Social Media Strategies From

SCRATCH

BRANDING

There are three main ingredients in a good marketing strategy.

Innovative Tactics

If your online presence isn’t enhancing the services you provide, it’s wasting you money.

Online marketing isn’t all tweets and blog posts. How can your organization go beyond the normal channels, to delight a wider audience?

 

[photo of smartphone on wood desk, nestled between a laptop and a paper notebook]

Case Study: Putting Service Before Social Media

COSA, a nonprofit for people affected by compulsive sexual behavior, was struggling on an annual budget of roughly $45,000. Roughly half came from their annual convention, and another quarter each from donations and literature/CD sales. An expensive convention year could (and sometimes did) destroy the budget for two years. 

My proposals included researching and implementing remote convention attendance, recurring online donations, and mp3 downloads. We worked to make as much of COSA available instantly, from home, as possible.

This had a significant impact not only on membership growth, but most importantly, on short- and long-term member engagement. Members with small children, financial struggles, or in remote locations, were suddenly able to participate as fully as those with fewer challenges. Members who would have had to scale back, or stop participating, due to life events, were now able to remain an active part of their community. 

COSA’s unique website visitors increased by 50% within the first year. Event attendance, previously static, began to increase annually. Four years later, they’ve discontinued CD sales entirely, in favor of mp3s.

And total donations rapidly tripled, with recurring donations making up more than half of that; total sales nearly doubled. Their total annual budget rapidly increased by 60%, and continues to grow. All without spending a penny on advertising.

Engaging Content

Musica Pacifica, a top-tier baroque ensemble, had a hard time tooting their own horn. Talking about themselves seemed like boasting, and their largely older fan base wasn’t engaging with them much online.

Crafting intriguing, well-researched content that resonated with their demographic resulted in an average open rate of 44%, in an industry with a 19% average. 

Tailoring different content on other platforms, which skewed younger, broadened their fan base.  Restructuring and redesigning their website to better showcase their music resulted in a 7x increase in sales year-over-year. 

In-Depth Research

The NUMMI Re-Employment Center (NRC) was created in 2009, to help lifelong auto workers change careers after mass layoffs. The NRC positioned itself as the premier career center in California, by supporting the whole range of needs a worker and their family might face. 

In order to achieve this, I researched and created powerful publications for both the case managers and their clients.

These included a comprehensive guide on where to get free meals and groceries locally; one on accessing free and low-income health care for your family and their pets; a brochure on successfully networking at career fairs; and an infographic on tailoring and elevating your client’s resume. 

“

The better you understand your audience, the more you help them.

The more you help them, the more you both thrive. ​

My Philosophy

The best way to turn a good product or service into a great one is to elevate your content.

To share not only what you do, but how and why you do it. To share insider knowledge about your industry, or what fascinates you about your own business. To give customers the tools they need to go even farther with what you do.

In any industry, the organizations who appear to magically attract lifetime customers, and stellar word-of-mouth, are the ones who overpromise and overdeliver. 

The way to do that is to (briefly!) take your eye off of profits, and focus everything on your audience’s perspective, challenges, and goals.

They have the potential to be as giddy and passionate as you are about what you do. What can you tell them, and do for them, to help them see how great it is? 

When you have that answer, you go back to the question of profits by continually testing and measuring your results. 

The result: an effective, audience-centered, data-driven content strategy. 

Or, to put it in more human terms: an ongoing heart-to-heart with your ideal customers. 

Copywriting and Design Samples

Consistent 40-50% open rates overall for Musica Pacifica, in an industry that averages 19-26%, and at a list size that averages 32.4%.
Consistent 40-50% open rates overall for Musica Pacifica, in an industry that averages 19-26%, and at a list size that averages 32.4%.
Achieving click-to-open rates of up to 22% for Musica Pacifica's newsletters. For comparison, GetResponse's 2017 email benchmarks found an average CTOR of 15.5% for newsletters, and 18% overall for lists of this size.
Achieving click-to-open rates of up to 22% for Musica Pacifica's newsletters. For comparison, GetResponse's 2017 email benchmarks found an average CTOR of 15.5% for newsletters, and 18% overall for lists of this size.
Achieving a 14% average reach engagement rate early on, for a growing self-help brand.
Achieving a 14% average reach engagement rate early on, for a growing self-help brand.
"Tune Up Your Resume": A car-themed infographic, for case managers helping former auto workers switch careers. The goal: to condense the steps involved, providing achievable actions that anyone can follow. This also involved considerable research on best practices, at the time, in resume writing. The result: significantly better outcomes for the clients who went through this process.
"Tune Up Your Resume": A car-themed infographic, for case managers helping former auto workers switch careers. The goal: to condense the steps involved, providing achievable actions that anyone can follow. This also involved considerable research on best practices, at the time, in resume writing. The result: significantly better outcomes for the clients who went through this process.
A tri-fold brochure helping laid-off auto workers, many of whom hadn't searched for a job in decades, to present themselves well at career fairs. This and the previous piece were key in positioning the NUMMI Re-Employment Center as the premier career center in California.
A tri-fold brochure helping laid-off auto workers, many of whom hadn't searched for a job in decades, to present themselves well at career fairs. This and the previous piece were key in positioning the NUMMI Re-Employment Center as the premier career center in California.
The goal: create insightful, shareable images, educating people about recovery from imposter syndrome. This one achieved a 22% reach engagement rate organically.
The goal: create insightful, shareable images, educating people about recovery from imposter syndrome. This one achieved a 22% reach engagement rate organically.
The goal: follow best practices, maximizing the value of each piece of content by adapting it for different platforms. In this case, the previous Facebook post grows to become a blog post.
The goal: follow best practices, maximizing the value of each piece of content by adapting it for different platforms. In this case, the previous Facebook post grows to become a blog post.
Design, layout, and content for a short workbook giving people the first few steps toward vanquishing imposter syndrome. This page introduces the problem, and helps the reader see how much deeper it truly goes.
Design, layout, and content for a short workbook giving people the first few steps toward vanquishing imposter syndrome. This page introduces the problem, and helps the reader see how much deeper it truly goes.
Short, engaging descriptions of each week in a course on imposter syndrome. The goal: to set expectations, and give the reader hope that their problems can be solved.
Short, engaging descriptions of each week in a course on imposter syndrome. The goal: to set expectations, and give the reader hope that their problems can be solved.
A complete redesign of the welcome email for this ensemble's newsletter. This is the bulk of the email, which was followed by links to free tracks and to the brand's online presence. We wanted to communicate both the excitement and peace that listeners would find in their music.
A complete redesign of the welcome email for this ensemble's newsletter. This is the bulk of the email, which was followed by links to free tracks and to the brand's online presence. We wanted to communicate both the excitement and peace that listeners would find in their music.
An example of the new catalog copy for Musica Pacifica's website. The new focus on their music resulted in a 7x increase in sales.
An example of the new catalog copy for Musica Pacifica's website. The new focus on their music resulted in a 7x increase in sales.
A sample Facebook post driving YouTube views, poised to be turned into a blog post.
A sample Facebook post driving YouTube views, poised to be turned into a blog post.
Lit Up's monthly ebook box showcases writing from underrepresented groups. This catalog copy introduced customers to the idea while encouraging them toward the more expensive box.
Lit Up's monthly ebook box showcases writing from underrepresented groups. This catalog copy introduced customers to the idea while encouraging them toward the more expensive box.
What follows is a few graphic design examples: covers created for a few of the pieces in Lit Up's book boxes.
What follows is a few graphic design examples: covers created for a few of the pieces in Lit Up's book boxes.
This cover was intended to draw readers to a spooky but intriguing short story by an anonymous author.
This cover was intended to draw readers to a spooky but intriguing short story by an anonymous author.
One of the biggest challenges in this project was creating engaging new covers for 150-year-old pieces. This is one of my favorites.
One of the biggest challenges in this project was creating engaging new covers for 150-year-old pieces. This is one of my favorites.
This cozy and comical mystery needed a cover that incorporated its SoCal setting and playful plot elements, and made readers want to learn more.
This cozy and comical mystery needed a cover that incorporated its SoCal setting and playful plot elements, and made readers want to learn more.

About Dani Aidan Stone

Ever since I taught myself to read at the age of 2, words have been the air I breathe. Ever since my dad got me my first email account, through his work, in 1990, the internet has been my home.

As a teenager, I worked as a community manager for AOL. After college, I worked in UX testing and digital branding for Ask.com.

Because I essentially grew up online, I have experience with every aspect of online spaces, from obscure niche message boards to Facebook ad optimization.

I’ve spent the past 15 years using these passions to help all of you share yours with more people.

I specialize in nonprofits and small businesses. That means my clients need to squeeze the most out of each penny. So my focus is on innovative practices, highly tailored to each brand.

What challenges is your business facing? Where do you want to grow? Drop me a line for a free consultation over email.