• 4 Digital Marketing Strategies for Nonprofits

    4 Digital Marketing Strategies for Nonprofits

    It seems like every day there’s a new platform, app, best practice or statistic that will change the game in marketing. Like any industry, nonprofits can take advantage of these trends emerging in the digital marketing landscape. But which trends should you focus on adding into your own nonprofit marketing strategies? 

    Our nonprofit channel experts scoured key data to share four digital marketing trends that nonprofits need to keep in mind as they plan their fundraising strategies this year.

    Tapping into the Socially Minded and the Digitally Savvy

    With each new generation, there are new trends that emerge. As Gen Z (born 1997 – 2012) grows older and enters the workforce, they’ll have increasing influence on the marketplace. Already, Gen Z indirectly influences roughly $333 billion of household spending annually, and has the second highest giving rate during the pandemic at 66%, following millennials. The momentum is real.  

    When it comes to nonprofits, Gen Z does their research. According to QGiv, over 57% of Gen Z researches nonprofits before donating, and also look to social media to see a nonprofit’s impact. If you want to attract this fiercely loyal group to your cause, it’s best to develop a robust social media strategy that includes a variety of content topics, like organization updates, ways to stay involved that go beyond donations, and (most importantly) stories of people who were impacted by donations, since Gen Z wants to know how they’ve helped. 

    Subscription Giving: Creating Convenience for Donors

    With the pandemic, subscription services are on the rise – whether it’s a new streaming platform, grocery delivery service or clothing rental company. On average, Americans more than tripled their subscription services since the start of the pandemic, so it’s not outrageous to predict that subscription giving will become more popular.  

    And when it comes to generating revenue, recurring donations have more impact on a nonprofit’s bottom line than one-time gifts. You’ll not only save time with automatic donations; you’ll also continuously foster a loyal relationship. Recurring donors are more willing to engage with an organization on top of their monthly donations, whether that means attending an event, donating to a crowdfunding campaign or participating in a peer-to-peer campaign. 

    As you develop your marketing campaigns, make sure you’re engaging those already sustaining their gifts. Whether it’s sending them a thank you email for their generosity, informing them on social media of upcoming events or sharing blog articles that illustrate the impact of their donations – it’s imperative to continuously engage these donors.  

    Identifying Your Audience’s Preferred Platform

    As of 2020, there was an increase in social media users by nearly 93% compared to 2015 – that’s roughly 1.9 billion new users over a span of 5 years. You can thank Gen Z for that increase – about 90% of Gen Z uses social media at least once per day, and 77% use it multiple times per day. And the channels they’re using? YouTube (89%), Instagram (74%), Snapchat (68%), and TikTok (54%). Furthermore, all three channels use video as either their primary or one of their main types of content to share.

    While these platforms are great for sharing content and engaging your audience, it’s been shown that Facebook is a main platform where individuals learn about nonprofits. Since 25% of individuals make donations through their phone, using Facebook posts and ads can also be an effective part of your digital marketing strategy to ensure you are reaching your audience and prompting action.  

    Engaging Through the Right Medium

    So now that we’ve discussed the “who,” let’s take a look at the “how” — specifically, content. What’s the best type of content to use to engage donors, whether you’re running a fundraising or content marketing campaign? The answer: video.

    In a Google survey, 79% of respondents noted that the most influential type of digital media marketing was video ads, with YouTube being listed as the top platform. Additionally, after watching a video, 57% of people donate to a nonprofit, illustrating how effective video content is at prompting action.  

    Putting this best practice into action, we recently partnered with MENTOR to produce a promotional video helping to amplify their mission of closing the mentoring gap in America during the National Mentoring Month of January.

    The digital landscape is ever evolving, and donors are seeking digital resources far more often than offline resources — like direct mail — citing content like video as more engaging and useful.    

    As an industry, nonprofits rely heavily on their ability to engage a large and diverse group of people. And thanks to digital marketing and its dynamic capabilities, nonprofits can much more easily increase donations and engage audiences with the right content on the right marketing channels. 

    Matter

  • Intersectional Feminism in PR + Marketing

    Intersectional Feminism in PR + Marketing

    As we continue celebrating Women’s History Month and the achievements of women around the world, we wanted to spotlight an important concept all professionals – especially those in PR and Marketing – should familiarize themselves with and incorporate into their daily approaches to both internal and client-facing interactions. Read on as our Women Professionals Circle explores intersectional feminism and why it should inform your brand strategy and communications.

    What is Intersectional Feminism?

    Not all inequality is created equally. People’s social identities – including race, gender and sexuality – can overlap. That was the inspiration behind intersectional feminism, a term coined by American law professor, Kimberlé Crenshaw, more than 30 years ago. But what exactly is intersectional feminism and why is it important, particularly in marketing?

    Feminism is defined as “the belief in and advocacy of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.” Intersectional feminism takes that a step further to not only spotlight women, but elevate the BIPOC women, women of the LGBTQ+ community and more. Crenshaw says, “we tend to talk about race inequality as separate from inequality based on gender, class, sexuality or immigrant status.” But with many impacted by some or all of these, and their experiences are often not accurately represented.

    Why PR and Marketing Need Intersectional Feminism

    Intersectional feminism ensures that everyone is accurately represented – and in PR and marketing, representation matters. Growing up as a young (and impressionable) girl, my actions and interests were greatly influenced by the marketing campaigns I saw on television, in magazines and on billboards – if I saw beautiful women all with straight hair, I would straighten my curly hair. The clothes and products I would buy, the music I listened to, the shows and movies I watched all similarly influenced my behavior. It was the same for my sister, cousins, friends and classmates. But isn’t that the point of marketing, to get people to identify with your brand and its products/services, and to inspire action? 

    While yes, this is true, marketing doesn’t always operate with intersectional feminism in mind, often leaving groups unrepresented or misrepresented, which can perpetuate negative stereotypes and biases in society. The best way to prevent tone deaf and potentially offensive campaigns is to involve more diverse people where decisions are being made. Without the opportunity to hear from voices of BIPOC, LGBTQ+ folks, people in the disability community and so many others, marketing campaigns run the risk of inaccurately portraying those communities. Companies should actively seek out diverse and inclusive groups of employees, encourage them to bring their ideas to the table and support them in their roles.

    What’s at Stake

    PR and marketing campaigns have immense influence over their audiences and the ability to set unrealistic and sometimes damaging expectations about what a product or service can and cannot do for them, or even how one’s body should look. The various positive and negative effects confirm the strong need for diverse and inclusive campaigns that represent a wide range of body types, ethnicities, genders, sexual identity and expression, and so much more. This is imperative for not only the mental health of audiences but for businesses, as an increasing amount of today’s consumers – Gen Z in particular – expect to see a more diverse and inclusive world portrayed by brands. It’s no longer enough to be feminist. It’s time for marketing campaigns to become intersectional.  

    Matter

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  • Four Hot Cybersecurity Firms Join Matter’s Client Roster, Bolstering Growing Cyber Portfolio

    Integrated PR and Marketing Agency Sees Growth Across the Exploding Cybersecurity Sector, Increasing Visibility, Thought Leadership and Brand Affinity for New and Existing Cyber Leaders.

    BOSTON – March 16, 2021 – Matter Communications — a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy — announces the continued momentum of its cybersecurity team, highlighted by the recent addition of four leading brands to its client roster as well as the expansion of current client programs. With nearly two decades of cybersecurity industry experience, Matter is well positioned to create, direct and execute high impact communications programs for diverse security companies – ranging from startups to billion-dollar brands.

    The following new clients have recently partnered with Matter to enhance brand awareness initiatives supported by a range of programs, including award-winning public relations, thought leadership, integrated marketing and video services:

    • BIO-key International (Nasdaq: BKYI), a leading provider of identity and access management solutions powered by biometrics.
    • Strategic Security Solutions (S3), a leading provider of information security consulting services for identity and access management (IAM), governance, risk and compliance (GRC), and SAP security.
    • SecurityScorecard, the global leader in cybersecurity ratings.
    • Veracode, the largest global provider of application security testing (AST) solutions.

    “Matter’s combination of deep security experience and knowledge, strategic media relationships and scrappiness are built to generate real results,” said Johanna Baum, CEO & Founder of Strategic Security Solutions (S3). “Their authentic approach and genuine interest in our success is truly focused on moving the needle for organizations at all growth stages. We are thrilled to collaborate to increase visibility of our brand story in 2021.”

    The four new clients join an extensive security and data protection portfolio at Matter. The following multi-year clients have all recently expanded their programs, leveraging the spectrum of Matter’s integrated capabilities designed to increase and sustain brand awareness while growing their lead generation initiatives:

    • Attivo Networks, a leader in cyber deception and attacker lateral movement detection.
    • Auth0, the identity platform for application teams.
    • Sectigo, a leader in digital identity and web security.

    “In the face of a massive remote-work migration, the emergence of new attack vectors and the evolution of ransomware attacks, we continue to maximize awareness for brands and their crucial cybersecurity and data protection products and services,” said Tim Hurley, Executive Vice President at Matter. “The breadth of our experience means we’re able to provide counsel and strategy, invaluable media connections and deep digital marketing insights required to elevate today’s security brands and make meaningful, measurable impact on their businesses.”

    For the latest cybersecurity trends and insights, check out our Cyberside Chats video interview series here.

    With nearly 200 professionals across offices in Boston and Newburyport, MA, Portsmouth, NH, Providence, RI, Pittsburgh, PA, Boulder, CO, and Portland, OR, Matter is one of the fastest-growing PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy firms in the country. Recently named to Forbes List of America’s Best PR Agencies for 2021, Matter has won 13 “Agency of the Year” accolades and has been consistently recognized as a top place to work.

    About Matter Communications

    Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency unifying PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy into content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with seven offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world’s most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer technology and consumer markets. For more information, visit https://www.matternow.com.

    Contact

    Matter

    Sara Pudvelis, 978-518-4535

    [email protected]

    www.matternow.com

    Matter

  • CyberSide Chats, Episode 6: Johna Johnson

    A Conversation with Johna Johnson

    Welcome to CyberSide Chats, our video interview series where we talk with business technology thought leaders about timely trends, what’s new and what’s next in the cybersecurity industry.

    In Episode 6, Matter Executive Vice President and cybersecurity lead Tim Hurley has a conversation with Johna Johnson, CEO and Founder of Nemertes Research. They discuss several hot topics including emerging cybersecurity technologies, the ongoing SolarWinds data breach saga, third-party and vendor risk management, nation state attacks, 2021 mega trends and more. 

    Ready to watch more episodes of CyberSide Chats? Check out all of the episodes here.

    Tim Hurley

  • Media on the Move: 3.8.21

    Media on the Move: 3.8.21

    We’ve arrived in March — 31 days of hoping spring finally shows up and celebrating women around the world for Women’s History Month, particularly today for International Women’s Day! This also means our media friendlies have spent the past few weeks filtering through a barrage of pitches about said holiday. See exhibits one, two and three.

    Jokes aside, in the spirit of today’s recognition of the vital role women play in business, leadership and society at-large, here are some of the biggest media moves made by women in February. 

    Business Insider

    • Allison DeAngelis is now a senior healthcare reporter covering biotechnology and pharmaceuticals after spending two years at the Boston Business Journal. 
    • Oma Seddiq was hired as a junior politics reporter. She spent the last seven months as a politics fellow. 
    • Emma Cosgrove has joined the team as a senior reporter covering logistics, focusing on e-commerce. She came from Industry Drive, where she covered supply chain. 

    Bustle Group

    • Elizabeth Angell has been promoted to Romper’s editor-in-chief after joining the outlet in September 2020 as an editorial director. 
    • Charlotte Owen has been promoted to editor-in-chief at Bustle, after most recently serving as editorial director of the site. 

    Forbes

    • Maria Abreu is now an assistant editor on the Money team after recently graduating New York University, where she covered justice, business and arts for Bedford + Bowery. 
    • Rebecca Szkutak joined the staff as a reporter covering venture capital. 

    Hearst

    • Jessica Roy has been promoted to digital director at ELLE; she was most recently the site’s deputy editor. 

    Meredith 

    • Amelia Edelman is the new deputy editor at the cross-brand Finance Desk for Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Parents, Health and other publications.

    TechCrunch 

    • Mary Ann Azevedo comes to the team as a senior reporter after being a managing editor at FinLedger and a senior reporter at CrunchBase News. 
    • Kirsten Korosec was promoted to transportation editor, expanding her coverage on electric, autonomous and automotive vehicles, and other advancements in transportation. 
    • After interning at PublicSource, Sophie Burkholder has been hired as a health tech reporter covering startups from health and biotech to enterprise. 

    The New York Times 

    • Sydney Ember has moved to the economics beat after spending the last seven years as a politics reporter, most recently covering the 2020 election. 
    • Kathleen Kingsbury has officially taken the role of Opinion Editor after leading the team for the last few months. 
    • A contributor since 2017, Marcela Valdes joined the Magazine team as a staff writer. 
    • Shawna Richer is now an assistant editor in Sports after spending time as masthead editor at The Globe and Mail in Toronto.
    • Monica Davey, Julie Bloom, Kim Murphy and Jamie Stockwell all received promotions to National Deputy Editor, Director of News, Deputy Editor of Investigations and Deputy Editor of Race/Related, respectively. 

    The Wall Street Journal

    • After covering energy for The Journal, Rebecca Elliott has moved to cover technology and autos, specifically focusing on Tesla and car tech. 
    • Rebecca Ballhaus has shifted from White House reporter to the Investigations team where she will focus on government. 

    Courtney Baumann

  • Now Pitching: Jennifer Zarate, CRNtv

    Welcome to our latest edition of Now Pitching, where we catch up with the industry’s leading journalists to get a pulse on the trends they’re following and topics they’re focused on. For this special vlog segment, we chatted with Jennifer Zarate, reporter and video journalist at CRNtv. 

    As an enterprise IT and channel expert and Matter favorite, Jennifer joined CRNtv in 2019 and leads the video component for the publication. Prior to joining CRNtv, she worked as a television news reporter for WWLP-22 News in Springfield, Massachusetts. At Matter, we’ve worked closely with Jennifer on feature stories and exclusives with clients including Auth0’s launch of the Auth0 Marketplace, MindTree’s President of Global Markets, as well as upcoming conversations with BIO-key and Attivo.

    In today’s conversation, Jennifer gives us an inside look into her background, what she is currently working on and best practices for PR pros.

    Hannah Carroll