SBS Summer Interns Take on Social Media Event Marketing for the Middleton Chamber of Commerce8/25/2021
 At Sarah Best Strategy, we believe in helping everyone shine—including our interns! When the opportunity arose to provide social media event marketing with live coverage for the Middleton Chamber of Commerce's Annual Golf Outing, we felt it was the perfect opportunity for our summer interns, Aashna Sheth and Daniel Prohuska. Both are studying Strategic Communications at UW-Madison.
Here, they share their experience with planning, executing, and evaluating the event social media campaign.  Virtual and hybrid events (that combine virtual and in-person components) can be more cost-efficient, accessible, and easy-to-follow for attendees and hosts. It’s estimated, for example, that the virtual editions of Google’s annual Google I/O event in 2020 and 2021 each cost 1/6 the price and drew thousands of attendees more than its in-person event has in the past.
If you're wondering how to plan a virtual event or hybrid event designed to match your marketing goals, we’ve outlined key questions that you should consider—from the start of the planning process to post-event evaluation after your guests have closed their laptops.  According to Pew Research Center, seven out of every 10 Americans use social media today. That’s good news for marketers seeking to reach target audiences using digital platforms. But it also means those key audiences are far more diverse than what’s reflected by typical marketing efforts. As this resource from Google points out, there are countless layers of diversity that go beyond gender or skin color. By creating more inclusive marketing efforts, you not only better represent your current audience, you’ll improve engagement with potential new followers.
As we enter summer, things in the U.S. are changing rapidly and customer priorities are shifting, too. Although it might not be top of mind at the moment, now is the perfect time to refresh your brand messaging strategy and de-pandemic your digital marketing.
While it’s important to continue to communicate up-to-date safety information, now is the time to de-pandemic your digital messaging and website so customers feel ready to connect with you face-to-face. Here's why...  “Going live” on Facebook is an easy and effective way for brands to connect with their audience; however, simultaneously creating content and engaging with an audience live-in-the-moment is no small feat. Fortunately, for brands interested in the many of the pros of going live (increased engagement and access to audience members) without the cons of on-screen multitasking and tech troubleshooting, Facebook Premiere Video lets brands pre-record videos and schedule them as a live moment.
 While a certain amount of your content should be directed toward time-sensitive items, evergreen marketing can be just as beneficial to your digital content efforts. From blog posts to tweets, evergreen topics provide a cost-effective, consistent way to reach existing and new audiences. In this blog post, we share strategies you can use to grow your evergreen marketing content.
 Sarah Best among 50 leaders and innovators to speak at the Classy Collaborative: Virtual Sessions, June 8-11 Here’s a great learning opportunity! The Collaborative: Virtual Sessions from Classy is a virtual nonprofit conference coming up June 8-11, 2021. The second annual conference is free for nonprofit professionals and will attract over 10,000 registrants.
The best part? Sarah Best will be sharing insights into social media strategy alongside the YMCA of USA, one of our clients.  Under normal circumstances there are very few times in a person’s life when they’re open to changing brand loyalty: New parents transitioning from life without kids are typically the most open to changing their brand loyalty and shopping habits. But in recent months, demand for certain products (like hand sanitizer and toilet paper) surged, leaving some household name brands missing from the grocery shelves. Things aren’t exactly normal right now. And brands who have made even modest efforts to adapt and communicate during these unprecedented times have a unique opportunity to shift customer shopping habits—building brand loyalty that will likely pay off for years to come.
Responding to Faith Community Needs: 3 Easy Strategies For Using a Temple or Church Survey5/13/2020
Some faith communities who offer online services and programs have reported an increase in viewership and participation in online programming since “stay at home” orders were put in place. In times of crisis, people often naturally turn to faith communities for comfort, strength, and hope.
But along the convenience of watching a service online comes the threat that members are also “shopping around.” Maybe they’re virtually visiting their hometown church or temple. But they may also be taking some time to experience other communities in your area to see what’s the best fit for their, or their families’, needs. While you shouldn’t panic, this presents an opportunity to reflect on how well you’re meeting your congregants’ needs and gather feedback from them using a temple or church survey. 
'Tis the season for event planning, but how do you plan an event when donors are sheltering in place? Crossroads Fund is a public foundation that supports nonprofits and groups in the Chicagoland area working on social, economic and racial justice.
The transformation of their popular annual "Seeds of Change" spring gala into a vibrant online celebration--complete with DJs and awards--offers a great example of how to pivot from a traditional offering to an online format that is still full of celebration (and still meets fundraising goals). Here are our 5 top tips for moving events online. |
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