What Is Your Ministry's Niche?

As non profit fund raising professionals, Pathmaker Marketing often starts by asking our clients, "What is unique about your ministry or non profit organization that separates you from the rest?" Isolate that area of differentiation and then determine the ways you might convey that uniqueness online. One idea for accomplishing this objective is to think about the ways you already provide ministry:

• Do you have a radio show? Then place your radio broadcasts online in MP3 format.
• Do you preach sermons? Then have your messages converted into MP3 format and upload them online for people to hear 24/7.
• Do you have a television ministry? Then convert your TV programs into QuickTime or Windows Media file formats for online viewing. You can even upload your shows to YouTube or other online video portals.
• Do you have a drama ministry you can videotape? Then do the same.
• Are you a prolific writer? Then consider:
• Publishing your books online as e-books or using print-on-demand processing.
• Developing white papers on subjects of expertise for you.
• Creating an online library replete with articles on various topics of relevance to your audience.
• Starting a blog.

The key here is to isolate what ministries or services you provide offline, particularly those that are especially unique, and then determine if you can provide or enhance them through non profit marketing online.

What Do You Mean They Weren't Looking For Me!

by Floyd Allen

Boy, I hate to burst a friend’s bubble! Especially when that friend thinks he is excelling in my area of expertise. Especially when that friend is Jim.

Now, you probably have already read about Jim though he wasn’t referred to by name. Jim is the gentleman who referred to “Pay Per Click” as “Paper Clip,” and wasn’t thrilled by the program’s results, nor by the fact that I had corrected him on it. Anyway, he is doing his best to keep up with technology, and decided he would start a Blog. The owner of an independent sporting goods store and a pretty fair fisherman, Jim decided he would do a Blog on fishing. He has been at it for about a month, and when we had lunch the other day he breezed into the restaurant and announced that he had finally hit the big time!

Enjoying the beaming smile on his face, I asked what was up. He explained that he had fourteen hundred hits on his latest offering, 5 Important Facts about Fly-Fishing in Arizona. And, he proclaimed triumphantly, he didn’t think that many people even knew his name. Without thinking I informed him that undoubtedly most of them didn’t. He gave me a hard look - - he wasn’t to the point of fuming, but he was, at least, brooding. Knowing he deserved an explanation, I shared a few Internet Marketing ideas with him.

The reality is, I explained, that approximately 82% of the people who read our Blogs have not typed in our name, but rather a keyword. This, I went on to tell him, is the basis for Keyword Marketing. Keyword Marketing is an excellent Online Marketing Tool, and one that Randall Mains and Pathmaker Marketing, the firm I am associated with, feature as part of their Search Engine Optimization Services. My best guess was that people were looking for advice on fly-fishing in general, and fly-fishing in Arizona in particular, and that’s how they came upon his Blog.

Jim was a little deflated; there was no doubt about it. He is a friend, and not wanting to bring him down and leave him there, I shared some of the positive aspects about his situation. I first pointed out to him that now fourteen hundred people do know his name. Next I suggested to him that he might want to use what he had started as a social Blog as a subtle way to market his business. His spirits were lifting, and he seemed genuinely interested in the prospect of using his Blog to increase his business.

Warming to the discussion myself, I explained how another Pathmaker Marketing associate, Karen Randau, knew a gentleman who had developed leads for a hunting lodge that he owned and operated. He just wrote about some of the interesting experiences the people who stayed there had enjoyed, and before long people were asking about flyers and what not. Utilizing all of the knowledge and expertise at Pathmaker’s disposal, I assured him, would allow us to help virtually any business use a Social Networking program such as Blogging to promote their business without violating the unwritten code of “fun” that is associated with Blogging.

By the time lunch was over Jim had returned to being his beaming self. We discussed some other topics that might bring him new readers, and speculated on how many hits each one would receive. He was thrilled that he might get fourteen hundred new customers, until I pointed out to him that probably half of them were probably from out of state. I got that hard look again, until I explained to him how he could deal with that, too - - - but that’s for another day and another Blog!

Promoting Your Online Business

Promoting your online business online is crucial because it generates traffic. Without traffic, you have nobody to look at your Web site and therefore you need to be marketing your business online consistently to drive this essential traffic to your site.

The five elements of a complete business marketing online promotion plan are:

• Blogging
• Link Building
• Social & Professional Media Marketing
• Pay Per Click Advertising
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Call 623-322-3334 to schedule a free consultation with Pathmaker Marketing.

Questions To Ask Fundraising Companies

If you’re a non profit or church who raises funds, then you need to include online fundraising in your marketing tool kit. And when you start doing that, you’ll want to consider the advantages of working with various fundraising companies. Just because you work with someone who has been managing your direct mail for the last several years doesn’t mean they’re the right choice for your email fundraising or search engine marketing efforts. You’ll want to look for Internet savvy fundraising companies for that.

When interviewing fundraising companies, here are some helpful questions you’ll want to ask.

• What is your experience raising funds online?


• What is your strategy for raising funds online?


• What is your experience in my industry?


• What is your billing schedule and terms?


• How do you resolve conflicts and disagreements?

These basic questions may launch you into other discussions, but these will help you springboard into a thorough understanding of how various fundraising companies stack up against one another.

Pathmaker Marketing is ready to help you raise funds online and would love to talk to you about how our strategies and experience fit with your organization. Call us at 623-322-3334.

Win Keywords With Compendium

“Well, Jim, if you are serious about using blogging for marketing purposes, I would suggest that you get in touch with Randall at Pathmaker Marketing and have him set you up with Compendium.”

“Compendium?”

“Right. It is the blog posting system that Pathmaker Marketing promotes. It's a Premier Bogging Service, recommends to all of their clients, and it is, without a doubt, the best system on the market.”

“What makes it so good?”

“Well, there are a multitude of reasons actually. A few of the more important ones, where you’re concerned at least, include the fact that it automatically optimizes your blog post content, systematically organizes your post content by keyword, allows for unlimited users and dynamic calls to action. Not to mention the comprehensive keyword research you also receive to help you identify your winnable terms so you can begin targeting keywords.”

“So all I have to do is sign up with Compendium and I’ll win keywords and page rankings?” Jim asked hopefully, realizing that probably wasn’t the case.

“No, not quite. Google tends to prefer to give rankings based on depth of content, so you need to spend lots of time posting blogs for the next few months.”

“How do I know what to blog on?”

“Compendium will help you find your winnable targeting keywords, and that’s what you need to concentrate on.”

Jim was satisfied, I could tell, and I knew he would soon be giving Pathmaker Marketing a call. Even though Compendium isn’t free, it gets results for its bloggers.

Make Blogging A Viable Marketing Tool

For those whose intentions are to use their blogging efforts in a productive manner to gain themselves significant page rankings in Google, Yahoo or Bing, and thereby make their blogging a viable marketing tool, serious consideration needs to be given to Compendium. While it is not the only blogging system available today, it is, by far and away, in my opinion, the best blogging system available for bloggers who want to be serious marketers.

To make such a bold statement one needs to be able to support it, and there are three major benefits that give credulity to my claim. To explain this, let me use the illustration of the lemon tree in my backyard. Typically, my large lemon tree has three “levels” of fruit: Those which are on the low hanging branches and are easily picked; those on the middle branches, which I might be able to attain but it will take some more effort; and those on the very top branches which are, for all intent and purposes, unattainable. Applying this to winnable targeting keywords, we find that some terms are going to be easy to win; some are, perhaps, winnable with more effort, and some you probably will never be able to win. Compendium helps you to determine which targeting keywords are easy picking, so your blog postings revolve around terms that will get you page one rankings and top 50 rankings, both on your target terms and long-tail variations of those terms.

To punctuate this point, recognize that Google is preferential to ranking terms based on depth of content, so you need to choose those keyword phrases that have not already had an “encyclopedia” written about them. A good example of this might be “email fundraising” vs. “ephilanthropy.” While you might prefer to use the more common of the terms, so does everyone else. Therefore, the former might be unattainable where the latter is readily within your reach and grasp. When you are targeting keywords pursue the winnable terms first.

From the blog posting side of this coin, since depth of content is a paramount concern to the search engines, you should be prepared in the long run to write 50 – 200 posts on the terms for which you are targeting keywords.

Compendium is best for blogging with the purpose of winning page rankings on your targeting keywords! For more information, call Randall Mains at Pathmaker Marketing at 623-322-3334.

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Find Your Client's Biggest Need

Randall Mains of Pathmaker Marketing had done a presentation on Internet Marketing Ideas and effective Online Marketing Tools. In his presentation he had mentioned that the most Effective Internet Marketing takes place when the business owner concentrates on his clients by “scratching their biggest itch”.

Jim, who owns an independent sporting goods store, is always on the outlook for Small Business Marketing Strategies, but, as in this instance, he frequently gets his wires crossed in regard to what he is learning. Having more than a little success with the Internet Business Marketing Programs Randall and I have helped him with, he is always willing to follow our advice to the letter - - even when he has no idea what we were actually talking about.

“Jim, that was Randall’s way of saying you need to find your client’s biggest need and then fill it for them.”

He just looked at me like a kid who has discovered that a cow can’t really jump over the moon. As he shook his head back and forth a bit, I noticed that his eyes were back in focus, and that we probably were going to be getting somewhere now.

“So, you really don’t scratch their back or anything”

“No,” I assured him.

“Ohhhhhhh,” he replied contemplatively. “Well, how do I know what their biggest need is?

“Probably the best way to find out is to simply ask them,” I advised him truthfully.

“You mean I have to call up everyone on my list?” he asked, incredulity heavy in his voice.

“No. Since you have a pretty good size e-mail list, you can either use “Survey Monkey,” or put together a short questionnaire yourself.”

“Can Pathmaker help me with this, or do I have to do it all myself?” he asked, the panged look on his face non-verbally pleading that we help him.

“Sure, we can help.”

“Great! So all I have to do is run the questionnaire and I’ll know what kind of things to offer forever!” he exclaimed triumphantly.

“Well, that’s not quite true,” I informed him. Continuing before he could ask, I explained my comment. “Look, Jim, your business has several specific seasons that you deal with - - hunting, fishing, softball and so forth. And, in fishing that breaks down to summer and winter, as the needs for ice fishing are different. You should, I think, send out an e-mail at least every two months and see what people are looking for to make their sporting endeavors more enjoyable and productive.”

“Ahhhhhh,” Jim said, his nod indicating he understood what I was talking about. “Boy, the people whose business isn’t seasonal sure have it a lot easier, since they only have to survey their clients the one time,” he commented.

“That’s not quite right either,” I informed him. “With the number of paradigm shifts that are taking place in our society today, everyone needs to keep a finger on the pulse beat of their clients' needs.”

Jim again nodded in agreement, and prepared to change the topic. He did, however, have one more question.

“Floyder, what’s your biggest itch?”

I realized that Jim was right about one thing - - he would need Pathmaker Marketing's help with his questionnaire!!