Social Marketing
24
By Kim Laramy
I have fun when I get asked to talk about Social Marketing – my voice gets faster, my hands start gesturing, I just have a GREAT time sharing this stuff! I’ve tried to figure out why – and I think it comes down to what has been often said about social marketing. If we want someone to make a change we need to make it fun, easy and popular - I’ve loved this expression since I first heard it years ago, outlined by Bill Smith from the Academy for Educational Development.
It may seem a strange concept, but bear with me for a minute. How can a behavior change be fun, easy or popular? And why would it matter?
First, it matters because as human beings we all operate with a touch of “what’s in it for me?” And that doesn’t mean we’re selfish – it just means that in most voluntary exchanges, we are only willing to do something if we get something from it.
Fun – is this a behavior that is real to me? Are the consequences of adopting this behavior rewarding?
Easy – is this a behavior I’m capable of doing? Do I know what to do and how to do it?
Popular – what do the people I care about think about this behavior – how can I be like them!
I think it is fascinating, and yes, fun to use this example when thinking about volunteers.
Fun – is the volunteer opportunity we have something that a volunteer would find rewarding? It may not be a laugh a minute – but remember that Fun may also be about a real, true opportunity to make a difference.
Easy – have we made it easy for the volunteer to give us their time? Have we given them the direction to make their time with us valuable for them as well as for us?
Popular – have we taken time to thank, reward, recognize our volunteers as a group, as a community of volunteers who collectively help us, and in doing so feel part of a greater whole.
I’m really looking forward to getting into this in more depth at the Blaine House Conference! It looks to be GREAT FUN!
Kim Laramy is a Social Marketing Strategist/Account Executive at Ethos Marketing and Design. She will also be presenting a workshop at the Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism on October 14th.