At the risk of sounding a bit David Brent, effective marketing and communication starts with listening.

But as communicators working in the charity and public sector, how often do you take the time to really listen to your beneficiaries/patients and those who you work with to ensure your marketing materials cut the mustard?

Too often charities assume that they know what people need from them and are falling short of their needs and expectations. It’s therefore really important to take the time and make the space to ask your audiences whether there’s anything you could be doing better.

It could be as simple as asking for feedback on your membership newsletter or e-bulletin – are you giving people the information they want to read; do they like the format, the frequency…? I carried out this exercise at the Wildlife Trust in Sheffield and discovered that people wanted more expert articles on wildlife. The organisation was so busy promoting their campaigns and events, they’d lost sight of why people joined… because they loved learning about wildlife!

Nailing your marketing collateral might also mean asking people whether the language you use is right for them. Are you using jargon they don’t understand or terms that offend or put them off in some way? This can be particularly important if you’re dealing with a health condition or issue which is sensitive, or around any stigma relating to their condition or circumstances. A panel of ‘expert patients’ or service users to vet your draft materials can provide the assurance that your language doesn’t jar.

It’s fashionable now to talk about ‘unconscious bias’, which means showing a prejudice for or against a thing, person or group Even the most ‘right on’ people can perpetuate stereotypes without realising it. Working with a charity that supports sex workers has really challenged me to unpick some of my unconscious biases and admittedly, ignorance about those who choose to do sex and erotic work.

Consider if there are any unconscious biases in your marketing or communications materials – are there staff groups, volunteers or external partners you could consult with to iron out any language or beliefs that could be controversial or discriminatory?

Focus groups (yes, remember the good old days when we could all get in a room to talk face to face) are also an awesome way of testing whether your branding, messages or materials resonate with their intended audiences. Tasked with testing the new Girl Guides badges with young girls in my home town of Chesterfield, I duly recruited several groups of girls, ranging from 7 -12 years of age to get their reactions to some potential designs. The feedback was mindboggling, highlighting issues around what icons and insignia young people relate to (SatNav type imagery for an orienteering badge, for example) and those they engaged less with; as well as revealing varying levels of literacy. The lesson being that unless the organisation was solely aimed at middle class educated kids the new badges needed to take on board the needs of girls from other backgrounds.

Of course, listening is one thing, but showing that you’ve heard what people have told you by making changes, is another thing. Just remember to take staff (and volunteers) along with you in the process and don’t be coy about showing where you’ve upped your game to respond to service users’ (and other audience’s) needs and expectations. That might mean changing the format of your marketing materials, the channels you use, adopting a new language style or tone of voice, or perhaps adapting your materials for people with dementia, sight loss or for those who don’t speak English as a first language.

Give me a shout if you want some advice about how to understand your charity’s audiences better. I’m only an email away and am all ears! kate.dawson@wellreadpr.com

As a storyteller working in the heritage sector, it’s really important I understand why history, and in particular, heritage projects that engage local communities, are valuable, as this informs how I work with others who share my passion to remember, celebrate and learn from what’s gone before.

By understanding the ‘why’, I can ensure that history isn’t just regurgitated from the history books but interpreted as something meaningful and relevant to a range of audiences. 

Whilst this topic surely deserves a whole PhD thesis, I’ve tried to distil my answer into five core reasons, as follows:

1. History provides communities with a sense of pride in place. Heritage projects capture what may be in living memory now, in order to pass down to future generations before its lost. It’s important to celebrate not only the places which have come and gone, or which have been protected because of their historic importance, but also the values which are embodied in the local history which may be intrinsically linked to that community’s identity. A great example of this was my work with primary school pupils in Coalville, Leicester, who learnt about the men who’d fallen in WWI and whose names were inspired on the memorial clock tower there as part of the Memorial Clocktower Project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. What a buzz seeing these youngsters become the custodians of their local heritage through their compelling presentations to ‘Save the Clock Tower’ inspired by what they’d learnt.
2. History provides a salient reminder of why we must be stamp out discrimination in all its forms. Whilst I’m not personally in favour of toppling statues, I do believe that history can be revisited to ensure it is spoken about truthfully. The telling of the industrial revolution and the philanthropy of those that prospered needs to be told alongside the now unthinkable slave trade. Where possible stories should be told through the voice of those affected, which is why the accounts of survivors at the National Holocaust Museum are so incredibly powerful.
3. History inspires creativity and innovation in future generations. Whether it’s learning about the awe-inspiring history of industrial innovation at the Derby Museum of Making or hearing about the invention of the pioneering water-powered frame for cotton manufacture (through a film of the inventor Richard Arkwright himself, no less!) at Cromford Mills, museums inspire the scientists, designers and medical pioneers of tomorrow.
4. History teaches us about sacrifice and justice. It was wonderful to hear the National Justice Museum in Nottingham put under the spotlight on BBC Radio 6 – describing how the courtroom and cells, and extensive collection help bring the concepts of law and justice to life for visitors.  Personally, I have just finished an education resource for the Mill Waters heritage site which includes details of the Luddite leader, Jeremiah Brandreth, who was active in Nottinghamshire in the early 1800s and who lost his head for sedition and standing up for the rights of the working man.
5. Last but not least – history entertains …and if it doesn’t, you may be doing it wrong! I can still remember the thrill of travelling around the Jorvik Viking Centre as a girl on a rather clunky motorised car on wheels – taking in the sounds and smells of the Viking village that had been recreated there. For my young niece and nephew, (Lottie and Ralph, pictured), a visit to the National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield is just the best day out EVER!

I would love to hear your thoughts on why museums and heritage projects are so valuable.

To find out more about how I can help your heritage organisation or project please take a look at my leaflet here.

I’ve just spent £50 quid on a pair of FILA trainers for my daughter’s 10^th birthday. [Sucks through teeth]. Apparently, nothing else will do – that is according to Tik Tok, members of Little Mix and the talk in the playground.

The fashionistas among you will know that FILA are a sportwear brand established in 1911 whose chunky Dad style trainers peaked in the ‘90s, before falling onto hard times and then making a recovery in recent years with the reissue of ‘old school’ ranges, earning favour with rap stars and even a catwalk show at Milan Fashion Week.

The revived popularity of FILA struck me as a good example of brand value – in a nutshell: a recognisable brand identity, resonance with target audiences (across the appropriate channels), carefully orchestrated brand endorsement and key influencers talking about you. Interestingly, RNID has also recently gone a bit ‘old school’ – reverting to their original name after their ‘Action for Hearing Loss’ rebrand flunked.

Those of us working in the charity sector know, however, that it takes more than a bit of nostalgia combined with a celebrity endorsement to build our brands. A good reputation is hard won and depends on consistently delivering on your charity’s brand promise: demonstrating that you’re being true to your charity’s objects (what you were set up to do); that you’re genuinely making a difference; that your actions and behaviour reflect your values; and eventually, if your brand identity packs a punch, it should become synonymous with your work and what you stand for. 

Charities with a strong brand value are without doubt in a better position to raise funds and influence policy because they’ve earnt a high level of understanding about what they do and reputation for being a ‘good cause’. It’s no surprise that Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation, Salvation Army and Macmillan regularly top the leader board of top charity brands (in terms of income generation) – we just know them and their logos are everywhere: on shop fronts, inside our Sunday supplements, popping up in our social feed.

But, if you’re a small charity without a big marketing budget that doesn’t mean you can’t still build the credibility of your brand with your target audiences. Take a look at the Evelina Heart Organisation which refreshed their logo to reinforce their aims as a professional yet supportive community for families of children with heart problems, whilst retaining their heart symbol which supporters knew and associated with their work. They also developed a rather natty sub brand for their bespoke support for teenagers – again using the heart symbol but this time using a computer type graphic which would resonate with younger audiences. Supporters and other audiences were involved in the rebrand and the charity reports it’s been well received.

Another example which springs to mind is YoungDementia UK Homes which was set up as a separate entity to YoungDementia UK to deliver an innovative supported living facility for younger people (in their 40s and 50s) with young onset dementia  – and yours truly was commissioned to help develop the charity’s brand identity. Having consulted with people with young onset dementia and liaised closely with the mother charity, I worked with the talented designers at Red Wire to come up with their visual identity, which clearly builds on the existing logo (and ergo brand value of the mother charity) but provides something distinctive for the ‘Homes’ project. The resulting logo and website takes on board the fact that some forms of dementia result in colour blindness – hence the introduction of an orange accent colour rather than shades of blue and green (which can look the same). The moral of the story here is that like any aspect of marketing, brand development should always be based on audience insight.

Charity branding, of course, is a different kettle of fish to the world of consumer branding, but none the less, it boils down to people making choices about where they invest their hard-earned based on how they feel about a brand. The motivations for giving to a good cause may be different to choosing footwear – but as with FILA’s customers, your supporters are faced with an array of choices, so ensuring your brand stands out on the virtual charity catwalk is essential.

I love working with charities (and any organisation with a strong social purpose) to consider how they can have better visibility and brand recognition. So, if you’re looking for a FILA style comeback, or simply looking to develop a more professional suite of marketing materials which builds recognition of your specialist expertise, then please get in touch for a chat.

Find out how Well Read can help your charity improve its brand and marketing strategy here.

I usually introduce myself as a storyteller at networking events. I’ve been helping charities and the public sector to tell their stories for more than twenty years. In this post I share with you some of what I’ve learnt honing my craft…

You’d be forgiven for thinking that all great stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. But in PR, the best stories often end with a question, a ‘what next’ and crucially, a compelling call to action.

Of course, in novels the story can unfold over several hundred pages, as we get to know the key characters, their lives and the issues they face. For a PR storyteller, the trick is being able to describe the individuals in our story quickly (be they beneficiaries, or organisations that can change policy or hold the purse strings). We then need to convey the environment (the problem, the struggle, the prejudice…) and finally, describe how YOU, the reader, and the main protagonist can play a role.

Any good storyteller will capture their reader’s attention straight away – a punchy headline, killer statistic or compelling image can help with that. Your story should also resonate with your target audience. Whether you’re writing for a professional journal or the local press, then make sure your story strikes a chord with them. Local and regional news will want local case studies, or to know how you’re having an impact locally; a professional journal will want to understand what new intelligence or insights you’re bringing to the sector, or existing body of knowledge. Think about what’s going to cut the mustard with the editor – or for a quick and dirty guide just watch Press on catch up and you’ll get the gist!

I usually start by asking ‘So what? Why should people care? What’s the problem you ‘re trying to fix?’ The ability to shock or provide a wake up call, is another tactic used to garner traction – be that the melting of the ice caps or the shocking rise of poverty. Get researching all the evidence available and any data to back up your argument and present it in an easy to understand way – such as a year on year comparison or an infographic.

Humour is another great tactic you can employ in storytelling – listen to the Ken Robinson Ted talk ‘Do schools kill creativity’ and you’ll understand how this works… he tells funny stories, you laugh, you warm to him, these funny stories also illustrate important arguments – namely that the classroom isn’t always the best place for creative kids to flourish. This tactic is best suited to speeches and blogs where a more conversational style is acceptable and can also work in social media posts – typically Facebook, where followers are seeking out information and entertainment.

Finally, remember the power of images and film to pack an emotional punch or illustrate your story. The point is that it’s really worth the investment to get good photos to issue to the press or use on your website. So many clients simply don’t have the budget, or wont commission good photography, but really I do think it’s a worth developing a bank of images to use in your publicity. If budget is a problem, consider investing in a decent digital camera and sending one of your team on a photography course. Indeed, most smartphones take pretty decent images these days and with a bit of knowhow about how to set up a good shot, you’re half way there. Another option is to approach your local college to see if any of their students would like to get involved with your project. Many are happy for the opportunity to build up their portfolio.

Of course, if you want some help telling your charity’s story, I’m always happy to chat – and the coffee and cake is on me!

Kate Dawson of Well Read PR provides communications support to charities, social enterprises and public sector organisations. She is also editor of The Good Times e-zine, which shares the impact and learning from the third sector and other organisations working to bring about social change across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.