Photo by .curt.

This is a guest post by Tonia Zampieri. Check out her last post here.

QR (Quick Response) Codes are getting a lot of buzz these days, and Text2Give technology is too, but perhaps not for the reasons you’d expect. Both are a result of the mobile revolution, and both provide the ability to connect people with organizations in ways that many could never imagine.

But in what ways do they differ and which technology will deliver the best results?

Since breaking ground in the U.S. two years ago, Text2Give has been the “American Idol” of mobile fundraising. Lots of publicity, created some stars, everyone wanted to be there.

However, the long-term viability of a Text2Give strategy has been challenged. As DonorDigital discovered recently, giving via text continues to fade in popularity. Text2Give provides the ability to quickly give $5 or $10 via text, paid through your cell phone bill, when prompted by a message and specific short code. Record-breaking results were seen with the Haiti earthquake and other highly publicized catastrophic and celebrity events. But this success hasn’t translated into long-term giving, or conversion to additional marketing channels, like email.

Yes, it’s been a low barrier of entry for many who would likely not give otherwise. And yes, the process for a person to give is quick and easy. But set-up and maintenance costs are not sustainable for most. Last I checked, a text to give program cost hundreds to launch, plus a hefty monthly fee for the short code. From a purely ROI perspective, over 50% of U.S. nonprofits, according to AFP’s 2011 New Directions Report, have been dissatisfied with fundraising results from Text2Give campaigns.

And did I mention that it can take up to 90 days for nonprofits to receive their funds?

Are QR Codes the Next X Factor?

There has been a rapid expansion of QR codes throughout the US, Europe & Canada.  Likely you’ve seen them on something, whether it’s been a website, in a magazine or at a bus stop as retail brands have adopted them as the go-to engagement tool for Smartphone toting spenders.   This ability to quickly scan a code with your phone, and then take an action–wherever you are and whenever it’s convenient for you—is, well, powerful.

Why? Because it works for the consumer.

Frankly, we like having something to do or engage with when we have idle time. QR code landing pages, when done well, are engaging and entice the user to act.

I unearthed many new ways nonprofits can utilize QR codes in my recent blog, Are Nonprofit QR Codes the Next Big Thing? This mobile technology provides numerous benefits to the nonprofit sector. Not only does it provide a new way to fundraise, nonprofits can use this innovative marketing tool to engage the mobile generation, cultivating them into tomorrow’s lifelong donors in a seamless, non-intrusive way, when done correctly. Digital communication and online giving continue to replace more traditional, off-line channels. QR Codes offer a great way to extend offline action in the online mobile world.

Because QR Codes aren’t yet mainstream, few nonprofits know what they are and have started using them or studied its results. Chad Norman of Blackbaud has posted numerous blogs about QR Codes, but his campaign comparison of QR Codes vs. SMS/Text by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network speaks volumes.

At a glance, I place my bet on QR Codes. Here’s why:

1. They cost less to create, implement & manage than Text2Give.
2. Virtually any size nonprofit can run a QR Code campaign with minimal outside resources or multiple parties involved to collect fees.
3. Reach goes to Text2Give, since more mobile devices can text than scan a QR Code.  The caveat is that most people over a certain age will not engage beyond the 1X text gift they gave, not to mention Smartphones could be the only mobile option available from major carriers in next handful of years.
4. Logistically, Text2Give campaigns are tedious. Donor data can be difficult to collect and integrate with existing database systems. QR Codes can bring users to a mobilized donation page that can be integrated with your existing donation system. Costs and monthly overhead are reasonable and well worth the initial hit for the time being saved with integration.
5. Text2Give has not proven itself as the holy grail of mobile fundraising. QR Codes haven’t been around enough to produce case studies or measurement among several organizations.

Text2Give is not going away, nor should certain nonprofits stop using this valuable mobile platform. It seems to be losing it’s luster, however, and it is certainly not the only answer to capturing mobile supporters.

Where will you place your bet? Do you know of any successful, innovative nonprofit QR Code or Text2Give campaigns?

YouTube is conducting a one-day educational workshop in San Francisco on April 2nd to help nonprofits get more from their use of YouTube. It’s open to all organizations that are part of the YouTube Nonprofit Program.

“We want to help non-profits turn their view counts into actions — dollars raised, petitions signed,” YouTube spokesperson Jessica Mason told Mashable.

Now if you’re not anywhere near San Francisco, you may want to consider attending the 2012 Nonprofit Technology Conference (4/2 through 4/5) and arriving a day early to attend YouTube Next Cause.

Jessica also shared four tips to build an audience on YouTube:

1. Reply to comments on your video.
2. Give commenters an action step (sign a petition, share video).
3. Regularly upload videos. I would add that consistency is as important as frequency. As your community builds, they eventually have expectations about how often they’ll see a video.
4. Don’t equate video content with big budgets. Invisible People and The Uncultured Project create very effective videos on a shoestring budget.

Why You Want to Join the YouTube Program

If your organization hasn’t joined YouTube’s Nonprofit Program (part of Google’s nonprofit program), you should and here’s why:

1. A branded YouTube channel. Here’s a plain vanilla YouTube channel, and here’s a branded channel. Notice the clickable header image at the top?
2. Ability to place a Call to Action overlay on your videos to raise money or find volunteers. Normally, links in videos can only link to other YouTube videos or channels, but when you join the nonprofit program, you can annotate your video with links directly to your website.
3. You’ll also get listed on the Nonprofit videos page which gives your videos even more exposure!

Four more tips on getting more from YouTube

1. Be smart about your video’s title and description. YouTube is the biggest video search engine on the planet. When people use Google and filter by video, YouTube is at the top of those results. Describe your video with words your supporters use–not the jargon you hear in your board meetings.
2. Add your website URL to the beginning of each video description. It’ll be the first thing people see right under your video, and it’s clickable.
3. Feature your best videos in your channels sidebar by creating playlists. Create playlists based on topics but also create a playlist at the top of the left-hand sidebar of your top-viewed videos. When people visit your channel, these videos will get even more views!
4. Post links to your videos on other social media channels. Almost everyone who uses Twitter and Facebook also uses YouTube. Create more eyeballs for your channel by posting links on Twitter and on your Facebook Page.

How is your org using YouTube?

Photo by qmnonic

Hands down the most successful type of cause marketing program on the planet are point-of-sale (POS) programs that involve store cashiers asking shoppers at the register to donate a dollar or more to a cause. These simple transactional programs can raise thousands of dollars for local charities, and millions of dollars for national organizations.

Just last December fashion brand Ann Taylor used POS to raise $4 million (a 40 percent increase over the year before) for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Frontline employees (i.e. cashiers, sales associates, etc.) are a key part to the success of these programs. Here are some of the things you can do to make sure employees are on board and soliciting shoppers.

Involve them from the start.

Make a point to speak directly to as many frontline employees as possible about the program. This will give you a chance to tell them about your cause and how the program work, to answer any questions, and, of course, to say thank you.

Show them how it impacts them.

One of the reasons cancer causes are cause marketing powerhouses is because the disease impacts just about everyone. One in three Americans has cancer. We all know someone who’s struggling with this terrible disease. That’s a powerful connection that drives employee participation.

But if you’re not a cancer cause, you have to find that personal link with your cause that will motivate frontline employees to support it. Sometimes they’ll do it for themselves (e.g. they have diabetes or love animals), or for that one co-worker that’s impacted by it (e.g. domestic violence, muscular dystrophy, an autistic child). Don’t let them regret for not doing more just because you didn’t connect the dots between your cause and its relevance to them.

Don’t stop managing them.

A cause marketing program is like any other in-store promotion. Managers need to train employees in it, encourage them to promote it, reward them when they do, and measure the results so they can be compared to the performance of other store locations. Giving a cause marketing program “special treatment” tells the rank and file that it’s not special at all.

Incentives work, sometimes.

I’ve written on the topic before so I won’t bore you. But the bottom line is that small incentives work best. And where there is no motivation, incentives won’t help. But they will further motivate employees who are already excited to do a good job (i.e. incentives are the icing on top of the cake!).

Keep it simple.

The ask at the register has to be one-sentence that the customer can understand and act on. When I used to work for a Boston hospital, our one-sentence ask included the name of the hospital. Unfortunately, this confused a lot of shoppers who were unfamiliar with our name. Instead, we switched to, “Would you like to donate a dollar to feed a sick child?” It’s hard to say no to that.

Don’t make them choose between making money and helping you.

A lot of times frontline workers are rewarded for signing shoppers up for the store’s credit card, upselling them an additional service, etc. During your cause marketing promotion, offer your own rewards, and get management to suspend other asks for the duration of your program. Employees will appreciate the fact that you didn’t add to their workload and deprive them of rewards.

My experience is that frontline employees want to help good causes. But you have to give them a reason to and make it easy for them to ask customers to give.

If you don’t, they’ll mark your program “No Sale.”

Photo by timlam18

After doing well with their previous business, RMH Teleservices, the Hansells wanted their next venture to do some good, help uplift corporate America and encourage employees. But they also wanted to reach out to the general public. That’s how they got the idea for ToonUps a decade ago.

Cause Gaming: Games for Good

ToonUps builds online games and apps that help encourage people positively to do good right on their social networks, like Facebook. Their mission is to “brighten the world.”

“The gaming world is the biggest revenue driver for Facebook,” says Ray Hansel, Co-Founder and CEO. “About 50% of Facebook users are playing games.”

In fact, according to Greg Hansell, VP of Product Development, “A vast majority of ad buys are from gaming companies on Facebook.”

And gaming isn’t just for teenage boys, he says. On Facebook, the typical gamer is a 30 year-old female.

“Gaming has become a prevalent medium,” Greg says. “People say, ‘I’m not playing games, I’m hanging out with my friends’.”

With this in mind, ToonUps saw the opportunity to spread some good with gaming apps and positive psychology.

“When you do a good deed . . . it helps you feel better [and] when you share that with others, you’re spreading that good feeling,” Ray says.

Ray says that ToonUps’ community of do-gooders take their gaming deeds and go beyond to support charities with donations.

“It closes the loop of cause gaming,” he says.

Building A Better World

A Better World

ToonUps first Facebook app in cause gaming is A Better World. The concept behind the game was based off of the popular virtual gifts users were sending to each other for all sorts of occasions.

A Better World was designed to reward players of doing good deeds both online and offline. Players can report these good deeds, share their gratitude, hopes, and dreams, send positive messages to each other, and earn currency (Do Good Gold and Positive Points).

In the meantime, users are working towards building their house. With more accomplishments, they can see it grow, with more rooms and floors. Anyone with a big house is because they did a lot of good.

Building Communities for Good

Their first social good campaign was with CURE International, a nonprofit that provides various surgeries for kids in underdeveloped countries. The game challenged its players to do one million acts of good, and if they collectively reached that goal, they’d pay for 10 kids to get surgeries to walk. They reached their goal with a week left to go in the two months allotted.

This month, A Better World has partnered with Integral Heart, a foundation founded by a husband and wife offering educational programs in Guatemala. The players were challenge to send 50,000 hearts by the end of February, and if they reach their goal, they’ll bring electricity to two Guatemalan schools.

A Better World has taken the concept of online gaming beyond its original intent. And the results of cause gaming are real and tangible. Users see that they were directly involved in bringing light to two schools and providing life-altering surgeries for children in underdeveloped countries.

This is still a very new concept, but there’s no doubt that it’ll continue to be explored, and creative ways of using it for social good will be developed. It’s exciting to see where this will go, but most importantly, how much social good it’ll help produce.

Do you think cause gaming will one day play an important part in the work of nonprofits?

Photo by familymwr

Americans are funny. We love a great competition! Nothing is more exciting than a thrilling winner or watching someone get close to achieve a notable goal. Just look at all of the momentum currently surrounding Twitchange Founder Shaun King in his effort to fund HopeMob with $125,000. It’s been exciting to get Shaun’s updates as he funds his would-be social enterprise.

Yet when it comes to social good–even though we celebrate the winner–our culture hates to see losers. In fact, creating losers in the nonprofit space is one of the least palatable outcomes possible for a contest, initiative, or a fundraiser.

As someone who develops gamification strategies for giving days and other contest-based fundraisers, the most important element is creating a means for everyone to benefit. No matter what, a low level performer has to feel like they got something from the contest or effort, even if it’s just a handful of new donors.

Some see this “everyone wins” concept as robbing the sanctity of a contest. But in reality, what you are allowing people to do is save face, and continue to feel good about their efforts to affect social change. In traditional Chinese culture, saving face means protecting someone’s honor.

With social good initiatives, there are best practices and ways to achieve change. But many people are not professional social activists, rather citizens who want to make change happen. They may have a tough issue. And maybe they are learning as they go, or this is a one time effort.

Change and doing good is a spiritual journey. Hopefully it encourages people to do more and more as their life progresses.

Consider this general community growth–individual by individual–in context with winning. Greatness and winning feels good no matter what, yet we have to emphasize progress over perfection when it comes to social change. Rewarding excellence can encourage more collective good, but only if it is done within the proper context.

Whether it is a dollar donated by a five year old, or time volunteered by low-salaried workers, every contribution towards progress means something. That’s why a smart social good contest makes dozens, hundreds even thousands of winners, rather than a Machiavellian blood sport.

What do you think of contests, gamification, and social good?

Photo by Anirudh Koul

This is a guest post by Tracy Sestili.

More often than not, nonprofits make the number one mistake of talking about themselves and tweeting or posting on Facebook about what they are up to, how they are in the news, and about events coming up. While it is true that your constituents do want to know what you are up to, they also want you to ask them what they are up to. People love to engage with brands of all kinds – including nonprofits.

Just like in a social networking event, you make small talk with people you don’t know and you get to know a little more about them. As you get to know them better they will volunteer information without you asking for it. For example, typically, a person you just met is not going to tell you that you have parsley in your teeth, but someone you know well will tell you without you having to ask.

Whether you are going for number of fans or fan engagement, you gotta give a little to get a little.

Increasing Engagement

• – Ask a question that’s relevant and don’t take it personally that no one or few people respond just because you thought the question was a good one. You have to work on engagement. You can’t just throw a question out there and then expect massive engagement the first time. People need to know that there really is a person behind the profile and that you really do care about getting an answer to the question you threw out there. Show that you really want to have a conversation.
• – For Facebook, encourage commenting by asking a question related to the post and encourage sharing by asking them to “Please Share:” before a given post. The more comments, the higher the EdgeRank of your post (Facebook’s algorithm for how posts appear in other’s news feeds). The more shares, the higher the EdgeRank and the longer it will stay relevant in people’s news feeds.

Getting More Followers:

• – For Twitter, if you want more followers, you need to follow more people. Do a search on FollowerWonk to see who has your cause listed in their Twitter profile and then follow them. Once they see you tweet about something they are passionate about, they will follow you back. Since they are interested in your cause, they will more than likely amplify your messages.
• – For Facebook, your best bet is giving a shout out to partners and even competitors within the industry by tagging them in your post. If you tag them in your post, then your post will show up on their Facebook wall (if they allow that). Remember you have to “Like” their page first before tagging them. Now of course, you can get more fans by giving something away as small as a $25 gift card. But keep in mind that although this will give you higher numbers, it won’t necessarily translate into quality fans that will donate or amplify your message.

Regardless of what you are going for, increasing engagement and following relevant people who are just as passionate about your cause as you are will pay off ten-fold in the long run. It’s better to have a small group of fans who are passionate than a large group of fans who are inactive. By just asking fans/followers what else they would want to see from you, will go a long way.

By now you’ve heard about Pinterest, the social site that allows people to share images and videos, follow boards and people, and re-pin stuff they find interesting. And you’ve probably read a few articles about how to use Pinterest to promote your cause, raise money, and find new audiences.

But have you prepared your organization’s website for interest?

Why should you care about Pinterest?

First of all, why should you give an owl’s hoot about Pinterest? There are a few reasons, including how it’s one of the few social networks where women are the predominant demographic. It’s also the fastest growing social networking site on the planet–ever.

There’s a massive party over at Pinterest. Are you invited?

Meanwhile, at your website…

Pinned by Laura

At first glance, it might seem that there’s no relationship between the Pinterest party and the snoozefest on your website. After all the goals you have for your website are really not about Pinterest, which makes sense because, well… Pinterest is not your website.

You have goals like:

• Getting new visitors
• Getting visitors to stick around longer
• Getting visitors to share your goods with their friends

If you take a look at these these goals, you’ll notice that they all have one thing in common: Shareable content on your website.

How People Use Pinterest to Share Content on a Website

When Pinterest users visit a website, they have the ability to pin photos or videos on your website by using a browser plug-in, saving an image on your website and uploading it into Pinterest, or entering a URL from your website into Pinterest (as shown below).

When someone enters a URL from your website into Pinterest, they will be able to scroll through the various different images on your site, and then select the juiciest one to share on Pinterest!

Is your website-optimized for Pinterest?

Because people might be visiting your website at this very moment looking for something to share on Pinterest, it probably makes sense to make sure that your site actually works! Here are 8 ideas:

1. First, test your website with Pinterest. Do this now: copy the URLs of your most visited pages and copy them into Pinterest by clicking on Add at the top of Pinterest and then into the URL field you’ll see after you click Add A Pin in the pop-up window. (Note: you need to have a Pinterest account to do this.)
2. If you’re having problems getting Pinterest to pull in images, talk to your web master (if you have one of those).
3. If you’re using WordPress, you can use the Open Graph Meta plugin to sniff out the problems (pulling the right photo from a post or page).
4. Make sure each page or post has a featured image. This is the image Pinterest will pull in. WordPress users can do this easily.
5. Chop up Infographs. Infographics as you know are sometimes very, very tall images. Pinterest doesn’t play nicely with infographs. Make sure yours are chopped up into stand-alone sections.
6. Get the Digg Digg plugin like the one I have at my blog. The folks over at Buffer own this plugin, so you can bet that it’s very reliable. If you don’t use WordPress for your website, check out the Buffer Button.
7. Follow the five points of Pinterest etiquette, which are pretty much common sense.
8. Make sure your content is pin-worthy. Start thinking about how to make your website content (particularly images and video) remarkable, emotional and interesting.
9. Add text to images. When someone pins an image from your site, all that’s taken with them is the image. For some images on your site, it might be a good idea to add text or a URL to the image. This way, your branding and/or URL go along for the ride as people re-pin the image.

These are a few ideas to make your website ready for Pinterest.

What else would you add?

Photo by ksantome

We’re happy to have Robin Lane back here to guest post for us! Check out her last post: Facing Your Fear of Social Media.

So many choices, so little time. Today’s world has social media platforms a plenty. The problem is for most of us we are one person maneuvering and managing dozens of channels. So, how do you do it all? The simple answer: you don’t.

Not all social media platforms are created equal. Each outlet has a different audience with different objectives. It is important to understand the business potential and audience of each choice so you don’t force fit your campaign into the incorrect platform. Remember: square peg + square hole= success.

While there are multiple options, let’s start with the big three.

Facebook

Facebook has become the modern customer loyalty program. Businesses lure users in with promises of deals, discounts or special insider information, all in exchange for your email address. Dozens of email addresses add up to an impressive opt-in email marketing database to send future mailings.

While Facebook provides users with one main page for basic information, it offers the option to create multiple tabs. Organizations can easily create a simple membership or donation tab to allow users to easily join, donate, or get more information with a single click.

In addition, Facebook can help promote events. Create an event and invite your fans. Then ask them to share with their friends. Just like in high school, the big party will grow on its own and people you’ve never even met will show up to enjoy.

Twitter

Tweeting allows you to have a very informal conversation with some of today’s biggest names. How many times can you say, “Well, earlier I was tweeting with @Alyssa_Milano and she thinks…” and have it be real?

Twitter can be a great promotion vehicle when used in moderation. Find the biggest names in your industry, start conversations with them, and begin to raise awareness for your cause. You can follow policy makers to stay on top of issues and offer your opinions. But most of all, give yourself and your cause a personality. The more people you can get involved on Twitter the more likely your opinion and topic will be to get noticed.

Don’t forget to include links in all your informational tweets. You only have 140 characters, so link people to more information. Lead them back to your Facebook page or your website or wherever you want the web traffic to be directed.

LinkedIn

Where, oh where do I find others partners and leaders to connect with in a very professional fashion? Oh wait, LinkedIn.

The key word here is professional. The purpose of LinkedIn is to expand your business network and find new opportunities. This audience is looking to discuss business issues, get feedback and interact with others in the same situation.

Don’t jump in and start your own group, join other groups and get an idea of the landscape, then build a network that will help further your cause. Invite leaders of industry, potential partners, and other like-minded professionals to your group to get business advice and connections that will help further your goals.

While these platforms have shown their staying power, there are new platforms popping up each day. And, some of them have knocked even the big guys out of the high-traffic lead… yes Pinterest, I mean you.

Pinterest

With 11.7 million unique users, according to comScore, Pinterest has become the fastest growing site in history to break the 10 million unique visitor mark. In fact, the site has done more for referral traffic to retailers than LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+.

So, what can a highly-ranked site where you can create your “mission” in pictures do for you? With pinners declaring their style and products they love, the site, despite the recent controversy, has been praised for its impact on sales.

Pinterest is a site that flourishes from pictures, evoking emotions like “love” and “need,” why not “care?” Use it to impact your membership or increase donations. Grab a board and start pinning the pictures that tell your story!

While these are only a few ways to leverage different social media platforms, the key is in understanding each outlet’s audience. Identifying the most powerful use of each social media platform will not only prevent your head from exploding but may just increase the effectiveness of your campaign. Map out your major campaigns, determine the best platform for your desired results and then focus your efforts.

Photo by cote

I’m a big fan of iPhone apps that help me be a more productive cause marketer. The apps you use, regardless of which device you own, support your fundraising efforts. I’m curious what they are and which ones you use most during the day, beginning when you wake up in the morning.

By way of comparison and to get the ball rolling here are my top apps in order of daily use.

Keep in mind I’m interested in the apps that appear on your first screen. Those are the ones you use most!

7:00 a.m. – Email

Email is the first thing I look at in the morning, usually while I’m still in bed. I check my email all day long. I’ve tried picking set times to respond to it but so far it hasn’t stuck. I’ve never tried anything else for my email than the native app on my iPhone. I’d love to hear your suggestions, if you have any.

7:00 to 8:30 a.m. – NotifyMe

After I get up, I help my wife get the kids ready for school, feed myself, and pick up the house. During that time I can hear my phone buzzing with alerts from my NotifyMe app. “Email proposal to Jane today.” “Call John before 10am.” I like NotifyMe for a couple of reasons. NotifyMe is dead simple to schedule a to-do, how often it should repeat, and reminders (e.g. every ten minutes, one hour, etc.). Of all the task apps I’ve tried, I’m amazed how few have these few basic features. A lot of the them will just remind you once. I want to be reminded until the to-do is done! NotifyMe is a to-do alarm clock with a snooze button.

8:35 a.m. – Remember the Milk

After I get the kids to school, I check out my to-do list for the day on Remember the Milk. While NotifyMe is great for reminding me of time sensitive things that need to get done. I take the long view on my tasks with RTM. For every to-do, I enter the due date and give it a priority ranking from one (most important) to four. Each day I choose three important tasks and make them a high priority so I can get them done.

I add to my RTM list throughout the day and happily mark tasks completed.

9:00 a.m. – AnalyticsPro, Constant Contact Quick View

I usually check my numbers on my blog and newsletter a few times a day. With my blog, I try to look beyond the raw numbers to get a sense from where I’m getting traffic and what people are searching for on my blog. With my newsletter, I focus on click rate and attempt to send hateful telepathic messages to unsubscribers.

At $6.99, AnalyticsPro is the most expensive app I own.

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Simplenote, Calendar, Dropbox, QR Reader for iPhone, Google Voice, Twitter

I generally work at home so I’m on my MacBook all day. Still, I rely on a number of apps.

I’m a big fan of Simplenote. I have the app on my phone and desktop. One touch of the Simplenote button and I can write a note, tag and save it. I use it for just about everything, even my daily workout.

My favorite app of all is Dropbox. If only other apps functioned as well as Dropbox! Honestly, I use Dropbox mainly on my laptop. But when I’m traveling and want to review a document or practice a presentation on the fly, this app comes in handy.

I use the native Calendar on the iPhone. I really like the weekly landscape view they added in the last major update. I’ve tried the Agenda app, and but I didn’t stick with it.

I use the most popular QR code reader in Apple’s app store, QR Reader for iPhone, for scanning codes for my second book, QR Codes for Dummies.

I have a Google Voice number that I use strictly for incoming calls from clients. I like Google Voice. I must say that I never tried Skype until last week, but I liked it. I might be using Skype more.

Being home all day by myself, my closest companion is Twitter. I never feel alone.

3:00 p.m. – Starbucks, Camera, Pinterest, Google Maps

For an afternoon break, I head to Starbucks and use their mobile payment app. If I have errands to run and see a cause marketing promotion I’ll snap a picture and upload it to Pinterest and ping Twitter and Facebook. I still use the Posterous app for pictures, but I’m finding Pinterest a better place to spend my time.

If I have to travel to an appointment I’ll use Google Maps, but I plan to give Waze a try.

Downtime – Google Reader, Music, Twitter

I’m not a big Music fan, but I find Barry Manilow’s Greatest Hits album as wonderfully alluring as the next guy. My number one destination for casual reading on my Google Reader are health and wellness blogs, including Mark’s Daily Apple. Twitter, of course, is an endless source of education and amusement for me.

The last app I check before bed is AnalyticsPro. I check unique visitors and page views and promise myself to try harder tomorrow. Data drives the day.

That’s what is on my phone. What’s on yours?

Photo by Mykl Roventine

I had an interesting conversation with my family this weekend about “the secret to success.” How many blog reiterations of that topic do you read a day? Almost all of social media blog posts you read are how-tos on making things work, right?

But the reality is that we have to fail before we really know what success looks like. The social media best practices you read in this blog come from people who’ve tried and failed and tried again until we’ve found something that worked. The first step to that, though, is not being afraid of defeat.

Not Being Afraid of Defeat

The fear of losing, screwing up, or embarrassing ourselves is something we all have, and sometimes do everything to avoid it. But an important question to ask is: what’s really so bad about defeat?

If you lose, you can try to win again. If you screw up, you can think of a way to fix it. And embarrassments pass, people forget.

I know this doesn’t apply for every situation (yes, there are some defeats you just can’t fix or undo) but if you think the feasible outcome is worth it, the crazy strategy you have in place could work, and the possible consequences don’t outweigh the risk, then why not go for it?

Learn How to Be Defeated

Defeat can make or break us. In the case of social media fundraising, if we figure out what didn’t work, we can readjust our strategy and try again.

It’s hard to do that, though, when you put so much energy and all of your faith into something that just fails. The disappointment is heavy and drowning. But this is where we need to have the right mindset to break through what disappointment can do to us.

If we don’t throw in the towel, and we take a look at things objectively, I think we become stronger and wiser after defeat. Defeat is humbling, a harsh reality check. It’s the hammer and chisel that shape us. And we can use that every once in a while.

Defeat tells us what’s wrong with something. It sheds light onto mistakes we obviously didn’t see before, so it can be a good thing. But we need to learn how to deal with it first. We need to let defeat do its job.

I’d like to hear your thoughts.