Effective Brand Communications How to tell the story of your company to increase funding and awareness Branding is a term that everyone knows but not everyone quite understands. Entrepreneur.com has an excellent definition of branding: the practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products. This concept extends to how organizations communicate about their brand. It is critical that all members of your company use the same messaging when talking about the work that you do. In this interactive session, you’ll learn: -- Why it’s important to have a brand presence -- How to begin the message development process in order to tell your story -- Key components of traditional and social media outreach plans -- The do’s and don’ts of building your strategic communications plan To learn more, contact AndMore Communications, LLC at ann@andmorecommunications.com

1. Effective Brand Communications:
How to tell the story of your company to increase funding and awareness
By Ann Andrews Morris, AndMore Communications
Washington, DC November 5, 2013
Smart + Strategic + Unique
Excerpts from:
Effective Brand Communications:
How to tell the story of your company to
increase funding and awareness
USDA – CATP Commercialization Training Workshop
November 6, 2013
Washington, DC
www.andmorecommunications.com
Who am I and why am I here?
Ann Andrews Morris
Principal, AndMore Communications, LLC
• Award winning global communications executive with
Award-winning
more than 20 years of experience in national news
media, international public relations, and corporate
communications.
• AndMore Communications, is a Washington, D.C.-based
firm that provides clients with expertise in strategic
communications, social media, branding, media
relations, and crisis communications.
• Ms. Morris also has worked at ABC News, U.S. News
and World Report, Share Our Strength, The American
Red Cross, Ogilvy Public Relations, United Way of
America, and World Food Program USA.
www.andmorecommunications.com
All material in this presentation is, unless otherwise stated, the property of the AndMore Communications, LLC. Copyright
and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in
part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law.
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2. Effective Brand Communications:
How to tell the story of your company to increase funding and awareness
By Ann Andrews Morris, AndMore Communications
Washington, DC November 5, 2013
Overview
I.
Why it’s important to have a brand presence
II. How t b i th message d
II H
to begin the
development
l
t
process in order to tell your story
III. Key components of traditional and social media
outreach plans
IV. The do’s and don’ts of building your strategic
communications plan
V. Q & A
www.andmorecommunications.com
I. Why it’s important to have a brand presence
• Funding
• Market share
• Product success
• If you don’t tell your own story, someone else will
www.andmorecommunications.com
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All material in this presentation is, unless otherwise stated, the property of the AndMore Communications, LLC. Copyright
and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in
part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law.
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3. Effective Brand Communications:
How to tell the story of your company to increase funding and awareness
By Ann Andrews Morris, AndMore Communications
Washington, DC November 5, 2013
I. What puts brands at risk
• Failing to manage stakeholders’ perceptions as well
as facts
• Allowing other parties to become the source of
information
• Lying, deceiving or misleading
• Allowing rumors and speculation to take over facts
facts.
• Allowing competitors or others to determine and
control your brand messaging
www.andmorecommunications.com
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I. What puts brands at risk
“A lie can be halfway round the world while the
truth is still putting its shoes on.”
-- Mark Twain
www.andmorecommunications.com
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All material in this presentation is, unless otherwise stated, the property of the AndMore Communications, LLC. Copyright
and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in
part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law.
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4. Effective Brand Communications:
How to tell the story of your company to increase funding and awareness
By Ann Andrews Morris, AndMore Communications
Washington, DC November 5, 2013
II. Key components of message development
Rule 1: Have one main message with up to three
underlying themes to support it.
y g
pp
Rule 2: All messages should support the organization's
main goals.
Rule 3: Messages are not necessarily sound bites, they are
the ideas you are t i t communicate to the public.
th id
trying to
i t t th
bli
(Messages are reinforced by sound bites, phrases, statistics
and anecdotes)
www.andmorecommunications.com
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II. Key components of message development
Rule 4: Messages don’t change frequently. For messages
p
y
p
to have impact they have to be repeated over and over
again.
Rule 5: Messages can be tailored for specific audiences,
while still remaining constant.
Rule 6: Consistent messages should permeate all of your
communications efforts.
www.andmorecommunications.com
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All material in this presentation is, unless otherwise stated, the property of the AndMore Communications, LLC. Copyright
and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in
part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law.
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5. Effective Brand Communications:
How to tell the story of your company to increase funding and awareness
By Ann Andrews Morris, AndMore Communications
Washington, DC November 5, 2013
II. Key components of message development
Rule 7: Messages must be simple. They are ideas that can
be explained in a sentence or two — if it requires a
p
q
paragraph or two, keep working.
Rule 8: Remember: messages take time to create. Don’t
rush the process.
www.andmorecommunications.com
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II. Other things to keep in mind

Avoid jargon, overuse of acronyms, and too many
numbers

Do not assume that everyone understands what you’re
talking about

Keep it simple and specific

Be accurate and cite sources

Be consistent and repetitive
www.andmorecommunications.com
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All material in this presentation is, unless otherwise stated, the property of the AndMore Communications, LLC. Copyright
and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in
part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law.
5

6. Effective Brand Communications:
How to tell the story of your company to increase funding and awareness
By Ann Andrews Morris, AndMore Communications
Washington, DC November 5, 2013
IV.
The do’s and don’ts of building your
strategic communications plan
DO:
• Identify one person as the lead on the strategic
communications process.
• If you have money in your budget, hire a
communications expert to come in and help guide you
through the strategic communications planning process.
• Thi is an invaluable investment into your company –
This i
i
l bl i
i
you get the expertise you need and you have someone
from the outside who can see your brand from a whole
new point of view
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IV.
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The do’s and don’ts of building your
strategic communications plan
DO NOT:
• Revise draft plans so drastically that they no longer
resemble what your planning group agreed to.
• Micromanage the process. If you’re working with a
communications professional, trust that they will
reflect back to you that which you all discussed.
• Abandon the plan Building brand awareness
plan.
through communications takes time and patience.
Understand that it can take years to make in roads
to your key stakeholders, but you will get there.
www.andmorecommunications.com
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All material in this presentation is, unless otherwise stated, the property of the AndMore Communications, LLC. Copyright
and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in
part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law.
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7. Effective Brand Communications:
How to tell the story of your company to increase funding and awareness
By Ann Andrews Morris, AndMore Communications
Washington, DC November 5, 2013
Connect with Me!
Ann Andrews Morris
AndMore C
A dM
Communications, LLC
i ti
ann@andmorecommunications.com
www.andmorecommunications.com
Twitter.com/AndMoreComm
LinkedIn.com/in/annandrewsmorris
Smart + Strategic + Unique
All material in this presentation is, unless otherwise stated, the property of the AndMore Communications, LLC. Copyright
and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in
part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law.
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