Why Your Social Impact Mission Isn't Enough

• Have you ever read an entire nonprofit or social enterprise website, only to find yourself still wondering what they actually do?

• Have you ever had a fantastic conversation with someone about their mission, only to find that their website lacked the same passion?

• Have you ever seen an organization use different styles and tones across their social media, website, blog, and even when they speak in person?

If you’ve seen any of these issues in action, you’re witnessing a lack of clarity and consistency in the nonprofit or social enterprise’s brand message or brand voice.

They probably know internally what they do, but it may not be translating well outside of their walls. And, as you can imagine, that’s a big problem, especially when trying to find new customers, donors, and partners.

For your mission to not only engage the right people, but compel them to act, you need a clearly defined brand message and brand voice. You may think of your “brand” as only part of your marketing, but your brand informs what you say, how you say it, and what your mission looks like visually. It’s essential to every aspect of your organization.

With a strong brand message and brand voice, people will know what you do, why it matters, and how they can be a part of it. Without it, people could be left confused or even apathetic to the incredible work that you’re trying to do.

Let’s talk about how you can make your effort more effective.

Why Is knowing your brand message Important to Your Nonprofit or Social Enterprise?

I’ve already mentioned how having a strong brand message and brand voice contributes to your bottom line, but before we move on, I want give you a couple of other reasons why this subject should be on your radar.

Do you ever write about your nonprofit or social enterprise? Do you have employees, board members, volunteers, or other key stakeholders that talk about your mission? Have you ever hired a third-party contractor, freelancer, or intern that communicates on your behalf in person or online? If any of these situations apply to you, so does this topic.

Having a clear and consistent brand message and brand voice ensures that everyone (including you) is talking about your organization in the same way.

It helps everyone communicate the right message in the right way. To put it simply, it gives every person a common language to use, and a template to work from. One of my clients even called it her compass because it guides her in the right direction, and steers her back when she gets off track.

Wouldn’t it be great if everybody used the same playbook?

Even if your nonprofit or social impact company is just you right now (hi, fellow solopreneur!), a solid brand voice allows you to talk about your work in a way that resonates with the people you want to reach. Meaning, people get excited when you talk about your mission! No more difficulty trying to explain what you do, watching someone’s eyes glaze over as you struggle to reach your point, or your message falling flat when you simply recite your mission statement.

What Do People Say About You?

Jeff Bezos is often quoted as saying, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” And while I think there is a lot of truth to that, I also like how my friend, Jaci Lund of Treebird Branding, states it, “A brand is an expectation.”

No matter how you look at it, though, a brand isn’t just a logo, an elevator pitch, a mission statement, a color palette, or even a website. Your brand is the culmination of all of these things and more.

If your organization were a person, your brand would be all the little characteristics that make that person who they are.

It’s a lot, I know.

For now, we’re going to talk about your brand message and brand voice, which are two of my favorite characteristics. And, without clearly defining these two pieces, your brand’s puzzle is incomplete. Without them, it could mean that donors and customers don’t connect with your mission, resulting in stagnant sales or donations. It’s that important.

Brand Message and Brand Voice Defined

Think about the companies or nonprofits that you love most. One of the reasons you probably love them is because you know some of their background, what they stand for, what problems they solve for you, and where they’re headed in the future. You know their story, and you know how you fit into it. In that way, they’re a little like a friend you’ve gotten to know over time. 

You’ve had these ongoing conversations with them internally and externally via their brand voice. Whatever they said, and however they said it, made you a fan out of you. And we want that same thing for your audience.

Your brand message is what you want people to understand about your organization.

Your brand voice is how you communicate your organization’s message to others. 

Essentially, your brand message is your mission, and your brand voice is your mission in motion. You can’t have a clear and compelling brand voice without first defining a strong brand message.

Your brand voice is the specific mix of words and tone that you use—not just what you say and do, but how you say it. A great brand voice is easy-to-understand, consistent, repetitive, and uniform no matter where it shows up. And it always reflects your organization’s core message.

That means the words on your website, your social media posts, the conversations you have with people, anything you say from a stage, emails, printed materials, packaging, advertising, and more should all be using the same language and emotion to describe your work, mission, and vision. Think of it like your unique vocabulary and personality rolled into one.

You want people to hear your “voice” and know it’s you, with or without your logo or photo present. Like your own distinct personality, your brand message and voice is what will help authentically attract others to you.

Having a firm grasp of how to communicate your story, mission, and vision in all your marketing and communications will help you attract the right (and more) donors, customers, sponsors, and partners.

A Brand Message in Action

Not long ago, I was out with my friend, Katrell, who owns Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party here in Atlanta, and also founded the charity project, The Learning Tea. While I was waiting for her at the tea shop, a guy sat near me at the community table. He was looking around wide-eyed like it was his first time there. In fact, when he caught my eye, he gushed, “This place is awesome! I’ve never been here before.”

We chatted for a minute, and I told him that the proceeds from the tea shop put girls through college in India. Turns out, he was at the tea shop waiting for an event to start just a few blocks away. It was a social impact arts show, so he was thrilled to know of the store’s greater purpose.

After Katrell and I left the tea shop, we went to a nearby restaurant and sat at the bar. While chatting with the bartender, we found out even though he’d been in the Atlanta area for a while, he was only recently taking the time to discover the local haunts. And he actually mentioned going to Dr. Bombay’s recently. As the unofficial brand ambassador, I mentioned that Katrell was the owner. He got so excited, threw his head back and his arms up, and said, “That place is like a warm hug!” He loved the unique, but cozy vibe.

A couple of hours later, Katrell and I were about a block away from Dr. Bombay’s, peeking in the glass windows of a store that was yet to open, trying to figure out who her new neighbor would be. A man rode by on his bike and struck up a conversation with us. We all noted that the architecture of this building looked very out of place on that street, so we were curious about it. The guy said, “I wonder what Dr. Bombay will think about this building?” To which I replied, “This is Dr. Bombay!” while pointing at Katrell. He laughed, smiled, and said, “I love your shop! It’s one of the only places I let my kids ride their bikes to in the neighborhood.” (And then proceeded to tell her which ice cream flavors she should swap out, ha!)

True story—all three of those conversations happened in a matter of hours. It was a marketer’s dream come true!

So, out of these three men, which one nailed the brand message?

The answer: All of them. Each of them found something about Katrell’s tea shop that resonated with them. And, for that reason, each of them was going to come back.

How to Define Your Brand Message and Brand Voice

Okay, so now that we’ve talked about how utterly important it is to have a clear and consistent brand message and voice, as well as who it benefits, let’s talk about how to get you there.

Here are a few questions to think about regarding your brand message:

• What are the two or three top things someone should know about your work?

• Why does your work matter?

• What makes you different from your competitors?

• What problem do people have that you solve?

• What is the transformation you provide?

Here are a few questions to think about regarding your brand voice:

• How do you want people to feel when they think about your organization?

• How does your audience describe themselves?

• What words and phrases do you find yourself repeating over and over again?

• What words or phrases would you never use to describe your organization or work?

• What tone should your organization communicate in? (ex: serious, playful, authoritative, compassionate, etc?)

Hopefully, these questions will get you started, but if you get stuck or need help, I’m here.

I can guide you through my own five-part framework for defining your brand message and brand voice.

I’d love to help you communicate more effectively, so that your work gets the attention it deserves.

Here’s what one of my clients said:

Kristi’s Brand Message Consultation serves as a "compass" for everything from communications to fundraising to partnerships and more. It really lays out the language you can use in your website, newsletters, presentations, and social media to stay true to the organization’s mission and values. You can reflect on anything that you are working on, and quickly see if it aligns with the current narrative.

During the consult, we really dug deep into who we are, why we do what we do, what makes us different, and more. Afterward, it's spelled out in a document right in front of you that you can always refer back to! It’s so helpful.

The Brand Message and narrative that we worked on really boosted my confidence in being able to explain what we do and what makes us different. And I think having that solid foundation really helped me to secure early grants.

- Jaycina Almond, The Tender Foundation

---

---

PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

---

I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

---

Learn to Clearly Communicate Your Mission

Quick note: During the summer, we'll only be publishing one blog post per month as we focus on some new activities and allow you some down time without falling behind on content.

Some things get better with time: wine, cheese, your favorite jeans, and your mission. While that last item may not initially come to mind, I believe it’s true.

You see, the more you talk about your social impact mission, the better you get at telling its story. After all, practice makes perfect. You need the time, experience, and feedback to know what points will resonate most with your audience. Plus, you’ll gain confidence the more you explain who you are, what you do, and why you do it.

Learning to tell your story well, and with confidence, is part of what will attract and retain customers and donors.

This, and more, is exactly what I discussed with my friends over at Funraise recently, and I’d love to share it with you, too.

In the post, I’ll show you why it’s important to use every opportunity to talk about your mission, and I’ll also explain what you can do with that feedback.

Your mission may not change, but the way you talk about it might. And I think that’s a good thing.

Because when you repeat your mission over and over again, you’re refining it. You’re not only getting better at saying it, you’re proactively making it better. It becomes more succinct, more focused, and dare I say, more engaging.

So, if you’re wondering how you can get better at communicating your social enterprise or nonprofit’s mission, click the button below.

Now that you’ve read the post, let’s take it a step further . . .

---

---

PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

---

I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.

---

How Screenwriting Can Help You Better Communicate Your Brand’s Story

Today's post is by my friend and former co-worker, Hudson Phillips. Though he's continuing our series on content marketing, he's bringing us a whole, new slant on the topic that you might not have heard before. You see, Hudson's a filmmaker.

While you may not be making movies about your nonprofit or social enterprise anytime soon, you do need to learn to tell the story of your organization in a compelling manner. And a great way to share your story isn't just once a year at a big, annual event. It's over and over again, in small ways, on your website, blog, emails, and social media. This is the cornerstone of your content marketing, and the thing that makes you utterly unique.

So, grab some popcorn and chocolate covered almonds (or substitute your personal fav), and learn to how screenwriting can help you better communicate your brand's story. 

When we get cut off in traffic and storm into work ready to complain about it, we become expert storytellers. We establish the setting, we build the tension, and we arrive at the resolution. So when it comes to telling the story of our brand, why does it get so complicated?

The problem, I think, lies in knowing TOO MUCH. The more details that are swirling around in your head, the more difficult it becomes to hone in on the most important parts of your story. When telling your cut-off-in-traffic epic, do you go into the details of what color the “villain’s” car was? Do you go into your “back story” about styling your hair differently that morning? No. Because you have a point to get across (probably something like, “Can you believe that guy!”) and only the details that help further that point matter.

I wear a lot of hats between a marketing day job, a screenwriting gig by night, and running my own writing organization. But what surprises and thrills me is how often these worlds cross over. All of the above jobs require storytelling, and one of the greatest things I did as a marketer was start to apply my knowledge as a screenwriter.

The one key skill of a screenwriter over, say, a novelist, is screenwriters have to be brief. While a novelist can tell a story over hundreds of pages and a dozen hours, screenwriters have about an hour and a half (or 100 pages of script) to tell a full story. This requires some tips and tricks to stay on task. We don’t have the time or space to veer off into tangents.

That’s why when I sit down to write a script, I start with a logline. A logline is one or two sentences that sum up your story. Think of it as how you would quickly describe a movie you just saw to a friend.

The point of a logline is to better understand the story you want to tell. It becomes your story compass. When you start to get bogged down in all the details, your logline is what helps you find “north.”

A great logline covers three things: WHO the story is about, what their GOAL is, and what OBSTACLES they face along the way.

For instance, the logline for the film Jurassic Park might be: “A rag-tag group of scientists struggle to escape a remote island park whose main attractions—genetically restored dinosaurs—have been set loose by a power failure.”

For Indiana Jones, the logline could be: “A swashbuckling archeologist seeks to find the lost Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can use its supernatural power to take over the world.”

You may have a tough time translating the word “swashbuckling” to your own company’s logline. I get it. So how do you apply this to your own organization? Start by asking three questions:

1. WHO is your story about?

The hero of your story is not you—it’s your clients, customers, or donors. They are the ones on a journey, and it’s your job to help them realize their goal. (And hopefully you’ve got the expertise because you’ve been on the journey, survived, and come back to tell about it.) Really try to hone in on your target audience and make it personal and unique. (Hint: your hero is not “everyone”—not even “everyone with money”). Think back to when you were at their stage in the journey and empathize with that moment to best understand them.

For my writing organization, ScriptBlast, it’s not just an organization for writers, it’s an organization for struggling writers who are learning how to navigate the rollercoaster of rejection and failure that all writers face. And I can best understand where these writers are coming from because I’ve been there, too.

2. What is their GOAL?

What do your donors/customers/clients want? Where do they want to be five years from now? What do their “before” and “after” pictures look like? Hopefully your organization has a clear path of getting your clients to their goal. (If not, you might want to add that service!)

The goal for any amateur writer is to become a professional writer. The problem is, unfortunately, most amateurs give up after their first taste of rejection! ScriptBlast exists in order to help writers get over these bumps through empathy, encouragement, and resources to help them a long the way.

3. What are the OBSTACLES standing in their way?

What is the biggest struggle for your audience? What’s getting in the way of their goals? How are you helping them overcome it? These are the kinds of answers that come only from experience. What expertise do you offer and how can you empathize with them?

At ScriptBlast, we recognize that failure and rejection are a regular part of a writer’s life. They get bad feedback, they get turned down by an agent or a manger, they have their film deal fall through, maybe they even have their movie made, but it turns out terribly and not what they envisioned. The obstacles are never-ending for a writer and if they don’t learn how to navigate it early on, they’ll burn out quickly.

So . . . the logline for ScriptBlast might be: We give struggling screenwriters the motivation and resources they need to become professional, working writers as they face the emotional ups and downs of failure and rejection.

Okay, now that you know how to create a compelling logline, what exactly do you do with it? Do you just post it above your desk and hope for the best, or is it something you can actually use in your daily grind?

Here are three, practical uses:

1. A logline gives you a clear path for your website.

Struggling with writing marketing copy for your landing page or home page? Cut and paste your logline! It's a perfect hook that tells your audience exactly what you do and what problem you can help them solve.

2. A logline gives you a checklist for social media.

When you’re creating weekly content like a blog or social media posts, your logline acts as a guide. Before scheduling out your posts, you can ask yourself “does this support my logline or take away from it?” A logline helps keep all of your content focused and your messaging clear.

3. A logline gives you an elevator pitch for investors.

You’re probably already familiar with the term elevator pitch—reducing the mission of your company to a short enough time-span that it can be explained in a brief, elevator ride. A logline gives you a script for your elevator pitch. Memorize it. Have it ready to go next time you happen upon an investor or potential client/customer/donor and need to get your story across before the instrumental version of The Girl from Ipanema finishes.

Now, take a moment to write your own logline. I’d love to see examples in the comments below!

Read the other posts in this series:

• Content Marketing 101

• What (and Why) You Should Be Emailing Your List

• Building Better Content: How to Improve on Social Media

• How to Generate and Organize Content for Your Blog

---

Hudson Phillips is a designer, screenwriter, and producer living in Atlanta, Ga. His first produced feature film, This World Alone, will be released in 2018. As founder of the organization ScriptBlast, he cultivates community and creates resources to help screenwriters navigate their careers. He also produces and co-hosts the podcast Four Friends Fight About Film.

ScriptBlast.com

Facebook.com/groups/ScriptBlast

@hudsonphillips

---

---

PIN THIS POST FOR LATER:

---

I'm Kristi Porter, and I started Signify to provide writing, consulting and strategy services to nonprofits and for-profit organizations with a social mission, primarily through copywriting, marketing, and business communications. I believe that cause-focused organizations like yours are the future of business. You're proof that companies can both make money and do good. And I'm here to help you get noticed and grow. When you succeed, we all win.

---