Communicate With Impact

Thinking About a Communications Audit?

Amy Plotch — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:19:33 +0000

I’m a linear thinker—systematic and deadline oriented. That’s why I like communications audits. Audits are systematic ways to assess where you are, what’s working and what needs tinkering. You get a realistic sense of your impact.

We linear thinkers know that everything works best after logical preparation. So this month I thought I’d share some questions and answers to help you get the most from a communications audit.

WHY ARE YOU DOING AN AUDIT?

Before starting an audit, ask yourself what you are hoping to learn? * Do you want to audit your communications to a specific audience, such as donors, policymakers or clients? * Do you want to see if your brand is being communicated effectively? * Do you want to find out if your core message is getting through?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO AUDIT?

Do you want to evaluate a specific program, or look at your organization as a whole?

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO LEARN?

For the greatest impact, go deep with your audit. I like to divide my questions into three categories: strategy, implementation and organizational support. These sample questions will help you get started:

Strategy questions * Do you have clear strategic communications goals? * Do you have specific and measurable objectives? * Do you have clear messages?

Implementation questions * Are your communications materials effective? * Are staff members good spokespeople? * Do your audiences see you the way you see yourself? * Are social media and traditional media relations strategies integrated?

Organizational support questions * Does your senior management understand/value communications? * Is there enough money to do the job well? * Do all staff members see themselves as communicators?

WHAT RESEARCH TECHNIQUES ARE HELPFUL?

There are several research techniques you can use. The ones you choose will depend on both your goals and your budget. I frequently recommend one-on-one interviews with key staff, stakeholders and target audiences. You can also conduct online surveys to reach a broader group. And there are plenty of social media tools to listen to what your audiences are saying about you to their peers.

I also review organizational print and online materials to evaluate how effective they are.

WHO SHOULD CONDUCT YOUR AUDIT?

While an audit can be done in-house, it is a great task for a consultant. Consultants bring external perspectives that enable them to look and listen objectively. As outsiders, consultants can often elicit more open (i.e. brutally honest) information in interviews.

Social marketing explained

Amy Plotch — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:42:53 +0000

Once in a while you find a free resource that is too good not to share. That’s why I’m pleased to direct you to the Social Marketing Resource Guide. This online publication and PowerPoint deck was developed in 2002, but it is just as useful today for folks who want to understand, explain and use social marketing strategies.
Social marketing is more than a media campaign, a Facebook strategy or an advertising strategy; it is a comprehensive marketing strategy to change people’s behavior on a large scale. Remember the Five P’s of Marketing (product, price, place, promotion, and people)? You need to use each of them as effectively to sell healthy behaviors as you do to sell cereal.
Great social marketers partner with effective direct service programs and with researchers to figure out what works and use that knowledge to create large scale change. Successful social media campaigns have reduced teenage smoking, increased condom use and prevented domestic violence.
Check out the Social Marketing Research Guide and start thinking about how you can employ a comprehensive marketing approach to your work. If you need help, give us a call.

Push Buttons and Other Tips for Elevator Speeches

Amy Plotch — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:03:25 +0000

An ‘elevator speech’ is a quick and concise summary of what your organization does and what makes it special. While we rarely find opportunities to make speeches on elevators, the elevator speech comes in handy in all kinds of situations. Here are some tips to make yours successful.

Know your goal
How can the person you are speaking with get involved? What do you want to happen as a result of the conversation?

Know your audience
Make sure you think of them on a human level as well as a business level. What makes your elevator speech interesting to them? Why should they want to listen? How can you help them achieve their goals?

Know the basics
What are the key messages that define your organization? Use them consistently.

Keep it fresh
Think of recent examples or stories to illustrate your key messages. Use examples that your listener can relate to.

Keep it real
Tell stories with concrete details. Paint a picture with words for your listener.

Push the buttons
Let your passion for your work show through. Get excited. Make eye contact.

Say no to jargon
Remember that your listener is a person first and a business associate second. Use everyday language that everyone understands.

Be prepared
Memorize your key messages. Jot down effective language and success stories you hear from colleagues. You never know when they will come in handy.

Think like a tiger mother: tips for nonprofit communicators

Amy Plotch — Wed, 25 May 2011 21:51:15 +0000

My book group is reading Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.” If this title sounds familiar, it’s because Chua is the Chinese mother who famously never allowed her children to attend a sleepover, have a playdate, be in a school play, watch TV or play computer games, get any grade less than an A.” Her book sparked a national debate about ‘extreme parenting.’

But this article is about the book’s lessons for nonprofit communicators. While nobody wants to be seen as a ‘Tiger Mother”, there are lots of tips we can learn fromI picked up some good tips from Chua’s parenting techniques. Here are my top three: Focus on

your target audience. Chua’s audience is her daughters. She doesn’t allow herself to get distracted by her neighbors, her friends, her children’s friends, even her husband. This means she can focus her messages clearly and exclusively on her target audience of two. Her strategies are designed to work with them, and are not affected by any other audiences’ response.

Set audacious goals. When her daughter Sophie was very young, Chua decided the child should become a concert pianist. She forced Sophie to practice every day for hours. It wasn’t great parenting, but it did lead to big success in concert halls around the world. You can’t get big results if you only set small goals.

Pay attention to detail. Chua demands perfection in every musical note, every math problem and every vocabulary word. How many press releases, blog posting and even resumes have you seen with typos in them? A couple of typos can really mess with your credibility. Chua certainly knows how to avoid this.

Do an audit: spring cleaning for your communications plan

Amy Plotch — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:58:56 +0000

I’m a linear thinker—systematic and deadline oriented. That’s why I like communications audits. Audits are systematic ways to assess
where you are, what’s working and what needs tinkering. You get a realistic sense of your impact. you know what communications strategies you can discard with your spring cleaning.

As with any project, start by envisioning the end. What do you want to learn through your audit. here are some tips to get you started:

For the greatest impact, go deep with your audit. I like to divide my questions into three categories: strategy, implementation and
organizational support. These sample questions will help you get started:

Ask strategy questions:

Do you have clear strategic communications goals?
Do you have specific and measurable objectives?
Do you have clear messages?

Ask implementation questions:

Are your communications materials effective?
Are staff members good spokespeople?
Do your audiences see you the way you see yourself?
Are social media and traditional media relations strategies integrated?

Ask organizational support questions

Does your senior management understand/value communications?
Is there enough money to do the job well?
Do all staff members see themselves as communicators?

WHAT RESEARCH TECHNIQUES ARE HELPFUL?

There are several research techniques you can use. The ones you choose will depend on both your goals and your budget. I frequently
recommend one-on-one interviews with key staff, stakeholders and target audiences. You can also conduct online surveys to reach a broader group. And there are plenty of social media tools to listen to what your audiences are saying about you to their peers. I also review organizational print and online materials to evaluate effectiveness.