For the last two weeks or so, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has been blowing up my Facebook feed. And unless you live in the land of zero social media, it likely has been in your feeds too. As a blogger, I’m always trying to stay one step ahead of technology and on the look out for the next biggest thing. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge may have brought 1.3 million new donors to their cause, but it also gave me some very powerful reminders as it relates to the craft of blogging.
Here are five lessons bloggers can learn from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
1. Think outside the box.
Part of the reason why the ice bucket challenge worked was because it was just so stinking fun and unique. I’m not saying you should pour a bucket of ice over your head during your next sponsored post, but I am challenging you to think more creatively.
While it is true that in blogland there really isn’t much new under the sun, your creativity when it comes to content creation will set you apart.
2. A specific call to action is powerful.
The call to action for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was specific and targeted.
“I nominate John Doe, Betty Sue, and Ronald Jones to particiapte in the ice bucket challenge. You have 24 hours to make a $100 donation to ALS or dump a bucket of ice over your head and make a smaller donation.”
When is the last time you asked your reader to do something that specific?
I know that I haven’t. For me, it feels a bit bossy and I’m seeing now that I rely a bit too heavily on my Sharaholic social media sharing buttons at the bottom of my posts. I’ve got them installed and that has felt good enough. But then again, when someone asks me to do something specific at the end of their blog post, I often do it.
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For me, I’ll be using my call to action beyond just asking a question to jump start the conversation in the comments. Going forward, I’ll be asking people share a post on a specific social media site or to subscribe to my newsletter.
3. Sharing is caring and networking is king (or queen).
This challenge went viral because it had a tagging and sharing component. It was a modern day chain letter with a really fun twist.
Bloggers, when is the last time you reached out to someone and asked them specifically to help share your content? And likewise, when is the last time you were asked?
I passively share my content on all of the major social media outlets, but very rarely do I take it further and share it specifically with someone I want to read it. There is a fine line between promoting myself and spamming the rest of the world. BUT, from time to time on a post you know someone else would really love, I think it is a great idea!
I’ve spoken to a few of my blogging friends who have had their work featured on major sites. They got their “in” by sharing the post on Twitter and tagging the editor.
There are also a ton of bloggers who love to do a weekly link round up of the best things they’ve read. Why not try reaching out to your favorite blogger? Maybe you’ll end up on their round up!
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In other words, I need to be more bold. And so do you!
Remember, a personal interaction and genuine interaction is best! Try emailing, reaching out via Twitter direct message, or sending a PM on Facebook.
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4. Timing is everything.
Part of the reason why the Ice Bucket Challenge was such a home run was because they launched it during the hottest days of summer. An ice bucket challenge in winter likely wouldn’t have caught on.
In the same vein, the ice bucket challenge has reminded me just how important it is to look at the seasons and holidays when I’m planning my blog content. It is late August, the ship sailed on back to school ideas because the kids are already in school. But it is the perfect time to start brainstorming and planning fall and Halloween themed posts!
5. Beware of the copy cat.
Did you know that last year between July 29th and August 24th of 2013, ALS raised $2.5 million dollars? This year, during the same dates, the #alsicebucketchallenge has helped raise over 70 million dollars for the ALS Association. I am not a math queen, but that is a serious amount of growth!
You can bet your bottom dollar that there are other companies who are trying to capitalize on the success of the ice bucket challenge. It won’t be long before we see copy cat challenges happening.
While it is okay to be inspired by something, please don’t be a copy cat. If someone has inspired your blog post or idea, thank them for the inspiration in the introduction of your post!
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I happily completed the ice bucket challenge and made a small donation to ALS. However, I did it at the park at the tail end of Malone and Lola’s birthday party and our friend’s foster daughter made her way into the video. Out of respect for their privacy and to insure they follow the social media and privacy guidelines set forth by the State of MA, I will not be posting the video on social media.
Did you participate in the challenge? What do you think about how well it has caught on?
If you liked this post, I would love for you to pin it on Pinterest and share it with your blogging friends.
Great parallels and good advice, especially about timing. Too bad about the video!!
Nancy recently posted..Finding Community.
I was bummed about the video too. But real life trumps online life!
Thanks for the great reminders and the push to be a little bolder in my asking friends to share. I have worried about the asking being either to bossy or spam-like.
Amy P Boyd recently posted..Change {Five Minute Friday}
Amy, I think that if you ask your tribe you’ll find the response to be really great. I have only asked a handful of times, but those posts have traveled far and wide and are some of my best posts to date according to their pageviews!
This was really great NJ! I’m going to be thinking of all of this!!
Aprille @beautifulinhistime.com recently posted..Beyond the ABCs and 123s {in which preschool resources aren’t enough}
Thanks Aprille! I know it is a lot of info to digest!
GREAT tips for passing it on, paying it forward, and giving back. LOVE all those and certainly work toward them, daily. The asking is what gets me; I’ll have to work on that, as well. I did do the challenge – a bit differently, given my own health sitch. Hopefully it ended up being okay. The awareness factor for all things giving has just been insane. For everyone. With so much negativity in the world, this is some darn good positivity.
thanks for your thoughts and for sharing
Sandra Lynn recently posted..My ALS Ice Bucket Challenge – VIDEO
I think the ASKING is the hardest part of all. There is such a fine line between being super spammy and genuinely asking other to help. If it helps you at all, I’m going to likely follow the 80/20 rule. Ask 20% of the time and share other’s content the other 80%.
That’s a pretty good rule of thumb. Though I’m not sure how well it works. I’m a sharer (heck, it’s in the name of my SITE, lol) and I do it pretty darn randomly and freely and I LOVE to do it generously and MOST definitely genuinely. But then I run across so many takers and I just get so disenchanted sometimes I do try not to but…
I’m in the middle, this month, of trying to help some friends who’ve run across some troubles – and boy HOWDY, where did ALL those folks go who had their hands out in the past (and I don’t mean to me but to a couple of the folks I’m trying to help…) Where are they now when help is needed here…just makes me sad.
ANYway, I’m not going to stop paying it forward. Feels too good Selfish, really
Sandra Lynn recently posted..To ALL the Haters Out There – Meet Lyn
Smart ideas here NJ. I would have never drawn any of these conclusions on my own but I can see them now.
Tara Newman recently posted..Meal Plan Inspiration|August 24, 2014
Thank you, Tara! I’m glad that I was able to help facilitate these conclusions for you! There is a lot that can be learned from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!
You know, I never made a correlation between the ice bucket challenge and blogging, but I love that you did! My page views have been terrible lately and I have just been bummed out with blogging. I need to try some of these strategies, but, as you said, sometimes there is a fine line and I’ve always been pretty passive. SO, I accept your challenge and I will be pinning this post!!!
Lisa @ The Golden spoons recently posted..Ten Pics On My Phone {#TuesdayTen}
I think everyone’s pageviews have been terrible lately! It is the combo of end of summer and back to school. I know that I’ve only been reading a small portion of the blogs I typically do, I just don’t have the time!
I think you should try a few of these out, you won’t know if they work unless you give them a try!
What a creative post and comparison! I’m definitely on the passive side when it comes to sharing my posts. Sure, like you, I post on social media, but I don’t even do it on my personal Facebook page because…well, I’m not entirely sure why! Nervousness? Fear? I don’t know.
These are definitely some very valuable lessons to learned from the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, and who would have thought they could be applied to blogging? Great post, NJ!
Bev recently posted..Couples who DIY together, stay together….or something like that
This was like an awesome English paper, NJ – your comparisons and parallels were so accurate, and resulted in some great tips for bloggers. It’s easy for me to pin on Ahalogy from my laptop, so consider yourself pinned! Happy to share such great information.
Dana recently posted..Beginnings and ends
Love your ice bucket inspired thoughts on blogging. I can totally relate to the passive posting comment & I’ve been trying to figure out how to politely ask the “influencers” in my life to share the content. Fear is ugly & gets in my way a LOT!!
That’s a great analysis!! Indeed there is a lot to learn from such campaigns!
Roshni recently posted..The final drastic step: remarriage
Yes! I’ve been thinking the same thing. Just like with viral posts, the nasty trolls came out for the Ice Bucket challenge too. I also had a self revelation while reading your post. I cannot stop myself from clicking on tweetables. I am like a lazy moth drawn to sharing when I run across them. I need to remember to put them in my posts but they can be such a pain in the rear.
This is great advice, NJ!
Alison recently posted..Through The Lens Thursday #35: Texture
Very interesting insights! Definitely that campaign was beyond successful and also shows us that, actually, not everything under the sun has been done (though you said that) because though the ice bucket challenge isn’t new, it was done in a new way that got everyone’s attention. Definitely be creative, like you said! And I also read on Blog Clarity that you really do have to promote yourself and get your readers and followers to do specific things! That’s ok! Though honestly I don’t like that I have to “connect my account” to your share bar so that deterred me at first from sharing. I did share it “manually” though.
I love this, NJ! Great tips and you make me think – what do I ask my readers to do? Nothing really. I should. Thanks for writing this!
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haven’t seen much of the ice bucket challenge now. Think it’s slowly dying out. Great message though and love how you’re using it as an example for blogging tips. Very relevant. Cheers for the share!
Toby @ One Six Zeros recently posted..Ready Set GO! I’m on Full Throttle This Weekend
Very smart parallels! I do like the very clear call to action!
Shell recently posted..Get the Behavior You Want Without Being the Parent You Hate!
These are good lessons we can learn. It is really cool that we can apply all situations to blogging and learn from them.
Julie S. recently posted..Kitchen Cabinet Hardware Update Project
All of these are so true. I too was amazed at the popularity of the ice bucket challenge. At first, I thought it was a little silly, but when next door neighbor was diagnosed with ALS, I realized that it wasn’t silly, but was an ingenius way of raising awareness! Thanks for raising my awareness. Blogger can learn a lesson from this!
Elizabeth recently posted..4 Things You Need to Know About Gratitude
[…] Lessons Bloggers Can Learn from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge via A Cookie Before Dinner. The ice bucket challenge swept the nation, and here are some great takeaways for bloggers who want more reach! […]
I love this post, it has lots of great advice!