Know-How Exchange : Branding

You should certainly take advantage of the various social media available. Blogs, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and so on, are very cost effective, but do require time to build. The price is right.

There are dozens of avenues to reach all types of audiences; the key is to be certain your brand message is clear, you understand your audience (and whether, for example, radio is a good way to reach them). A critical element of making your message "work" is to ensure that the "media message" is amply supported by the organization's behavior and performance.

Peter and Harry are both right. My suggestion, though, is to first be rock solid certain that you understand exactly what message you are sending by virtue of your NFP's performance, then marry that message to the media that has the best odds of reaching your audience.

Dear Fayssal,

For you to tell me “we are a non profit organization” is akin to me telling you I’m writing in English, and that I’m sitting in front of a computer screen: It’s not specific enough.

Non profits are a dime a dozen and, sadly for them, they are often the last ones to grasp the opportunities, art, science, and craft of marketing because they see it as being too commercial, and because they see world of commerce as being about making profits and hey, they’e a “non” profit.

Crap!

Profit or non profit, you have salaries to pay, services to render, products to distribute, customers to serve, donors to please, a director to follow, and a board of trustees to pander to. This means, “dot org” status or not, your organization is a business. The sooner you begin running it like one the sooner you’ll earn your “brand awareness”.

Harsh? Yes. But realistic.

You'll do much to help yourself by giving forum members a more information about your organization.

What’s your mission, vision, and purpose?

Who are your main customers? (and please, don't say "everyone")

What's special about your service, products, quality, and value?

Why should people support your show or buy from you and no one else?

Are you providing services to a wide audience or a narrow niche?

Do people come to you (do you have a bricks and mortar establishment?), or do you go to them? Or both?

Are you humanitarian (medical, social service-based), or arts, leisure, and culture?

Do you serve as an NGO overseas? Or are you in one place and serving one main group?

Where are you selling? Internationally? Locally to you? And if it's locally to you, where are you?

What income group do you serve?

What income group do you rely on so that you can serve the group you're serving?

Who are your main donors? Private? Public?

How often to you talk to your main stakeholders in print about the ways you spend their money and improve people's lives?

Is what you do visual? Would it make better television than radio?

What’s your story?

When, where, and how were you founded? Who founded your organization and why?

Where does your funding come from?

What does your endowment or investment picture look like now?
What did it look like a year ago? What will it look like a year from now?

What’s your investment draw, it any? And what time line/rolling average do you pull income from?

How do you raise revenue? From memberships? From private and corporate donors? Government grants?
Gifts, and gifts in kind?

What’s your annual operating budget?

What do you do that will make me want to reach for my credit card and make a donation via your website?

Until you can paint a vivid picture of the things you do, who you do them for, and why those things matter to the people you serve and to the people that support you, you might have a brand in your eyes, but you won't have a brand in the eyes of the people you need it be be visible for.

Your brand isn't for you. It's for the people you serve, and for the people that support you.

To create a brand you have to make people care about the thing you do. You MUST get them emotionally invested in what it is that you do

Sorry to drone on and on here, but all this information will help others help you. Please, be specific and you'll be stunned at the number of people here who will be glad to work with you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Gary's response, harsh or not, is dead on. Pay heed to his advice.

Harry Hallman's suggestion to utilize social media is spot on. Because of the nature of your offering, you may want to consider creating conversations and joining conversations (and perhaps advertising) on:
idealist.org
the resources section of opportunityknocks.org
https://www.good.is/
https://nonprofit.about.com/

Blog. Participate in others' relevant blogs.

Create buzz with experiences. Put on a non-traditional job fair in a non-traditional location.

Identify success stories which your organization has helped happen. Communicate these to the media - online, TV, local news, papers, etc. You probably have dozens of the exact sort of feel-good/heartwarming public interest stories for which every news organization is looking these days.

Avail yourself of resources from https://www.usa.gov/Business/Nonprofit.shtml

Find a creative boutique [commercial for company removed by staff] that have experience creating breakthrough awareness generating ideas for non-profits with little or no money because they believe in being useful to causes such as yours.

In my experience, radio is an effective promotional medium. Maybe a decent reminder medium. But not so good at generating brand awareness. Your audience is online. Engage them where they are in the language (visual and written) which they speak and you will realize wonderful results.

Best wishes,
[Email address deleted by staff]

A local non profit (https://www.camarin.org/economic.html) used to offer (and maybe still does) employers a deal that was too-good-to-pass-up: they'll pay the salary of new hires for the first month or so. So instead of spending $ advertising, take the money and invest in your clients, develop press releases and befriend local media people for PR opportunities instead.

Why not team up with government agencies and other not-for-profits that exist for disadvantaged people (i.e. in Oz we have a charity called Beyond Blue for mental illness and depression). Work out how you can use the synergies between your organisations - you might be surprised what you can create and spend little money. Look at 'higher' profile organisations that have good connections to the business community.

Good luck!

I have to agree with Gary and with Jay.

There is ar too much generic talk about 'Brand Awareness' and far to little about 'product or service' awareness.

I would put my efforts into marketing the exceptional mission and service that you offer.

Brand awareness will grow but you are not after global domination :) You just need employers in the states that you service to be aware of what you offer.

I would put ALL my efforts into communicating directly with HR professionals that will mak the hiring decisions.

Social media ? Yes nice IF you can find the segments, clubs and associations specifically related to hiring people.

Segment, Target, and Profile you market with a lazer beam focus. Don't waste 1 minute or dollar on taling to people who have no interest or influence over the hiring decision.

God luck with a very worthy cause.

Matthew