One great way to increase a company’s sales is to hold a nonprofit promotional event—something that contributes to the public good. Such events are a way of showing appreciation for the goodwill of the neighborhood. They also generate goodwill for the company, which makes regular marketing efforts more effective. To promote such an event, you will want to hire a freelance writer.
For example, Disneyland partners with the Orange County Water District in California to put on a water education festival for children every year. Other water suppliers offer native landscaping contests to customers, where local landscape companies volunteer the judges. AutoZone puts on free oil recycling events, encouraging customers to recycle, rather than dump oil down the storm drains.
There is a particular way of promoting such events to generate maximum exposure and public involvement. Press releases, mailing list announcements, flyers in public places, public service announcements on local television and radio stations are methods commonly used. For all of these, you will want to hire a freelance writer with experience in this type of promotion.
How to Find a Writer for Events
The first step is to look among existing staff. The second is to look at writers crowd sourcing sites online. Among your own staff look for:
- Employees in marketing who do volunteer work. They will already have been utilizing their skills to promote events for their nonprofit. They may even be involved in a nonprofit with whom you can cosponsor an event.
- An in-house political activist. Political activists have the courage to think outside the box. If they can write too, they will provide unique ideas for promoting your event. They may have contacts with unusual avenues for promotion. And there’s a good chance they have presentation skills.
- Anyone else in the company who volunteers for nonprofit work—not someone who donates, but who is actively involved. They will know how a nonprofit operates. Check to see if they write well, or check to see who does the PR for their group.
Promoting nonprofit events is different from promoting a product or service. Rather than selling benefits to consumers, the event focuses on changing the world in some way, making the world a better place. The company name and reputation are thereby linked with doing good. The more genuine the effort, the better potential buyers will respond. When they feel good about a company, they will respond with warmth to the company’s normal advertising and will ultimately increase your sales.
When searching outside the company, look for the same qualities. Many writers sites have a comments section where you can ask specifically for a writer with nonprofit or political PR experience. Having such experience is key to the ultimate success of your project.
Susette H is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
