My last post was about the power of narrative in telling the story of our brand. I'm sure after reading that post, some (many?) of you thought to yourselves. "Right. I'd love to have a flashy storytelling site that showcases our impact. How am I going to get the time and money to do that?
Yes, we have some great, flashy, storytelling Web sites in the Division, the RREA Water Stewards and Stewards of the Land sites being the most notable examples. But you can put the power of storytelling to work in your site without a complete overhaul.
First, gather your material. Program or workshop evaluations, client testimonials you gathered for a UC Delivers piece, even e-mails are all great sources for quotes. When I went back to look at the results of the 2004 Listening Sessions, I found a treasure trove of information about how those we serve perceive our brand. And that perception came through loud and clear in quotes.
Even a short quote from a workshop participant can make a difference. You can use these quotes as you would a pull quote in a print piece by setting them apart visually in the text. Since you're adding them to a Web site, you could also create a page of quotes, and then provide a link to that page. Either of these methods enables you to add few impactful quotes without making major changes to your site.
A word to the wise. Do not attribute specific quotes to a person without their permission. If you don't have specific permission to use the quote, use a descriptor like "2008 Workshop Participant" or "Program 'X' Attendee."
But let's say you've got a great quote from a client with whom you work regularly and know well. Making the contact for permission to use a quote is the perfect opportunity to flesh out a short quote into a longer narrative.
Another quick and easy way to add narrative to your site is to point to something that's already out there - a direct link to a UC Delivers story for example.
As researchers and educators, our default mode is to describe the benefit from our own observations and perspective. But our "brand heroes" can sometimes do a much better job of driving home the difference we make.
Yesterday I was doing my annual end-of-the-year office clean up and came across some notes that I took at a branding workshop a couple of years ago.
Most of the notes from this workshop are long gone, but this single page stood out in my mind so much that I never tossed it.
"Every strong brand is a hero in somebody's story. How is your brand a hero?"
The speaker continued to talk about the power of narrative in demonstrating the strength of your brand. Storytelling.
Our brand makes an impact on the lives of Californians everyday. How are we telling that story?
The power of the brand is in the stories told by those who benefit, not in our voices.
How is your brand a hero? How are you telling your story?
- Recommended Links
- Nonprofit Marketing: Getting Attention
- Gerry McGovern - New Thinking
- ANR Blogs