This document discusses how to develop and leverage a nonprofit or program brand through establishing key messages that align with and reinforce the overall brand. It defines brand and branding, and emphasizes the importance of consistency. Components of an effective brand like name, logo, style and personality are explored. The document provides exercises to help assess an existing brand and develop brand-aligned key messages. It also offers tips for delivering key messages through various internal and external communications channels while staying true to the brand's essence.

1. How to Develop and Leverage Your Nonprofit or Program Brand#txnsbrand Phil West Orange Cone Agency September 8, 2011

2. Basic definitions Brand: What identifies your entity to the world – not just name and logo, but messaging, your people, your partnerships, associations people have with your entity (knowledge of what you’ve done, general feelings/emotional qualities) From AMA: “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers”

3. Basic definitions Branding: In its verb form, it becomes the act of creating and/or marketing that brand Possible scenarios for branding: A new entity that needs a brand A brand that needs to be changed A brand that needs to be reinforced/reinvigorated A brand being confused with another brand (possibly a competitor)

4. Basic definitions Messaging: The overarching and ever-evolving set of statements an entity wants to make about itself, applied to specific situations This definition expresses: The importance of brand in all your communication (essentially, asking the question, “What do we want to say about ourselves?”) Awareness of how your programs, events, communications with staff/volunteers have the potential to reinforce your brand

5. Brand Awareness Exercise Think of a brand – the first one that comes to mind. Spend five minutes thinking about its name, its logo, its style and personality – all the things you’re able to associate with it. (Think about how it advertises, how it delivers its news, how it stages events, how it relates to its world.)

6. Components of Brand Name What does it mean? What associations might people have with it? Is it indicative of what the entity does? Is it memorable? Is it challenging? (In the positive or negative way) Does it have the potential to grow and develop with the entity?

7. Components of Brand Logo What does it look like? Is a concrete or abstract image? Are you able to call it up from memory? What colors does it employ, and what associations do you have with those? How does it integrate with the name?

8. Components of Brand Logo Exercise What associations do you have with the following logo?

9. Components of Brand Logo Exercise What associations do you have with the following logo?

10. Components of Brand Logo Exercise What associations do you have with the following logo?

11. Components of Brand Style and Personality Who do you see as your audience? And your potential audience? How do you relate to that audience? Are you smart? Funny? Friendly? Reliable? Honest? Is your personality consistent? Or do you tailor it for certain audiences? (Think about the concept of brand essence – elements/values of your brand that don’t change)

12. Brand and How It Ties to Reputation The public’s awareness of brand is akin to a relationship with another person (though a brand is managed by multiple people) Reputation management, including PR, is about banking goodwill should something go wrong, while making sure you keep current and relevant as well as trusted

13. Keeping Your Brand Consistent Awareness Making sure that you’re aware of your brand, its essence, your audience and potential audience Articulation Craft messages and design events/programs that articulate your brand consistently Assessment Gauge how resonant your brand is with your staff and your audience

14. Generating Brand Feedback Monitor how others see your brand What media is saying What partners are saying Ask your staff/board Most important constituency Make sure internal communication is two-way Ask your audience Tailoring surveys Direct asks with trusted supporters

15. Exercise: Assessing Your Brand Take five minutes to write down reflections on your brand – how does it resonate, what’s most notable about it to you, what’s most notable about it to your constituency, where it’s consistent, and where it might be inconsistent or need some development/attention

16. Key Messages The main points you want to get across to your audience about your entity Helpful to think of three key messages per rhetorical situation Messages should always track back to your brand and its essence

17. Developing Your Key Messages Asking questions to tie situation to branding concerns What’s important for us to say? How does it advance our mission? What’s relevant/useful to our audience? What engages people? Involving ED/Other Core Staff with PR/Marketing Personnel

18. What Happens When Your Messages Tie To Your Brand You appear more consistent You appear more purposeful Your brand is reinforced and more memorable Your audience is more engaged

19. Key Message Exercise Take five minutes, thinking about an upcoming event, program or initiative for your entity. Craft three key messages that you’d deliver in an interview with someone in the media, keeping your brand in mind as you craft these. (We’ll workshop these in small groups and with the entire group.)

20. Delivering Your Key Messages Through internal communications Cultivate awareness throughout your organization Use your mission and vision statements as anchors Involve staff and board in assessment of key messages, to cultivate ownership as well as recognition

21. Delivering Your Key Messages Through traditional media channels Make sure key messages are in press releases and media advisories, particularly as quotes from spokespeople Prepare for interviews by knowing key messages, making it a goal to deliver those Know how to bridge to key messages (from questions that might be irrelevant or hard to answer)

22. Delivering Your Key Messages Through social media channels Prepare size-appropriate versions of your key messages as needed for social media channels (I’m looking at you, Twitter) Utilize key messages in personable ways with one-on-one engagement Be mindful of your brand’s personality

23. Delivering Your Key Messages Through your marketing collateral Think about event-specific messaging for event marketing collateral, but also be aware of overall brand advancement Make sure images are congruent with text Professionalism is key, even if there are casual and friendly elements to your brand