The 2008 presidential election was one that many watched closely. Regardless of our political affiliations, many of us were amazed at the efficiency and effectiveness of the Obama campaign. In a time of economic uncertainty, presidential candidate Barack Obama was able to raise substantially more money and inspire many more voters than any other candidate in the 2008 election. He literally took the country by storm. Marketing professionals around the world were in wonder at the results of his marketing efforts and have gone to great lengths to analyze and hopefully duplicate some of his successes. Most agree that one critical component to his success was the power and simplicity of his message. Through the promises of “Yes We Can” and “Change We Can Believe In” many voters were inspired to take action on his behalf, hoping to make a difference both in Washington and across our nation.

Nonprofits seek to make a similar impact in their communities. Frequently during training sessions and coaching calls I am asked “How can we engage the community, attract new donors and funders, or tap into foundation or corporate funding?” Ultimately, what I’m being asked is “How can we inspire people to get involved with our organization and take action on our behalf?” Many times I find that addressing the organization’s messaging is a good first step.

Last month, we began a discussion on The Power of the Right Message. In that article we discussed the benefits and importance of strategic messaging. It is important to realize that the effectiveness of your messaging ultimately impacts the sustainability of your organization. If your messaging is wrong it can affect the number of donors, funders, volunteers, and clients. Developing powerful, strategic messaging equips you to put the right information into the hands of the right people to help you achieve your mutual goals. And as Katya Andresen, author of Robin Hood Marketing says, “If we can’t make a compelling case the prompts people to act, then we have failed to make a difference and wasted valuable time, effort, and often, donor and taxpayer dollars.”

Before starting the strategic messaging process, it is important to understand that strategic messages are not the same as the organizational mission. When developing the mission for the organization the process is very internally focused. You are considering your goals, what you want to accomplish, and how you can make a difference. For help in this area, you can read some of our past articles including Want to Hit Your Target? Aim First and Transforming Dreams Into Reality. In contrast, strategic messages should be developed from the perspective of the target audiences and should work to persuade them to take action on your behalf. The organization will have one mission but may have multiple strategic messages - each one based upon the mission but tailored to the unique goals and motivations of the audience. We will discuss the importance of understanding, recognizing, and addressing audience motivations later in this series.

In order to develop strategic messages, you must first must decide what action your organization desires. This action will be the foundation of your messaging and serve to answer the question, ‘Why are you communicating at all?’

For example, the Obama campaign may have decided that changing the political climate of Washington and the overall direction of the country was the action they desired. This was their focus when creating campaign slogans, giving speeches, and communicating with the public at large. It helped keep them focused and keep their messaging consistent.

Like in the Obama campaign, the key action you desire will then be used to craft several strategic messages, each one tailored to a unique audience group. Keep in mind, the key action we are discussing is not the same thing as wanting someone to donate, volunteer, or subscribe. While donating, volunteering, or subscribing are actions in the true sense of the word, we are looking for something more, something deeper. Obama’s campaign team obviously wanted people to donate and volunteer, but the key action was much bigger than that. It was ‘change’ - a concept that could be communicated in many powerful, engaging ways.

Other considerations for strategic messaging:

The Strategic Messaging Team: We encourage you to build a team to help develop your strategic messages. Involve people throughout the organization - leadership, board, program staff, and possibly volunteers. Involving more than just marketing or communications people provides different perspectives, some of which may be able to identify critical actions that the communications people didn’t think of on their own.

The Organizational Mission: Several years ago I worked for an organization that had not clearly defined and articulated its mission. As a result, there was an overall confusion about the general direction of the organization. Everyone thought they knew the mission, but when directly asked most had completely different responses. Therefore, the was no consensus on what we wanted people to do or what we should communicate to those outside the organization. Having clarity on the mission is critical for moving the organization forward and for developing a powerful message. We recommend revisiting your mission and making sure it is clearly articulated, accurate and up-to-date before deciding on a key action or developing your strategic messaging.

The Programs: When determining the key action you desire, you must consider whether it aligns with the programs you deliver. In the above example, Obama presented his ‘programs’ to the American people. He outlined the changes he would make and the plans he had developed. Though these ‘programs’ were not yet in place, they were definitely in alignment with his key action - change.

The Decision: Hopefully your strategic messaging team will have lively discussions around your desired action. If so, expect disagreement - it’s healthy. However, through the discussion your goal should be reach consensus on the real desired action. Once you think you’ve obtained consensus, write it down for everyone to see. Don’t assume everyone has interpreted the discussion the same. Writing it down provides an opportunity to get buy-in from everyone or opens the door to further discussion. It will also prepare you for the next step and the topic of July’s article, identifying and connecting with your target audience.

Determining and documenting the action you desire is the first step in crafting a powerful, effective message. This month we encourage you to begin creating your team, reviewing your mission, and determining your desired actions. Also, consider joining us on Wednesday, June 23rd for a free webinar on Creating a Strategic Message.