Effective Marketing Communication on a Shoestring Michele Levy

www.brand-strat.com July 21, 2010

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Today’s Speaker

Hosting: Sam Frank, Synthesis Partnership Assisting with questions: Chris Dumas, FirstGiving

Michele Levy brand strategy consultant

www.brand-strat.com

Welcome!

Webinar goals •  To share some ideas and approaches that have

worked for other nonprofit (and startup) organizations •  To equip and inspire you to tackle your marketing

challenges in a manageable, sustainable way •  For participants to walk away with at least one concept

or tool they can implement within their organizations

A shifting role

The new way: Director of Marketing Communications, focused on building the brand across all touchpoints, utilizing a broad, integrated mix of tools, tactics and channels

The old way: Director of Communications, focused on publications and public relations

The agenda

•  Who is the target audience (or, as is more likely, audiences)?

•  What are your goals (build awareness? generate leads? strengthen relationships?)

•  What are some effective (and cost effective) ways to reach those audience segments?

•  How will you know what’s working?

A caveat

Assuming that you have already built a strong foundation…that you have clear, consistent messaging to apply across the communications tools we’ll be discussing.

Who’s your target audience?

Make a mental picture

•  Start by making a list of all the types of people who are important to you (for instance, funders, partners, served population).

•  Include both those you communicate with/interact with now, as well as those you’d like to.

Make some hard choices

The list was the easy part…then you must prioritize it!

Ultimately, all of your marketing decisionmakers (including your board) must agree on your audiences, and how you have prioritized them.

And one other question

Where are they?

How do you get smart on your audience?

•  Ask and observe –  Phone interviews/focus groups with a combination of long-term

and newer members, volunteers, clients, etc. –  Online surveys with members, clients (survey monkey, etc) –  Conversations with partners, the press, other external

stakeholders –  “Watch” their behavior across your touchpoints (in person, online,

written communications) –  Keep it up!

•  And remember… –  They can’t ALL be your most important audiences. –  A relevant brand is NOT the same as trying to be all things to all

people (and “following the funding” is one of the surest ways to muddle your brand)

–  In the words of Dorothy…

Students

Faculty and staff

•  Highly driven, well-rounded individuals

•  The ideal student “customer” is a visitor, and is not necessarily an art major…but they are willing to explore new things and new ways of thinking

•  Passionate, dedicated individuals engaged in the broader college community

•  Not limited to the art department

•  Developing their ability to think more broadly

•  Having an impact on their community

•  Developing “real world” experiences

•  Getting it all done •  Occasionally taking a

break from getting it all done!

•  Finding opportunities to expose their students to real works of art and new ways of thinking

•  Keeping their teaching relevant/fresh

•  Occasionally taking a break themselves

Audience Description Desired perceptions/behaviors Our messages to them

• ALL • We are a valuable resource. • We offer the unique opportunity to

see real works of art in your own backyard.

• We can help bring new perspectives to your studies, and to your hectic life.

• We are accessible across a variety of channels (don’t be intimidated!)

• We are “safe haven”, extremely supportive of experimentation.

• We support experimentation and risk-taking.

• FACULTY AND LEADERSHIP • Our collections, programs and staff

can help enrich the academic experience, and help create better students.

• We share your high intellectual standards and can be a valuable partner in helping to differentiate the Wellesley College experience.

•  To understand the role and value of DMCC within the context of the College

•  To see DMCC as a valued resource across a variety of dimensions (and to utilize it regularly)

•  To act as ambassadors for DMCC within their own spheres of influence

•  To understand the role and value of DMCC within the context of the College

•  To have greater investment in DMCC and what it offers

•  To see DMCC as a valued resource and collaborator

Audience key concerns

Let’s get detailed…

What are your goals?

It starts with your strategic plan

•  As an organization, what do you hope to accomplish over the next 12 – 18 months?

•  What about over the next 5 years?

For example…

•  From the strategic plan: Over the long term, we wish to redefine ourselves as an institution of national scope and relevance

•  Two key strategic goals directly relate to branding and marketing:

–  Strengthen our leadership position in the historic, genealogical and cultural sector

–  Increase the influence and loyalty of our target audiences and to expand the number of members, users and donors

Sample brand/marketing goals

•  Build awareness, familiarity and support within key target audience segments

•  Expand reach and communications impact across new geographies and new target audience segments

•  Support strategic plan in general, admissions and fundraising goals specifically

It’s critical that you have agreement on your brand/marketing goals

Typically, three (integrated) strategy buckets

•  Build awareness and familiarity (who are you and why do you matter)

•  Generate leads (I might want to engage with you) •  Strengthen relationships (I really want to engage

with you)

Building an integrated plan •  Brand blueprint (elevator pitch, message matrix, proof points,

brand attributes, etc.) •  Target audience (who your audience segments are, their needs

and expectations) •  Competitive landscape (a brief overview of alternative options

available to your served populations and supporters) •  Communications goals (what you want your activities to

accomplish) •  Communications strategies (the high level ways you plan to

accomplish your goals) •  Communications tactics (specific activities you will engage in,

with timing) •  Measurement and evaluation (how you plan to track results) •  Budget •  Editorial calendar •  Communications calendar

Case study

Davis Museum and Cultural Center (Wellesley College)

•  First…who are we marketing to? •  Second…how do we leverage our re-opening? •  Third…how do we prioritize our marketing resources?

DMCC: Communications strategies

Leverage the opening (and related activities) to re-engage with current stakeholders

June - September October - December Spring semester

Continue to build the relationship with those who re-engage as a result of opening activities

Leverage exhibits and re-installation to begin to engage with new: New stakeholders from current audiences, as well as new audiences

PHASE I

PHASE II

Brand awareness activities (buzz)

Continue to build the relationships…

Ongoing

DMCC: Marketing communications tactics

Leverage opening celebration (and related activities) to re-engage with current stakeholders

June - September October - December

Continue to build the relationship with those who re-engage as a result of opening activities PHASE I

Print collateral Invitations to opening with targeted phone follow up Guide to the Reinstallation Flyers/posters Friends of Art brochure E-collateral Evite e-flyers Signage (decisions to be made) Kiosk Banner/windows Sandwich boards Plasma Screen Media Paid media (see page 18) Press Releases Calendar Listings E-communications Newsletters, as appropriate Other Personal attendance at meetings Letter writing campaign to targeted groups First – Year Orientation Aug 27

eNewsletter (3x/year, all) eBlasts (as relevant, all) Events Museum printed piece (replaces

Calendar of Events, ready to mail October)

TACTICS

Brand awareness activities (buzz) Ongoing

NOTE: throughout, make every effort to track results in order to have a better understanding of what’s working, and what’s not (and to adjust tactics as necessary). Each tactic will support a different tracking mechanism:

• Track press success with press clips

• Track print advertising and arts calendar via data collection with on-site events form.

• Track events listing via click through to web site (make sure event is listed on site!)

It can be as simple as a single spreadsheet

Let’s get more specific

Awareness building tactics

•  Advertising •  Public relations •  Networking •  Search engine optimization (SEO) •  Social media

Advertising

•  You are least likely to utilize this tactic –  It’s expensive –  It can generate a lot of “waste”

•  Unless you can do it with some significant impact, and/or in a highly targeted way, your marketing resources are better spent someplace else –  “Three times is the charm” –  Keep it simple –  White space is good, too much copy is bad –  Make it professional –  Aim for the bullseye

Public relations

•  Includes media relations, events, speaking engagements, publication

•  Similar to networking in that it’s very much about building relationships AND having something worthwhile to share

•  Think about how you can “package” information as news, education, etc.

•  Treat the media and other public relations contacts as one of your audience segments…know who they are, what they want, what they tend to write about, etc.

•  Make it easy for people to use your information (and use you, in the case of speaking engagements!)

Public relations

•  Important to differentiate between calendar listings and feature articles

•  And NEVER just mass mail releases •  Photos/images help •  Keep it electronic

Most important…

M3 = Merchandise your media mentions!

A good press release…

•  Is short (one page) •  Has a short, compelling headline •  Starts with the most important info (editors cut from

the bottom)

•  1st paragraph = the most important information •  2nd paragraph = more details, sometimes a quote •  3rd paragraph = “About us”

Good old-fashioned networking

•  Want to raise awareness? –  Get out there. –  Get your board out there. –  And make sure you’re communicating consistently.

•  What is your current networking strategy?

A great resource for networking tips: TABLE TALK by Diane Danielson (founder of Downtown Women’s Club)

Try this with your own team

•  Who are the top 5 people you should know? •  What are the top 5 organizations you should be

involved in? •  How can you get to know those people? •  How can you get involved with those organizations? •  Then go do it (and be accountable to each other)

Put it in writing

To tweet or not to tweet…

•  Ahhhh….social media. •  Everyone wants to do it. Your board is

chomping at the bit. It’s the silver bullet, right?

Well…

•  Let’s go back to your audiences •  Are they using social media? Are they likely to start

using social media? •  If they are using social media, how?

–  Twitter…140 characters, gather followers, follow others –  Facebook…more robust, images, fans –  Linked In…business focused, good networking tool –  Blogging…sharing your expertise –  What else?

Remember…

•  To get the most out of any social media channels, you have to really commit to those channels

•  It takes time…so make sure it’s actually going to help you achieve your goals!

•  And make sure your audiences are actually there.

Lead generation tactics

•  Direct mail •  Email (lead gen and relationship management)

Direct mail

•  Three key success factors –  The offer –  The list –  The creative

•  Your list or a purchased list •  What are you offering? What’s your call to action? •  Make it “disruptive”

–  Colored envelope –  Oversized postcard –  What else?

Email

•  Constant Contact is your friend •  Maintain a good “cadence”…don’t over or under

communicate •  Keep your list clean •  Keep it short, relevant and consistent with the

personality of your organization •  Maintain an editorial calendar and jot down ideas as

they come to you •  Establish a standard structure with sections that are

consistent each time (for instance: “meet the staff”; “client profile”; “general info”)

•  Make it opt in/opt out

Additional relationship management tactics

•  Advisory boards (at all levels) •  Events •  Loyalty and other “member” programs •  More networking

•  You’d be amazed how far a little simple human contact will get you.

The basic marketing tool kit

•  Web site •  Business cards •  Note cards •  Leave behind brochure (#10 brochure) •  Limited stationery + electronic templates •  Constant Contact template •  Postcards •  Posters

About your web site

•  Keep it current with an editorial calendar •  Make sure it’s professional •  Know the norms and best practices for your peer

group •  Layers of information (not all on the home page) •  Know who’s going there, and what they want •  Invest the time/money to establish a basic SEO

program

Sample: Editorial calendar

How do you know it’s working?

Integrate here, as well…

•  Establish clear, agreed-upon success metrics up front (tangible and intangible)

•  Tie the metrics to strategic goals •  Think broadly and creatively

–  Visitor traffic –  Brand tracking studies –  Referral volume –  Inbound inquiries –  Hits to Web site –  Email open rates –  Etc.

•  Set reasonable timeframes, based on communications volume and timing

In conclusion

•  There are no silver bullets •  It really does help to write it down •  Choose a couple of things, do them well, measure

and continue, adapt and/or add •  Roll up your sleeves •  Use your whole team •  Think “simple, professional and effective.”

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