Top tips for preparing a comms strategy

We’ve recently been asked to help several charities develop a comms strategy. It’s something that all organisations should have. But what makes a good one?

A good comms strategy gives careful consideration to what you should communicate, to whom and how, based on insights drawn from across your organisation and beyond it. It also tells you what you shouldn’t waste time on, which is just as valuable, if not more so.

However, not every organisation needs the same sort of strategy. Small charities with a few services and audiences should have a strategy that reflects that, focusing on what’s needed. Bigger organisations, juggling lots of viewpoints, stakeholder groups and sub-brands need to invest time and energy in a strategy that takes account of them all.

Here are our tips for developing a comms strategy that works for you not against you:

1. Make it relevant –your strategy must be thorough, yet relevant and appropriate. There’s no point in creating a huge document, pulling in every view, opinion, bit of theory and every imaginable target – you’ll never be able to fulfil it, and you’ll end up pushing it to the back of your mind in favour of just ‘getting on with the job’.
2. Make it robust – give thought to everything the strategy might need to weather, and build in enough flexibility so that, if new and unexpected opportunities come up, you can adapt and shape it accordingly.
3. Workshop – we often find that workshop sessions offer a great way to explore core elements of a strategy to help establish buy in from across the organisation at an early stage. Involve people from different levels and include service users and volunteers.
4. Share it and live it – writing your strategy isn’t the end of the process – you need to make sure it’s usable and remains relevant. Develop easy-read handouts or checklists for other departments to use and consider running training or information sessions to help others understand how it relates to them.
5. Review – it’s also important that you make time to review your strategy at regular points to make sure it’s still relevant and achievable. If it’s not, make adjustments to reflect the reality of the situation you’re now working in.

Let us know your tips for developing a comms strategy.

A THOUGHT PROVOKING DAY AT THE NHF MARKETING AND COMMS CONFERENCE

When we were asked to speak at the National Housing Federation’s annual Marketing & Communications Conference in Euston last week, I juggled my diary around to make sure I could be there for the whole day. I was looking forward to hearing a range of views on the role of marcomms in the sector, particularly when housing is adopting an increasingly centre-stage role in the escalating general election furore.

I wasn’t disappointed. The conference, which this year had the theme ‘Strengthening Your Voice’, included a controversial presentation by the producer of Benefits Street, making his case to a room that struggled to accept his arguments. The breakout sessions covered everything from digital inclusion to voter registration. But the speaker who most stood out for me was Boris Worrall, Director of Futures at Orbit – one of the largest housing providers in the country.

Boris spoke passionately about the need to change the narrative across the housing sector, dropping an obsession with jargon and complex tenure explanations in favour of a stronger, more challenging story about the need for a range of housing options. He urged the sector to come together, in the same way it has done for the impressive Homes for Britain campaign, to increase public understanding of, and appreciation for, housing associations and the products they offer to so many different people – those in work, and those not in work. Boris argued strongly for a broadening of the debate, beyond housing associations as a ‘safety net’, to include the ‘springboard’ role played by much of the sector – a more positive, aspirational message.

I couldn’t agree more. While the mainstream media remain obsessed with dramatic, victim-filled bad news stories (which need to be heard, of course, if we are to highlight the implications of top-level decisions and push for policy change) the proliferation of digital channels means the housing sector can and should be pushing out an alternative view of social and affordable housing. What it is, what it does, who it’s for, and what it wants to achieve in the future. Boris made that case very well, and it was great to see the enthusiasm spread throughout the packed auditorium.

I’ll look forward to seeing how Boris’s message is taken up by the sector in the crucial coming months.

For some top tips linked to my own session, focused on making the case for communications, you can download our free ‘Introduction to Making the Case for Comms’ here.

See what was talked about during the day on the NHF Storify – https://storify.com/natfedevents/twitter-says-yes-to-comms

– Kirsty Kitchen

 

TELLING STORIES ABOUT TELLING STORIES: CHARITYCOMMS EVENT HELPING CHARITIES EXPLORE THEIR NARRATIVES

We were very proud sponsors of a CharityComms event last week focused on storytelling.  The idea of telling stories might make you think of fictional tales but, as our senior consultant, Kirsty Kitchen, told the audience at King’s College, we are all great storytellers and our stories are fascinating because they are true.

Stories are crucial for a charity as they are what brings its work to life.  They help supporters, donors, volunteers and new audiences identify with what’s happening.  They can often picture themselves in the situation and a well-told story with a beginning, middle and an end will help to keep audiences with you, to find out what happens in the end!

The speakers alongside Kirsty included Judith Barnard, director of strategic communications for Sightsavers.  She shared how they told Winesi’s story to bring to life their ‘A Million Miracles’ campaign.  It’s aiming to raise £30 million in the next three years to fund one million operations to restore people’s sight.  It was a very innovative way to tell the story, harnessing the networks of a blogger, offering live interaction with Winesi’s surgery through Google Hangout and even involving schoolchildren in telling their own stories of how it would be to lose their sight.

It had a clear beginning, middle and an end – which involved a lot of singing and dancing when the bandages were removed – and an emotional return home to the grandson he’d not yet been able to see.  There was many a damp eye amongst us in the hall.

Jo Graham, research director at nfpSynergy, explored the role of research in storytelling and how quantitative and qualitative data can provide the evidence to strengthen the story.  Plus, the need to keep the elements of the story clear and simple – you don’t want it to be a bedtime story and send audiences to sleep!

What made this event so interesting was the range of speakers.  It closed with a presentation from Canon EMEA’s marketing communications director, Nigel Taylor.  We might think the corporate sector doesn’t have much to share with charities that they can make use of, but Nigel proved that isn’t the case.  Canon’s recent campaigns told stories not about products but about events that needed a quality camera to capture them.  Advertising (you’ll have seen the one with the deer wandering the streets at dusk?) draws audiences to Canon’s website and social media channels where the stories are developed and expanded.  And all the while, these stories, as Kirsty pointed out in her opening speech, work as part of the organisation’s overall narrative.

We all tell stories every day and we’re very good at it.  But sometimes it’s a bit more difficult to work out how to tell them for your organisation.  This was a fantastic event for sharing ideas and getting charities to think about how it can work for them.  Of course, if you’d like some help with your storytelling, we’d love to hear from you.  Now, have you heard the one about…

Download free Introduction to effective storytelling.

 

MEDIA INTERVIEWS AND THE CHALLENGE OF REMAINING HUMAN

Spokespeople can be called on by the media to comment on something at short notice. There was one such example on the radio a few days ago.

It related to an amusing story from a listener about their having thrown something at an irritating creature that kept them awake all night with its dull, repetitive and intensely annoying call.

The spokesperson from the relevant organisation came on air to talk about said creature and why its call was so grating. The interviewer was genuinely interested but the style of the interview was light-hearted. This was a great opportunity for the spokesperson to acknowledge the humour, sympathise that this call was not the most melodious and get across his key message of the importance of valuing this creature.

Unfortunately, the spokesperson stuck to the official line and dodged all attempts to join in with the humour. What became the memorable thing about the interview was his stubbornness to accept its tone, rather than the message he wanted to get across.

It highlighted two things. One, that if he had found out more about the tone of the interview he could have been upfront about his approach so the presenter could have changed his style to suit. Two, that sometimes to get your message across you have to adapt it to fit the channel.

Another radio station challenged a magazine that had printed photographs that were supposedly of one area but journalists with local knowledge had spotted they were of somewhere completely different. In this situation, the spokesperson who was asked to come on air made a number of excuses about what had happened rather than acknowledging a mistake had been made.

Being a human being can have a great deal of impact in PR. Like it or not, we are fallible. But we have a sense of humour and using this in a negative situation can go a long way in maintaining reputation. It doesn’t mean you have to step away from your organisation’s core values. Indeed you’re more likely to be given a second opportunity to speak about your work or your cause if you speak in a real and genuine way. Who wouldn’t want that?!

IT’S NOT JUST WHAT YOU SAY, IT’S THE WAY THAT YOU SAY IT

Bill Gates used the phrase ‘content is king’ in 1996. Whether he actually came up with it is debatable, but certainly it’s now an everyday expression.

Gates, of course, was talking about the growth of the internet and the opportunities he foresaw for organisations large and small to use it to entertain and to inform. He was making the point that to do so, they’d need some blimmin’ good content.

The ‘offline’ world – TV production companies, film-makers, consumer magazines and news reporters – already knew this of course.

Changing channels

Digital comms channels have changed beyond measure over the past couple of decades. The fundamental need for good content has not. Those organisations with something to say are more likely to be heard than those uhmming and ahhing about their key messages, unsure if they have an opinion, and unable to gather stories.

It’s easy to get excited about the platforms and media available to us. But it’s essential to use them wisely and to invest in developing the right content for them.

Find the right words

To get your content right you need to be able to articulate what you do and why you do it. Don’t skip this stage because it seems obvious or simple. Work across teams and you may be surprised and energised by differing views and perspectives.

• What need does your charity exist to meet?
• What are you doing to help, what are your services or projects?
• What’s your organisation’s particular expertise?
• What impact are you having?
• Do you have examples and case studies to illustrate what you do?

Addressing these questions is a must. Craft the best answers, not the easiest ones. Tell stories, don’t just provide information.

Give it some welly

And then think about lively and engaging ways to present your story.  Show, don’t tell.

• Does your photography bring your work to life?
• If you have stats to convey impact, have you tried infographics rather than bullet points?
• Think about audio recordings, showcasing a range of viewpoints and voices
• Or video, which has the potential to move, uplift, inspire and motivate
• And consider who is best placed to tell your story; sometimes someone external can offer a powerful option when speaking on your behalf

Let’s hear you!

There are so many ways to develop, package and present content, suitable for all the channels now available. What works for some may not work for you. Your content must fit your brand, your culture, your values and your context.

If you are looking for fresh ideas get in touch.