Social Media Fundraising Approaches

The Benefits of Influencer Partnerships for Small Brands Introduction For small brands with limited budgets, influencer partnerships provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional advertising. Micro-influencers help brands authentically connect with niche communities, boosting reach, engagement, and brand awareness without the high costs of celebrity endorsements. Key Concepts Focusing on micro-influencers (1,000 to 100,000 followers) allows brands to engage niche audiences and foster trust. Success hinges on aligning with influencers whose audiences match your brand, enhancing engagement and conversions through authentic interactions and diverse, repurposeable content. Challenges Small brands face challenges like budget constraints and the time-consuming process of finding aligned influencers. Measuring campaign effectiveness requires clear metrics, and maintaining authenticity is vital to balance promotions with genuine storytelling. Strategies for Influencer Partnerships -Start with Micro-Influencers: They offer engaged audiences at a lower cost. -Define Clear Campaign Goals: Set specific, measurable objectives to align with influencers. -Focus on Long-Term Collaborations: Building lasting relationships fosters authenticity. -Collaborate on Content Creation: Allow influencers creative freedom for authentic content. -Offer Exclusive Discounts: Unique offers can drive engagement and motivate followers. -Benefits of Influencer Partnerships These partnerships increase awareness and reach for small brands, attracting customers through trusted recommendations. Collaborating with micro-influencers leads to higher engagement rates and significant ROI, as influencers create high-quality content for brands to repurpose. Conclusion Partnering with micro-influencers is an effective strategy for small brands to reach new audiences, increase engagement, and build credibility. By selecting the right influencers, setting clear goals, and maintaining authenticity, brands can leverage this approach for sustainable growth. Next Steps -Connect with aligned influencers. -Set measurable campaign goals. -Create engagement strategies, such as exclusive discounts. -Communicate regularly for lasting partnerships. -Evaluate campaign metrics to optimize future efforts. #InfluencerMarketing #SmallBusinessGrowth #BrandPartnerships #SocialMediaInfluence #MarketingStrategy #CollaborativeMarketing #SmallBrandSuccess #InfluencerCollaboration #DigitalMarketing #BrandAwareness

Do you know what your audience think about your sport sponsorship? (Ever heard of sentiment analysis?) As a brand investing in motorsport, you can track how your audience react to your sponsorship. Not just in numbers, but in sentiment. What is sentiment analysis? It’s a method that uses AI and natural language processing to analyse public perception. Whether the sentiment on a brand/event/sponsorship is positive, neutral, or negative. In sponsorships, this is a game-changer. → It helps brands understand if their investment is truly engaging fans or if adjustments are needed. *** Take the recent ELEMIS x Aston Martin F1 sponsorship. When ELEMIS announced its sponsorship of Aston Martin F1, social media buzz reflected strong positive sentiment. Words like love, amazing, and ELEMIS stood out on IG. And terms like wow, duo, and dream team reinforced excitement around the collaboration. This is a word cloud: a visual tool in sentiment analysis where the size of each word reflects how often it appears. It helps brands quickly see which keywords dominate the conversation and determine whether audience sentiment is positive or negative. Why does this matter for brands? 1. To know exactly how fans feel about your sponsorship. 2. To spot negative trends before they escalate. 3. To create content that truly connects. 4. To measure ROI beyond visibility. *** Data-driven sponsorships + expertise win. Those who know how to strategise, listen, learn, and adapt turn partnerships into real business growth. P.S. Ever heard about sentiment analysis and word cloud?

I've seen so many nonprofits wait until the last minute to collect stories they need for their next fundraising campaign. You’re a week or two away from launching your next big campaign, and your marketing director sends the team an email. “Anyone have any stories to illustrate…?” Suddenly, everyone is scrambling. Someone remembers a client who said something powerful… but it was 6 months ago. Mayyyyybe there’s a photo somewhere. The staff member who oversaw that really cool project? They’ve left. It doesn’t have to be this hard. If storytelling is one of your most powerful fundraising tools, then you need a system to capture stories all year long – not just when you need them. My recommendation? 1️⃣ Set up a shared “Story Bank” CRM. This is a central place where everyone can drop in client stories, donor quotes, Board anecdotes, or milestones as they happen. Use something like Airtable or Notion where the information can be searchable by program, date, and theme. 2️⃣ Create a routine rhythm of having your team add to the Story Bank on a monthly basis. This doesn’t have to be full-blown stories – just moments & emotions that can be fleshed out later. 3️⃣ Commit to sharing stories. A Story Bank that just collects stories and is never used isn’t of much value. You need to actually tell the stories you collect. Commit to sharing a story at least once or twice per month. The truth is, your nonprofit is already creating plenty of meaningful moments and success stories. You just need a system to collect & share them. What is your organization doing to collect Impact Stories?  What tools do you use to aid in the process?

The "hidden" formula behind LinkedIn virality: Psychological Manipulation or Smart Marketing? 🧠👀 I analyzed 9000+ viral LinkedIn posts. Here's what I found: 🔴 Emotional Exploitation They tap into deep-seated emotions like fear, anxiety & frustration. Example: "Is your boss slowly killing your career? → Hooks capture attention & drive engagement by amplifying negative emotions 🔴 Relatability Through Common Pain Points Highlighting everyday workplace struggles like being overworked or undervalued Example: "I worked 80 hours last week and got a 'good job' as thanks." → Why it works: Creates solidarity (we've all been there) 🔴 Controversial Opinions Supporting widely accepted beliefs to spark debate Example: "The hidden job market is real, and it may be one of the reasons you're struggling to find job." → Why it works: Sparks debate (and engagement) 🔴 Simplification of Complex Issues Reducing professional challenges to simple, digestible advice Example: "The one resume tip that will make you stand out above 54% of applicants" → Why it works: Easy to digest (but often misleading) 🔴 Social Validation Bait Ending with calls-to-action like "If you agree, share this with your network." → Why it works: Boosts visibility through peer pressure But here's the REAL question: Is this clever marketing or manipulation? Many viral LinkedIn posts use psychological triggers to grab your attention & generate engagement... Even if the insights are valuable. (As I'm doing with this very post, with the hook I used) But awareness is key. Understanding HOW influencers capture attention allows you to consume content more mindfully. These tactics work because they tap into our deepest desires and fears. They make us feel seen, understood, and part of a community. Yet, they can also amplify negativity, spread misinformation, and create echo chambers. As content creators, we have a responsibility. We can use these insights to create genuinely valuable content that uplifts and informs. Or we can exploit them for cheap virality. But here's the twist: YOU have the ultimate power. By choosing to engage with or ignore certain posts, you shape your feed. Remember, every like, comment, and share is a vote for what you want to see more of. The choice isn't just ours as creators—it's yours as readers too.

Most B2B marketers make the same mistake: They treat Google, LinkedIn, and Meta as separate campaigns instead of a connected system. Here’s the thing → one channel alone can’t carry your whole demand engine. Google gives you intent. LinkedIn gives you qualification. Meta gives you scale. When you connect them, you don’t just generate leads — you build a profitable, self-reinforcing flywheel. Step 1: Capture demand with Google Ads Google is still the undisputed king of intent. Someone searching “enterprise CRM for SaaS” is already in-market. That’s gold. But here’s the reality: Only 2–5% of visitors convert on the first touch. High-intent clicks cost $8–$12+. Most of that traffic bounces and disappears. If you’re just measuring Google by “conversions today,” you’ll either cap out quickly or burn budget. The smarter move? Pay for that in-market traffic, then pipe it into a system that qualifies and retargets. Step 2: Qualify and nurture with LinkedIn This is where most companies fall short. Drop the LinkedIn Insight Tag on your site and suddenly you can segment Google visitors by industry, company size, and seniority. Now you’re not treating every click equally — you’re focusing spend on the ones that match your ICP. And instead of spamming brand ads, run Thought Leader Ads. These are organic-style posts from your CEO or SME, sponsored into the feeds of your best-fit prospects. It builds trust, positions your team as experts, and warms the accounts you actually care about. Bonus: LinkedIn Company Hub shows you exactly which accounts are leaning in. Served 30+ impressions? 3+ ad clicks? That’s your intent list. Step 3: Enrich and scale with Meta At this stage, you’ve captured intent and qualified fit. Now it’s time to scale. Export your engaged LinkedIn accounts, enrich them with decision-maker contact data, and upload that list into Meta. Why? CPMs are 3–4x cheaper than LinkedIn. Enriched data improves match rates. Facebook + Instagram give you unmatched reach. Now you’re retargeting with testimonial videos, case study carousels, or founder explainers — not to cold strangers, but to warm, qualified accounts. The result? Lower CPC overall Warmer leads Higher conversion rates Cleaner attribution More efficient ad spend That’s the power of building a B2B Ad Trifecta instead of siloed channels. If I were starting from zero today, this is exactly where I’d begin: ✅ Capture demand with Google ✅ Qualify and nurture with LinkedIn ✅ Enrich and scale with Meta Control what you can control: your system. Not the algorithm. Worth testing if your funnel is stuck on one channel.

Here’s how I attract and convert a steady stream of qualified leads on LinkedIn: I’m not afraid to open up about my mental health and the challenges I face. This usually sparks an emotional response in the reader. And we all know evoking emotion influences sales decision making. People decide with emotion and justify with logic. Potential clients get to know the real me through my vulnerable content - they learn about my values, morals and driving force. They also understand my way of thinking. I try to humanise my content as much as possible through storytelling which draws aligned founders to me. I typically follow these 4 content pillars which form my own LinkedIn strategy and framework: - Copywriting - Content Marketing - Entrepreneurship - Mental Health & Wellness These are all topics I’m truly passionate about 🤍 For context, I’ve converted the most clients through thee posts: → My 75 Hard journey → My burnout recovery story → My late ADHD diagnosis story → My story of how I realised I had ADHD 80% of founders that converted are neurodivergent themselves. The other 20% just appreciated me speaking so candidly about what I’d been through. Here’s how it usually goes with LinkedIn inbound lead gen for me: 1. I post vulnerable content with the intention of breaking stigmas and raising awareness for mental health 2. People who resonate will typically engage, and that content boosts my brand awareness & visibility 3. Founders with their own mental health struggles (or who empathise with those who have them) are exposed to my writing 4. They’ll see my tagline, realise what I do and will have a look through the rest of my value-based marketing & copywriting focused LinkedIn content before reaching out (returning to that ‘decide with emotion and justify with logic’ principle) 5. We’ll have a discovery call to see if we’re on the same wavelength and will determine whether or not I can help them I actually turn down a lot of business and am very intentional about who I work with so I know that each client I onboard is a good fit for me (and them). But here’s where a lot of people go wrong when it comes to selling themselves… They’re *too* sales-orientated which holds them back from building a loyal and engaged community. Nobody wants you pushing sales down their throat. When I write about my experience with ADHD, anxiety, depression etc - despite everything I’ve just written above - I don’t do it to grow my business. I share my story because I know it helps other people. And I’m driven by a purpose for helping others. When I measure my impact in terms of the kind comments and DM’s I receive, that’s what makes me empowered and happy. That’s what motivates me to keep going. The quality leads are just a bonus. P.s. if you hadn’t noticed, I’m speaking a lot about #adhd atm for #neurodiversitycelebrationweek to help raise awareness, educate about neurodiversity, and make other people feel less alone 🥰

If I was starting a $10k LinkedIn Ad Account fresh. Here's how I'd plan it: ↓ Step 1: Understand Historical Data Firstly, going in blind with LinkedIn Ads is 99% guaranteed to burn your budget. Some strategy work is essential before investing in the platform. Understand all current available data sources you already have. Some common sources to analyse are: → CRM → Sales calls → Web Traffic → Other channels/tools (Google/Meta/GA) These data sources should answer the questions of: → Where does our revenue come from? → Where do our conversions come from? → Who do we want more of? → Who do we want less of? If a segment or tactic isn’t already showing positive signs elsewhere, it likely won’t perform well on LinkedIn. Step 2: Pick your battles Not every strategy works for everyone on LinkedIn Ads. Pinpoint what differentiates you: → What is your strength? Is it Product/Content/Brand? → Do you have existing performing content? → Does it translate to LI? There’s no universal playbook - what works will vary from company to company. Step 3: Find the fastest path to statistical significance. Speed is key in validating your approach. Some formats collect more data and provide valuable insights faster: → Thought Leader Ads for engagement rates → Conversation Ads to test messaging/offers → Lead Forms to test conversion rates → Videos to test content relevance This way you'll learn far quicker what messaging/positioning/offer works. Once you know, you can reverse engineer your longer-term plays such as your: → Blog Topics → Landing Page Copy → Templated Dashboards etc. Step 4: Make the Campaign Manager tool work for you. → Audience network? Off → Audience expansion? Off → Lead Forms? Work Email Validated → Bidding? Start with manual bidding → Creatives? Invest in 4-8 great creatives → Targeting? AND targeting only, rarely use OR. → Retargeting? Active in a separate campaign to native targeting. → Audience size? Match it to your budget. Not too big, not too small. → Exclusions? Competitors/entry roles/customers/job seekers/students. Around 50,000-60,000 audience is plenty for a $10k monthly budget. Step 5: Let it run for 3-weeks before making changes If you've done the strategy work and correctly setup everything, back yourself and give it time. Frequency is important on LinkedIn, the more people see your ads the more likely they are to respond. LinkedIn Ads are too costly to hit and hope. Start with data, measure early, and build for long-term success. -- I'm Rob from Tuned Social: LinkedIn Ads Agency. If you're spending $5k+ and want to be in the top 1% of LinkedIn advertisers - get in touch.

Imagine you’re training for your best 10K—not running or lifting every single day, but hitting peak workouts 3–4 times a week. Which gets better results: always on mediocrity or a few powerful, focused, intense sessions? Your LinkedIn content strategy works the same way. The temptation is to crank out 7–10 posts a week. More shots on goal, right? Except the data says otherwise: • Consistency matters more than sheer volume. Posting 3–5 times weekly drives ~78% more engagement than irregular posting. But pushing content every day often leads to rushed ideas, weaker storytelling, and audience fatigue. • Quality is king. A thoughtful post beats a dozen throwaways. One law firm shifted from daily posts to two crafted posts per week and saw stronger, lasting engagement. • The sweet spot is 2–5 posts per week. That’s the range recommended by the The Influencer Marketing Factory - Influencer Marketing Agency in their 2025 LinkedIn report, echoed by Business Insider. More than that, and your best insights may risk getting buried by your own content. • Timing still matters. Tuesday–Thursday mid-mornings remain the strongest windows. Pair that with formats LinkedIn rewards: carousel PDFs (I still struggle with these, ugh), storytelling text posts, video, punchy bulleted breakdowns with context. Think of it like fitness. A few intense, intentional workouts each week usually deliver more gains than seven half-hearted flat terrain jogs. Same with LinkedIn: 3-4 posts where you really flex your insight, tell a story, and engage will outperform daily generic filler every time. And here’s the PR lesson: Reputation isn’t built by volume; it’s built by moments that truly matter to your target constitifencies. High-quality posts are your reputation reps. They shape the narrative others remember, share, and trust. Fewer, better posts win. Now off for some morning hill sprints too?! 😉

Feeling grateful for an incredible weekend on Cycle for the Cause - and reflecting on a few Peer-to-Peer fundraising lessons learned while hitting my $15k fundraising goal! 🙌🏼 Cycle for the Cause: The Northeast AIDS Ride has been taking place for nearly 30 years. I joined in 2016 in honor of my Uncle Marlin ❤️ Hundreds of us ride 275 miles from Boston to NYC in 3 days, & raised over $2 million for The NYC LGBT Center’s life-saving HIV / AIDS services 🚴🏼♂️ 1️⃣ P2P fundraising works because people in your network want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. So invite them in & make it exciting! ⚡ The best ways to dial up the excitement are: 👉🏼 Share specifics about the mission that give them something concrete to connect their gift to (I heard that knowing their gift could provide an at-risk person with a year of HIV prevention meds was incredibly eye opening for my donors). 👉🏼 Set a goal! Several people upsized their gift to be “the one” that got me over a certain total fundraising threshold. People like playing a role in your achievement! 2️⃣ Email remains my most valuable channel. It takes time to keep an email list up to date, but it has the highest payoff! 📈 Pro tip: if you have some likely large donors in there, send them a direct personal email if they haven’t given in response to your broader one yet. It’s super effective, but time consuming 😁 3️⃣  I never post on Instagram, but I have to come back to it for fundraising because it’s SO engaging. The ability to tag & thank your donors in stories + include a direct link to your fundraising page… works magic. Was doing this all weekend and led to an extra 50+ gifts 🥳 4️⃣ LinkedIn was actually a great source of donations! I could directly attribute at least a dozen gifts to people that encountered a post of mine - several were folks I didn’t even know! Don’t be afraid to give it a shot 😉 5️⃣ I got 12+ DAFpay gifts thanks to the integration with DonorDrive! I can see a roughly 2x impact on those donor’s gift size vs. their standard credit card gift. There were a few other DAF gifts not made through DAFpay that I’m still waiting on so weren’t in my total at the finish line 😢 6️⃣ Start early! I remember hearing at one point that the average person requires 7 reminders to donate… So the earlier you can start asking, the better. Plus many people will end up giving again towards the end! ⏰ 7️⃣ P2P is about much more than fundraising - it binds participants to the organization & mission in a way that nothing else can 🫂 Especially in the challenging fundraising environment we’re in, I’d encourage folks to measure success as you would a program or service your organization offers, in addition to your revenue total & return on spend like other kinds of fundraising ✅ Thank you to all of the riders, crew, staff and donors that make this an unforgettable experience each year 🫶🏼 #nonprofit #fundraising #philanthropy

Maximizing Results with a Low Ad Budget: A Strategic Approach Think you need a big budget to achieve meaningful results with your ads? Not necessarily. Here’s how to make the most of a modest budget through strategic planning and careful analysis: 1. Set Clear Objectives: • Start by defining your target Cost Per Lead (CPL). This gives you a clear goal to work towards and helps guide your strategy. 2. Reverse Engineer Your Strategy: • Work backwards from your desired CPL to determine the budget and resources needed. This reverse engineering ensures you stay focused on achieving your goals within budget constraints. 3. Understand Your CPM (Cost Per 1,000 Impressions): • Analyze your average CPM to gain insights into where your money is going. This data is crucial for optimizing your campaigns and ensuring you’re getting the most bang for your buck. 4. Strategic Targeting: • Focus your ad spend on the most relevant audience segments. It’s more effective to target a smaller, more engaged audience than to spread your budget too thin. 5. Test and Optimize: • Even with a low budget, regular A/B testing can help you identify what works best. Use these insights to continuously refine your approach and improve performance. 6. Optimize for Efficiency: • Ensure that every dollar is spent wisely by creating ads that are designed to capture attention and convert effectively. Remember, success in advertising isn’t about how much you spend—it’s about how strategically you spend it. With the right approach, even a limited budget can deliver strong results. Let’s connect if you want to explore strategies to maximize your ad spend and achieve your marketing goals! #DigitalMarketing #AdStrategy #LowBudgetAds #MarketingROI #LeadGeneration #CPL #coachingniche #coaches