Developing and Building a Great Nonprofit Brand Introduction Dave Shaw Arsenal Advertising + PR 512-499-8009 dave@GoArsenal.com @TheRealDaveShaw @ArsenalAgency Agenda • • • • • The case for branding What makes a strong brand Elements of a brand Assessing your brand Expressing your brand Why should nonprofits care about branding? • Branding is not just for profit • You have a brand, choose to manage it: o o o o o Mission drives the brand Stakeholders have expectations of the brand Strategies can strengthen the brand Employees, board and volunteers deliver on the brand Materials express the brand • A strong brand drives internal alignment • A strong brand builds external trust and credibility There is a practical approach to branding nonprofits What are some great nonprofit brands? And what makes them great? 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Rankings for Nonprofit Brands Youth Health Animal Welfare Environmental Social Services Disability Great Brands… • • • • • • Clear sense of who they are Are disciplined and focused Tell good stories Internally and externally aligned Stakeholders have tools, room to deliver Consistently meet or exceed expectations Defining Brand A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another. - Seth Godin Everything Communicates the Brand 1. Core Purpose Why you exist 2. Programs and Services Support the core purpose 3. Staff, Board, Volunteers Deliver the experience 4. Online Presence Website, social media – look and voice 5. Physical Space Physical representation of the brand 6. Name, Logo, Collateral, Look and Feel Creative expression of the brand Levels of Audience Interaction With a Brand Engagement: What will they do? Resonance: How do we make them feel? Action and loyalty. Alignment of values. Emotional connection. Relevance: Do they need us? Perception: What do they know, what do they think about us? Awareness: Have they heard of us? Can they live without us? Rational connection. Understanding. Baseline. Understand Your Brand Purpose and message 2. Audiences and stakeholders 3. Programs and offerings 4. Service and communication 5. Look and feel 1. Performing a Brand Audit 1. Interviews and focus groups tell you what and why Employees Board members Donors Volunteers 2. Surveys tell you how much and how many Donors Partners Stakeholders 3. Review materials for the three “C's”: Clarity Creativity Consistency Expressing a Nonprofit Brand 1. 2. Core purpose Name, logo and brand guidelines Expressing a Nonprofit Brand 1. 2. 3. Core purpose Name, logo and brand guidelines Message platform Message Platform • Elevator pitch o One or two sentences in length o 40,000 foot view of who you are and why you’re here • Build key messages from elevator pitch o Limit key messages to no more than five o Present messages in bullet list form o Messages support elevator speech o Each message must be concise and to the point • Ensure all stakeholders internalize key messages Expressing a Nonprofit Brand 1. 2. 3. 4. Core purpose Name, logo and brand guidelines Message platform Images and stories www.stocklayouts.com Expressing a Nonprofit Brand 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Core purpose Name, logo and brand guidelines Message platform Images and stories Audience experience Training for staff, board, volunteers Protecting Your Brand • • • • Establish brand look and feel Library of approved, royalty-free stock images Copyrights and trademarks URLs, in all their variations Common branding mistakes • • • • • • • Four-color logos Logo is my brand Mission is my brand Not training the front line Mission creep Inconsistent experiences Employees, volunteers, board members not empowered to deliver on the brand Do’s of a Strong Brand • • • • • • Promises made and kept... over time Consistency in messaging, visuals Experiences that delight audiences Clear sense of what the brand stands for Staff, board members know how to deliver on the brand Not just a logo or a tagline Dave Shaw Arsenal Advertising + PR 512-499-8009 dave@GoArsenal.com @TheRealDaveShaw @ArsenalAgency Thank You