How Your Web Presence Can Increase the Bottom Line

March 24, 2009

www.iclarityonline.com

Agenda• Introduction• Taking Advantage of Google• Natural Search Engine Optimization• Social Media • Leveraging YouTube

– Creating a Channel– Optimizing Videos

• Yahoo! Can Help Too! • Advertising on Your Web Site • Workshop

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Introduction• Maria Harrison

– 10 year Internet industry veteran – Experience in online marketing strategies, online marketing plans, online

media buying plans, web site usability, email marketing, search engine marketing, web 2.0, affiliate marketing, social media and more.

– Previous Roles & Accomplishments: • Vice President of Marketing, The Laredo Group • Director of Online Marketing, Interval International, an InterActive Corp

(IAC) company• Interactive marketing consultant for IAC’s new business opportunity unit• Former President, South Florida Interactive Marketing Association and

founding board member• Founded and operated Key Promotions, Inc., a private web consulting

firm for clients such as Barbizon International Modeling, the National Cancer Health Institute, Lexus and others.

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Taking Advantage of Google• http://www.google.com/nonprofits/

– Sign up for the FREE monthly newsletter

• Do you have a web site?– Google Sites (formerly Google Page Creator)– It’s FREE! – Use their assigned web address

• For example: http://sites.google.com/sites/exampleforpreso

– Or use your own custom web address• For example: http://www.exampleforpreso.org

– Use Google Site for your target audience OR use it as an intranet

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Taking Advantage of Google

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Taking Advantage of Google• Google Checkout

– http://checkout.google.com/sell – If you qualify for a Google Grant, Google allows

you to keep 100% of the donations made to you online (changing in 2010?)

– If you don’t qualify, processing fee under 3% on a sliding scale

– Allows you to process credit cards & sell your tickets online

– Donations deposited directly to your bank account– Fraud protection

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Taking Advantage of Google

– The badge that tells potential donors that donating to you will be convenient and secure.

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Taking Advantage of Google

• Google AdWords– http://adwords.google.com – Was it?– How can it help? – How does it work?

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Taking Advantage of Google• How Does Google AdWords Work?

– Bid on keywords• Common sense• Keyword finder tool within Google AdWords

– Budget Determination• Click “View Traffic Estimator” • How much will a click actually cost? • Example:

– Set max bid amount at $3.00– Google starts serving your ads– AdWords is designed to control your CPC based on your

relevance. The higher your CTR, the lower your CPC.

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Taking Advantage of Google– Google serves your ads when users search or on

the Google Content Network– Users click– You pay only when users click– Users are in a lean forward mode when they find

you on Google search engine. In other words, they are ready to take ACTION!

– Smart ad copy & relevant landing pages are keys to success!

• Copy limits: 25 character headline• 35 characters each description line• 25 character display URL line

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Dynamic keyword insertionCall to actionDisplay URLs Relevant landing pages

Taking Advantage of Google• Google Analytics

– Making sense of it all– http://www.google.com/analytics – Helps you understand how users interact

with your web site– It’s free! – Key metrics to consider:

• Bounce rate• Conversion rate• Most viewed pages

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Google Grants• Where do we get the money?!• Apply for a Google Grant

http://www.google.com/nonprofits/grantstutorial.html

“Google Grants is a unique in-kind donation program awarding free AdWords advertising to select charitable organizations. We support organizations sharing our philosophy of community service to help the world in areas such as science and technology, education, global public health, the environment, youth advocacy, and the arts.”

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Taking Advantage of Google• http://googlegrants.blogspot.com/ • Google Grant Eligibility

Eligible nonprofits include, but are not limited to, the following focus areas:

– Animal rescue & conservation– Arts– Disaster & relief services– Education– Environment– Health– Science & technology– Voluntarism &community outreach– Youth advocacy & programs

• Ineligible nonprofits include, but are not limited to, the following concentrations:

– Commercial non-profits– Credit-counseling services– Mutual membership benefits (networking, professional, alumni, and other membership organizations)– Portals and directories

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Google Grants• Requires 1 single point of contact within your

org• Runs your tab in Google AdWords program

but you are NOT being charged…essentially that is the value of the grant

• Typically up to $10,000 per month but you can apply for more

• Applications are reviewed within 6 months.• Caps your max bid at $1.00 CPC

– May limit your exposure

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Google Grants• Ad copy must reflect the mission of your

organization/cannot be overt sales ads for organization products

• Online application: http://services.google.com/googlegrants/application

• Be prepared with: – Tax ID Number– Sample ad copy including both landing web

page address and display web address

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Google Earth• Make the experience real and personal for

potential donors and volunteers• Google Earth allows you to bring potential donors

and volunteers to the places where their dollars and efforts are being utilized

• Consider the Jane Goodall Institute– Blog with daily updates from researches in the field– Google Earth allows users to zoom in on areas of the

Gombe National Park where researchers are working to save the chimps

• http://earth.google.com/outreach/case_studies.html

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Natural Search Engine Optimization

• Basic SEO Rules– Keywords (Non-Profit vs. Florida Non-Profit Organizations)– Titles – 120 characters– Description Tag – 180 characters– Keywords Tag - 12 keyword phrases– Alt Tags – 1 to 2 words, do not “STUFF”– Good Site Structure

• Well organized• Relevant content groupings

– Plain HTML Content– Links (#1 Take-Away ANCHOR TEXT)

• External Link Building– PageRank

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Social Media

• What IS Social Media?

• Wikipedia: Social media is information content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies that is intended to facilitate communications, influence and interaction with peers and with public audiences, typically via the Internet and mobile communications networks. The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio.

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Social Media• Ok, so what the heck does that mean to me?

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Viral + multi-way + participatory + user generated = social media

Social Media• What it is NOT:

– A replacement of direct marketing– A replacement of brand marketing– A magic bullet

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Social Media

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• Let’s Get Started• Gain Some Insights

―Competitors

―Similar orgs in other locations

―Businesses targeting the same audience

• Choose the right social sites

Social Media• Prioritization

– Target audience– Frequency of use– Chatter about your topic– Volume of chatter

• The Big Three– Twitter– Facebook– MySpace

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Social Media• Who Tweets? • Over 6.4 million visitors last month• Skews Female

– 47% Male/53% Female

• Skews young adult but other segments are represented and growing: – 47%, 18-34– 31%, 35-49

• Less Affluent– 28%, $30k-$60k– 24%, $60k-$100k

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Social Media• What is Twitter?

– Microblogging site– 140 characters

• How to get started– Acquiring followers– What to say– When to say it– How to say it– What to use it for

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Social Media• Who uses Facebook?

– 35-54 year old demographic segment not only continued to grow the fastest in the last 6 months, but it accelerated to a 276.4% growth rate over the past 6 months

– It is DOUBLING in that age group every 2 months– Parents are rapidly joining Facebook– Facebook growing faster with women than men in almost

every age group– Women comprise 56.2% of Facebook’s audience, up from

54.3% late last year– 45% of Facebook’s US audience is now 26 years old or

older

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Social Media• What is Facebook?

– Connects people with friends– Birds of a feather…– Integration of content including photos and videos– Microblogging– Applications

• How to get started– Acquiring fans– What to say– When to say it

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Social Media• Who uses MySpace?• Over 68 million visitors last month!• Skews Female

– 58% Female/42% Male

• Age Range– 45%, ages 18-34– 15%, ages 35-49

• Affluence– 27%, $30k-$60k– 27%, $60k-$100k

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Social Media

• MySpace for Nonprofitshttp://www.myspace.com/aplaceforimpact

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Social Media• What is MySpace?

– Connects people with friends– Birds of a feather…– Integration of content including photos and videos– Blogging– Applications

• How to get started– Acquiring friends– What to say– When to say it

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Leveraging YouTube• Why should non-profits care about YouTube? • Many NGOs (non-governmental organizations)

actively engage in social media, especially on YouTube. Therefore, the average view count of an NGO’s top videos provides an excellent indicator for their social media success and visibility.

• Orgs with 10,000 + views of the YT videos were 1.4 times more efficient at raising money than those with 0-250 views.

• In other words, you can’t afford NOT to be here.

33Source: Collactive Survey, published January 2008

Leveraging YouTube

• http://www.youtube.com/nonprofits • Free program to set up your own YT

channel• Get your message out on the largest

online video community• Increased uploading capability• Better branding capabilities• Free listing on nonprofit channel and

video pages34

Leveraging YouTube

• http://www.youtube.com/amercancersociety

• Ability to embed an entire channel in your own blog/share the entire channel vs. a sole video (where they may see competing videos)

• Doesn’t have to be fancy

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Leveraging YouTube

• Up to 1 GB in size• Up to 10 minutes

– Note: longer is not necessarily better! We have short attention spans…

• Optimize Your Videos for Maximum Effect– Give search engines and YouTube something

to search• Title• Description• Tags

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Leveraging YouTube

• Drive traffic from your videos to your site

• Incorporate a Google Checkout “Donate Now” button your YouTube channel

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Yahoo! Can Help Too!

• http://upcoming.yahoo.com/• You can post all of your events on

Yahoo Upcoming for free • Shows up in the search engines

almost immediately according to Yahoo!

• You can lead the reader right back to your nonprofit webpage to buy tickets or for more information.

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Advertising on Your Web Sites

• Google Adsense– Display ads– Text ads– Pre-approved

• Sponsorships

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Workshops

• Develop a strategy for optimizing a non-profit site for natural search

• Develop keyword strategy for a non-profit

• Develop a strategy for 4 ways a non-profit in this room can take advantage of Google

• Develop a social media strategy for a non-profit

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Thank You

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