Promoting Your Nonprofit Through Effective Branding & Storytelling

in Branding / Nonprofits

Promoting Your Nonprofit Through Effective Branding & Storytelling

Marketing is the backbone of every successful company. Without it, many organizations, companies, and nonprofits would not stay in business for very long. While many people understand the significance of marketing in the real world and how crucial it is to longevity, some struggle with creating campaigns that yield positive results.

Along with a well-thought-out, organized plan, storytelling and branding are two key ingredients behind every great marketing campaign. Below, we explain why.

BRANDING

Branding creates loyal supporters and advocates for your cause. A great brand is clear, simple, consistent, and unique and generally includes an original logo, tagline, or name. When launching your nonprofit’s brand, consider the following:

  • MISSION STATEMENT: Clarify your values — your beliefs about your responsibility to your employees, supporters, volunteers, and community. Bring it to life through daily activities and decisions.
  • VISUALS: Know your “look” and use it consistently. Certain colors can make your brand stand out and evoke emotion. The same can be said for certain shapes, too. For example, vertical and horizontal lines tend to evoke strength, while squares and triangles represent stability.
  • WHAT TO AVOID: Negative messaging, isolating customers/clients, inconsistent messaging, etc. These examples are a sure way to lose supporters in a heartbeat. Avoid them like the plague.
  • KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: Determine where your target audience is located, what problems you can solve for them, what you would like for them to think about your brand, who else is competing for their loyalty and devotion, etc.

STORYTELLING

Effective storytelling personalizes your cause and gives it a voice. It also builds awareness, links others to your generosity, and shows how your services have helped change the world for the better.

Stories for your organization might include ones about people you’ve helped along the way and how they benefited from your services. Other stories might highlight people in your organization and how they are making the world we live in a better place.  Other stories might include a community problem your organization recently resolved. No matter your angle, each story shows your organization’s “personality.”

When creating content, here are some things to consider:

  • FINDING STORIES: Listen more to the people linked to your organization. Everyone has a story to tell. Also, allow people to submit stories through your website easily. Ask for story submissions via social media. You can also piggyback off a national story and tell how your organization handles the issue locally. The opportunities for stories are really endless when you think about it.
  • EFFECTIVELY USING STORIES: Share your stories via social media, newsletters, board meetings, forums, through your website, etc. It’s great for self-promotion!
  • THE IMPORTANCE OF PHOTOS: You’ve probably heard the saying before, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Make a point of including at least one photo with every story, and make sure it’s relevant to the piece. Pictures are a great way to enhance your organization’s content.

There are many ways nonprofits can increase supporter following and donor contributions through brand development, content creation, and management. Contact the Epstein Creative Group today to learn how we can help with your branding efforts.