National Military Family Association Case Study: Be Clear in Your Messaging
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The document discusses how the National Military Family Association conducted research to define their messaging and communication strategy. They surveyed military families, conducted interviews and scans of the issues landscape and media to understand perspectives. They also reviewed best practices. The goal was for the Association to clarify their messaging and how they want to communicate as an organization to their key stakeholders.
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National Military Family Association Case Study: Be Clear in Your Messaging
- 14. Blue slide: be clear about what you want to say as an organization, and how you want to say it.
- 34. Caption
- 55. CASE STUDY
- 88. Thanks! © Jeremy Crow
Editor's Notes
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Thank you Start by doing some theory Take a break Then do a few case studies, discussion Shake the hand of a stranger and tell them your name, title, and 2-3 sentences that explain your organization
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Fundraisers are diverse folks, with different reasons for coming to an organization Most didn’t grow up wanting to be fundraisers or nonprofit communicators
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Not long ago there were only a few ways you could communicate with your donors: by phone, in person, or when you mailed them something Fundraising and communicating was today and still is about relationships- but the ways you built and maintained relationships was simpler. Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Now you can email, text, facebook, tweet them. Donors have different expectations for your org and for you- about how you’ll communicate with them. Example: 10 years ago, you worried about spelling your donor’s name right in the annual report. Now you probably don’t produce an annual report in print- and perhaps you debate the privacy issues of listing your donors online.
- Most fundraisers I know are the front-line communicators of their orgs. Esp in orgs smaller than 5 million annual op budget Often comms is an afterthought- but I prefer to think of fundraisers as comm superheros- the stars who make incredible things happen In case you don’t think of yourself as a superhero, I’m here today to remind you that you are- and highlight a few of the superpowers you might not realize you have. SO lets start by talking about you. Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- (read points) Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- 2 of the best comm tools you probably don’t know you have I Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Explain concept of brandraising and each of the three layers
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Explain concept of brandraising and each of the three layers
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck What is positioning? The single idea you hope to own in the minds of your target audiences The big idea you want people to associate with you Differentiates between organizations in the same space This is the big idea…
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Positioning helps you stand out from the crowd
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Think for a minute about the Red Cross- an org most people have heard of. What comes to mind? What does the Red Cross do?
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck And this is how it might be captured in a positioning statement. (from the website)
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck What do you want people to think of when they think of your org? The average american recieves thousands of marketing messages daily- if you want to get through it must be simple- “ we’re a holistic health and human services organization serving families affected by poverty through supportive housing, job skills building, and education” is not positioning that can be communicated quickly, reinforced easily, and retained by people who see or hear it. Arrive at positioning through a process of research and discovery- not out of the blue. Good positioning sets you apart from peers and is authentic.
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Mac: casual but smart, with it, knows what’s going on, no pressure PC: nerdy, always behind, always struggling with problems Idea is that these two guys reflect the personalities of these two companies- from Apple’s POV, of course
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck So let’s look at something closer to the nonprofit world 3 orgs with something in common
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck fighting cruelty to animals— All orgs could agree on this But what makes them different? Programs
- but they have very different personalities too Being clear what your org’s personality is and reinforcing it at all points of contact is a great tool: Language - design - color even channels you use (Ex: IJS Twitter) Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Also a great tool you probalbly didn’t know you already have
- Similarly horn-tooting website from JP Morgan Chase. Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Here’s a small nonprofit example: When you visit this site, the home page is the donate page -- all about them -- what about clients and how they benefit? -- why should I give? It’s over! You don’t need me. Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck put on the ordinary shoes of your everyday donor.
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Average donor – has lots on her mind besides you. You’ll need to build that relationship and remind her why she should support you, and keep caring. What’s in it for her?
- By contrast, this tagline speaks directly to the audience The power of this tagline truly hit me when I started running /jogging recently. It’s hard! This is a call to arms- a call to action Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- The School for Practical Philosophy – appeals to “you” in your current context, riding on the subway Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Being audience centric is about speaking to your target audience in their language- not in yours- don’t use jargon - use their reading level - use the language they use - use the channels they use Note myspace and easy phone # Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Point 3: Consistency
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Consistency is something we can learn from “the big guys”
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Inconsistency in communications – SCO They got creative but also had lots of people managing their comms-
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Even campaigns are consistent with the mother brand In contrst, most orgs I know hold events, fundraising or outreach campaigns that are totally unlike anything else they do- so the chance to engage new people who come to the org through the campaign/event is diminished because you’re not educating them about or connecting them to the mother brand
- Doing the same thing all the time can be dull, so most of us have a tendency to get creative 10 th anniverary logo- example of being creative and org-centric Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Never begin with a blank sheet of paper Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Explain concept of brandraising and each of the three layers
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Nonprofit example- I’ll be talking bout this one more later
- Consistency begins with having a brand style guide for reference Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Consistency begins with having a brand style guide for reference Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Consistency begins with having a brand style guide for reference Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Explain how it all works- And not just the logo- messaging, too- How to abbreviate your orgs name - when and how to use your tagline - key messages, if you have them - elevator pitch Style guides institutionalize what you know and help ensure others do it well too. Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Consistency in web and print Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- 7/27/10 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck Brandraising- Bridge Conference
- Consistency in event signage Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck
- Brandraising- Princeton Area Community Foundation May 25, 2011 Prepared by Sarah Durham, Big Duck