As with anything we all want to improve on, it is important to know where we are now if we want to figure out where we want to go and how we get there. In the communications industry, having a comprehensive review of where you are at is called an “audit” … yes, just like the Finance world. In this session, we can teach you how to do your own self-audit, or complete a high-level audit with you, or prepare you for what you will need to do to have someone come in and do the audit with you. What you will leave with is a better understanding of where your marketing communications pieces are at … including your website, print media, social media and/or any other marketing communications tools. How detailed you want to be is up to you.

To experience success in influencing another person to participate in a cause, take on an opinion or belief, buy a product or service, or anything else that you can think of … you need to deliver a message to that person, have them understand it, believe it, and act on it. And you need to deliver that message on the “channels” that person is tuned in to. If you are attempting to motivate or inspire just one person, what are you going to say to them that will resonate and have that person understand, believe, and change behaviour? Through what means are you going to deliver that message? Now … what if you can’t communicate to every person in your target audience(s) one-on-one? What are you going to say to your target audiences, internally and externally? On what channels will you send those messages?

In this session you will learn how to develop a comprehensive marketing communications plan:

• Where are you now with your communications messaging and channels?
• What do you hope to accomplish with strategic marketing communications?
• Who are your target audiences?
• What are your key messages?
• What are the best ways to deliver the messages? Who will do it?
• What are the timeline and budget for your marketing communications?
• How will you know if your target audiences are understanding, believing and acting on your messages?

Participants will walk away with a template for and understanding of how to develop a marketing communications plan that works, saving them time and money, knowing they are using their resources to deliver the right messages on the right channels in the right ways.

This specific session is a hands-on, interactive session to help you understand who you are attempting to connect with and impact. In the marketing communications world, one size does not fit all. We all know that connecting with and impacting an Elder would look and sound very different from connecting with and impacting an 18-year-old youth. How these two people receive messages, and on what channels, is vastly different. How will you know if your target audiences are understanding, believing, and acting on your messages?

You will leave the session with a developed roadmap of the different target audiences in your area, and start understanding how you are going to get your messages to them.

How to Present or Create a Powerful Brand.

The people … the target audiences … that are crucial to your success have an opinion about your organization. What is it? What are they saying about you? Do you know?

Why not take control of your own “brand” and define it so that all target audiences … internally and externally … know exactly what it is that brings value to their lives … if they engage with your organization? (And a tip: your brand is much, much more than your logo!)

If you have a well-defined brand, learn how to present that brand powerfully to your audiences.

If you don’t have a well-defined brand, you take the risk that your target audiences will make it up for you. And you may not like what they have to say.

In this session, you will learn to define your organization’s:

• Personality: what is the voice, style, and behaviour associated with your organization?
• Value proposition or brand promise: what are you promising your audiences if they engage with you?
• Name: does the name of your organization suit your brand?
• Visual identity: do your logo, colours, fonts … everything visual … match your personality and your promise?

Participants will walk away with tried-and-true processes to define a brand within their own organization.

How and what the media publish, or broadcast, is important to the success of your organization because the media are a major source of information for people. Media heavily influence public opinion. Knowing how to utilize and manage media well will help you build awareness, understanding and support of your policies, positions and actions.

This media training workshop will take you behind the scenes of the working media, giving you the insight you need to successfully interact with reporters and editors. You will learn how to prepare for and control interviews, so your message gets heard. The workshop is interactive, with group exercises and a takeaway reference guide.

With access to many different ways to get messages to audiences, what is the “toolbox” your organization should be relying on? What are the best ways to deliver your messages? Who will do it? These “ways” are often called channels … just like on a TV. What channels do your audiences tune in to? Face-to-face only? A website? A printed newsletter … or an emailed newsletter? Brochures, flyers, posters? Videos or animations? Podcasts? Social media? Etc., etc. In this session, you will learn about all of the choices available and start matching the people and resources you have to the reality of the channels you can manage.

Research has shown that successful and effective people in the workplace have strong oral and written communications skills. They are good communicators even in stressful situations and are skilled at dealing with tough questions in a controlled way. This is particularly important in employee relations, where delivering bad news or dealing with difficult people is a skill that every team leader, manager or supervisor needs in their toolkit. This workshop focuses on communications skill development as it applies to the workplace. It includes segments on how to be a good presenter and writer, stress management, and interfacing with employees on difficult subjects. The workshop is interactive, with group exercises and a workbook to aid learning.

Research shows that video is a powerful marketing tool, but non-profit organizations often don’t have the expertise or budget to engage audiences in this way. The keys to overcoming this barrier are knowing what kind of creative content will evoke positive responses and action from clients, funders, politicians and other key stakeholders … and targeting that content correctly. This interactive workshop provides a step-by-step guide for how your organization can inexpensively produce its own video, and then maximize the value and impact – whether it’s a blog, fundraising pitch or event promotion – so it tells the story in the most powerful way possible to your target audiences.
Participants will create their own smartphone video and receive a takeaway reference guide full of strategies, tips and techniques.