9/22/2015

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CREATINGBRAND & MESSAGE

CONSISTENCY

from the inside out

Presented by: Phoebe Pierson Carleton

Marketing Communications (MarCom) is a fundamental and complex part of a company’s marketing efforts. Loosely defined, MarCom can be described as all the messages and media you deploy to communicate with the market… incudes advertising, direct marketing, branding, packaging, your online presences, printed materials, PR activities, sales presentations, sponsorships, trade shows…

MarCom refers to the many methods a brand uses to establish RELATIONSHIPS with its stakeholders.

What is Marketing Communications?

But WHY is MarCom important for Non Profits??

But why is MarCom necessary for Non Profit Orgs?

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Consistency Keys

The BFF Test

Consistency is at the heart of good brand identities. It…

• Increases emotional COMFORT with a brand. This encourages TRUST.

• Makes messaging QUICKER and CLEARER.

• Creates immediate RECOGNITION (so important, with mere seconds to get

a message across).

• Build RELATIONSHIPS (by creating more comfort and trust.)

• Drives customer LOYALTY.

• Enables a brand to DIFFERENTIATE from competitors.

• FRAMES how others discuss your brand (with much less control over the

buzz surrounding your brand, this is extra important in today’s digital world!)

Psychology of Consistency

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Eroding consistency 101

• Outsource logo design to cheapest bidder who happens to be overseas

• Use different words to describe yourself across platforms

• Let the ED’s younger brothers, who happens to be studying iT, build the

website

• Send print design to your sister-in-law who works for a printer and took

one design class

• Have one designer working on digital elements and someone totally

different working on print design

• Describe your mission differently from website to brochure to social.

• Let your super good designer make all the branding decisions without

input from communications/marketing. (Surprised?)

Eroding Consistency 101

What’s the first brand that comes to mind when you see…

Name that brand Name That Brand

According to one surprising neuroscience study, people love _________ more than their friends and family.

Brands Pizza Great websites Good vendors

If your brand can connect on an EMOTIONAL LEVEL with an audience, you can MOTIVATE ACTION.

Why Brand Identity Matters

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Plugging in the Pieces

Storytelling

Let’s wake up our brains with a quick brainstorming session…

What’s in a Story?

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Brands are struggling to find ways to CONNECT EMOTIONALLY with their audiences. Let’s consider these two orgs…

VS.

Tugging heart strings is much easier for many associations! Most of you have the elements of a good story at your fingertips: CHARACTERS (clients), CHALLENGES (client challenges), RESOLUTION (programs/solutions)…

Pssst! Here’s a Secret for You…

Best Friend Brands

We’ll dig into the 3 pieces of the brand storytelling puzzle…

The Brand Storytelling Puzzle

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Framework

Who are your AUDIENCES?

Now, let’s pick a KEY STAKEHOLDER and dig deeper….

Audience

Who am I trying to reach?

What are their needs?

What are their interests?

What do I have/know that is important to them?

How do they consume info?

What can I develop that will be of use to them?

How can I leverage my expertise to alleviate these concerns?

How often do they want to hear from me?

The Audience-Centric Golden Rule

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Not all audiences, or all members of a given audience, are alike.

Engagement Diamond

So now we know who they are, but where, and when, do you reach them?

They’re everywhere. All the time!

Audience Mobility

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The challenge is make sure that your message MATCHES your business GOALS and ENGAGES your audiences.

1. Are you being RELATABLE?

2. Does your message have a CLEAR and CONSISTENTposition?

3. Is your communication EVOCATIVE?

4. Is your content RELEVANT?

Message

You Get the Idea

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Do you know what this means?

How about this?

Words Matter

E  N  G  A  G  E

My Point?

Voice is the WORDS you choose as well as their ORDER, RHYTHM and PACE.

Voice…• Is an expression of the people

behind the brand

• Establishes your persona

• Sets you apart

• Can build trust and persuade.

Consider… I want a cookie NOW!

I’m gonna eat ALL the cookies!

Please?!

Voice

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Language/Perspective Choice

Let’s zoom in on just LANGUAGE, for example. The DBSA has focused on language that is:

• Peer-centered• Strength-based• Self-directed• Wellness-focused

1. Crazy long sentences that just go on and on, maybe well punctuated but none-the-less long, because the writer just wants to get everything in there; maybe the writer thinks no one will read the second sentence so… Okay. Enough!

1. Way too many acronyms: aka IKWCTOABIARIP (read: I know we covered this one already but it’s a really important point!)

3. Cliches that go too far…. Like a perfect storm of words, not like the quietbefore the storm, rather, like you’re looking for any port in a storm!

4. TOO MANY CAPITALS!… (OnLine It Seems Like You’re YELLING!)

5. Too many lists that include too many things: verbs and nouns, adjectives,clever puns, personal pronouns, prepositional phrases, adverbs, more acronyms that no one wants, first person words, second person words….

5 Deadly Sins

1. When you’re struggling with it, just take a break and come back later (and fresher)

1. Read your work out loud. The places you stumble are the places to revisit.

2. Always have a second person proofread the work for clarity and grammar.

3. Give extra consideration to your call to action. If you want your audience to take action, make sure that is very, very clear.

4. Select right person and have that person own consistency

5 Useful Tips

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Whose Voice?

Tone of Voice and Core Beliefs

DBSA has established a series of Core Beliefs in the Branding Guide that assist in creating a consistent Voice:

1. Depression and bipolar disorder can be life threatening conditions, but are also highly treatable. 

2. People living with depression and bipolar disorder can and do lead productive and thriving lives. 

3. All individuals have the right to direct their own treatment. 

4. Clinicians should work in collaboration with individuals to provide options for the person to consider when developing their treatment plan. 

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Why Visuals Matter

Oh you probably don’t want to dive from this spot. The water here is quite shallow and you could bang your head and be seriously injured.

Read This…

• Increases engagement

• Explains and summarizes complex information

• Speeds up comprehension

• Tugs the heartstrings

• Motivates actions.

Visual Storytelling

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LogoColor palette

Typography/fontPhotographyIllustrations

GridIcons

Visual Elements of a Brand

Visual Consistency

Brand Guidelines

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Brand Guidelines – Do’s and Don’ts!

Why a Style Guide?

Make it easier for stakeholders to WHISPER DOWN THE LANE and react emotionally to your brand…

Show, don’t tell!

Content

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Yes, You Can!

http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2014/aaoe/2013_annual_report/

Limited resources means you need to PRIORITIZE.

Guess which medium has the highest ROI: Email, Social, or Direct Mail?

EMAIL ROI: Studies put it between 28% and 44%

SOCIAL ROI: Roughly 20%

DIRECT MAIL ROI: Approximately 7%

Prioritize Resources

Stay in Touch

I invite you to reach out to me anytime.

Phoebe Pierson Carletonppierson@pwrnewmedia.com312.924.4224

www.pwrnewmedia.comTwitter & Facebook