Whether the fund-raising event is big or small, a luncheon or festival, it’s likely there will be at least two screens vying for guests’ attention: the presentation screen and each attendee’s cell phone screen.
Cell phones are so entrenched in people’s day-to-day lives that to assume guests won't be on their phones during an event is a bit of a wishful dream. Musicians are even grappling with how to force their concert attendees to be in the moment. Singers like Alicia Keys and Jack White have actually banned cell phone use at their shows.
However, learning to embrace the use of cell phones at events may be the wiser option. Marc Geiger, a William Morris Endeavor executive, says that cell phone use at concerts is "here to say ... It's a very necessary annoyance but also serves both as marketing and promotion. Everyone wants to share the content on social media to show that they were there. It's a bit like the brand new T-shirt."
So how can the presentation screen be best used knowing guests will be on their phones? Embrace this "new T-shirt" marketing strategy in ways that will also translate into new donors.
For instance, social walls are quickly becoming a must-have at events. It forces guests to promote the event to their friends, and guests are more likely to share an event hashtag if they know it will show up on a screen (15 seconds of fame). But what it really does is create a buzz around the event online. Make sure the event hashtag is simple and easy to spot so attendees can find and share it. There are a lot of options for social walls. Swell Fundraising’s Swell Slides is not only a social wall but it also integrates custom slides, sponsor logos, and videos in one dynamic presentation. It also adds a little competition to the event by showing, in real-time, who the most social is at the event.
Another option is a “text to give” campaign. While it’s easy to leave a checkbook at home, and guests are often wary of writing their credit card numbers down, people don’t forget to bring their cell phones. Set up a “text to give” campaign instead of relying on cash or check transfers. If using Swell, the organization’s check-in app has "donate now" options and allows credit card and offline gift payments, so there's no excuse for guests not to donate.
Lastly, show real-time fund-raising on the presentation screen. Guests will be engaged in giving, and it creates that "we're in this together" feeling. This is especially true if a “text to give” or a social wall has been implemented. Attendees are already looking at the screen and like seeing the numbers roll up.
At a Swell event, the numbers update in real time and often guests will cheer each time a big fund-raising milestone is hit. Creating this energy in the room often leads to guests taking pictures of the screen and sharing on social media (with the hashtag!) to show how much of an impact they are making by being at the event.
Utilizing even one of these practices will increase engagement and captures guests where they already are: on their cell phones.
Find out more information at http://www.swellfundraising.com/.
