CanadaHelps Educational Webinar Series
Building Brands that Connect with Donors and Stakeholders Presented by: Lori Miller Pike and Sean Howard from The Connected Brand
CanadaHelps
Building brands that connect with donors March 11, 2015
Today’s Session • Who
are we?
• What
is a brand, really?
• What
is a CONNECTED brand?
• Why
being a CONNECTED brand matters.
• How
to become a CONNECTED brand.
A Brand Strategy Firm Focused on the For-Benefit Sector
Lori Miller Pike
Sean Howard
What is a brand?
By Marty Neumeier
How do your DONORS feel about you?
WHAT IS A
CONNECTED BRAND ?
COMPETITION
The health of a brand is defined by the health of its connections within the larger system
PARTNERS/CHANNELS
OTHER BRANDS PRODUCTS
TECHNOLOGY
LOCAL COMMUNITY
YOUR BRAND
CUSTOMERS /PATRONS
TRENDS
ECONOMICS CULTURE
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
EMPLOYEES


CONNECTED BRANDS Are designed to grow and provide increasing economic and social value over time. They thrive by staying connected.
vs
There are 3 cornerstones to a
CONNECTED BRAND Resiliency Connection Relevancy
1
A connected brand is RESILIENT. •
It is an adaptive and vital part of a larger ecosystem.
It can be flexible because the brand parameters enable the brand to evolve without needing to be changed every few years. •
2
It is CONNECTED to its supporters. This is about thinking holistically about your presence across all constituents and lifestyle touch points. •
And then designing a solution that engages and rewards stakeholders across their journey with your brand. •
3
A connected brand is ALWAYS RELEVANT. THE ART - A brand platform that generates ideas and opportunities for your business and the community. •
THE SCIENCE - Identifying the critical inputs and outputs that define the larger system within which the brand lives and contributes. •
Why being a
CONNECTED BRAND Matters
The benefits •
Cost Savings – better allocation of marketing dollars & resources for not for profits
•
Relevance – a brand built to resonate emotionally with donors and other stakeholders
•
Improved ROI – better understanding of donor needs and expectations
•
Revenue – increased financial contributions
Brands make mistakes, just like people. The stronger your brand is, the more leeway you get when something goes wrong
How to become a
CONNECTED BRAND
How to build a strong brand •
Make a clear emotional promise
•
Deliver on this promise – every time, everywhere
•
Have a strong culture that supports and delivers on this promise
Listen. Define. Implement. Listen Define Implement
Define
 Stakeholders
Interviews
Donor Journey
Brand Structure
Look & Feel
Brand Guidelines
Workshops
Surveys
Operational
Other Inputs
Listen Who Needs to be Engaged • Staff & volunteers (people on the ground) • Senior management • Donors and supporters • In some cases beneficiaries • Partners • Board members
Listen Deep Dive Workshops • 1 to 2 hours • Internal: people that interface with donors, suppliers, partners, etc. Top 3 Questions • What are the perceived Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities • Who are our donors? Who are they not? Develop profiles. • Who is competing for share of your donors wallet?
Listen One-on-one Interviews • 30 min • Internal: people that interface with key stakeholders • External: suppliers, donors, customers, etc. Top 5 questions • What is it about [Organization XYZ] that you are most proud of? • What promise does [Organization XYZ] currently make to its supporters? And how well does it deliver on this promise? • Who are [Organization XYZ]’s core supporters or donors? Describe or characterize them. • Who do you see as a competitor to [Organization XYZ] for funds? • How has the organization changed over the past 5 years? 10 years?
Listen Surveys for Wider Reach • Across the organization - wider reach • Outside the organization - select donors and other stakeholders
Listen Research similar organizations What do they promise? • What experiences are they offering? Social Media • Ways to engage fans and supporters • Mini-contests where they answer simple questions • What do you love most about Organization XYZ? • Why do you support us? • What three things first come to mind when you hear our name?
Listen Other Tools • Understanding your digital experiences • Beyond funnels and analytics
Listen What is the Donor Journey? • Where we interact with our stakeholders • The service levels we are providing at each touchpoint Put on our SAFARI hats • Become a donor or watch donors at real events • What does it feel like? • How does it flow? • Where do we go next?
Define Map out the Donor Journey touchpoints • Can be a simple linear path • Or a complex swim lanes diagram • Be sure to capture the VALUE of each touchpoint
Define Too many organizations don’t have a journey. They have a hard stop at funds received. Every cycle, it’s about only one thing. Get the donor’s money. This slowly erodes your brand.
Define Findings Review and Workshop • Present findings from the various inputs • Discover brand disconnects • Identify opportunities and key insights Begin Drafting Your Brand Structure • Proprietary brand on a page format • Document that defines all tenets of the brand in understandable and usable language
Our Brand on a Page Methodology and Tool Brand Essence
The single, most powerful & motivating idea you want your brand to own.
Our Purpose
Why we are in business – also referred to as “mission”.
Our Values
What we believe in – our uncompromising principles.
Our Supporters
Who we are focusing our marketing efforts on.
Our Promise
Focuses everything on a single, clear and emotional promise to our customer.
Differentiating Pillars
Ownable & Differentiating Aspect
Ownable & Differentiating Aspect
Ownable & Differentiating Aspect
• Proof points for believing in the promise
• Proof points for believing in the promise
• Proof points for believing in the promise
Brand Personality The brand’s outward facing style – how it would look and sound if it came to life.
Implement Identity and style guides • Look and feel (visual identity) • Language and communication guidelines • Service standards
BOARDS
Implement Operations and Planning • Donor journey • Stop, Start and Continue • Company-wide workshops
Once you have your Brand Structure defined, you can start to operationalize the lessons learned.
The Brand Framework comes with tools to help management identify and initiate new brand building measures
and identify those programs and efforts that are actually hindering your brand
and those programs which should remain in effect.
Lets Begin to Build Your Connected Brand
Mapping the Donor Journey Service Safari - The Tools • Clipboard • Pen and paper • Point & shoot camera or smartphone Online Tools (alternate) • iPerceptions 4Q (free)
Mapping the Donor Journey Service Safari - Mindset • Safari hats on! • Recording the experience in snapshots • Be aware of your filters • You are the observer (not participating) Service Safari - Capture Image credit: Livework Studios - liveworkstudio.com • First impressions • What confuses donors? • What delights them? • How long are they waiting? and where? • Look for the spaces “in between”. Rate these experiences.
Conclusion •
Clarifying the essence of your brand for your audience
• • •
Identifying one simple promise Realigning around that promise and core strengths Delivering on that promise at every touchpoint
• • •
More connected More aligned More valued
Thank You