any/all activities that help to facilitate and expedite exchange relationships. It is manipulation, but can be in a good way. Can't control the relationship.

Factors for exchange: must have more than one entity; both entities must have something of value; both entities must be willing to give up their something of value; both must be able to communicate all of the above.

What does this mean? What do we have to offer that is of value.

Market segmentation: Who are your customers? What does your customer want? Have to be careful how to segment, you can cut the market too small. There is difference between mass and targeted marketing. Mass marketing has a lot of overkill. There are internal and external customers. Pay attention to trends.

Social identification: perceived oneness with or belonging to an organization or group. A higher perceived identification results in

Social identity: classification based on demographic categories, social class and membership in organizations.

Self concept: combination of personal identity and social identity. People participate in activities that improve their self-concept.

Organizational membership helps define our self concept. What can your organization offer people, in various segments. People who are passionate about their organization forget that not everyone knows all about that organization.

Perception of prestige increases members' feeling of identification. Has to be prestigious not elitist. Prestige is meant to imply that there is something of value.

The extent to which offerings confirm what the member expects to receive, the higher the level of identification and therefore commitment. Frequency of appropriate contact with the organization will increase member identification.

Participation with similar organizations decreased the depth of identification with any single organization. Level of education impacts identification negatively. More highly educated people tend to be involved in more activities and organizations.

Free is not the reason people become members. Intangible factors like enhancement of self concepts and identification with the organization's mission, are primary reasons for identification.

A strong and visible mission statement is important. Keep it where people can see it often.

Increased contact must occur to increase identification.

Projecting an image of prestige without being elitist is critical to fostering identification and affiliation. Ask both your users and non-users. Could use the University to do a survey at a lower cost. Can tout openness and friendliness, which builds prestige.

Reality is that getting people involved is harder than most people understand. The theory of publics states that communication behaviors can be best understood by measuring how they perceive situations which have organizational consequences.

Only 7% of the general population will ever become an active member of a non-profit organization. [Based on survey, on campus, over 10 years.] Those 7% will do everything for you. Need to pay special attention to this. It is a group which is literally dying.

Need to think about how to position the organization and have a strong mission statement. Can't take anyone for granted any more. People will often stick more with the organization which has built a personal relationship. Solicit ideas from volunteers, even if you may not be able to do everything. Build affinity.

Effective communication creates awareness by the relevance of the material to the person. Latent readiness is subconscious and developed through experience. Each time they hear about the organization they make a positive or negative association.

Knowledge of what an individual has to lose if the organization does not have their support can build latent readiness. Triggering events provide an opportunity to act. It is essential to solicit feedback.

Each time you communicate, decide what the intended results, and figure out how to measure the success.

Must constantly adapt and change based on changing needs. Feedback is the way to figure out what people want and need.

Resources and hints
Journal: Marketing Library Services
Wilson Web: Electronic services won't sell themselves
What do we say to our user, what makes an effective message?
Be graphic............
ProQuest: Promoting Library services in a Google world
www.olc.org/marketing [Ohio Library Council?]
www.librarysupportstaff.com (special issue?)

Establish a "marketing board" and ask for advice.


Dynamic interactive talk, used PowerPoint very well, as the launching point for his talk.

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