What do a children’s book, a grand feast and a caterpillar have to do with effective marketing and communications? As it turns out, a lot.
While meeting with a client in the early learning industry last week to kick off a new brand identity project, I was drawn to the framed images of famous children’s books adorning the office walls (partly because I’m the mom of a 5-year-old and a sucker for a good metaphor). One, in particular, got me thinking about the importance of strategic communications. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”
You probably remember how Eric Carle’s beloved little caterpillar ate lots of fresh fruit for the first five days of his week before gorging on chocolate cake, a strawberry ice cream cone, a pickle, a slice of Swiss cheese, a slice of salami, a lollipop, a piece of cherry pie, a sausage, a cupcake, and a slice of watermelon. Not surprisingly, he felt the opposite of satisfied after all that.
The same is true of communications. Sadly, many nonprofits we see communicate a lot like the caterpillar’s treat fest, making the well-intentioned mistake of communicating for the sake of communicating, or communicating what is important to them rather than what their audiences need and want to hear. While we applaud the attempt at consistency, consistency without intentionality is like giving your donor or prospect a marketing stomachache. Just not satisfying.
Meanwhile, we live in a world of “more.” More expectations, more noise, more opinions, more information. More, more, more, more.
So how does your brand transform its communications from caterpillar status to soaring butterfly? Here are a few suggestions to go from doing more to being more effective.
🐛 Keep it simple. French aviator and author Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said: “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” The same is true for communicating effectively: less is more. Just like the caterpillar needed a simple green leaf rather than a 10-course Saturday meal, your audiences don’t have the time, desire or attention span for long copy, text-heavy promotional materials and complex content. Be a relentless editor. Resist the urge to try to explain everything you do, and lead first with the most important message and why it matters.
🐛 Talk less, ask more. Without understanding what motivates and limits your audiences’ engagement, you’re apt to serve a slice of cherry pie with a side of sausage and a pickle to a donor who’s craving green, leafy veggies. Make and take the time to ask your audiences what they want. It sounds so obvious, but few organizations prioritize seeking regular feedback and guidance from their donors, prospects and beneficiaries. As your partner in realizing your mission, ask your donors about their experiences, motivations and perspectives, and make sure that input informs your strategy. Send a regular survey, and schedule calls/Zoom meetings with donors or volunteers to hear from them one-on-one — both those who are loyal to you and those who no longer support you. You can put out as much content as you want, but if it isn’t what will emotionally connect with your audiences (or it is all about you and not them), it is just more noise. And more didn’t turn out all too well for our creepy crawly friend, did it?
🐛 Prioritize quality over quantity. Creating one piece of optimized content that will drive traffic to your website for years is far more effective than developing 17 pieces of content for the sake of creating and publishing content. While consistency in our social-media-always-on-driven world is key, quality is essential. Use data and audience insights to focus on messages and content that are relevant and engaging to your audience. Be intentional about what you create, when and how you share it and the channels you leverage to do so.
🦋 Don’t be afraid to fly. Sometimes the best way to discover what works for your brand and audiences is by learning what doesn’t. Don’t be scared to try and test new strategies and take pragmatic risks that make sense for your brand without fear of failure or falling short. True greatness can only be unleashed when we are courageous enough to be a little uncomfortable and vulnerable.
Jesica D’Avanza is an award-winning communications leader who works at the intersection of brand and business strategy to enhance our lives and improve our world. As owner and chief strategy officer at Round Square, she applies two decades of experience in brand and communications strategy to transform nonprofit brands for greater relevance, resonance and results. Contact Jesica.