By Jennifer Friedlin, Iris7 Marketing
When was the last time your key staff sat down to evaluate your organization’s marketing materials? If it has been awhile, I would encourage you to pick a date in the not too distant future – say by the end of the month – to gather your team to decide if your website, brochure, video, and any other marketing collateral are working to tell a cohesive story about your organization.
Why is this important? Every organization uses marketing materials to promote its mission to donors, supporters, clients, and volunteers. Over time, as organizational priorities change, the materials may grow stale or no longer work together to tell a cohesive story. This leads to message breakdown, which results, whether consciously or subconsciously, in a loss of supporter understanding about what the organization does as well as faith in its abilities to achieve results. An annual review of the materials is a good way to make sure they continue working for, not against you.
Once your team is assembled, ask yourselves the following questions:
- IS OUR CORE MESSAGE REFLECTED IN MATERIALS, INCLUDING THE WEBSITE, BROCHURE, AND VIDEO? Non-profits typically exist to improve some slice of the world. This improvement, as Sherri Greenbach states, is an organization’s social dividend. Once you have identified your organization’s social dividend the goal is to make sure to convey it through your organization’s messaging.
Once you have your message, you need to “show” rather than “tell.” By this I mean that you should use stories to demonstrate your value. Don’t just tell your audiences that you help people, show them. For example, if your organization feeds the hungry, then you might consider prominently featuring a recipient on your homepage with a great quote. If you advocate for recycling, then can you show your story in numbers by quantifying how much less plastic is being dumped in landfills thanks to your effort?
- IS OUR TAGLINE WORKING? A good tagline stands at the intersection of what your supporters want and what you offer. At no more than 8 words, a tagline needs to be pithy as well as specific. If it could be used by lots of other organizations, your tagline is likely too general to connect people with your organization.
Think about why taglines that stick, like “Just Do It” or “You’re in Good Hands with All State,” work. The answer, in my opinion, is that there’s an emotional appeal that resonates with the ideal audience. If you can capture the right emotion, you are well on your way to building supporter buy in.
- DOES OUR BRANDING STILL REFLECT THE SPIRIT AND MISSION OF OUR ORGANIZATION? Here I am talking about the logo and color scheme. How’s that logo working for you? Does it look outdated? In need of a refresh? Do the colors reflect a modern palette?
Branding may seem like an extravagance but the image you portray through your logo and color scheme helps people to know who you are and what you stand for. When executed effectively, these foundational pieces will generate enthusiasm and galvanize people to get excited about your cause.
Now you are likely wondering, ‘What’s next if we answered ‘No’ to questions 1, 2, and 3?’ The answer is: YOU PLAN! First outline your goals. Do you need to overhaul your message, branding, website, and collateral or do you only need a new brochure? Once you know what you want to do, consider your resources. If the budget does not allow you to tackle all of the items on your wish list, it’s time to prioritize. What is most important and what will the budget allow? If redefining your message is anywhere on your list, I recommend doing that first since a solid understanding of your message, as conveyed through your social dividends, is fundamental to any marketing effort.
As with any effort that takes time and an investment of money, getting your marketing materials right is a challenge. But sitting down and looking at them critically is a first step toward ensuring that they help you make your case effectively and efficiently so that you can do more good in the world.
Jennifer Friedlin is the owner of Iris7 Marketing, a boutique marketing agency that helps non-profits develop their marketing messages and materials for maximum effect.