In case you missed any of these, here are our Top Ten blog posts from 2012, along with some commentary on why I think they made the Top Ten.
1. The Accidental Rebranding of Komen for the Cure. This obviously turned into a huge story, but since I was one of the first to blog about the nonprofit marketing implications (in other words, I newsjacked it), I was quoted by many other sources, bringing lots and lots of traffic (see #9). That post received 10 times as much traffic as our second most popular post of the year . . .
2. How Ryan Gosling Thanked a Major Donor. Hunky star power, plain and simple.
3. 2012 Nonprofit Communications Trends – Infographic. Trends are always hot, as are infographics. We’ll release the 2013 data and infographics on January 14, 2013.
4. My Communications Director is an Idiot. Provocative headline, with real substance behind it. Lots of great commentary and sharing in the comments on this one.
5. No Wonder Retention of Online Donors Is So Bad. The results of my “thank you” experiment, or what communications I received after giving unsolicited gifts to many national nonprofits.
6. Be Generous: Nonprofits Offer Facebook Timeline Covers. This was timely, as everyone was trying to figure out how to deal with Timeline. And Facebook is always a popular topic for nonprofits.
7. Online Fundraising Stats and Trends for Nonprofits. Helpful data summaries are always appreciated, especially on topics like online fundraising where nonprofits are trying to figure out appropriate benchmarks.
8. Top Five Words to Avoid to Achieve Messaging Awesomeness. Another short, quick, helpful list, this time from guest blogger Erica Mills.
9. Newsjacking: The New Way to Get Media Attention. Media relations is changing, because the jobs of journalists are changing, and this book review explained how to capitalize on that.
10. How Social Media and Fundraising Fit Together. A nice “cheat sheet” for those of you trying to figure this one out.
Looking at this list, I see these trends:
#1, #4, and #5 — 3 of the top 5 — were more provocative opinion or commentary.
#2, #6, and #8 were practical tips or examples.
#9 and #10 were plain-English explanations of concepts that nonprofit communicators need to understand.
#3 and #7 were reporting on data that people are looking for.
Do you want more of the same or something else from this blog in 2013?
I used unique page views in Google Analytics to determine the Top Ten.
