Enhance Your Goals with Communications March 2008

Who we are… Flint Communications Part of the Flint Group

Flint Communications

Part of the Flint Group

What we’ll cover… Who are you? Determining your “brand” positioning Who needs to care? Identifying and analyzing key audiences What do they need to know? Determining key messages Matching them to audiences

Who are you?

Determining your “brand” positioning

Who needs to care?

Identifying and analyzing key audiences

What do they need to know?

Determining key messages

Matching them to audiences

What we’ll cover… How do you reach them? Identifying the best way to deliver your messages After lunch… Hands-on planning session

How do you reach them?

Identifying the best way to deliver your messages

After lunch…

Hands-on planning session

Who are you What is your brand ?

Your brand is not… A brand is not a logo A brand is not identity A brand is not a product

A brand is not a logo

A brand is not identity

A brand is not a product

Your brand is… A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organization.

Your brand is… not what you say it is…

Your brand is… what they say it is. It’s the position you have in their mind or heart. Photo by Elvire.R.

what they say it is.

It’s the position you have in their mind

or heart.

So… Where are you positioned today? Where do you want to be tomorrow ?

Examining your positioning …

Begin with who you are… Mission, vision and core values of your organization. Who, where you serve? Who else is out there? Serving the same audience, same services? Competing for the same dollars? Talking to the same donors?

Mission, vision and core values of your organization.

Who, where you serve?

Who else is out there?

Serving the same audience, same services?

Competing for the same dollars?

Talking to the same donors?

If I asked… What is the “one thing” you do best? Are there other unique distinctions between you and your “competitors”? If you had one minute to tell someone about your organization, what would you say?

What is the “one thing” you do best?

Are there other unique distinctions between you and your “competitors”?

If you had one minute to tell someone about your organization, what would you say?

And more questions… What words would you use to describe your organization? Where do you make the greatest impact? What do you do to make life better? What is the reputation of your organization?

What words would you use to describe your organization?

Where do you make the greatest impact?

What do you do to make life better?

What is the reputation of your organization?

Think about your history, your staff and volunteers, and more. Where are you strong? Where are you weak? What “gets in the way” for you? Obstacles Issues Current or past events “ I wish they knew ____ about us.”

Where are you strong?

Where are you weak?

What “gets in the way” for you?

Obstacles

Issues

Current or past events

“ I wish they knew ____ about us.”

Summarize your unique distinctions .

Who needs to care?

List all possible audiences. External (include customers, clients, members, etc) Individuals Businesses Internal Staff, Board, Committees, Volunteers Identify who could possibly influence them. Include other funding sources, regulators, thought leaders, associations. Determine target audiences.

List all possible audiences.

External (include customers, clients, members, etc)

Individuals

Businesses

Internal

Staff, Board, Committees, Volunteers

Identify who could possibly influence them.

Include other funding sources, regulators, thought leaders, associations.

Individual Demographic information: Average age Gender Family lifecycle stage Income Education Geographic Businesses Demographic information: Size by revenue Size by number of employees Industry Geographic What do you know about them?

Individual Demographic information:

Average age

Gender

Family lifecycle stage

Income

Education

Geographic

Businesses Demographic information:

Size by revenue

Size by number of employees

Industry

Geographic

Who needs to care the most? Prioritize your audiences.

Who needs to care the most? Prioritize your audiences.

Analyze all audiences Individual Businesses Awareness vs. Potential Use matrix tool to plot audience Focus efforts on audiences with high potential High Potential/Low Awareness High Potential/High Awareness Prioritize Target Audiences

Analyze all audiences

Individual

Businesses

Awareness vs. Potential

Use matrix tool to plot audience

Focus efforts on audiences with high potential

High Potential/Low Awareness

High Potential/High Awareness

What does each audience know – or need to know?

Where are they now? Awareness Knowledge Liking Preference Commitment

What resonates with —and engages—each audience ?

What hurt do you address, what need do you fill?

What makes them care? Psychographic information: Interests Hobbies Leisure pursuits Cultural Beliefs, thought patterns Core Values

Psychographic information:

Interests

Hobbies

Leisure pursuits

Cultural

Beliefs, thought patterns

Core Values

What issues might get in the way? Reputation Industry Organization Frustrations

Reputation

Industry

Organization

Frustrations

What does each audience need to know?

What does each audience need to know?

Develop… your positioning statement … …and an elevator speech .

A brand positioning statement… … .is a statement that defines the place a brand occupies in the audience’s mind relative to competing offerings. This statement is the foundation for all communications material but is not the external message.

… .is a statement that defines the place a brand occupies in the audience’s mind relative to competing offerings.

This statement is the foundation for all communications material but is not the external message.

Brand Positioning Positioning Statement: We aim high on everything we do. Brand Promise Statement: We aim high on everything we do; higher than our clients’ expectations, higher than their goals for business growth. This takes passion. This takes fire. This takes knowing that good enough is never good enough. And it isn’t good at all if it doesn’t get results.

Positioning Statement:

We aim high on everything we do.

Brand Promise Statement:

We aim high on everything we do; higher than our clients’ expectations, higher than their goals for business growth. This takes passion. This takes fire. This takes knowing that good enough is never good enough. And it isn’t good at all if it doesn’t get results.

Develop a Great Elevator Speech Image by jepoirrier

Elevator Speech What it is: A brief, compelling description of Who you are What do you do Why does it matter Needs to be short and concise – easily said in a short elevator ride! Needs to pass the So What? test

What it is:

A brief, compelling description of

Who you are

What do you do

Why does it matter

Needs to be short and concise – easily said in

a short elevator ride!

Needs to pass the So What? test

Elevator Speech Example – printing company: “ At ACME Printing we help companies save time and reduce costs by making it easier for them to print their invoices and accounts receivable forms and process their payroll checks.”

Example – printing company:

“ At ACME Printing we help companies save time and reduce costs by making it easier for them to print their invoices and accounts receivable forms and process their payroll checks.”

Develop Key Messages

Key messages… Open the door to direct communication with your audience. Bridge what your audience already knows with where you are trying to take them. Are customized to each audience. Address the hurt and the need. Are the “one thing” that audience needs to know. Are backed by proof or supporting points. Get your audience curious.

Open the door to direct communication with your audience.

Bridge what your audience already knows with where you are trying to take them.

Are customized to each audience.

Address the hurt and the need.

Are the “one thing” that audience needs to know.

Are backed by proof or supporting points.

Get your audience curious.

Key messages are… Concise : avoid jargon and acronyms Active : make every sentence active Positive : talk about what one can do, not what you can't Short : one memorable sentence, 10-15 seconds to say. Specific : address a particular challenge and audience.

Concise : avoid jargon and acronyms

Active : make every sentence active

Positive : talk about what one can do, not what you can't

Short : one memorable sentence, 10-15 seconds to say.

Specific : address a particular challenge and audience.

And… where and how will they get my message ?

Develop Communications Strategies

Effective strategies …. … influence a target audience to achieve a specific outcome by using selected messages, messengers and channels or mediums to reach the target.

… influence a target audience to achieve a specific outcome by using selected messages, messengers and channels or mediums to reach the target.

Strategies … Objectives Educate Awareness Action Who Prioritized target audiences Key Messages Persuasive, compelling messages that resonate with target audiences Initiatives Define How and What you need to accomplish Tactics All the different ways you reach people Vehicles for delivering key messages

Objectives

Educate

Awareness

Action

Who

Prioritized target audiences

Key Messages

Persuasive, compelling messages that resonate with target audiences

Initiatives

Define How and What you need to accomplish

Tactics

All the different ways you reach people

Vehicles for delivering key messages

Strategy Example Objective Strengthen current donor relationships Who Cass/Clay businesses with 50+ employees with High Potential/High Awareness Adults in Cass/Clay with household incomes of $75,000 + Key Messages Brand key messages Cause/program specific based on donor’s interest

Objective

Strengthen current donor relationships

Who

Cass/Clay businesses with 50+ employees with High Potential/High Awareness

Adults in Cass/Clay with household incomes of $75,000 +

Key Messages

Brand key messages

Cause/program specific based on donor’s interest

Strategy Example Initiative Nurture current and past donors through annual fund raising campaign Tactics Hold kick-off meeting Launch media campaign TV Radio Print Set up speaking engagements at specific targeted businesses Send out media releases with campaign milestones

Initiative

Nurture current and past donors through annual fund raising campaign

Tactics

Hold kick-off meeting

Launch media campaign

TV

Radio

Print

Set up speaking engagements at specific targeted businesses

Send out media releases with campaign milestones

Strategies … Action plans Steps needed Who’s responsible Timeline Budget Evaluate

Action plans

Steps needed

Who’s responsible

Timeline

Budget

Evaluate

Last words Don't get trapped into feeling like you have to know everything to get started. Learning happens as you make and try out new strategies and messages.

Don't get trapped into feeling like you have to know everything to get started.

Learning happens as you make and try out new strategies and messages.