Back in March 2011, my friend Jonathan Leger ran a charity promotion to benefit the Interurban Railway Museum in Plano, Texas. Jon is a software developer who lived near me at the time, and he put together an incredible campaign that combined giving away internet marketing software with raising money for a local museum that serves thousands of children each year.
What Happened
Jon offered a bundle of his software tools at a special price, with every dollar going directly to the museum. I helped spread the word by running a giveaway on this blog — four software packages for anyone who helped promote the cause. The internet marketing community came together in a big way.
The result: more than $39,000 raised for the Interurban Railway Museum. That is real money going to a real place that hosts school field trips, story time events, and a beautiful model train exhibit that recreates a historic section of Plano.
Why This Still Matters
The specific software products from this promotion are long gone. Jon's tools were popular in the SEO and keyword research space of that era, and the landscape has changed dramatically since then. But the lesson from this campaign is timeless:
- Your online audience is a force for good. If you have built trust with your readers and subscribers, you can mobilize that trust for causes that matter.
- Charity promotions work. Jon gave people a reason to buy that went beyond self-interest. That emotional connection drove results that a standard product launch never could have.
- Community matters. The internet marketing community in 2011 was smaller and tighter-knit, but the principle applies to any niche. When you show up for your community, they show up for you.
I am proud to have been part of this campaign. It remains one of my favorite memories from the early days of this blog.
Charity or not I would have bought that software even at normal prices. Practically invaluable.
Thanks for the heads up, Mason. I also tweeted and posted on FB.
Fantastic idea Mark. I applaud you for this. I’m on Jon’s list, so I was aware of his effort to save this museum – kudos to both of you.
Posted on FB – http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sfrm=1#!/profile.php?id=100000333931000
Tweeted – http://twitter.com/#!/RKentF
Retweeted both of your tweets, and liked your FB. Great stuff!
A few of comments on the products Jonathan is literally giving away:
Web Comp Analyst — I own this product and use it almost daily. It is the best tool I own for quickly sizing up how competitive a keyword is. Sure, there are $150 products that do this as well, but WCA also gives you the ability to brainstorm kw’s and dive deeply into a specific kw’s backlinks.
Keyword Snatcher – Should have bought this product, but didn’t. An excellent tool for giving you hunddreds of variations on your kw – incredibly useful for article marketing, blog posting for LSI and finding less competitive kw’s – something I struggle with daily.
The final two Jonathan Leger products I had frankly never heard of:
Answer Analyst – Saw a far inferior WSO of this type of product two weeks ago for $19 – and almost bought it, and it is 1/10 of Jon’s AA. AA is the quickest way I’ve ever seen to provide content research through a Q&A process. Any question on any topic can quickly be researched and answered with AA, and used as data – making you the expert on any topic under the sun.
Web Data Parser – You must see this video just to check out how insane this product is. That’s really all I can say – words do not describe this product. How I missed it is beyond me. Check out the video on it to be wowed.
Its good to see people trying to save our history..
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
What Jonathan is doing is just GREAT. What you are doing is even better Mark, you are helping Jon to achieve it!!
Hi Mark
Thanks for the heads up.
Great cause to preserve the history of Plano and educate the community, especially the children.
GN
Hi Mark,Thanks for sharing! 🙂