So What and Who Cares: Getting Your Messaging Right

So What?

Who Cares? Making Your Communications

More Relevant for Today

Kivi Leroux Miller

New Book

in the Works!

We get media messages a day.

We pay attention to about

We positively remember about

The rest?

So What?

Who Cares?

3,000

52.

4.

Quick and Dirty Marketing Plan

• Who are we trying to reach? (Or what do we want someone to do?)

• What’s our message to them? (Or why should they do it?)

• What’s the best way to deliver that message? (Or how do we convince them?)

flickr.com/photos/marktee/5586165599

Which Comes First:

Right Message or

Right People?

What Do We Need People to Do?

Calls to Action

flickr.com/photos/fusen/2342290882

Something Needs to Be Done!

Does Your Audience Know Where to Begin?

Typical (Ineffective) Calls to Action

• Participate

• Engage

• Believe

• Understand

• Help

• Support

• Be proactive

• Work with us

• Collaborate

• Buy in

• Promote

• Share

• Educate

• Network

• Connect

• Partner

Or No Call to Action At All!

Or We Are Too Shy to Ask

flickr.com/photos/68726162@N00/

We Assume It is Obvious, or Maybe That People Are

Psychic

People Need Direction

• They won’t do anything unless we ask.

• They can’t get there without a map.

flickr.com/photos/liaw/398748129

Solution 1: Think Visually

Can you take a photo or

video of someone doing it?

Solution 2: Step 1, Step 2 . . .

Can you break it down into simple, ordered steps?

flic

kr.

co

m/p

ho

tos/a

toach

/254

52

33

15

5

Solution 3: Create a Checklist

Can you create a

short checklist?

Let’s Work on Your

Calls to Action.

We want _______________ (group)

to ______________________ . (verb/object)

Who Cares?

Let’s Get to the

Right People by

Segmenting

If your org likes cranes,

you want to focus on this

person – who does care!

Not this one, who doesn’t.

Neutral, probably

persuadable.

Ignore people like

this (unless they

are organized

opposition).

Most likely a strong

advocate for you.

Most likely a friend

of your org.

Everyone should care.

But they don’t.

flickr.c

om

/ph

oto

s/s

top

do

wn

/250

77

650

30

Forget the “general public.”

Clients

Volunteers

Advocates

Donors

Funders

Partners

Policymakers

Decisionmakers

Media

Others Who Influence Your

Success

Focus on groups of people who are likely to lean your way.

Some Possible

Groupings: • Demographics?

• “Tribes”

• Behaviors

• Geotargeting

• Stages of Change

Let’s Add Segments to

Your Calls to Action.

We’d like _______ who

(group)

_________ to _______. (segmenting description) (do what?)

So What?

Start with Rewarding,

Realistic & Real Time

Good Marketing: Making Your Messages Relevant to Others

What are you

trying to do?

Gross!

I don’t

care if it’s

good for

me!

Bad Messaging.

Rewarding Messages

Rewarding: The Benefit Exchange

• What’s in it for them to follow through?

• Often an emotional payoff

Example: Teens and Smoking

• What are the benefits of not smoking?

• Do teens care about them?

• What DO teens care about?

• How can we relate what they care about to not smoking?

.flickr.com/photos/21524179@N08/2419469212

What rewards do your

participants or

supporters get for

following through?

Realistic Messages

Realistic: Addressing Barriers

• Heart overrules head

• Convenient?

• Easy or difficult?

• Costly ($, time)

• Stigma?

Example: Health Screenings

• Most women know they need Pap smears.

• So why don’t they get them regularly?

• How can we address the barrier in our messaging?

What barriers should

your messaging

address?

Real Time Messages

flickr.com/photos/katerha/4647339052

REAL-TIME MESSAGES:

Does your message work in the context of the news and everything else you are talking about?

Add These As We Discuss . . .

• National News

• State News

• Local News

• Seasons and Holidays

• Your Programs, Services, Events Schedule

• What Else?

flickr.com/photos/katerha/4647339052

What can you do to

make your messages

feel more timely?

So What?

Create Content That’s

Responsive, Revealing

and Refreshing

Responsive Messages

flic

kr.

com

/ph

oto

s/m

arc

inm

og

a

RESPONSIVE MESSAGES:

Think of communicating

as gift giving.


Listen to what your

supporters are saying,

and respond!

Flic

kr: B

rittany G

RESPONSIVE MESSAGES: Prove you are listening!

EARN wanted to talk

about home ownership

and small business

development as a way to

help low-wage workers

build wealth, but their

target audience wanted to

talk about student loan

debt, thus the creation of

MyDebtStory.com

http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/comments/great_content_forges_great_connections_a_reader_guest_post/


Be a helpful human.


Be a helpful human!

How can you listen and

then be a helpful

human?

Revealing Messages

flickr.com

/ph

oto

s/katemere

REVEALING

MESSAGES:

Share New Info

or Insights.

flickr.com/photos/farleyj/2768941171

Read the story of this post here: http://www.bethkanter.org/pigs-hsus/

REVEALING MESSAGES:

Bringing New Info or

Perspectives to Light

flickr.com

/ph

oto

s/katemere

REVEALING MESSAGES:

Take us back stage.

REVEALING MESSAGES:

Following Up with Results

Your Donors Made Possible

REVEALING MESSAGES:

Story Arcs that Take Us

Back Stage

REVEALING: Communications Arcs

• Think Must-See TV, Except Now It’s Your Content!

• Story Threads Over Weeks or Months

• Think Beginning, Middle, End

flickr.com/photos/wonderlane/5351266905

Where are your

communications arcs?

Can you take us back

stage?

Refreshing Messages

REFRESHING MESSAGES:

Show some personality!

flickr.com/photos/uggboy/4100732860

flickr.com

/ph

oto

s/ piccad

illywilso

n


Facts are fine, but emotions

drive action.

flic

kr.c

om

/ph

oto

s/n

oel

zial

ee

REFRESHING MESSAGES: Show us

the personal side of your work – think

You and I/We.

You got cookie, so share it maybe?

“Raum and Moresi, both employees with

the nonprofit United Service Organizations

(USO), came up with a plan.”


Have some fun!


Express an opinion!

flickr.com/photos/randysonofrobert/393165345

How can you be more

refreshing?

Messaging That DOES Work

REWARDING: Benefits are clear. REALISTIC: Barriers are addressed. REAL TIME: Context makes sense. RESPONSIVE: We can tell you are listening.

REVEALING: Something new is shared. REFRESHING: The style is authentic.

What Three

Things Will You

Do Differently?

Any Sticky Situations?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/5588607682

flickr.com/photos/flashpackinglife/6844834841

Thank You!

Kivi Leroux Miller @kivilm Facebook.com/ nonprofitmarketingguide [email protected]

Business

So What and Who Cares: Getting Your Messaging Right