Marketing on a Dime

Mentoring Children of Prisoners Event

Kansas City, MissouriJanuary 20-21, 2011

Welcome to

Our Objective:

To create a blueprint—tailored for your respective needs—to help you inexpensively market your mentoring programs.

Your name & title Your organization An interesting fact about

you

Introductions:

Larry Checco, President, Checco Communications

“CC helps organizations define who they are, what they do, how they do it—and why anyone should care enough to support them!”

I once spent three months working in a salt mine in Western Australia.

Good marketing helps your audiences better understand:

Who you are What you do How you do it And why they should care

The answers to these can help you:

Fundraise Attract quality board members Market your mentoring programs Recruit and retain mentors and

staff Tell your story or narrative

Trust Relationship building Cooperative, collaborative

opportunities to advance your goals and objectives

Good marketing equals:

Quickly list 4 things you trust your org’s name to convey:

1. _____________2. _____________3. _____________4. _____________

Now let’s talk about marketing your organization’s “brand”, or

reputation.

A good brand answers the same questions as a good marketing

plan, namely….

Who are you?

We are __[name of your program]__, a nonprofit

organization.

What do you do?

We are volunteers who mentor children whose parents are in

prison.

How do you do it?

By providing these children with culturally relevant services based on

the principles of positive youth development.

Why should I care?

Because we all benefit when children feel safe, nurtured and cared for, especially those children whose parents can’t readily provide for

them.

Possible positioning statement: “XYZ is a nonprofit volunteer organization that

mentors children whose parents are in prison. By providing culturally relevant, age-appropriate services we help these children feel safe, nurtured and cared for—things that their parents can’t readily give them—and something we, as a community and a society all benefit from.”

It’s your “elevator speech”

What is a brand, anyway?

McDonald’s

versus

Frank’s Home-Style Cooking

Branding myth #1

“Marketing and branding are one and the same.”

Marketing/advertising sellsproducts and services.

Your brand is a reflection of everything associated with

your organization…

The quality of your work Your reputation/how people view you The quality of your staff and mentors The quality of your leadership Your organization’s core cultural values, including

your passion for mentoring children of people in prison.

Why your work is so important, not only for the children you serve, but for the community at large.

Including (but not limited to)…

A brand screams out:

TRUST ME!

A good brand quietly—and always—fulfills that pledge.

Branding myth #2

“Once we have an attractive logo and catchy tagline, we

have our brand.”

Your logo and tagline are the banners for your brand.

Your brand drills much deeper into your

organization’s core values.

“Truth is, logos don’t really do much of anything…. They don’t make you

cooler. They don’t make the product better. In fact a logo means nothing.

Unless, of course, the company behind it means something.”

--Hyundai auto adin Time magazine

Branding myth #3

“Branding is the responsibility of our

communications/marketing folks.”

Branding is the responsibility of “EVERYONE”

in your organization, from board members to support

staff to volunteers and clients.

If it helps, consider yourself—and everyone affiliated with

your organization…

“Directors of First Impressions”

FACT:

Amazon.com, Google and Trader Joe’s

rely almost exclusively on word of mouth to promote

themselves!

Branding myth #4

“We don’t have a budget for marketing or promoting our

organization’s brand.”

If you effectively leverage your current resources—namely your staff, board members, volunteers and

clients—you won’t need much of a budget to better market

your organization.

1. Clearly define your brand2. Actively promote your brand3. Diligently protect your brand

Keys to marketing on a dime:

Step #1

Defining your brand:

A reality check

Reality check:• Has your mentoring program come to consensus

on what it is, what it does, how it does it—and why anyone should care enough to support its efforts?

• Is there internal consensus on your mission, positioning and communications strategies?

• If so, do your current communication materials—including logo, editorial content, graphic design, and other materials, including business cards—reflect consistent brand messages and images regarding your mentoring programs?

Reality check: Is your program structured to send out

clear, consistent messages to your target audiences, as well as to staff?

Have you created a “messaging package”—i.e. positioning statement, supporting statements, etc.—to help everyone stay on message?

Are you aware of how others currently perceive your program?

Is the program’s current perceptions of itself positive and healthy?

Why concern ourselves with defining a clear, consistent brand?

Because it doesn’t matter how good the choir is…

…If everyone is singing from different song sheets…

It’s just noise!

Define your brand by:

Internal consensus (SWOT analysis) External input (what do your audiences

want to know?) Creating a “messaging package” to

keep everyone on message

Internal Research

SWOT Analysis

Strengths (promote) Weaknesses (address) Opportunities (leverage) Threats (prepare for)

External Research

1. On-line or off-line surveys2. Client exit interviews3. Informal focus groups

Combine internal and external research to create your “Messaging Package”:

Tagline Mission statement Positioning statement Supporting statement Logo

Tagline:

Catchy, quick-identifying reference Usually five to seven words in length. Designed to capture the imagination

and interest of your target audiences.

Examples of good taglines:

General Electric—We bring good things to life

Nike—Just Do it American Red Cross—Together we can

save a life National Endowment for the Arts—A

great nation deserves great art

Mission Statement:

Describes core goals and objectives Answers the question: “Why do we

exist?”

Mission Statement:

“The mission of XYZ is to mentor children whose parents are in prison.”

Positioning statement:

Builds on mission statement Briefly states how you achieve your

goals Not meant to tell your entire story

Possible positioning statement: “XYZ is a nonprofit volunteer organization that

mentors children whose parents are in prison. By providing culturally relevant, age-appropriate services we help these children feel safe, nurtured and cared for—things that their parents can’t readily give them—and something we, as a community and a society all benefit from.”

It’s your “elevator speech”

Supporting statements:

Support your brand Provide additional information about

your organization Can be targeted to different audiences

Supporting statements may reflect: Core values Range of programs and services Facts about your org Who currently supports you, and how Your impact on the community Innovations and initiatives

Draft five (5) statements that support your brand: (Hint: think talking points)

1.2.3.4.5.

Logo:

Helps people identify quickly with your organization

Cornerstone for your look and style Attractive and representative of org. Used consistently on all your materials

Peer-review each other’s material

Step #2

Actively promote your brand!

A reality check

When it comes to promoting your brand…

…Start from the inside out

Brand from the inside out:

Start with your board, staff & volunteers Make them educated Ambassadors for

your brand Make branding part of performance

review

Reality check: Does everyone in your mentoring program—from leadership

to support staff to volunteers—know what the brand is? Are they educated, motivated Ambassadors of the brand? Is branding included as part of your strategic planning

process? Is understanding the program’s brand part of your employee

and volunteer orientation process, as well as part of your annual performance review?

Reality check: Are your promotional materials up-to-date,

attractive and compelling? Have you tested your messages? Does your website accurately reflect your

brand, and is it easy to navigate and updated regularly?

Are you out in your respective communities promoting and reinforcing your brand?

Are you aware of the morale of your current workforce and volunteers?

You and your staff need to get out from behind your desks and actively

promote the brand!

You and your staff need to:

Attract media attention, including smaller media outlets (don’t overlook company newsletters)

Be recognized as experts in the field, especially by the media

Engage in civic activities Become effective Brand Ambassadors so others

can become Brand Advocates for your organization Use social networking technologies—i.e. FaceBook,

MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, etc.—especially if you’re seeking to reach a younger audience.

List ways to cost-effectively promote your brand:

1.2.3.

Step #3

Diligently protect your brand!

A reality check

Protect your brand…

…by living your brand.

Reality check: Does everyone in your program understand what

it means to protect—or live—the brand, namely how to keep its reputation positive, strong and trustworthy?

Do leadership, staff and volunteers take advantage of training opportunities in leadership, finance and ethics?

Is there transparency with respect to finances? Is the workplace culture open to speaking “truth

to authority”?

Reality check: Is there awareness that your funders are seeking

ever greater accountability and clearer outcomes from the work that you perform?

Do your decision-makers understand the difference between doing what is legal versus what is ethical?

Do you consciously strive to meet all of the expectations—i.e. promises—your brand represents?

Protect—or live—your brand:

Hire/recruit well (affluence and influence are worthless w/out integrity and wisdom!)

Educate (what’s at risk?) Be transparent with your finances Speak truth to authority Legal is not the litmus test Expectations…expectations…expectations

List all the things you can possibly imagine that could tarnish your organization’s reputation:

1.2.3.

Three take-home messages for Marketing on a Dime!

1. Clearly define your brand identity It will help reduce the noise and clarify

the message

2. Create good Brand Ambassadors It requires good leadership

3. Legal is not the litmus test for doing the right thing

Rather, what would your mother think if your decisions were to be aired publicly?

The very good news is:

You Can Do This!

Thank you!

Larry CheccoChecco Communications

Branding consultantMotivational speakerWorkshop presenter

Helping organizations clearly define who they are, what they do, how they do it—and why anyone should care!

www.checcocomm.net