Content Writing Boot Camp for the Nonprofit

Content Writing Boot Camp

Content Writing Boot Camp
Content Writing Boot Camp for the Nonprofit
Websites, social media, newsletters, fundraising communications. Compelling, strategic content isn't an option. It's required.
How do you to take a holistic view of your content strategy and make what you say stand out in your readers' minds?
Roll up your sleeves. This is a hands-on workshop.

Trainers: Paul Weber, EAG President
Laura Lake, VP Client & Interactive Services
Brenda Galloway, Director of Content

Our Plan for the Morning
Before we write, we must differentiate our nonprofit – in just 3 words
Finding your words and building on your promise
Implementation (Social Media, Strategic Keywording, etc.)

Who is EAG?
Full-service agency serving small business & nonprofits
Advertising, Creative, Online & Education
Kauffman Foundation FastTrac, UMKC Small Business Center and other small business incubators
Nonprofit experience
Capital campaign consulting firms
Giving Institute & Giving USA Foundation
School districts, start-ups, social service agencies & more
Board members and volunteers

Why do we need to write?

Follow the Behaviors of Big Brands
Big brands invest in the research & tools to influence our behavior
They know what works and what doesn’t work
We can use our own consumer experiences as learning tools

Big Brand Strategy: A Definitive Example
Brilliant marketing begins with the right words, for the right purpose

Words alone are not enough to drive action
Understand the customer (donor) and their emotion
Offer value in exchange for their time, gift, attention
Targeted messages offer much better results
Measure and monitor performance
Big brands focus on relationships
Follow the Behaviors of Big Brands

Brand Positioning & Powerful Words

Establish a Brand Position
The words we use tell us a lot about a brand.

Living a Brand Position

Establishing a Brand Position
Positioning creates distinction and choice.
Yes, donors have similar options and choices.

Establishing Your Brand Position
Create 3 words, 3 sentences, 3 paragraphs that describe your mission – programs – services
Does everyone know it and understand it?
Spread the word among the board, staff, volunteers, donors, constituents
A clear, succinct message will travel farther faster

Establishing Your Brand Position
Clarify your purpose and your mission
Helps you “compete” when fundraising from “casual donors”
Helps expand awareness of your mission
People remember causes – you want them to remember you!
Good
“I give to the arts”
Better
“I give to (your organization) because they are the best at supporting the arts.”

Remembering Your Brand Position
You can’t be everything to everyone
Use your 3-words, 3-sentences in your message
Simple concepts & simple phrases
We see over 8,000 messages a day
Repetition increases memory
Use similar styles and images

Remembering Your Brand Position
Committed to doing the most good with your contributions of money, time and resources.
An alliance of premier hospitals for children.
We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities.
A single voice increases retention

A Case Study in Development
The Challenge:
Develop Purpose, Mission & Vision
Honor the past but recognize a significantly changing membership and structure
Consider all the internal constituents
Use as many of the keywords and phrases accumulated in board attempts to develop the message

Our Voice Cannot Always be Heard

Our voice, loud and proud, will speak to our history of service to mankind. (Honor the past 100 years & Service to Mankind)

Our voice, brave and determined, will speak of the past in reverence but look toward the future with anticipation.
(Recognize that significant changes are coming)

Our voice is heard in harmony; the harmony of individuals coming together to create a community. (What were once clubs, may now become communities)

Our voice is one of conviction and strength, the attributes of leaders. (A transition of purpose; leadership development)

Our voice is one of empathy and compassion, a beacon for those who wish to serve. (Calling to individuals who want to serve, not necessarily join)

Our voice cannot always be heard. For those who cannot hear, there is Sertoma. (And the mission, hearing heath, never changes)

Brand Positioning
What are your three words?
Would your board agree?
Would your constituents understand?

The Importance of Three Little Words

Your Organization’s “Key” Words
Just three little words can:
Define your organization in your nonprofit sector
Make it immediately recognizable in the community
Serve as the root of all communications
Act as your unique rally cry
Keep your message on track no matter who’s writing it
Reflect your organization’s stability
Underscore the commitment to your mission

Real-World Examples

Southwest Uses Their Words

Komen.org Uses Their Words

The Worksheet
List three words that best encompass your organization’s cause, mission and results:
1.
2.
3.
Develop a sentence detailing your three words:
1.
2.
3.
Create paragraphs expanding on your sentences:
1.
2.
3.

What Are YOUR Words?
Choosing your organizations three “key” words:
Think of your cause
Think of your mission
Think of your results
Keep in mind:
Would your board agree?
Will your supporters understand immediately?
For example:
1. strong kids
2. strong families
3. strong communities

Building on Your Promise
Step 1: Write a sentence detailing each of your “key” words.
Step 2: Share your sentences. Get feedback in the form of questions.
For example:
1. Nurturing the potential of every child and teen.
2. Improving the nation's health and well-being.
3. Giving back and providing support to our neighbors.

Filling in the Details
Step 1: Share your sentences.
Step 2: Partners give feedback in the form of questions that the sentences left unanswered and vague. These are the questions you’ll answer next.
For example:
1. How does the Y nurture children?
2. What do you offer to promote family health?
3. How does the community benefit exactly?

Almost There…
Last step:
Address the questions in a paragraph for each of your “key” words.
For example:
1. We believe the values and skills learned early on are vital building blocks for life. Because of the Y, more young people in neighborhoods around the nation are taking a greater interest in learning and making smarter life choices. At the Y, children and teens learn values and positive behaviors, and can explore their unique talents and interests, helping them realize their potential. That makes for confident kids today and contributing and engaged adults tomorrow.
2. Being healthy means more than simply being physically active. It’s about maintaining a balanced spirit, mind and body. The Y is a place where you can work toward that balance by challenging yourself to learn a new skill or hobby, fostering connections with friends through our lifelong learning programs, or bringing your loved ones closer together through our many family-centered activities. At the Y, it’s not about the activity you choose as much as it is about the benefits of living healthier on the inside as well as the outside.
3. The generosity of others is at the core of the Y’s existence as a nonprofit. It is only through the support of our hundreds of thousands of volunteers and public and private donors that we are able to support and give back to the communities we engage—summer food programs, social services, global services, volunteerism & giving and advocacy.

Strategic Implementation

Strategic Implementation
Now that the foundation is laid and you have your
Brand Position
Your Words
Audience Understanding
Let’s focus on the development of your content strategy and how it impacts your marketing.

Understand the Power of Content
Content is a Force Multiplier for
Social Media
Search Marketing
Public Relations

Social Media Impact
Content Fuels Social MediaWithout content, social media is a sports car with an empty gas tank: All show, no go

Search Marketing Impact
Content Wows Your Search Engine Marketing Efforts
Keyword-rich content and inbound links have historically been the one-two punch of good search engine marketing strategies, but that has changed!
Search engines now award you with higher rankings if you produce high quality content.

Public Relations Impact
Content Drives Public Relations
Your ability to create fresh content around the needs of donors and prospects has become more valuable to your PR efforts than a general announcement.

There is Always a Need for Content
You need content for:
Newsletters
Websites
Donor Appeals
Thank You Letters
and more…..
It’s never ending and probably feels like you are filling bottomless buckets

As If That Weren’t Enough…
Let’s add some more buckets –
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Google+
Who Has Time?

Your Content Strategy Can Be Manageable
Creating and following a content strategy can be overwhelming – but it does work and can help in reaping substantial marketing benefits.
Let me show you how to create a manageable strategy by chunking your content strategy into 3 Phases:
Phase 1 – Think Ahead – Get OrganizedPhase 2 - Squash Writers Block and Generate Ideas Easily
Phase 3 – Utilize Social Media to Help Drive Content

Phase 1 – Think Ahead – Get Organized
3 Important Questions You MUST Answer
Where do you need content?
Which channels?
How often?

Organize Your Thoughts
Use category folders to help keep your thoughts and ideas organized, being organized helps ease the process of content creation.
Sample categories might include:
Fact sheets
Web pages
News
Photos
Videos

Tagging and Category Tools
Use virtual tools to help you and speed up the process. My favorite tools for tagging, keeping track of notes and creating categories include:
Delicious.com (Social bookmarking service - discover, save, organize and share information)
Evernote.com (Virtual software used for note-taking)
Webnotes.net (Highlight text and add sticky notes to web pages)

Content Schedule
Create a content schedule – but be realistic. Don’t set a schedule that you know is unattainable. It will only leave you frustrated.
Will you draft new content quarterly, monthly or weekly?

Organize Your Calendar
Organize your calendar by:
Channel (Web / Mobile / Email / Print / Television)
Audience
Program
Format (Text / Video / Photos / Presentations)

Content Calendar
Use a Content Calendar –
It doesn’t have to be sophisticated.
It helps when it comes to staying organized with your content.

Content Calendar Example

Prioritize
As you start to create your content strategy and draft your schedule mark each item accordingly:
Must Do
Like to Do
Ok to Bump
Give yourself flexibility!

Where Do the Ideas Come From?
You’ve created your calendar, you’ve listed the channels and you’ve marked items that are a priority – but where do the content ideas come from?

Idea Generating Exercises That Work
Brainstorm
Mind Mapping
Tickler / Pending File (Use those tagging and category tools)
Stories
Old Archives (Content recycling rule – for every piece of content you recycle you must create two new pieces)
Web and Email Analytics – (This data will show you what people looking)

When All Else Fails…
Use outside resources –
Social Media Listening Tools(SocialMentions.com, Google Blog Search, Google Alerts, Twendz)
Surveys
Content Aggregators(AllTop.com is my favorite)
Mainstream Media Headlines
Trade News

If You Are Still Stuck…
Think in terms of –
Lists
How To’s
Review
Tips
Question and Answer Interviews
Opinion Pieces

Get Help!
Do you really have to generate all of the content yourself?
Why not consider using contributors?
Guest Columnists
Experts
Board Members
Clients
Donors

Lay the Groundwork with Contributors
If you use contributors – lay the groundwork by:
Making your expectations clear
Spell out the process step-by-step
Build in a cushion of time – you’ll be glad you did.

Utilize Social Media
How does social media fit into the content mix?

Social media is the marriage of content and conversation.

Conversations Can Become Content
Conversations can be made into content by:

Highlighting trending topics
Publishing Q & As
Summarize Debates

Social Media Drives Content
Use social media to drive content by:
Asking questions
Soliciting feedback from your followers
Refining your content ideas based on comments that you receive.

How the Content Strategy Pieces Fit Together
Keep a clear and workable plan, collect ideas and data, write your content or get others to help.
Implement and allow content to serve as a force multiplier for you in social media, search marketing and public relations.
Ideally – try to create 1 new piece of content weekly. It’s a start – the more you do it, the easier it gets!

Summary Slide - TBD
Establish a concise brand position
Use it consistently so all understand
Implement so that content serves as the force multiplier for you.

For the full presentation and handouts go to:
www.SmallBusinessMiracles.com/Writing
Please call or email with questions.
Paul Weber Pweber@smallbusinessmiracles.com
Brenda Galloway Bgalloway@smallbusinessmiracles.com
Laura Lake Llake@smallbusinessmiracles.com
816.842.0100

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Content Writing Boot Camp for the Nonprofit

by EAG on Oct 05, 2011

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