A Pledge to Our Partners.

As the year comes to an end and we look forward to starting the new year with you...(ok, let's get real...we've already started on the work for 2012!...hellooo newsletters and spring mockups!)...we want to remind you about our commitment to you and your mission.

So, I pulled a bit out of our most resent embark newsletter... because, well, it's how we feel, what we want you to know, and what we do, everyday. for you, our partner.

• Every day, our team of professionals will provide you service that exceeds your expectations.
• Every day, we will listen to your needs and respond to your requests.
• Every day, we will give your projects, packages, and programs the attention to quality they deserve.
• Every day, we are committed to your success, and will assure that all details are attended to without error or oversight.
• Every day, we will ensure that your activities are aligned with your organization’s strategic vision. We will know your organization as a whole in order to support your mission.
• Every day, we will continue to grow and learn to make ourselves experts in our field in order to serve you better.
• Every day, we will go the extra mile to get you the results you need to advance your mission.

Happy Howlidays!

P.S. And to really drive the point home, Every day, you get our best. That's our pledge to you.

P.P.S. Read our full newsletter (embark) here!

Spirit of the Social Community

The seasonal decorations. The twinkling lights. The pretty packages with festive bows. They all invoke warm feelings about the holiday season and the joy of the togetherness that comes this time of year. Truly, the holiday spirit is about community.

As they are appreciating the togetherness of family and friends in the spirit of the season, many will be using websites like Facebook and Twitter to reach out to others. Your social media outreach at this time of year has the opportunity to influence and extend the feeling of community that is so prevalent during the holiday season.

Share in the holiday spirit with messages that will break through the clutter and stand out, so others will be inspired to share and spread your mission. Stories about who you are helping, pictures that show how you do it, and opportunities for volunteering and donating are all ways to embrace what social media is really all about: sharing, caring, and connecting.

Thankful

Thank YOU!

This time of year, many of us give thanks for the people in our lives and the things that we appreciate most. As you make your lists of whom and what you are thankful for, we thank you for allow us to share ours with you through this blog.

The following is a short “Thankful” list (in no particular order) from the folks here at Alpha Dog Marketing.

• We are thankful for our partners, who have chosen to associate with us in order to help fulfill their noble and necessary missions. We work with many organizations, and each and every one is
  important to us.
• We are thankful for our employees and co-workers. Without them, there would be no Alpha Dog Marketing, so we give thanks to them for their dedication, commitment, and support.
• We are thankful for our colleagues and friends in the business and nonprofit communities. The encouragement and collaboration we receive from vendors, associates, service providers and yes,
  even our competitors, is truly appreciated.

What are you thankful for? Feel free to share your“thankful” list with us in the comments section.

Google+ Is Now Open To Nonprofits

Google+, the search engine company’s new social networking platform, launched earlier this year, but began with only allowing individuals to create profiles and use the network to connect to others in “circles.” Now this week, Google has announced that the platform is now open for business – allowing companies and organizations create pages to promote their business. 

Ahem....that means nonprofits, too.

It’s up to you to decide if your nonprofit should create a Google+ page. The Chronicle of Philanthropy has created a page that shows how some nonprofits have already started to use Google+ for social networking. It's a great place to explore the PAWsibilities of this place for networking and for nuggets of information.

If you do (or will soon...or will sometime in the future) create a page, Alpha Dog Marketing would love to be a part of your circle, and have you join ours. We will be adding partners, colleagues, friends (2 and 4 legged!) and followers to our page, so stop back and see what's going down in the new  to see what’s new. Follow this link to our page and start connecting in a new way.

Have your elevator speech ready?

Be ready with your "elevator speech"
even if you aren't on the elevator.

Do you have an “elevator speech” for your organization?

What is an elevator speech? you ask.

An elevator speech is a brief description of what you do, presented in the time it takes for an average elevator ride. These types of presentations should be only about 30 seconds, no longer than two minutes. They are great for television and radio interviews, or if someone in an elevator asks you what it is you do.

To sum up the unique mission of your organization in a way that inspires others should be fundamental to your marketing and planning. But many don’t realize how effective this small yet important statement can be. Or worse, their statement is outdated and stale, based on a past brand identity that has evolved into something else.

An organization should have a freshly prepared elevator speech for anyone who communicates with the public, including executives, staff, board, and other advocates. While you may not actually be doing the making a speech in an elevator, and even if your opportunity to make the speech is a planned event, you should still always be prepared to capture attention quickly and succinctly.

Having a passion for your mission is one thing. You know what you do, and you do it well. But how well you spark interest in those outside your organization will set you apart when the opportunity arises. Continue to perfect your elevator speech, and you’ll be on top the next time someone asks you “what exactly do you do?”

Read on, Read away

Hot off the presses!
Extra, Extra!
Read all about Alpha Dog Marketing!

(that was sorta supposed to sound like a boy in a cap on the corner of 2nd and main selling newspapers...or in this case, newsletters...but not selling them, giving them away for free).

But really....go on ahead and read our newest issue of embark. It's great!  

Want to receive it in your inbox? We made a handy-dandy sign up area over there to the right. (Don't fret, it's super easy to do).

txt 2 gve (that's Text To Give)

Being from the non-profit arena, I'm sure you fall somewhere along the line between "I've heard of texting a donation" to "we've barked up that tree, we've integrated it, and have XX many donors that give that way."

No matter where you find yourself on that line, it's good and healthy for your nonprofit to keep up to date on best practices as well as tips and tricks of the trade...even if you don't plan on incorporating the latest craze quite yet.

I came across an article a few days ago and thought it would be good to share. It's a nice short read, so, go on, and get you some knowledge here!