I donated blood the other day (and was so excited to be able to do so because a few weeks previously they had turned me away, as often happens, because my iron was too low). As I was lying there in the cold American Legion building, I reflected on why people donate.
The people who were there donating with me were total strangers to each other, and came on their own rather than as part of a blood drive by their workplace or other communal organization, so they weren’t there to impress anyone. It was the middle of a workday, so it probably wasn’t very convenient. The cookies and juice at the end were a nice bonus, but I don’t think it was enough to induce people to come.
And the donation process itself is not very fun — you get stuck in the finger, have to answer lots of invasive questions and then get the blood drained out of you through an uncomfortable needle in your arm, after which you may feel dizzy or weak. [Note: If you have never given blood before it’s actually not that bad – I’m overdramatizing to make a point!]
So what was the promotion that the Red Cross was using to encourage me to come donate? To get a chance to win something like $500 worth of gasoline. I have a feeling that nobody was there to try to win gas. What were the chances that out of all the donors in Southern California, I would win? They could have saved their money and still had the same number of donors.
Why was I there? Because I had received an e-mail from the Red Cross letting me know that the need for blood was dire. That supplies were at such a low that there was not enough blood for those who needed it. That they really needed my O positive blood desperately. That I could make the difference between someone living and dying.
By making me feel like it was up to me to take action, that I couldn’t let someone else do it, and that the stakes were so high, the Red Cross motivated me to load up on the iron pills for a few weeks to try to make sure that this time I would be able to donate. Knowing that you can save someone else’s life with very little effort is a powerful feeling.
And they made it very easy for me to follow up on that motivation to donate. The e-mail I received had a link to search for upcoming blood drives in my area, and I was able to find one that was convenient for me and to schedule an appointment immediately online. As I munched my cookies in the canteen, they gave me a sticker with the next date I can donate to put on my calendar so I know exactly when I need to make my next appointment.
When you are trying to figure out how to motivate your audience to action, ask yourself a few things:
- How can we make someone feel like taking this action is critically important?
- How can we personalize the action to avoid the “someone else will do it even if I don’t” response?
- How can we make it easy for them to take the action?
- How can we make it easy for them to do it again the next time?
- And finally, what is a real inducement to action, and not just a waste of our money that sounds good?
Let this post be a call to action for you to follow the link above and find a local blood drive or donor center. Let me know if I’ve inspired you or reminded you to donate if you would not have otherwise. I’ll be back at the American Legion in 56 days myself.
Technorati Tags: blood, red cross, marketing, motivation
Nedra helps nonprofits and public agencies create positive change on health and social issues through social marketing and transmedia storytelling strategies at Weinreich Communications since founding the company in 1995. She helps organizations make a difference for the populations they serve by strategically designing programs that draw on state-of-the-art behavior change techniques, digital media approaches and the power of stories. 
