Crossbeam Blog
Our latest thoughts on trends, effective techniques and great tips to help you maximise the impact of your marketing and communications.
Why did Crossbeam start?
Someone asked me (Liz) recently about why I started Crossbeam in the first place, and I realised I haven’t shared that story publicly before! So settle in, friends, and let’s journey back 12 years…
Five reasons to report back to your supporters
You’re doing amazing work and seeing lives changed by Jesus - but do your supporters know about it? Reporting back on the impact you’re having isn’t just about sharing encouraging stories; it's about creating trust, building engagement and inspiring action.
We’ve got FIVE compelling reasons why you should consider reporting back each year.
2024 social trends (+ why we've changed our approach)
It’s 2024 and we’re back with another roundup of what is trending on social media this year! In the Crossbeam team, we spend a lot of time on socials for our clients (and for fun), so we wanted to share some of what we expect to see more of this year.
Three things we’re upskilling in during 2024
People never stop changing how they engage with the world, so in marketing and communications, we can never stop learning, or we’ll fall behind!
That’s why at Crossbeam we’re committed to staying on top of all of the latest information, trends and strategies that are working in the marketing world – from the biggest global brands through to the tiniest local charities. There’s so much to learn, and we’re here to learn it, on your behalf.
So here are (just) three of the (many) things we’re planning to upskill in during 2024!
Five (communications) things to review as you start the year
It’s the start of a new year—what better time for an audit? Regularly reviewing your communications ensures that they stay relevant, effective, and aligned with your core values. A review provides opportunities for growth, improvement, and the ability to adapt to the evolving needs and expectations of your audience.
Let’s break down five key areas to review.
Why social media matters for churches
Social media is not the only digital marketing strategy that you can use to reach out and achieve your church's goals - whether they are to grow in number, better disciple your members or just become known in your area.
But it is a uniquely powerful tool for a few reasons. Find out why!
Maximising your impact on social media in 2023
Every year social media changes. Whether it is new platforms gaining popularity, new content forms and features taking over popular use, or the role of it in marketing shifting - it can feel like it’s impossible to stay on top of everything.
Luckily for organisations and ministries everywhere, you don’t have to be across everything on social to be impactful. Strategic social media as part of a varied communications mix is always better than being everywhere and trying to please everyone.
While strategic social media doesn’t mean bowing to trends, it also doesn’t mean ignoring them. So we’ve pulled together a few 2023 social trends and are going to explain how you can use them for more impact as a Christian organisation!
The power of subheadings
Have you ever become lost in a long article of text? Perhaps you’ve started to read something but it was so long that it lost your attention quickly. It sounds like what that article needed was subheadings.
Subheadings convey a break in the text and help signify a new idea or topic is about to begin. They’re great for helping readers digest and process longer pieces of content.
But when used well, subheadings can do so much more for your writing
Why ChatGPT can’t replace expert writers
As technology continues to advance, the way we use it to communicate changes too. The recent rise in ChatGPT and other sophisticated AI tools has been one technological advancement that has captured the attention of the world.
All the hype has raised a big question when it comes to communications - what is the place of a professional writer if AI is now so competent?
Why do fundraising appeal letters look so strange?
Something we get asked a lot in our line of work is “why are fundraising appeal letters so ugly?!”
It’s a fair question. We are used to seeing beautifully designed printed material, so the strangely formatted, often quite plain letters that non-profits use to ask for money can seem like a bizarre choice.
But experts in the field know what works to bring in the dollars – and strangely, it’s this!
Let’s take a look at some of the strange design choices you might be wondering about, and why they work so well.
Three structures for unique newsletter articles
The vast majority of not-for-profit organisations have some sort of regularly sent out newsletter that they use to showcase their work to donors and prospective supporters.
But churning out new content for these newsletters month after month can be a challenge. Newsletters can turn out sounding the same over and over again, and donors are left feeling demotivated and disinterested.
So, here are three structures we like to vary between using as the foundation of our newsletter articles, so that every article is unique and each newsletter is fresh. Now you, too, can create newsletters that always capture the attention of your donors.