Did you know that the United Nations (U.N.) projects a population increase from 6.8 billion people currently living in the world to a whopping 9.2 billion count by the time 2050 rolls around?
What is even more wild is the fact that the United States of America is to gain 117 million countrymen (and countrywomen) to add to its list of 321 million current residents, if the U.N.’s population prediction ends up coming true. When it comes to those involved in securing and supplying blood transfusable products, that can mean many things.
The need for blood only grows.
With the world population rising daily, not to mention the increasing need for blood donations and blood transfusable products, I have watched blood centers and blood bank organizations bend over backwards to keep with current trends and tie it all in with donating.
Social media is a term that I think is thrown around more loosely today than it even was a year ago. Additionally, social media is a phrase used to describe the many different facets and avenues of communicating online in a way that is continuously growing and not just used to share one type of information, but pretty much anything humanly possible. We log in to Facebook to update our status. We tweet from Twitter hoping to make an unknown connection out there with someone who is like-minded in thought. We make YouTube videos in a genuine effort to not only replicate the mainstream media we see, but to literally become the media itself. Blood banks and organizations are hip to the times too. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is active not only onFacebook, but Twitter (@commitforlife) as well. They use both as platforms to not only appreciate their donor base, but to educate, inform and simply stay connected.
I’ve also noticed a big increase in the practicality of donor loyalty programs. Donor loyalty programs aren’t just a way for a donor to earn a t-shirt or shiny pen for donating a gallon anymore. They are a way for a donor to donate blood, earn redeemable points to spend on multiple things – ranging from t-shirts and gift cards to gas cards and cards to other shopping locations. While I do hear a lot of people tell me they don’t donate for points or for rewards, it serves as a nice gesture towards a donor base, and it is one that LifeSource and Central Blood Bank have taken on with great intentions. Both organizations are a part of and support the Brighten Life donor rewards program with regards to their own donor base.
Let me tell you from firsthand experience being a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME), while we know many blood donors do not donate for the reward, it certainly does spike their interest when they know they are eligible to receive a $25 gift card with just one more donation. It is also fun to let loyal donors know they have a huge amount of points they can spend, and hearing their reaction to the news is generally a treat. Most of all, donor loyalty programs keep people interested in not only donating blood, but their personal donation history with an organization. And that is a valued point often missed.
Despite these technological and rewarding trends, the need for human interaction will always be there. That is why Incept really does take its prestige and level of experience within the field of blood donor recruiting extremely seriously. A Conversational Marketing Expert (CME) is more than just your run-of-the-mill telerecruiter. We are not here to sell anyone anything. We are not even here to beg people for blood donations. We are here to make donating blood easy, to inform people who might not know of a blood drive just right down the street from them. Most of all, we are here to strengthen the relationship of the donors on behalf of the clients we serve through high-quality and productive conversations.
We are able to do this because we are people who believe in the good that donating blood can really do in this world. Our Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) are blood donors themselves! Telerecruiting is not going away, by any means, but will continue to evolve. Incept and its services will continue to trend throughout the blood bank industry thanks to world-class service and the simple fact that we view ourselves as the human connection between a blood donor and a donation being made. It really is that important.
When it comes to trends in society, what do you think makes a successful trend? Why do you think other trends turn into dying fads?