That is the question… I just ordered tickets from a theater in town and due to needing special seating for a companion, I had to call rather than order online. That was somewhat annoying to start with, but that’s for a different discussion! After securing my seats, I was treated to nearly five minutes of the fashionable “up-selling.” I actually felt sorry for the staff member who had to tell me about three special opportunities, and then, after I politely declined (I promise I was polite), she had to ask me for a donation.

This whole experience annoyed me, yes, but it actually set me to thinking about why? Isn’t that our job in marketing, to sell? So up-selling is just selling with a little steroid thrown in, right? Was I just in a hurry and impatient?

But here’s the problem. It didn’t work with me, and it actually sent me in the opposite direction. I felt like a commodity, a transaction, not a patron or a member.

Today in Thomas Cott’s “You’ve Cott Mail” (highly recommended for its daily curation of important stories on a topic), there are four stories related to up-selling (both pro and con). Fascinating reading. But the best in my opinion was the last: it reframed the whole discussion to ask what if we focus on “up-service” instead of up-selling? The concept is to provide more customer service, to add value to the relationship, rather than to simply add cash to a transaction. The article can be found here.

So that’s what we at Parenteau Graves are going to put in our hopper. How can we help our clients be focused on up-service, on providing more service that leads to a better customer experience?

We are frequently asked by reporters and marketers to comment on the role social media plays in nonprofits, especially those trying to attract paying audiences and donors. While we spend plenty of time on social media, and recognize its power in our increasingly digital world, we also have come to understand it’s another tool, not a silver bullet. If it is not paired with effective, thoughtful strategy, it’s a waste of time.

Just yesterday in a strategic planning session, a board member of a small nonprofit urged the group to begin using Twitter. Too quickly, the group agreed—until they asked for what purpose? Who was going to be the voice? And could that person write?

Social media takes time. It takes experimentation. It’s about engaging rather than promoting, and that takes a whole lot of time and skill. Above all, social media requires—yes, requires—meaningful content and excellent writing. Writers who can produce such quality content are much in demand, and will continue to be so as websites evolve into ever-changing open sources of information.