Six ways to Improve Your Marketing Communications

Marketing communication in the digital age is anything but simple. In fact, it’s become a vast and complex field what with online activities like social media engagement, blogging, search engine optimization, Internet advertising, and other such elements greatly impacting business goals. Whether you are planning to start a marketing communications career or are already in the midst of it, you should know that the way Marcom used to happen a few years ago is no longer adequate to achieve your marketing goals. Everything from the canals of communication to the messaging and the marketplace have changed thanks to digitization.  
So, what Marcom professionals need is to constantly update themselves and work on improving their skills. Here are a couple ways to do just that:

Remain updated on marketing technology: More and more fellowships are now moving their marketing efforts in the online space as they recognize the potency of these channels to gain a broader consultation. A modern Marcom professional is expected to be tech-savvy and have thorough knowledge of the latest marketing technologies such as analytics, conversion tools, marketing automation, etc. These tools help them doesn't just reach the right audience with the right message at the right time, but also track the performance of their marketing efforts.

Brushing Up your Presentation Skills:  If you haven’t done it already, make sure you are an absolute wizard at MS PowerPoint. Being able to give impressive presentations can really take you places in your career. However, it shouldn’t just look good, but also sound convincing and that’s where your confidence in delivering the presentation comes into play. Whatever channel you are using – face-to-face in a conference room, over video chat, or via email – the words you choose to transmit your message should be hefty. The only way to get better at creating presentations is practice, practice, and more exercise.

Short and Crisp:  The plethora of data thrust at us before we eat lunch is extraordinary. People have less time, less patience and shorter attention spans than ever earlier.  Making your case, connecting words that create value for the other party means fewer words that have more meaning, more impact and create value.  Think about what you want to say, and cut down your statement, your message to three or four strong words that you want to come across with impact, and ramp up your statement accordingly.

It is all about them, NOT YOU: The size of your company, your bank account, etc., have lost their radiance.  Forty years of relentless advertising, vacuous messages have made the 21^st century consumer wary of pitches, big companies, shiny objects and messages that talk about your power and clout.  Communication is about empowering them, their clout, and their power to vibrate with your message. It is a message that talks about them and to them.

Brush up your Communication Skills: This one is a no-brainer. All employers expect their Marcom professionals to have excellent communication skills. Nevertheless, while you may be great at verbal communication, writing a simple email could leave you completely flustered.  As a Marcom professional, the written word should be a major ally. You should be able to narrate a story to your audience – a story so interesting that it piques their interest and keeps them occupied. Make it a practice to write – keep a journal, blog, or Tweet – whatever helps you to pen the thoughts in your head in an engaging manner. While you are operating on your composition skills, try to extend your vocabulary. Crossword puzzles, word games, and Scrabble are excellent tools to help develop your speech.

Never stop Learning: As noted earlier in the post, marketing communication is a wide subject. In fact, not only is it broad, it’s also dynamic and ever evolving. As a Marcom professional, you need to keep in step with the latest changes in the field. One path to act is through continuing training. Remain on the outlook for new marketing and communication courses and certifications that you can perform to promote your skills.  

CITRON is an innovative fundraising and communications agency that works exclusively with non-profits. They work in three areas – build the brand, raise funds & training – to help organizations reach supporters, build awareness and raise money. Moreover, as it works only with non-profit organizations and we therefore understand and empathize with their special needs and challenges. Citron aim to be a supportive partner to theirNGO partners at every step of their journey.

Five trends in non-profit Marketing Communications

 

  

The nonprofit sector is changing. That’s hardly a groundbreaking observation—of course it’s changing, as it does every year—but this time, something feels different.

Beneath are the five Trends for non-profit brand:

Trend# 1: 

The demand for more strategic storytelling. Numbers numb, but the stories get stored. Stories create emotional connections with target audiences and smart social impact organizations are securely on the storytelling bandwagon. With this boost in the amount of storytelling for social impact comes the double-edged sword that traditional techniques are now falling flat. The bar is higher than ever before to create strategic stories that have a purpose, interesting characters, and a hook that drives people to not just watch but also take an action.

Trend# 2

The influence of currency. Nonprofits are understandably in a perpetual fundraising mode. But to view current or prospective supports only for their possible monetary donations is a misunderstanding. The social impact sector must remember that social media’s empowerment of the individual means anyone can—and is—an influencer among his or her circle of friends and family. That type of influence is a new, powerful “currency” that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Trend# 3

The rise of the social strategist: The smart communicators and marketers who combine both head and heart to create social impact, through nearly 60 interviews with expert practitioners representing organizations and companies like Doctors without Borders, Chipotle, and many in between, The Social Strategist Project (Created by CSIC Fellow John Trybus) uncovers insights about the skills and traits necessary to be an impact-driven communicator.

Trend# 4

Consumerization: The notion of consumerization—that technology and business models are originating in the consumer space versus the enterprise—is a driving force in the non-profit sector, and will accelerate. Just as they do in the commercial arena, today’s constituents expect you to “know” them. Therefore non-profits must continue to segment their engagement strategies and provide a more personalized and rewarding experience—powered by technology—in order to attract and retain donors and volunteers. The capability to truly understand your constituent from a “360” view, build lasting relationships and effectively communicate mission impact that is important to them will set many non-profits apart.

Trend# 5

One-to-One Major-Gift Fundraising: This is the most traditional, tried-and-true strategy, and it works like gangbusters! Eighty percent of all giving in the U.S. comes from individuals. And of these folks, roughly 20 percent will provide 80 percent of a non-profit’s annual fundraising, on average. So this shouldn’t be controversial. Yet many non-profits think major-gift fundraising isn’t for them. A 2015 survey by Boomerang, a donor software provider, shows we’re losing money and/or building shaky foundations with these strategies. Two-thirds of all household charity in the U.S. comes from the top 3 percent of U.S. households. It simply makes sense to follow the money. Commit this year to getting your piece of the pie!

CITRON is an innovative fundraising and communications agency that works exclusively with non-profits. We work in three areas – build the brand, raise funds & training – to help organizations reach supporters, build awareness and raise money. It works only with non-profit organizations and therefore we understand and empathize their special needs and challenges. We aim to be supportive partner to our NGO partners at every step of their journey