Client Name: My Sister’s Keeper Prepared by: Donyiel Crocker dcrocker@colum.edu
Table of Contents What is MSK’s Story? ................................................................................ 3 The story behind the story ...................................................................... 7 Telling a better story…A Story-Powered Revamp .......................... 9 Does MSK live happily ever after? ........................................................ 11
Every girl has a story…one that couldn’t truly be captured in any overview or analysis. Each story is inspiring, remarkable and humbling. They tell of urban Davids and Goliaths…of princesses creating their own happy endings…of unlikely heroes in the most unlikely places…of underdogs who dare to take on the world. It is their stories, weaved together with those on whose shoulders they stand, that dare to tear down the prejudices, stereotypes and obstacles they face and lift us all a little bit higher.
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What is MSK’s story? The story of MSK started how most stories start…in the heart. Nikki Williams-Rucker worked with Chicago’s youth for over 14 years. She knew their struggles, their fears and their potential. With the right guidance, support and resources, Nikki knew that each of them could reach that potential and become their best selves…and MSK could give them just that. In 2005, Nikki established MSK as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization focused on serving girls age 12- 19 in the Metropolitan Chicago area. Their mission was to “provide personal access to a network of successful women as role models and mentors to offer tangible support focused on increasing college retention rates, raising self-esteem and promoting the positive evolution of young girls into successful, right-minded young women”. To support its’ mission, MSK offers workshops, programs, field trips and mentorships. Today, Nikki heads up the organization as the Executive Director with oversight from a Board of Directors, consisting of Professional women across various industries.
Who’s listening? MSK’s target audiences include Current students, Alumni, Parents, Supporters, Jr. High/High School Educators, Educational Institutions (specifically in urban areas), Donors and Corporate sponsors. It communicates with those audiences via its website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Mail Monkey. Although its Executive Director has oversight of all communication, the majority of it is generated by Current students and Alumni.
Is anyone telling the same story? Its main competitor is Demoiselle 2 Femme, a local non-profit founded in 1994 which serves similar audiences. However, its hands on approach and reputation within the Educational community clearly distinguishes MSK from its competitors.
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What does MSK need to better tell its story? MSK needs to create and implement a social media strategy to increase awareness, energize existing followers, students and Alumni and build new relationships/partnerships with target audiences with Jr. High/H.S. Educators, Corporate Sponsors and Educational Institutions. However, it lacks the funding, staffing and knowledge to create and implement the strategy.
What does MSK hope to accomplish by telling its’ story? It hopes to obtain corporate sponsors, strengthen the non-profit arm of the organization to prepare for the establishment of a for profit side and explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) opportunities by connecting STEM organizations with MSK Students and Alumni.
How does MSK currently tell its story? MSK currently communicates with its target audiences via its website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Mail Monkey.
How well does MSK tell its story? Overall, there is a positive and vibrant feel to each of MSK’s communication platforms. Its commitment and focus on helping young women is both powerful and clear. However, there is a lack of consistency in key messaging, targeted communications and visual branding across their platforms. Here’s a quick look at each*, along with how it stacks up to its main competitor – D2F.
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Website – www.mskchicago.org Strengths The website is the first search result on a Google Search query for My Sister’s Keeper Chicago. It is easy to navigate and visually reflects MSK’s mission, vision and focus. Links to other social media platforms are prominent on the landing page. Overall, the content clearly reflects MSK’s focus and purpose. The photos are engaging and offer evidence of MSK’s programming/workshops. The information on workshops/programs is also compelling and reflects considerable thought, effort and commitment to serving its target audiences. Weaknesses Though visually vibrant, the hierarchy/mapping of the site does not tell a compelling story. The message from the Executive Director is buried in a “More” tab. It also lacks a prominent call to action (i.e. what can/should I do?) on the landing page. There is no preview of content to compel visitors to engage with MSK on its’ social media platforms. The color blocking used in some of the text and the placement of photos can be distracting and reduce their overall effect. Competitor comparison - Demoiselle 2 Femme Overall, D2F’s site is easy to navigate, visually compelling, engaging and informative. There are two prominent calls to action. Site also gives visitors the option of donating time by volunteering. Links to social media platforms are prominent and displays preview of content via widgets to allow visitors to select preferred platform. The landing page is well-organized and utilizes the right side of the site allowing visitors to quickly sift through engaging content.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mysisters.keeperchicago Strengths MSK joined FB in September 2012 and currently has 169 friends. Overall, there is a positive feel to the page. Posts vary in content, are positive and engaging. They do a great job in communicating MSK’s mission to help young women and also singles them out as the primary target audience. Page utilizes personal network of Executive Director to extend professional network.
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Weaknesses MSK’s page is not visually consistent with its website. Content does not clearly address/engage secondary audiences (i.e. educators, corporate sponsors, volunteers, etc.). It appears to be both an extension of the personal brand of the Executive Director and MSK, which is also inconsistent with the website. Posts are erratic and unconnected to specific goals/calls to action. Competitor comparison - Demoiselle 2 Femme D2F appears to have a business FB page with 2,084 likes. The page is visually consistent with its website, informative and engaging. Posts are varied, consistent and targeted to its various audiences. Visitors also have the ability to sign up to receive e-mails from D2F.
Twitter - https://twitter.com/siskeeperchgo Strengths MSK began tweeting in February 2011. It has tweeted 44 times, has 40 followers and is following 31 users. Weaknesses MSK’s twitter page is not visually consistent with its website. Tweets are sporadic and not clearly specific to/targeted towards target audiences. Also, content is not varied and lacks compelling vibe of website. Hashtags are not utilized. Competitor comparison – Demoiselle 2 Femme D2F tweeted 1,361 times, has 432 followers and is following 477 users. The page is visually consistent with its website. Tweets are consistent and include links to content on other platforms. Content is specific to/targeted towards target audiences. Excellent use of hashtags.
*For the purposes of this project, only MSK’s website, Twitter and Facebook will be evaluated. Its efforts on Instagram and Mail monkey are both in their infancy.
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The Story Behind the Story Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats…Oh My!!
Opportunities
and
In all good stories, there are challenges and obstacles that drives the story. For MSK, a quick SWOT analysis gives you a peek at what’s driving their story line. Strengths include: Very well known in Educational community, Hands-on reputation, and Easy access to Executive Director Weaknesses include: Lack of awareness in Corporate America Opportunities include: Capitalize on STEM opportunities Threats include: Lack of resources – funding, staffing and marketing
What’s the story of MSK’s Audience? MSK’s current audience includes: MSK Students and Alumni, Parents, Supporters, Educational Institutions, Jr. High and High School Educators and Corporate Organizations. Based on the Social Technographics Profile, the majority of its audience can be categorized as Creators, Conversationalists and Collectors. MSK needs to increase the amount of targeted content to ensure the Creators are engaged. Then, they need to become part of the conversation by blogging or utilizing hashtags. Finally, MSK needs to post and tweet more consistently to ensure Collectors stay busy.
What part does the audience play in MSK’s story? MSK wants its audiences to tell its story to their various networks, donate either time or money, and/or sign up for their programs and workshops.
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What’s the moral of the story? MSK’s key messaging focuses on raising self-esteem, mentoring and promoting the professional and personal development of young girls. Supporting messages are focused on giving back, improving and maintaining personal health, success in secondary education (college) and entrepreneurship. Some of the related topics and conversations that line up with MSK’s story include Female Empowerment, Cyberbullying, Healthy Living, College life, Mentorship, Entrepreneurship and Community Services
Does MSK get its’ point across? The content on MSK’s communication platforms is clearly focused on programming and services that support the success and development of young women. However, in order for MSK to reach its goals, the content needs to capture the attention of its audiences, engage them and then inspire them to take action. To ensure this happens, I recommend MSK rework its key messaging to focus on the impact of its programming, its reputation in the Educational community and to establish itself as an authority in related subject matter (i.e. mentorship, promoting self-esteem, etc.).
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Telling a Better Story…A Story-Powered Revamp Why do we need to revamp MSK’s story? MSK needs to increase awareness, energize existing followers, students and Alumni and build new relationships/partnerships with Jr. High/H.S. Educators, Corporate Sponsors and Educational Institutions.
What do we need to do to revamp it? We will utilize social media to implement a Rallying strategy to listen, engage and energize MSK’s target audiences to obtain corporate sponsorships and connect current Students and Alumni with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) opportunities, while working to strengthen brand perception in preparation for reorganization.
How do we revamp MSK’s story? Make MSK the BEST storyteller in the world...or at least in Chicago Based on MSK's mission/goals, re-define key messaging and ensure it is consistent across all communication platforms Define "elevator pitch" - quick pitch to describe MSK, its mission/goals, specific calls to action and how it differs from its competitors - and ensure it is included in all communication platforms Identify and build relationships with key influencers on topics related to MSK’s mission using wefollow.com Establish MSK as an authority by creating content on subject matter related to its’ mission using google, feedly and klout.com
“We teach them that everybody not only has a story, but that there are many pages left to be written in which they can determine the ending.” Nikki William-Rucker
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Let them tell their stories Create a blog run by Current Students and Alumni Add “About Us” page to site to increase engagement with possible corporate sponsors, educators and other similar organizations
Change how MSK tells its story Create a group of MSK Students and Alumni to “live” tweet during events and workshops Use web metrics to measure the amount of visitor traffic received and to which pages and use data to re-evaluate the hierarchy/mapping of the site Identify all calls to actions related to MSK’s goals and promote them on all platforms Define MSK’s brand visually and re-work all platforms to ensure it is consistent throughout Add FB and Twitter widgets to preview content to visitors and drive traffic to those platforms Increase consistency on FB and Twitter by scheduling posts and tweets using Buffer app
Change of Scenery Establish a presence on Linked In and YouTube Establish a FB Business page Re-brand Instagram page and post link to MSK’s website
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Does MSK “Live Happily Ever After”? Yes, if our strategy is successful, MSK will be viewed as an agent of change and authoritative voice on the issues facing today’s young women. This shift in perception will strengthen the brand and increase the number of supporters, donors and partnerships with Educators, Corporate Sponsors and Educational Institutions. However, as the saying goes – “No guts, no glory”. There is a risk that MSK’s competitors will steal their thunder by revamping their platforms. To mitigate that risk, MSK could roll out the revamp in stages.
How do we measure happiness? Over the next six months, we will evaluate the success of the strategy, by measuring Engagement, Traffic, Brand Perception, Increase in Audience, # of Corporate Sponsorships and STEM opportunities using tools, such as Google Analytics, Facebook insights, Follower Wonk (Twitter), Whoretweetedme.com and Social Mentions.
Is this really the end? No, not at all. MSK is a thriving organization that just needs a little help becoming its best self. Being a non-profit has its’ challenges. One of which is getting the money to fund the operations and programs. With a solid social media strategy in place, MSK can tell the world its story in a way that will connect, engage and energize Donors, Educational Institutions and Corporate Sponsors. After that, the sky is the limit!
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