The Compete-At Blog

Event Marketing Boosts Business During Challenging Times

2009-10-29T14:52:00.001-04:00

Event Marketing Boosts Business During Challenging Times

Author: jill lazar

The economic crisis is taking its toll on nearly every industry, and many companies are slashing their marketing budgets to save on expenses. But if we all turn into penny pinchers and scale back on relationship building, our customers are likely to, well, forget about us. Tough times give companies a great opportunity to step out and get noticed; those who keep building relationships are the ones that can fly ahead of the competition.

Research shows that recessions rarely have an adverse impact on spending overall. In fact, studies in every recession since 1940 show that income — and possibly expenditures — rarely declined more than two percent. People are still spending money and event marketing can get your company in front of clients so they remember you, connect with you, and most importantly, turn to you first with their dollars.

If your marketing budget is still fairly small, a strategy that typically generates a high return on investment is planning an event. There are plenty of ways to work around even the tightest marketing budget, and creating meaningful events is essential to your success. Whether you’re sponsoring an event or hosting your own, a special event generates immediate interest from potential clients and positions you as a leader in your industry. The result? Brand awareness and maintaining a ‘top of mind’ status.

Staging an event also offers networking benefits; your company can work with local vendors and develop some co-marketing or co-branding initiatives in the future. One of the biggest benefits of event marketing is the word-of-mouth effect that ensues; when clients are excited about a sensational event or interesting activity, they are more than likely tell friends, family members and business associates about it — and are promoting your business as a result. Simply put, hosting an event can be a powerful marketing strategy.

As an event and marketing professional, I understand the importance of building relationships with vendors and collaborative marketing efforts to get in front of the clients by planning vendor meet and greets, client socials and industry expos. By developing one-of-a-kind experiences for your clients, you’ll naturally increase your ROI and can measure the success of the event with surveys or tracking purchases. Event technology can easily log client activity to determine if purchases were made after the event, and tally survey results within seconds.

I encourage businesses to get in front of your clients by planning events during these turbulent economic times. Here are some helpful tips to get you started on your event:

1. Plan it out. Set attainable goals and expectations for your event and give yourself plenty of time to plan out what you want to achieve by having the event, putting together a budget, and being creative to wow your guests.

2. Collaborate your efforts. This sets the stage for sponsorships and co-marketing ideas by teaming up with vendors. This is a great way to cut costs, build a relationship and rely on each other for referrals as you both grow your business.

3. Hire an event planner or dedicated team member. The last thing you want to do is execute a bad event; you want people raving about the experience, not complaining! If you’re on a very tight budget, consider hiring an event planner only for the day of your event to make sure everything runs smoothly.

4. Promote your business before the event. Plan ahead to create marketing materials and get the publicity you need to promote the event long enough to generate strong interest. Call campaigning is a great strategy to personalize the

invites by calling attendees to confirm attendance and provides them with the ‘ultimate’ experience from beginning to end.

5. Be resourceful and fun. Consider hosting an event at a restaurant instead of a hotel to save on room fees; most restaurants don’t charge a room fee for private rooms. Having your event at sites that provide entertainment such as a private charter, upscale venue or cooking school can also help provide a unique experience for your guests.

6. Host a late-afternoon soiree. If you can’t afford to host a luncheon or dinner banquet, consider hosting the event from 2:00 — 4:30 so you can serve lights snacks and non-alcoholic beverages instead.

As John F. Kennedy once said, “When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters-one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.”
By building lasting relationships with vendors and clients through event marketing, we can truly see the value in keeping our marketing budgets and seeking opportunity during challenging times.

Jill Lazar is the Marketing Associate /Event Planner for Atrion Networking Corporation in Warwick Rhode Island. She is also the co-owner of Everything Events and has over five years experience planning both corporate and social events. Jill holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Event Management from Johnson & Wales University and a Certificate in Event Planning from US Event Guide; she is currently completing an MBA in Marketing from Johnson & Wales University.

About the Author:

Jill Lazar
Jill is an industry professional with more than five years experience planning both corporate and social events. She holds a bachelors degree in Event Management from Johnson & Wales University. Currently she is completing an MBA in Marketing from Johnson & Wales University and a Certificate in Event Planning from US Event Guide. Jill is a member of the International Special Events Society (ISES). She is also a member of Sigma Delta Tau Sorority and is the local advisor for the University of Rhode Island. She prides herself on building relationships with local vendors and providing the ultimate event experiences to her clients. Jill enjoys traveling, out-of-the-box ideas, and never likes to say the word "no".

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Event Marketing Boosts Business During Challenging Times

How Sponsors Evaluate Opportunities

2009-09-18T13:46:00.002-04:00

Today, more than ever, sponsors of sporting events face a barrage of “suitors” clamoring for their sponsorship dollars. To be the lucky one who wins the “date,” you must not only stand out in this crowded field, but prove to the sponsor that the event you’re organizing is the best solution to meet his or her needs and objectives. To do this, it is crucial that you understand the criteria by which your proposal will be judged. What is your sponsor looking for in a sporting event?

Learn these six Critical Criteria inside out and backwards and you will turbo-charge your chances of winning an enthusiastic “Yes! When can we sign?”

Communications Objectives are usually a prime motivation for sponsors. Businesses are almost always trying to say something to an audience through their sponsorship. This can be as simple as getting their name and image out into the community or something as complex as trying to change public perception (e.g., a beer company sponsoring a fitness event). Whatever their general business desire may be, there is usually a specific message your event can communicate. Your job is to tease it out. What do they want to say and how will your event help them say it? Answer those questions and you are well on your way to a positive response.

The next consideration is the Target Market the sponsor is trying to reach. How does its desired customer base match your audience? Face it, the AARP is not likely to sponsor a snowboarding event! So know your demographics. Ask yourself: Why does Rolex sponsor yacht races? Why does Mercedes Benz sponsor golf tournaments? Why does Red Bull sponsor extreme sports? And why does Nike sponsor everything? All of these companies want access to the demographics that attend and compete in specific events. Find out what audience your sponsor is trying to reach and then demonstrate how your event will attract that very same demographic.

Risk to the sponsor is a third criterion and one that too few event organizers consider. Think about it. There can be a great deal of risk for sophisticated sponsors who associate themselves with the wrong event or with an event in which many unknowns are in play. What if a contestant or spectator were badly injured? How would the bad publicity affect their organization? What if the event competitors or hosts were to speak or behave in a way that opposed their brand values? How happy, for instance, do you suppose Michael Phelps’ sponsors were when that photo of him on the business end of a pot pipe hit the papers? Letting sponsors know that you have thought about the risks and have safeguards in place to minimize them can go a long way to putting a sponsor at ease and making your proposal jump out of the pile.

Sometimes a sponsor will sign for your event purely for the Promotional Opportunities it offers. The sponsor wants to promote its products or services directly. Does your event offer ample opportunities for this? Think creatively about ways to sell directly to your audience. This might be as simple as setting up at table at registration or providing a vendor area at the venue. Or it might be more imaginative - letting sponsors host a happy hour or a kids’ event where they can show off their products. Think outside the proverbial box. Are there places at your venue to hang signs and banners? Sponsors often count the number of times their logo appears in print and television. What can you do to increase this count? Where will the cameras and your audience’s eyes be focused most of the time? Some creative thinking in this area will elevate your proposal high above the competition’s.

Past Record, of course, is another way that a potential sponsor will evaluate your offering. You’ve probably heard those commercials where the stockbroker says, “Past performance does not guarantee future results.” Well, that may be true in stocks, but it’s not the way sponsors think. Put yourself in their place. You are asking them to provide you with something of tangible value. In exchange, you are telling them to trust that you will provide the results you promised. Your reputation and past record are all they have to go on. Your past record is critically important. You must leverage it wisely. Statements such as, “95% of our sponsors are returning next season,” can be very powerful. Provided they’re true. Also, remember that fulfilling your promises and keeping existing sponsors happy is much easer than generating new ones. The most important past record is the past record you have with this particular sponsor.

Finally, at some point in the decision process, all potential sponsors are going to evaluate the Cost vs. Return for your event. This can occur in the form of a formal Return On Investment (ROI) calculation or an informal gut feeling. In either case, you need to be crystal clear on how you provide value and benefits. You need to know your market and event. And you need to offer concrete data to back up your claims. You also need to create sponsorship packages that are financially appropriate. Don’t ask for a $20,000 title sponsorship for a horseshoe-throwing contest behind Al’s Hardware Store.

Your job, when you’re pitching sponsors, is to know what is important to each sponsor and then adapt your offerings to their needs. This need not be complicated. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking. You just meet with the prospect and ask her, “What are your objectives?” She will usually be happy to tell you. But if, for any reason, you can’t get the answer directly, do a little research, turn over a few rocks.

If you can satisfy these six Critical Criteria, you will be head and shoulders above all the other “suitors” who are eager to walk down the aisle with this sponsor.

Successful Fundraising - The Care and Feeding of Sponsors and Donors

2009-09-01T07:39:00.002-04:00

Here are some tips I learned in the promotion of sporting events, but they should give you some ideas for keeping all kinds of donors and sponsors happy:

* Generally, the rule for event promoters is to only allow one sponsor from each category: One print media sponsor, one supermarket, etc. All donors for nonprofit causes are welcome, however.

* If your sponsors are businesses, they want new business leads from their association with your event or cause(they're not just donating for the "warm fuzzies" in most cases). Make sure you deliver exposure proportionate to their contribution. If possible, introduce them to potential customers in some way.

* The easiest way to leverage your sponsors' pleasure as well as the size of your turnout is to go after media

sponsors. The secret to this is to produce an event or fundraiser that they will be proud to be associated with.

* Media sponsorship usually comes in the form of discounted rates for ad spending. To get the biggest bang for your buck, don't be shy--get your best spokesperson(probably you) to be interviewed by your media sponsor. This can help build your brand better than anything. Your event then becomes perceived as a news item instead of another pesky advertisement. Use radio talk shows and TV news for this. Newspapers, too. Podcasts, anyone?

* Give your major sponsors credit. If appropriate, mention your major sponsors or contributors on the air and in print when you get the chance.

* Make it clear up front what recognition each level of sponsorship will receive, in writing, so that no-one will feel slighted by the size of their logo in print ads or online. Make sure you deliver what you promised.

* Always follow up with a thank-you letter to sponsors/donors after the event or fundraising campaign. Let them know how it went and specifically, what exposure they got for their sponsorship. How big was the crowd, if it was an event?

* Send press clippings, audio clips, etc., especially ones that mention THEM

* Try to generate specifics for sponsors: How many people saw their logos at the event and in ads? How many people did you send to their business, if you know. What comments did you hear about their participation?

* If possible, structure your event in a way that will put potential customers in contact with your donors and sponsors. Find creative ways to get them together in a social setting or in their place of business.

* Always send sponsors/donors a nice letter--or better yet, pay them a visit to thank them and go over areas of benefit for their business. Show them a good return for their money in the form of new customers, "free" advertising, and association with a well-run and worthy cause.

If you help your sponsors prosper, they will help your event or cause prosper--It's as simple as that!

When you have done your job well, enlisting sponsors' support in the future will be a piece of cake.

Paul H. Kemp is a lifelong entrepreneur and marketer. He has also served as an Economic Development Consultant for the U.S. Department of Commerce and local Chambers of Commerce, specializing in rural business opportunities for Oregon communities affected by changes in federal timber policies.

He currently is fascinated by the opportunity to help individuals take control over their own health in this global economic shake-up.

More information can be found at his Web site: http://www.HealthyPlanetDiet.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_H_Kemp http://EzineArticles.com/?Successful-Fundraising---The-Care-and-Feeding-of-Sponsors-and-Donors&id=2825353

Event Planning: A How-to Checklist

2009-07-28T07:16:00.000-04:00

Event Planning: A How-to Checklist

Author: J Mikula

Are you looking to host an event, party, conference or workshop? If you have done so before, you know event planning can be a headache. And, if you haven’t, you’re probably already overwhelmed! Continue reading to discover a checklist that will help you ensure you’re prepared for your upcoming event.

Nail down the basic information. Be able to answer these questions:
1. What is the purpose of your event? (Informational, fundraiser, social, etc.)
2. What is the name of your event? This should be catchy but relate to the purpose of your activity.
3. When will your event take place? (Date and time)
4. What is the draw – a performer, speaker, fundraising activity? If a person or group needs to be booked, are they available?

Determine what the physical needs for your event are. What about:
1. Physical space – Will your event take place at a banquet, conference room, dance hall?
2. Tables and chairs? If you’re having a meeting, presentation, or a dinner, how do you want the tables arranged? Consider this when evaluating venues.
3. Food and drink – will a meal be served? Snacks at breaks? Beverages? Sometimes this is bundled with your location, depending on location; otherwise, you may need to book a caterer. This is a good thing to keep in mind when booking a venue.
4. Equipment – will you need any audiovisual equipment for the event? Possible equipment includes televisions, public address systems, computer projector and screen, overhead projector, and so on. Will your venue supply such equipment, is it available elsewhere, or do you need to rent it?
5. Security – is your event large? Do you need a safety and security staff to ensure the well-being of your guests?
6. Lodging – is your event a multi-day affair, will guests be traveling long distances, or could guests be too tired or intoxicated to make it home? Consider reserving a block of rooms at a nearby hotel to make available to your guests. At a minimum, include information on nearby lodging in the materials you send to guests.
7. Transportation – How will your guests get to and from your event? Will they drive themselves, and, if so, is parking available? Is public transportation available? You may wish to use a coach hire service to provide transportation for your guests. This is especially advisable if alcohol is to be served at your event.

Advertising
1. Do you need to advertise your event? This may depend on the goal of the event and the intended audience.
2. If so, create an advertising budget and goals. Is the event public or private?
3. Identify advertising methods – email and the web? Radio? TV? Newspapers? The correct medium for you will depend on the type of guests you’re trying to recruit.
4. Design and distribute your ads, emails, letters or so on with adequate time to receive responses.

Last minute details
1. Confirm details with the venue, caterer, transportation service, etc.
2. Confirm any talent (band, speaker, performer, etc.)
3. Confirm equipment needs are met and all equipment is working properly
4. Review and confirm the guest list
5. Get a good night’s sleep!

About the Author:

J. Mikula is a business professional and consultant.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Event Planning: A How-to Checklist

The Sponsorship Process: a Life Circle

2009-07-13T14:09:00.004-04:00

As a producer of sporting events, dealing with sponsors is a crucial aspect of your professional life. If you want to win at the game of accumulating great sponsors – and who doesn’t – it helps to understand the process. Landing and working with a sponsor for your event is a process that goes through several stages, much like life. That is, it starts at the beginning, matures and grows, and then ends.

If you do your job right, you’ll create - to be Disney-esque about it - a veritable circle of life. Renewing itself over and over again, well into the future.

It all begins by understanding the steps. The process of sponsorship entails several “life stages”: Identify; Recruit; Evaluate; and Fulfill. Each phase is quite distinct in what it demands of you.

The first step is Identify. You can think of this as the infancy of the process. Everything is fresh and new. This is the stage in which you look at your options and identify potential sponsors. In this step you decide not only whom you are going to approach but what value you bring to them. How does your event advance their particular message or mission? How does it reinforce their image or brand? What angles for marketing can you offer them? Are you really a good match for each other? Do your ideals, styles and demographics mesh?

You also need to Identify your own needs during this phase. Your time is valuable. You can’t afford to waste it. You must choose sponsors that offer you clear value and with whom you can “close the deal.” Those are the ones for whom your “product” meets their needs and offers a benefit worth the cost.

The next step is Recruit. This is the “growing up” phase of the life cycle – your seeds of an idea now grow from a vague impulse into a full-fledged proposal. You’ve chosen the sponsor you want to approach; now you must focus on pitching and selling them. Actually, the word recruit is preferable to “sell” or “pitch,” because it emphasizes the two-way nature of the relationship. Again, you want to pursue sponsors for whom the arrangement will be mutually beneficial.

Toward that end, you need to understand your candidate’s mindset, needs, values, brand and decision-making process. A few simple pointers will go a long way to ensuring a successful recruitment phase.

• Under-promise and over-deliver. No one will ever fault you for giving more value than you promised, but the opposite is certainly not true.
• Know what is important to your sponsor. Signing a prospect that is not a good fit with you is a bad deal for everyone.
• Be honest. Don’t “play” your prospect. If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t make something up. Tell them you will find out the answer and get back to them.
• Be professional. Return phone calls and emails promptly. Keep and send out meeting notes. Make sure your printed material is polished and professional. Check in regularly with the sponsor and make sure you are meeting their needs.
• Follow through. If you say you are going to do something, then, as Nike would say, “just do it.” Remember, you are only as good as the last promise you kept.

The third stage of the life cycle, Evaluate, may be the hardest step. This stage is rather like watching your adolescent leave home. The “child” takes on a life of its own. The proposal – and the control - moves out of your hands. Your prospective sponsors will be doing the evaluating, not you. They will be weighing your proposal on its merits. You have to let go, sit back and see how they react.

One way to help ease the anxiety is to actually provide the decision criteria they can use in evaluating your proposal. Most of the decision-makers may not be used to weighing proposals, so offer them an evaluation framework for judging yours. It’s sort of like setting the rules to favor the home team.

Before letting your proposal “leave home,” ask yourself a few questions. Have you considered the dynamics of the decision makers? Have you addressed everyone involved in the decision process? Did you provide all the information requested? Double-check and make sure you have followed through on all your commitments.

Finally comes the “senior” phase of the life cycle. Your proposal has matured into a real business deal. Fulfillment is the most important step in the process and the key to your future success. This is the stage where you actually organize and produce the event. This is where, like a grownup, you deliver what you promised. Here are a few guidelines for a successful fulfillment stage:

Keep your promises and follow through. If something is not going as you hoped, talk to the sponsor. Be open. Solicit their input and make them part of the solution.

Keep in contact with the sponsor throughout the event cycle: planning, promoting, registration, event day and post-event. Simple relationship management will go a long way toward ensuring a positive result.

After the event, have a post mortem with the sponsor. Discuss the results and ask for feedback. What could have been done better? Where did we drop the ball? What aspects did you like best? How can we improve the process next time around?

Assuming you and your sponsor have agreed on some measures of success, discuss how the event measured up. Did the event participants offer any feedback? Did they purchase additional products and services, if such were offered? Did they sign up for future events?

The key to success is to understand the life cycle from start to finish. Each stage is different, but they’re all focused on the same goal: signing and re-signing great sponsors for your event. As Stephen Covey says in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, “Begin with the end in mind.” If you implement this process skillfully it will create an ever-renewing “circle of life” from event to event and sponsors will be approaching you.

People to People Networking: Why Web 2.0 tools Work for Fund Raising

2009-07-10T11:56:00.000-04:00

People to People Networking: Why Web 2.0 tools Work for Fund Raising

Author: Anthony Kirrane

There is a new wave of communication tools, and they are immensely powerful. People are gradually beginning to see the value of Web 2.0 tools in a variety of sectors, and this value is advocate engagement.

Whether these advocates are customers, partners, referrers, sponsors, supporters or fundraisers, the common denominator is awareness-raising through people to people networking.

The United Nations, a customer of The Community Host, is using the Community Server platform to engage the youth of today and provide an online meeting place where the next generation of budding world leaders can share their thoughts quickly, efficiently and interactively with their peers.

I wonder what scenario prevailed before the advent of Web 2.0? I can imagine what it would have been like for anyone involved with charitable causes. Organisations with high ideals and worthy goals would be frustrated in trying to raise awareness or funds through traditional and expensive media channels or by knocking on doors. These channels would be limited to big budget organisations and the smaller charities or companies, despite their equally worthy causes, would struggle to claim wide support because they would only be able to supply anecdotal evidence as to the sincerity of their objectives. How would they prove that there was rising support, and proof of the success of the funds already raised?

Web 2 changes all of this – dramatically - by introducing the conversation factor, getting people talking to people about the causes they are supporting, whatever their size, whether local, regional, national or international. Dialogue matters and over time a conversational wiki builds up online, thus showing potential funders – including those all-important celebrity and commercial funders - that there is a wide interest in this cause.hanks to Web 2.0 tools, smaller charities who traditionally found it difficult to raise funds will benefit greatly. Through viral marketing campaigns via forums, blogs, share buttons and wikis, supporters will do more than just make a donation; they will get people talking to people about the cause, and will inject a buzz into it.

About the Author:

Anthony Kirrane is the Director of The Community Host, a proactive SaaS provider offering enterprise class community hosting options. With exceptional expertise in running sites with traffic expectations in excess of a million hits per month, preferred Telligent Systems partner The Community Host is dedicated to serving any organisation seeking a high performance, scalable and customisable online community solution courtesy of award winning, world-leading community networking systems such as Community Server and Evolution. For more information call 01277 365530 or visit http://thecommunityhost.co.uk

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - People to People Networking: Why Web 2.0 tools Work for Fund Raising

Translations for Non-Profits: How to Manage the Cost of Reaching Out to Non-English Speakers

2009-07-06T10:52:00.002-04:00

Translations for Non-Profits: How to Manage the Cost of Reaching Out to Non-English Speakers

Author: Janine Libbey

Non-profits that are seeing an increased demand for their services from non-English speakers know that juggling the community’s needs and a tight budget is challenging. One thing is clear: English-only is usually not an option if they want to meet their missions. There are ways organizations can manage translation costs so that they can communicate with clients in their native languages.

Ask if the translations company has a non-profit rate. When P & L Translations (http://www.pandltranslations.com) work with a non-profit in their community for the first time, the first 250 words of a translation into Spanish are free.

Plan ahead. Include translations as a line item in the next grant you write so that you have the funds available when you need a document translated.

Call a board member. Don’t sacrifice your mission because you don’t have money in the budget for translations.Most board members will be happy to write a check.

Be direct – Make sure the original text is clearly written so that the translation will also be true to your message.

Edit, edit, edit – The number of words or characters may increase by 20%-60% when they are translated into other languages from English. Can you make the text shorter?

Make sure that the document you submit for translation is the final version. If you make changes to the original after you have submitted it, you will be paying for extra, unnecessary work.

Check the grammar and spelling before you submit documents for translation.If the document says “weed” where you meant to write “seed”, the same mistake will probably be in the translation.

Translation pricing is based on the number of words in the original document. That’s the industry standard.

Compile all the documents you want translated. We need to see them to get an accurate count of how many words need to be translated, if special formatting is needed, and to gauge how technical (or simple) the text is.

About the Author:

Janine Libbey is a founding partner at P & L Translations in Nashville, TN. P & L Translations provides translation, voiceover and subtitling services for non-profits, government agencies, and businesses in most European and Asian languages. For more information, visit http://www.pandltranslations.com or call 615.460.9119.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Translations for Non-Profits: How to Manage the Cost of Reaching Out to Non-English Speakers

10 Fundraising Ideas For a Shoestring Budget

2009-06-30T09:14:00.001-04:00

10 Fundraising Ideas For a Shoestring Budget
By Sandy Rees

These days it can be tough to raise money and even tougher when you don't have much to spend on fundraising activities. Here are ten ways to raise money when you have little or none to spend.

1. Invite donors and prospects for tours of your facility. Sometimes seeing your work firsthand will inspire donors to give. Offer a tour on a regular monthly schedule and let staff, Board and volunteers know that they can invite friends to come. Be sure to get names and addresses of visitors so you can send them a thank you note after their tour and also so you can add them to your mailing list.

2. Hold a "Change for Change" event. Ask local civic groups, church groups, or businesses to collect spare change for you on a certain day (every Sunday in May or Friday May 5th, etc.). Provide them with brochures, newsletters or fact sheets so folks can educate themselves about your organization.

3. Do an "Easy Thousand." Get 10 Board members, volunteers, or donors to each ask 10 people for $10 each. You can change this to $15,625 by changing the numbers to 25 people asking 25 people for $25 each. This can also give you a bunch of new donors!

4. Hold a house party. Ask Board members, volunteers, and donors to have a dinner in their home and invite their friends. Have a staff person do a short presentation on your organization followed by a testimonial from the evening's host. Then, give the guests the chance to make a gift. Again, make sure to get names and addresses so you can properly thank guests and get them on your list.

5. Hold a "Non Event" (Example: "No Ball at All"). Create a fictitious event and send out invitations asking people to buy "tickets" to this event that won't take place. It's a great theme for a mailing and usually works well.

6. Put a return envelope in your newsletter. Many donors will respond to great stories in your newsletter. So make it easy for them by including an envelope to send their gift in.

7. Ask donors to give monthly. This is a great way to increase a donor's annual giving and their loyalty to your organization at the same time. Make it easy for donors to participate by giving them 12 envelopes to send their monthly gifts in.

8. Offer a Holiday Gift Card. Let your donors know that they can make a gift to your organization in someone's honor for the Holidays and that you'll send the recipient a card telling them about the gift and who it was from. This can also work for Mother's Day, Father's Day, or other holidays.

9. Ask for donations to your organization in honor of your birthday. Most of us have more than we need anyway, so ask friends and family to make a gift in honor of your special day.

10. Ask your donors to include you in their will. You'll probably have to wait a while for a gift, but when it comes, it will be worth the wait!

Sandy Rees is a nonprofit fundraising coach, consultant, trainer, and author. She shows small nonprofit organizations how to raise more money, gain more supporters, and strengthen their Boards. Learn more about successful fundraising and get free fundraising tips in her e-zine "Bright Ideas for Fundraising" on her website at http://www.getfullyfunded.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandy_Rees
http://EzineArticles.com/?10-Fundraising-Ideas-For-a-Shoestring-Budget&id=1970154

Know Your Audience’s “Social Technographic Profile”

2009-06-01T12:37:00.005-04:00

The term “demographics” is thrown around a lot these days. From a marketing perspective, it refers to the specific characteristics of the audience you’re trying to target in a campaign. Demographics can include age, gender, race, education level, income level, and location, as well as factors such as marital status, home ownership, parenthood and so on. Of course, the only demographics we care about, as marketers, are those that affect a person’s likelihood of buying our product or service.

One of the chief concerns of any good marketing campaign is whether or not it hits the audience we want to reach. We wouldn’t try to promote a skateboarding event in a magazine read mainly by retirees. Why? It doesn’t reach our target demographic.

As marketing expands into the cyber realm and social media become ever more central to our marketing campaigns, simply knowing our audience’s demographic profile may no longer be enough. We may need a new set of criteria. Social Technographic Profile is a term coined by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff in their book Groundswell (a book I highly recommend). It’s based on a concept of Technographic Segmentation introduced by Dr. Edward Forrest in 1985. In short, a person’s social technographic profile defines his or her personality and characteristics when it comes to social media.

What does the person do online? What are his/her web habits? What kinds of sites does s/he visit? How does s/he relate to those sites - actively or passively?

One of the keys to a successful social media strategy is to identity the consumer you’re after and his/her technographic profile. This will define which types of social media will be most effective in reaching your audience. In a broad sense you can divide people into one (or more) of the following profiles:

Creators are people who generate content. This can range from writing blog posts and wiki entries to creating and uploading videos on YouTube. Creators are the true value adders of the web. They make the stuff everyone else comments on.
Critics are users who rank and review products, web posts, pictures, videos or anything else. They play a key role in influencing what products people buy, what videos people watch, and what competitive events they will enter.
Joiners are those who join and maintain profiles on social network sites like Facebook and MySpace. They like to connect with others who share their interests.
Spectators are users who do not actively participate but watch and read from the wings. They silently read others’ posts, view others’ content without making their presence known. They are by far the most numerous participants on any forum site.
Inactives are those who are still living in feudal times and have no web activity. They don’t really need to be considered in a social media campaign (though, possibly, they can still be reached by pony express).

Let’s look at a few real-world examples. What social technographic profiles might you expect to encounter when trying to reach the following groups?

Lifelong recreational sports competitors. These are folks who sail, curl, bowl, golf or play pool at a non-professional level. Although there are some very competitive folks amongst this crowd, most do not participate primarily to win. They do so because they love the sport, the social activities, the atmosphere, etc. This group would probably contain a large number of Spectators and Critics who simply crave information about the sport.

To reach this group, you might focus on getting news about your event posted on relevant blogs and forums. You might consider using a management system that automates this process, such as Compete-At’s Event Manager.

X-Sports spectators. These are the people who watch skateboarding, motocross and surfing events. Because you are casting the net wider here and trying to reach not just competitors but audience members, you might look toward Social Network Sites (SNS) and more general forums because the people on those sites will be mainly Joiners and Spectators.

Canasta players. If you want to reach this group online, you might be SOL (and if you do not know what this abbreviation means, you might be part of this group). That’s because this group would be mostly Inactives. The only “social media” they participate in takes place in a bingo hall. No disrespect intended.

When you’re marketing your event via social media (and who isn’t these days?), traditional demographics may be less important than “social technographics.” After all, you’ve first got to reach your audience if you’re going to communicate with them. Knowing where they “hang out” online and what they do when they get there can be critical information.

Free Event & Member Management for Fencing Clubs

2009-05-26T09:22:00.002-04:00

For the remainder of 2009, Compete-At is offering it's online event management and member management solution at no cost to Fencing Clubs and Fencing Associations. Any interested fencing clubs, can find out more information here.

Features and benefits of online member management for fencing clubs can be found here.

Configurable Database

Accept Member Applications, Renewals and Payments Online

Create a Membership Website

Create Online Members Surveys and Elections

Send Email Messages to Your Members with Ease

Order Printed Membership Cards

Features and benefits of online event management for fencing clubs can be found here.

Accepting Online Entries & Payments

Create an Event Website

View Entry Details

Create Unlimited Event Divisions or Categories

Send Email Notifications to Your Event Registrants

Export Your Data

Delegate Responsibilities to Your Volunteers

Create Event Photo Galleries

No Long Term Contracts

Compete-At Partners with Veloci USA for Membership Card Printing & Fulfillment Services for Customers

2009-05-13T08:33:00.002-04:00

Today we announced a partnership with Veloci USA for membership card printing fulfillment for our customers.

Through this partnership, all Compete-At customers can now order quality printed membership cards for their organization directly from within Membership Manager, a hosted member software solution for clubs, non-profits and associations. After the initial setup and design phase, all orders for new and renewing members will automatically be queued up for printing. Additionally, current members can order a replacement membership card directly from their secure member login and Veloci will ship the replacement directly to them.

“This is a great value added service for our membership customers,” explains David Ross, CEO of Compete-At. “While our platform virtually eliminates the paper shuffling by moving member application and renewal processes online, we realize that many organizations still have a need to distribute physical membership cards. This also gives small organizations, the opportunity to create and distribute high quality membership cards to all members for the same price as a much larger organization.”

Read the entire press release here

Partnership Highlights

Ordering printed member cards is integrated into the Membership Manager interface

Batch ordering of all Compete-At customers result in low prices so smaller clubs and non-profits can now issue high-quality cards to members at discounted rate

Membership Manager users can easily interact with Veloci account representatives through the system

Functional settings can turn on or off card reprints by members

Members can order replacement cards via their own personal secure login

Detailed reporting on each print batch indicating member information in a downloadable CSV file

Membership cards are available with a variety of options and printing surfaces such as paper, laminated, plastic and synthetics

Custom design options to suit the needs of each organization

Additional printing and mailing services such as brochures and certificates are available

Global support and mailing is available through Veloci

Article: On-line event management tool makes life easier for volunteers, organizers

2009-05-12T16:44:00.002-04:00

C.L. Borinski just published a nice piece on Compete-At on Examiner.com. She does a really nice job explaining the use of the platform in the sailing market including some great quotes from Sara Watson (Director of Institutional Advancement, Herreshoff Marine Museum, America's Cup Hall of Fame) and Anne McCormack (Race Administration, San Francisco Yacht Club).

View the full article here

New Report: Non-Profit Social Network Survey

2009-05-06T07:57:00.002-04:00

Several new reports were launched at the recent NTEN Nonprofit Tech Conference. One report on the use of Social Networking is worth a read.

From the report....

Nonprofits Are Embracing Social Networks:
Industry Survey Reveals 74.2% of Nonprofits Have a Presence on Facebook

Social networking has become an integral part of nonprofits’ online strategy, according to a survey recently conducted by NTEN, Common Knowledge, and ThePort. In this online survey conducted in March, 2009, 929 respondents representing nonprofits of all sizes and from multiple vertical seg- ments indicate that nearly three-quarters (74.2%) have a presence on Facebook, and 30.9% have one or more social networking communities on their own web site.

Download the report here

New Report Gives Great Insight to Donor Management Systems

2009-05-05T08:18:00.003-04:00

A great report was just published for Non-Profits. The Consumers Guide provides you the unbiased comparative information you need to narrow down your choices in a fundraising system.

The information is divided into two reports—the actual Consumers Guide, which provides summaries and recommendations across all 33 of the systems we reviewed, and the Detailed Reviews, which provide the detailed evaluations of twelve specific systems.

This Idealware report was written in partnership with NTEN, and with generous sponorship by NPower.

DOWNLOAD HERE

What Does the Report Cover?

What Types of Systems are Available?
What Do These Systems Do?
Recommendations based on a variety of factors which you and your organization can relate to

Creating a Social Media Strategy

2009-04-30T11:59:00.009-04:00

Click to play audio podcast

Social media are a vital resource for promoting your events in the 21st Century. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Wikipedia provide endless opportunities to connect, one-to-one, with thousands - even millions - of raving fans of your sport. As you think about how to leverage this mind-boggling new resource, though, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. So when you’re creating your social media strategy, follow a simple step-by-step plan.

Step 1: Set your goals.
Clearly state your goals and constantly check them against your marketing intentions and your concrete results. Write goals down and be specific. Don’t have too many goals but focus on what is important and keep an eye toward diversity. It is always better to have a few goals and meet them than to go after pie in the sky. Your goals might include, for example, reconnecting with a certain percentage of your previous event competitors, increasing your network size and generating a certain amount of new content every day/week/month. Whatever your specific goals, remember that your plan is going to take time and don’t have unrealistic expectations. Rome wasn’t built in a blah, blah...

Step 2: Know your market.
Try to understand the online habits and preferences of your event competitors, spectators and sponsors. Get to know their “social technographic profiles.” Do the research. Talk to people, surf the net. A Social Technographic Profile worksheet will be available in a follow-up post. Identify the demographics of your target group(s) and then identify the social media they’re most likely using and how they’re using them.

Step 3: Pick your weapons.
Choose the online tools that best match your goals and targets. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket but, rather, have a mix of technologies and sites. The idea is to diversify, not duplicate. You’ll probably want to use a strategic mix of Social Network Sites (SNS), Forums and Blogs. Pick a general SNS like Facebook and then a couple of sport-/event-specific forums and blogs. This strategy gives you a mix of coverage to optimize results.

When using the SNS, accept invitations and build up your friends lists. Use the Status Updates to your full advantage. Post often, but not to the point of annoyance. Create fan pages. Join Groups and contribute to discussions, but also start your own Groups.

On the forums, become active. Post often and, more importantly, supply answers and insightful comments. Keep these insights positive and helpful, not negative or self-serving. Consider making a donation to the site (usually less than $50). This shows your support of the community and instantly raises your standing. Lastly, consider advertising on the site. This can be a very cost-effective platform.

As for blogs, know that starting your own blog is a major commitment and growth can be slow. In most cases you are better off finding blogs that your target audience is already following and see if you can get involved. Consider contacting the blogger. Most bloggers are always looking for content and ideas, so help them out. Give them exclusives. Let them know what you are doing that is unique. Feed them press releases, news items. Make them feel special.

Step 4: Build or borrow?
After working the first three steps, you’ll come to a point where you really need to decide whether you want to build your own (forum, SNS, blog…) or leverage an existing site. In most cases it will be more efficient to find a blog, SNS or forum that already covers your target audience and use it to meet your goals. If there’s really nothing out there for you, or if you see a great opportunity to be a pioneer, then you might want to build your own. But remember, growth can be a slow process.

Step 5: Think long-term.
As with any marketing or branding effort, this is a long-term strategy. Give it time to develop. Social media is like a bank in which you make deposits one penny at a time. So to buy that shiny new bicycle (or other reward) you’ll have to stick with your strategy over the long haul. The good news is that as your “principal” grows, it generates interest, increasing the total value over time.

Step 6: Look for ways to leverage technology.
Because you want to cover several different social media, look for tools that will help you reduce your effort. Work smarter, not harder. There are innumerable tools and solutions available to help you streamline your workload. For example, Ping.fm allows you to simultaneously post to Facebook, Plaxo, Twitter and other accounts. Tweetlater allows you to queue up “tweets” (Twitter posts) and automatically post them on a staggered schedule. Those are just a couple of examples. Remember, too, that you don’t have to create all of your content. You can “borrow” content from other sites, as long as you give them credit and post links to the source. And finally:

Step 7: Remember the 4 Cs.
Whatever web tools you choose, create your posts, uploads and site improvements with the following criteria in mind:
1.Content – Does this post (content, upload, feature, etc.) add value to the target community?
2.Context – How does this post relate to the “world” of the target community?
3.Connection – How does this post build connections between you and the target community?
4.Community – How does this post help to build a sense of connection among members of the target community?

A seven-step plan and worksheet to help you navigate the vast, but rewarding ocean of social media will be available as a follow-up post.

By David Ross
CEO Compete-At.com

Connect with Compete-At.com on Twitter here:

OnlineRegistration

RunningScoop

CurlingScoop

SailingScoop

FishingScoop

Compete-At CEO David Ross Speaks on SCOREBOARD NZL Radio

2009-04-29T16:13:00.003-04:00

Compete-At.com CEO, David Ross, discusses youth involvement in sports and how event organizers can use social media to get youth involved. Peter Montgomery hosts this New Zealand radio show from the programme SCOREBOARD on NEWSTALK ZB

Listen to the Audio File here

A 10 Question Litmus Test for Membership Organizations

2009-04-24T13:57:00.010-04:00

Perform this quick test to see if your current member database solution is up to par.

In 30 seconds or less you should be able to:

1. Find your current "active" membership count.
2. Know how many new members have joined in the last 30 days.
3. Be able to find anyone in your database if they call you on the phone - by last name, first name, custom attribute, etc. (My insurance agent is the king of this. Before I even complete my first sentence he has my account pulled up.)
4. View all recently expired members and send them an Email.
5. View and approve all pending memberships.
6. Send an Email to an expired members or group of members with a link to renew
7. Create an automated Email to send to new members thanking them for support and asking for a reference.
8. Send an Email to all donors who have not yet donated this year.
9. Send an Email to soon to be expired members with an message to renew, make a donation and perhaps even up-sell them to a lifetime membership.
10. Export your members to csv. (Why? Just because you know somebody is going to want it that way.)

All of these things are extremely basic functions. If performing any of these with your current member database leave you flustered, you should seriously start thinking about making a switch to a more nimble solution.

What causes this? Why are so many non-profits, associations and clubs using cumbersome antiquated solutions? See if any of these ring a bell.

1. A large expensive and cumbersome system was "installed" for us 5+ years ago and we're stuck with it. (Newsflash: Those days are over. Cut your losses now and go with a SaaS solution. The cost to maintain those installed solutiosn isn't worth it. Trust us on this one. If you need to hire a fulltime person to manage "membership technologies", you have the wrong solution.)

2. We're using Excel. (Seriously? Do your members and donors, know this? I wouldn't feel safe if my personal information was just sitting in a file on someones laptop.)

3. We were sold something that is so complex, only 1 person knows how to use it. In fact we only use a few features – we're not even sure what all this other crap does. (Probably the result of a dozen or so consultants and a slick sales guy. If it came with a manual, then you're in trouble. If it requires more than 20 minutes of "training", you're in trouble. If the company has full-time technical support staff to support you, you're in trouble. Full-time technical support means full-time problems.)

4. We're using a patchwork of different web technologies my "brother" (insert acquaintence here). You know, we set up a blog, hooked it to Paypal, added a couple of plug-ins, some mashups, found a membership widget, etc. Whoaaa. Slow down cowboy. You need to lasso all of that into one single simple solution. Who's going to keep up with updating all those plug-ins, scripts, and mashups, in the long-term?

If your current membership solution passed the litmus test, then congratulations you're way ahead of the curve. But the truth is, most member-based organizations can't even tell you how many active members they have, or how many active members they have at each level.

Keep your member database solution simple. You have more important things to do I'm sure. Check out a short video on our hosted solution here.

- Tom

New Custom Form Builder for Event Registration Websites

2009-04-17T13:16:00.003-04:00

One of Event Manager's greatest features is the fact that we provide a library of common forms for each event type. For instance, if you're accepting registrations for a 10k, you can simply turn on a form that is "Projected Elapsed Time". Or, if you're running an offshore fishing tournament, you can turn on an "Emergency Contact" form. These are great, because they are common between all events on the system and participants can store form data for future use.

But we also realize that your event is unique and you may want to ask for t-shirt size or even survey type questions. With Event Manager it's simple to do this using the custom requirement form builder. Check out this 4 minute video to see how.

Create Visibility For Your Business on Facebook: Top Ten Ways

2009-04-17T09:27:00.001-04:00

Image via CrunchBase

Create Visibility For Your Business on Facebook: Top Ten Ways

Author: Christine Gallagher

With Facebook recently overtaking MySpace as the number one social networking site, it is definitely worth taking a look at if you are in business.

According to a study done recently by the Aberdeen Group companies are using sites like Facebook to improve the interactions they have with their customers. The study showed that companies that use social networking sites are 17 times more likely to improve customer satisfaction than companies that don't use them.

If you already have a profile on the site but aren't sure how to leverage it for networking, brand visibility and gaining feedback--check out these top tips for boosting your reach through this hot social tool.

1) Take special care in filling out your profile: You will want to take the time to thoroughly fill out your profile, especially making sure to include your website address and your interests and activities. People appreciate this type of insight into the person behind the business.

2) Join and contribute to groups: Joining groups relevant to your niche is a good way to reach your target market and share your knowledge. Be sure to comment in the discussions and post helpful tips and links.

3) Start your own group: Taking the group idea up a notch, why not create your own group? Be seen as an authority while forming relationships with other members you have invited. Encourage conversation and participation and include a way for others to find out more about your business when you fill in your info as the administrator for the group.

4) Update often: This doesn't mean you need to spend hours on the site, but for the time you do carve out, update your status and add relevant, helpful links, photos or information to your profile. Because these types of updates show up through the News Feed function for others, you are creating a viral spread of information that helps build your brand and create familiarity.

5) Suggest, recommend and introduce: If you know people you think should be introduced, then facilitate that. Recommend and suggest resources to others. All of these activities create community and contribute to the awareness of both you and what you have to offer.

6) Import your blog posts: You can use the Notes application to pull your blog posts into your profile. The posts then appear in others' news feeds, adding to your credibility and expert status in your particular niche.

7) Create a Page for your business: Facebook Pages are a nice option because it allows you to have a whole separate profile for your business. You can invite others to join the page, post relevant items, hold discussions and "naturally" promote your services or products. The best thing about it? Facebook is ranked so highly in the search engines that by giving your business a page, it helps your business rank highly as well!

8) Personalize your friend requests: It is a good idea to add a friendly message when you are making a friend request. People are more likely to remember you and it's just a good relationship-building practice.

9) Promote your events: If you are holding sales, teleseminars, courses, live events or anything of the like, you can create invites for your friends to receive with all the relevant information included. This is great for increasing participation and driving traffic.

10) Place targeted ads: "Social Ads" as they are called on Facebook are another option. This can be a powerful way to increase brand awareness. With these ads you are able to select targeted demographics for your campaigns.

Remember, it is about relationship building, not "push" marketing. A few cautions: make sure you never do anything that could be seen as spam. Take time to explore the privacy options on your profile and keep in mind how all of your Facebook activities may be perceived by your potential clients and customers.

Once you really jump in and get involved I think you will find Facebook to be a fabulous tool for both networking and visibility. If it is overwhelming, take it one step at a time--but don't stand on the sidelines any longer. After all, it's not just for college kids anymore!

About the Author:

Christine Gallagher, MLS, MSIS, founder of CommunicateValue.com, teaches solopreneurs and small business owners how to use online marketing and social media to communicate effectively and authentically and attract more business. For FREE tips on how to build profitable relationships, leverage technology and create your own successful online business, visit http://CommunicateValue.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Create Visibility For Your Business on Facebook: Top Ten Ways

April Customer Newsletter is Available

2009-04-03T09:18:00.004-04:00

The April customer newsletter is now available here: http://www.compete-at.com/newsletter/04.2009.html If you would like to subscribe to receive this monthly distribution, please sign up here.

Social Media for Non Profits

2009-04-01T10:46:00.002-04:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation Social Media for Non-Profits. Great insight.

Social Media for Non Profits

View more presentations from Primal Media.

The Importance of Social Media for Event Organizers

2009-03-30T09:06:00.003-04:00

Just in case you’ve been napping for the past twenty years: the world of marketing has been undergoing a revolution. Only a few short decades ago, marketing was done mainly through print, TV, direct mail, signs and displays, and door-to-door sales. In today’s wired, interconnected world, those traditional marketing methods are quickly going the way of the slide-rule. Not only are they costly, but they fail to target your key demographics.

TV advertising, for example, is like fishing with a massive drift net. You throw it out to everyone, hoping to “catch” your desired audience somewhere within it. By contrast, online fishing methods are more like using a rod and reel with a specially designed lure. You decide exactly which fish you want to catch and you go after it with targeted precision. Today’s marketing is all about connecting, person to person.

One of the key tools you can use to make that connection is social media sites. That’s why when Procter & Gamble wanted to promote its line of feminine products to young women, it started beinggirl.com. According to Procter & Gamble, this site has been four times more effective than traditional marketing, at a fraction the cost. Leveraging social media is a hugely powerful tool for five reasons:
1. It allows you to target very specific demographics.
2. It allows you to start a conversation instead of just displaying a product.
3. It allows your target audience to contribute meaningfully to the conversation.
4. It allows you to create a trusting bond with your audience.
5. It allows you to share free content.

What exactly do we mean by “social media”? Well, Wikipedia (itself a shining example of the term) defines social media as “Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.” In essence, all that is required to be considered a social medium is the online sharing of content by more than one person. With this broad understanding in mind, here are some of the main types of social media today:

Blogs and Micro-Blogs. Blogs are an online method of publishing fresh news, information and commentary. They are among the most popular social media technologies. In many sports markets, blogs provide the only real-time news. Hence, they are the first stop on the Internet every day for many athletic competitors. Some examples of sports blogs are: insidenikerunning.nike.com (running), sailinganarchy.com (sailing), curlnews.blogspot.com (curling) and chessninja.com (chess). Blogs provide a valuable service to competitors who crave up-to-the-minute information about the sport they love.

Micro-blogs are a little more interactive than blogs and allow for two-way conversations. Many companies are trying to leverage micro-blogs to build awareness, promote products, and create communities. Compete-At, for example, produces several micro-blogs on Twitter that provide the latest news and information to particular sports markets. Check out: twitter.com/RunningScoop, twitter.com/CurlingScoop, twitter.com/FishingScoop, and twitter.com/SailingScoop.

Social Network Sites (SNS). Social networks can be defined as online communities of people connected by shared interests, needs or activities. Most social networking sites provide concrete ways for users to interact and post content. Some have wide appeal like Facebook (facebook.com) and MySpace (myspace.com), while some focus on specific interests. SNS have become a dominant means of connecting to people in the 21st Century. The keys to evaluating a particular SNS for your purposes are to look at its size (more specifically, your target market’s size on the SNS) and its activity. Who uses it and what do they do when they’re on the site?

Facebook is currently the largest SNS on the Internet, with over 125 Million users and counting. Facebook, by its sheer size, is sure to cover a large portion of your target market. However, there are also some very active specialty-sport SNS. A well-groomed social network is a great way to both spread and gather news and information.

Internet Forums. Forums are one of the oldest forms of social media on the Internet and trace their roots back to the late ‘70s. Unlike blogs, forums are designed to facilitate conversations on specific topics between multiple people. A few examples of sports-driven forums are SportsForums.net, NX Sports, Sport Talk, NFL Smackdown, and RacingNascar.com.

Wikis. A wiki is a site that features user-provided and user-edited informational content. To make your own wiki successful, you must be able to attract a large community that will contribute content and editing. However your event might already be listed on existing wikis. For example the Transpacific Yacht Race has a Wikipedia entry at: wikipedia.org/wiki/Transpacific_Yacht_Race.

How do you use sites like Wikipedia to promote your event? The key is to know where your event is listed and to check the entry for accuracy. If it is not listed, try to get it listed. The more links pointing back to your event, the better! This will not only send you more visitors but will also improve your ranking in search engines such as Google and Yahoo.

Photo and Video Sharing. These sites provide ways for users to share, comment on, and display photos and videos. There are many photo sharing sites such as Flickr (flickr.com), Zoomr (zooomr.com), Photobucket (photobucket.com), and SmugMug (smugmug.com) to name just a few. There are also sites designed to share and stream video such as Vimeo (vimeo.com), Revver (revver.com/), and, of course, the phenomenally successful YouTube (youtube.com).

Not only can you use these sites to share event images and videos, but you can leverage them for resource-intensive activities like streaming video. You can embed content from these sites within your own site without incurring hosting and bandwidth costs.

The world of social media offers limitless creative opportunities for connecting with people who love your sport. If you are not using social media as a crucial part of your marketing strategy, then you are scheduling yourself for extinction. Join the 21st Century!

By David Ross
CEO Compete-At.com
Online Event Registration and Membership Management

Working With Event Photographers: 8 Tips For Event Planners

2009-03-25T15:23:00.007-04:00

Working With Event Photographers: 8 Tips For Event Planners

Author: Tom Bonner

Your next business event is coming up and everything seems to be coming together nicely. You've got the catering, the sound system and the guest speaker all lined up. What about your photographer?

Corporate events should always be recorded in photographs. Its a time when you bring members of your staff together, often away from the usual workplace. It might be a celebration luncheon, a pep-talk, a training session, a welcome to new members of the leadership team -- whatever. You will find numerous uses for photos from such events, especially if it is successful.

I've shot countless corporate and small business events over the years, and I've experienced great and not-so-great event planners. If you're charged with planning your company's next affair, consider these points when working with a photographer.

1: Don't plan on briefing the photographer just before the event

Your photographer needs plenty of information to achieve the best results. Often, an event planner will contract me to shoot a corporate event or meeting and suggest we meet "a few minutes before hand to go over everything." It sounds good in theory, as it saves time for both the planner and the photographer to eliminate an advance meeting. In practice, I've found that no matter how well planned, the hours leading up to the start of the event are extremely hectic. The planner always envisions plenty of time to go over things before the occasion starts. Then the caterer gets lost. Or the sound system goes on the frizz. The harried planner waves me off saying something like -- "Sorry, cant meet now. just shoot whatever you think looks interesting..."

Trust me. always schedule an advance meeting before hand to go over specifics. Both you and the photographer will be glad you did.

2: Explain to the photographer what kind of photos you need

How do you intend to use photos from this occasion? Print? The web? How soon do you need them returned? Do you need digital (delivered on CD or DVD) or prints? Will the photographer provide you with an online gallery you can download from? These factors will impact the way the photographer shoots the event and what equipment he uses. Get all of this laid out in writing before the event. Don't skimp on this step.

3: Don't surprise your photographer

Event planners love to surprise their guests. Nothing wrong with that, but the cameraman should not be kept in the dark. Recently I was shooting a corporate event where the planner arranged to have a small, concealed cannon spew forth hundreds of streamers into the air. Acting quickly, I was able to catch some of the streamers in flight. Had I known what was going to happen before hand, I could have placed myself in position to capture a much stronger image.

4: Provide a safe place to stash camera gear

Expensive camera gear is a prime target for thieves. You want your photographer to be concentrating on getting great images, not worrying about someone walking off with his gear. If possible, have a safe, secure place where extra camera gear can be stored.

5: Arrange parking and unloading areas

Depending on the event, your cameraman might bring along a load of equipment. He or she will need to get all that gear to the event venue. If possible, provide the photo crew with close, accessible parking. If that can't be managed, then make sure they can unload at a convenient spot and then move their vehicle elsewhere.

6: Always brief security before hand

In the post-9/11 world, security is often very tight at major corporate events. This is as it should be, but you don't want your event photographer to be caught up in a security snafu. Provide some sort of written credentials and make sure security knows you have hired a photographer for the occasion. If you fail to do this, security might detain or otherwise prevent the photographer from doing his job. You will most likely be emersed in other aspects of the event and won't be available to straighten everything out until afterwards. So much for photos from the event!

7: Find out if the photographer will be bringing an assistant

Assistants can be a great help to a photographer -- running errands, holding up lights, taking notes, running interference or shooting additional images. If your photographer is bringing an assistant you will want to know before hand, so you can provide credentials, brief security and make whatever other arrangements necessary.

8: Inform the photographer about the dress code

There was a time when corporate or business events had a simple dress code: suit and tie for men, business suits for women. The only deviation from this would be a true black tie affair. Today, corporate events are all over the map. Some may still be formal or at least dressy. On the other hand, causal dress has invaded the workplace at many companies, especially for out of the office meetings and the like. You want your photographer's clothing to match what everyone else is wearing. Some of the best event photos are candids, shot when the subject was unaware they were "on camera." If your photographer is dressed to blend in with everyone else, they will have a much better chance of catching good candids. If their attire sets them apart, they will be easier to spot...and avoid.

Every event is different, and there may be other aspects you and your photographer need to address. By taking care of the above issues, however, you will have a much better chance of obtaining excellent photographs from the event.

About the Author:
Read more about working with an event photographer by visiting Tom Bonner's Adventures in Design website. A resident of Gastonia, NC, Tom offers a full range of photography and web design services to clients in the the greater Charlotte area. Tom also writes on photography subjects on the popular Alphatracks weblog. You can eMail Tom at seo@adventuresindesign.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/working-with-event-photographers-8-tips-for-event-planners-305012.html

Five Ways to Promote Your Event

2009-03-23T08:26:00.006-04:00

Promotion is one of the most imperative aspects of planning an event. Without promotion, no one will know about your event and you will have no registrants, athletes or attendees. This article will cover promotion, and the first topic we will cover will be the top five ways to promote your event.

LinkedIn.com has many discussions about the best ways to promote your event, and after viewing a couple, I have put together the top five ways to promote your event. There are many others, and I suggest viewing the discussions to get a more detailed idea of all of the promotion tactics that are available to you: http://www.linkedin.com/answers/conferences-event-planning/event-marketing-promotions/CEP_MAP/238507-7365049?searchIdx=1&sik=1212419344236&goback=%2Easr_1_1212419344236.

1: Word of Mouth

Simply put, talk about your event with others. Information spreads easily through people talking with each other. I don't mean pick up the phone and run down your address book, I'm talking Twitter, Facebook, etc. Individuals are more likely to attend an event if their friend is going and speaks highly of it. It is important to make your event sound interesting and unique when talking about it with others so that they will in turn pass the information along and get more people to want to come to the competition. Update your status across all social media sites with posts to keep your network engaged. "Planning for XYZ event, it should be great!", "Just lined up sponsors for XYZ event", "Final touches on XYZ event almost done", etc. All of these quick posts will help with traditional "word of mouth" marketing.

2: Press Releases

Writing press releases and sending them to television and radio stations, websites, specialized magazines, and newspapers is a great way to get your event promoted to a larger audience. Depending on whether or not your event is more localized or on a national or international level will determine which media to contact, but regardless of who it is it is a great way to have people read about your event. In addition to sending out press releases to the media, it is also a good idea to invite journalists to the event so that they can report on it and your event can receive publicity afterward. Check out www.prweb.com, it's an inexpensive distribution channel. When your press release is posted, don't forget to refer to #1 above, and tweet about it.

3: Social Networking Sites

As previously discussed in the event website installment, social networking websites are one of the best ways to promote to people. YouTube.com, Twitter.com, Facebook.com, Gather.com amongst hundreds of other sites are easy ways to generate a lot of buzz quickly. Plus, promoting your event via this outlet is generally free or low cost, so not only will you be able to publicize your event quickly, but cheaply as well. We'll have a full article on this soon, but in brief run down this quick list; 1. Make sure your event is on your event calendar on all of your social sites. 2. Create a group and join existing related groups to promote your event. 3. Leverage your network to get the word out (refer to step #1) 4. Try social media advertising to target your demographic.

4: Listing in Community Newspapers and Websites

In addition to writing press releases and contacting media for publicity, simply listing your event in the "Community Events" section of newspapers and on community websites is a simple and effective way to reach your audience. Many people tend to read the "Events" section to quickly see what is going on and so this tactic works very well. Church bulletins, grocery store bulletin boards, and other "old school" tactics may work better for your event than new media tactics. If you event is a senior golf outing or senior walk/run, you will probably get more exposure on the community papers than Facebook. So, don't forget about them.

5: Sponsors

As it has been stated previously, the relationship with your sponsors is incredibly vital in organizing a good event. While you help your sponsors by promoting them to your event attendees, they can also assist in promoting your event. This can be done on their website, in store by displaying fliers and posters, and even through their newsletters and mailings. Sponsorship is a two way street and can be very effective in promoting your event to people that would be interested in attending.

It is important to remember that while these all are very effective ways to advertise for your events, it is usually necessary to mix these tactics to reach your target audience.

Also be sure your event software has promotion tools like email marketing to previous attendees.

Top Tips for Event Staff Management

2009-03-19T08:06:00.002-04:00

Finding reliable staff to help you run your event is a key ingredient to a successful competition. Whether you are recruiting volunteers or hiring people to help you, these individuals can assist you in running a great occasion, which is why it is important to manage them correctly. This installment will discuss the best tips for managing your event staff.

#1: Hold a Pre-Event Meeting

Before the day of your event, hold a meeting with your event staff and explain to them what they will be doing the day of the competition. Nothing is worse or more unproductive than hiring a large amount of people to help you manage your event and they have no clue what they are supposed to be doing. This will just end up causing more problems for you and that is not the point in hiring people to help you!

#2: Make Yourself Available Throughout the Event

If your event staff has questions, you should be available to answer them. If a problem arises, and someone on your staff does not know how to handle the situation, you should be accessible to help. You can do this by carrying your cell phone with you and handing out your number to everyone on your staff and also by letting them know the other individuals that will be on hand to help them.

#3: Show your Appreciation

This is especially important if you are recruiting volunteers to help you with your event. Everyone wants to feel appreciated for the work that they do, so make sure you let your staff know how much it means to you to have them on board helping you out. This can be done through giving them a goodie bag, a t-shirt, sending them a hand-written "Thank you" note, or even thanking them in a speech that is given during the event. This will ensure that you have staff the next time you hold an event. Remember, without an event staff, your event would not run as smoothly!

#4: Keep Your Staff Informed

Keeping your staf informed and delgating responsibilities is also key. Certain event management software solutions allow you to send automated emails, and assign role based permissions to the software. For instance, if you have an event photographer, grant him/her access to post photos and manage the online gallery, but restrict their access to modify event fees, dates, and view financials.