When Trending Becomes The Norm

Trending in social media has shifted dramatically when companies like Facebook are publically traded. What was once a monumental wave of accessible marketing has quickly been clamped down and monetized to make board room profit margins and ROI reports. This isn't news, particularly if you track trends in marketing.  So the question is how to maximize impressions and minimize marketing costs?  The answer rests on several factors.

1. What is the product / service you are pushing?  Is it a necessity or a luxury? We at HowGiving has looked at this carefully when our vision was originally cast over 2 years ago.  The first concept was a necessity - creating a tool that automatically pulled in contact data from several sources, providing a simple way to sort through and select contacts from the inner-most concentric circle of friends, family, co-workers or network in 'favorites' then chronologically listing special events or holidays such as birthdays or anniversaries. From there, users could easly click into a variety of premium storefronts carrying gifts to remember these 'favorites' and never miss an important event again.

2. Will it make a difference or will it make a brief headline?  Our commitment from the very beginning was to stay true to our beliefs.  Our core values have and will remain Christian values and because of this, we are committed to making a difference in the world.  Within our app is a list of charities we feel embody the same values in making a difference in the world through humanitarian outreach, response or education.  Users of the app are presented opportunities to review and consider these notable charities and if inclined, can further pursue their cause or mission objective. Our hope is that the art of giving becomes philanthropic at the same time users are remembering their friends, family or cohorts.  

3. Is there a genuine target audience or is this a generally available tool?  HowGiving is intentionally targeting users with two specific characteristics; 1.) users with on-line shopping confidence who additionally understand managing contacts through technology and 2.) users who desire to remember others through giving and/or users who care about humanitarian causes realizing the impact of charitable giving. 

Taking into consideration these factors the resulting trend occurs through a solid foundational network of users strategically positioned to connect with other users who share a similar profile of comprehension and intent to not only 'be the difference' but to 'make the difference'.  This demographic of HowGiving user crosses all ages, race, gender, and economic status.  

Trending becomes the norm.

Brian Crowe, CCO
HowGiving, LLC