Launch of Facebook Flyers Pro could be good option for non-profits

Facebook recently launched a new advertising platform called Flyers Pro. It offers an inexpensive, highly targeted advertising option that non-profits should check out.

The do-it-yourself ads appear to the Facebook users you select when setting up the parameters of your ad. Word count is limited but you can’t beat the price and the targeting. Facebook allows you to tap into the deep demographics it collects on its users. You can select the following:

• Country, province, city
• Sex & age
• Keywords found on profile pages
• Workplace
• Political views
• Marital status

As with everything else Facebook, the user interface is very easy, as you can see from this screen shot. It even tells you, instantly, how many Facebook profiles fit the demographics you’ve selected.

Both pay per click (CPC) and pay per impression (CPM) options are available. Pay per click means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad to get to the webpage you are directing him to. Pay per impression means you pay according to how many pages your ad appears on regardless of someone clicking on your ad.

What makes the ads inexpensive is that you can set your own cost–essentially bidding on when and how many times it will appear. You can set the amount you are willing to pay (per click as low as $.01 and per 1000 impressions just $.15) as well as the total amount per day you are willing to pay. Be aware that the lower you set your bid the less likely you are to get prime exposure depending on how many others are setting up ads and how much they are bidding.

I’m experimenting with the ads right now as are several other PR and advertising bloggers. There seems to be consensus thus far that the platform is much better suited to smaller companies and non-profits rather than big business.

I think the space is perfect for promoting awareness of issues, causes and recruiting donors or volunteers. It could potentially be just as effective, or more, than advertising in traditional media but it is ridiculously less expensive. You can experiment with different segments of the population to see what works with little consequence to your non-profit’s budget.

Detractors are questioning the effectiveness of advertising on Facebook given that most people using the site are there for socializing not purchasing. Time will tell, but I think if you can get the right target audience, this could be a perfect way for a non-profits to get its message out. You could highlight an awareness campaign, recruit volunteers, donors or even staff.

Please post your comments if you have used Flyers Pro and what results you’ve had.

Communicators as advocates – Watch your language

If you’re communicating on behalf of your non-profit’s clients and/or stakeholders, you’re often taking on the role of advocate. When this happens, what you say and how you say it takes on increased significance. As an advocate for children and youth who are sexually exploited, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking, and arguing about, language.

For the past several years, I’ve been involved with a group trying to change the way child sexual exploitation is represented in the media. The group is called MAISEY (Media Awareness Initiative about Sexually Exploited Youth).

In a nutshell, this group has been encouraging the media to use the term “child sexual exploitation” rather than terms such as “child/teen prostitute” or worse, “teen hooker.” Why? Because these terms are victim blaming and imply a degree of choice on the part of the child. Other forms of sexual abuse don’t carry the same pejorative meaning (e.g. incest, sexual assault).

Critics of MAISEY have accused the group of arguing over semantics that really don’t have a negative result. Those of us who have worked with youth who are healing from sexual exploitation are keenly aware of the effect these terms have on them. Working through their deep level of shame and self-loathing requires them to be able to redefine what happened to them as abuse rather than it being their fault. No matter the behaviour on the part of the young person, it is wrong for an adult to have sex with a child.

We also know that sexual abuse offenders rationalize their deviant sexual fantasies and actions by telling themselves that their victims either deserve what they get or in reality wanted it to happen. These thoughts are part of what enables them to continue to offend. By using more accurate terms to describe sexual abuse, we avoid reinforcing the offender’s errors in thinking.

MAISEY’s focus is on the media because it is a conduit to our community. We beleive that media content both reflects and shapes our perceptions and attitudes about the world around us.

Many members of the media have done exceptional print and broadcast stories that manage to raise public awareness of the very complex, psychological, environmental and societal components of this massive human tragedy that destroys many young lives.

Award winning journalist Julian Sher, for example, has written extensively on the issue including commentary advocating for a change in language away from the term “child pornography” to “child abuse images”. He points out that the countless photos exhanged by sex offenders over the Net are “crime scene images” not pornography which has the connotation that they are just harmless pictures.

We need to do more, however, to ensure that children who have been sexually victimized are not re-victimized in the media. We need to guard against subtly, and sometimes overtly, blaming the child for his/her own abuse. Let’s stop coverage that emphasizes the “lifestyle” of the young person without providing the context that has placed him/her in harm’s way. When there isn’t the air time or page space necessary to do this, using terms such as “child sexual exploitation” rather than “child prostitution” can provide some context while meeting the often overriding need for brevity.

Is a change in language going to eradicate the sexual abuse of children through prostitution? No. The issue is complex and as a society we are far from placing a priority on the antecedents of abuse such as violence, poverty, addiction, mental health issues and incest, for example. However, perhaps a change in language will make it more difficult for us to discard the victim and the issue.

The bottom line is that the old terms aren’t appropriate/accurate when referring to children. Would we accept labeling someone with a developmental delay or handicap as being a “moron” or “retarded”? At one time these terms were perfectly acceptable. Did changing these terms make a difference with respect to the integration of affected individuals into full community life? I believe it did play a part in our changing perception and was also a reflection of our changing perspective.

Language evolves and as communicators and advocates we must choose our words carefully to ensure that we are representing clients and stakeholders accurately and with respect.

Powerful video PSA makes cause real

Family Services of Greater Vancouver (FSGV) created this powerful video PSA to communicate the disturbing realities of family violence. It’s a great example of how to engage donors and other stakeholders with your non-profit cause. But how can you make a video and get people to watch it without a big budget, or maybe no budget? I contacted FSGV to find out how they did it.

According to a recent AP/AOL video survey, 54% of Internet users in the US have watched video online. This represents a 34% increase since only a year ago. There’s no doubt that online video is becoming a hot marketing tool.

Without the big budgets of commercial enterprises, non-profits have to rely on creativity, partnerships and strategic leveraging in order to take advantage of video PSA’s and their increasing presence online.

I contacted Leah Zille, Manger of Communications at Family Services of Greater Vancouver, to find out how her non-profit was able to create its riveting, in-your-face PSA.

She explained that the creative work was provided pro bono by the advertising firm Publicis. FSGV did incur some hard costs such as talent and the hiring of a producer but the end product was created at a fraction of the cost because of the generosity of the advertising firm.

Publicis leveraged their relationships with directors, producers, editing houses, PR firms and television stations to ensure they could make the PSA and get it to air. In-kind contributions for the project to date are estimated at $750,000.

Currently, the PSA is airing on Global BC, CBC, CityTV, Omni and KVOS. It is also viewed online via an independent website as well as YouTube. Having a separate site from the agency’s regular site allows them to track how many have viewed the video and made a donation as a result.

The PSA is one part of FSGV’s first phase of a campaign to raise awareness of the work the non-profit does in the community. Next steps include print media, radio, Web and guerrilla on-the-street campaigns. The online presence of the PSA has significant exposure potential and it will be interesting to compare number of viewers via network TV with the Web. So far, FSGV is pleased with the video’s initial impact.

Leah is thrilled with the contribution from Publicis stating that if the firm had not taken them under their wing, the project would not have been possible.

There are many local and international advertising/communications firms that regularly take on pro bono projects. The impact such a partnership can have on a non-profit’s aims and activities is substantial. It’s well worth reaching out to some of them to see if your non-profit’s cause can find a similar benefactor.

Using PowerPoint for good instead of evil

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the pitfalls of using PowerPoint for presentations including some excellent comments by Donna Papacosta in her podcast and blog.

I too have been guilty in the past of PowerPoint sins including the use of too many bullet points, print that’s too small, using animation for no apparent purpose and relying on slides as a crutch to help me remember the contents of my presentation.

For those stuck on outdated and ineffective techniques, it helps to see a few excellent presentations using PowerPoint in a supporting role, rather than the starring one it has become. Take a look at this presentation on “Identity 2.0″ by Dick Hardt. It will change the way you look at slide use forever. The content of the presentation is thought provoking as well.

There’s no question that in our visually overstimulated world, slides can help grab an audience, making it easier to convey your message. Just remember that you are the presenter, not your PowerPoint slides.