BUILDING YOUR COMMUNICATIONS Creative Capital Exchange. November 12, 2015

AGENDA Introductions – goals for the session

What is communications strategy?

Deconstructing communications strategy

Putting it all together

Your questions and open discussion

STRATEGY

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIESDefine and

Develop Brand Identity

• Elevate our brand profile

• Be consistent in representing the brand in all executions

• Protect and capitalize on the strength of the brand

Cultivate a Culture of

Communication• Focus messaging on

community impact, relevance and value

• Adopt a digital-first communications approach

• Develop a Stakeholder Communications and Engagement Strategy

• Develop an Internal Communications Strategy

Focus on Targeted

Opportunities

• Focus on flagship activities that amplify Council’s impact for/on artists, communities, the public and government stakeholders

• Public Engagement

• Develop partnership opportunities to realize the full potential of initiatives

KEY COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES

Council Promotion• Website• Social Media• Annual Report• Strategic Plan• Annual Public Meeting• Media Relations

Arts Promotion• Social Media• Speeches• Ongoing

communications to the arts community

• Public events• Major Prizes• Website• Media Relations

DECONSTRUCTING THE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

BRANDING  Does our brand or positioning need

refreshing in the light of our strategic objectives?

Is it consistent?

Does it resonate with our stakeholders?

CANADA COUNCIL’S BRAND

EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT What aspects of or trends in the external

environment have a positive or negative impact on our communication?

How do we listen and collect intelligence to know what’s happening in the external environment? How is this information shared inside the organization?

Do we collect the data we need to measure the effectiveness of our communication?

DECONSTRUCTING THE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

AUDIENCE  Who are they? Where are they?

What makes them tick/what moves them?

What do they need from us?

Are their needs changing?

What do they think of our organization?

STAKEHOLDER MAP AND MESSAGES

MESSAGES  Do we have the messages we need?

Are they clear?

Does everyone in the organization know what they are?

How do our messages play with our audiences?

KEY MESSAGES*         The new Liberal government has made many commitments to arts and culture in Canada during the election campaign, notably through investing significantly in the Canada Council for the Arts. We take this as a vote of confidence in the Canada Council and in Canada's dynamic and diverse arts sector.

*      With any increase in our parliamentary appropriation, the Canada Council will be better able to support artistic creation and its outreach in Canada and abroad. *         With the introduction of our new funding model, we are ready to strategically invest in the arts in Canada, scaling up our impact and that of the sector. 

DECONSTRUCTING THE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING

Audience – who do you need to reach?

What do they most care about?

What is the desired result of the communication?

Message Communications channel(s)

Why and what do we need to communicate?     

CHANNELS What channels do our audiences use? Where

do they expect us to be?

What resources do we have to support those channels?

MEASUREMENT & EVALUATION What does success look like?

What metrics will indicate that we are successful?

What metrics are important to my organization/board/key stakeholders?

EVALUATION SCORECARD

Social Media Measurement

Web Analytics

Consistent look and feel

Media Coverage Analysis

Feedback from Stakeholders

Research

CULTURE/SKILLS/RESOURCES  Do we have a strong communication

culture?

Does our internal communication support external communication?

Do we have the skills and resources we need to get our voice out there?

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIESDefine and

Develop Brand Identity

• Elevate our brand profile

• Be consistent in representing the brand in all executions

• Protect and capitalize on the strength of the brand

Cultivate a Culture of

Communication• Focus messaging on

community impact, relevance and value

• Adopt a digital-first communications approach

• Develop a Stakeholder Communications and Engagement Strategy

• Develop an Internal Communications Strategy

Focus on Targeted

Opportunities

• Focus on flagship activities that amplify Council’s impact for/on artists, communities, the public and government stakeholders

• Public Engagement

• Develop partnership opportunities to realize the full potential of initiatives

CEO OUTREACH Op-ed: Power of the Arts

Speeches – Rideau Club, Creative Cities Network

Outreach and learning trip: Northern Canada

Twitter and blog

Public events: Temporal Re-Imaginings, Governor General’s Literary Awards readings

TOOLS AND RESOURCES http://www.artsmarketing.org/resources

Content Marketing Institute Marketing Profs You’ve Cott Mail Hill Strategies Google alerts IABC.com/articles Culture Days Americans for the Arts Hubspot

QUESTIONS? find me on Twitter @VirtualTarahttps://ca.linkedin.com/in/taralapointe