Case Foundation Post: Bridging Between On and Offline

The Case Foundation launched its Gear Up for Giving: Social Media Tutorials for Nonprofits initiative this week. As part of the series, the Foundation is featuring “Giving Gurus,” including me as the opening act this Thursday, Sept. 10, at 1 EST. To prep for the session and your questions, I was asked to kick off a discussion via a blog post. Here’s a preview…

With causes, we seek to create movements using word of mouth tools, and in particular, tools within social media. It’s very easy to get stuck in the mindset of a single track effort, such as Twitter, or even an online multichannel effort that involves several tools. Yet, to be truly successful cause-based movements bridge social media, traditional media, as well as good, old-fashioned, brick and mortar offline life.

No one eats their dinner and says to their partner or self, “Hmm, I think I’ll go play on social media for an hour tonight.” They just go online and surf. Social sites are part of their lives, but so is their favorite magazine, the office bulletin board, tschatkes they pick up at events that they attend, perhaps church or synagogue, etc., etc.

A movement means they do more than click on a tweet! They bring it into their life and talk about it. They tell their friends, both on and offline, and their friends tell more friends!

At the heart of creating movements are word of mouth marketing (WOMM) principles. Social media represents just part of the mix; some — not all — of the tools that facilitate conversations and discussion about our special movements. Andy Sernovitz in his soon to be released entertaining light read, “What Is Word of Mouth Marketing,” notes tools are just part of the five Ts of WOMM. Those Ts also include Talkers, Topics, Taking Part and Tracking.

Read the whole post, including a case study about Bat Nha Monastery on the Case Foundation blog. And if you feel so inclined, please participate in the discussion on Thursday. Here’s how.