First, know thyself. The ancient Greek maxim is good advice for organizations embarking on a marketing plan. All the fancy online communication tools don't mean a thing unless you have a compelling and authentic message. And that's virtually impossible to create without a clear understanding of what the organization is all about. Keep in mind that your audience is more savvy and skeptical than ever before. They're bombarded with sales pitches all day long. They can smell spin a mile away. And few things will undermine your message faster than the whiff of inauthenticity. I'm not talking about intentional deception. That's clearly out of bounds. What I'm getting at is a sense of uncertainty or outright confusion about the organization's mission. Maybe the group has evolved over the years, adapted to changing circumstances, drifted in the direction of a successful program, experienced changes in leadership. Whatever the cause, uncertainty about the organization's mission leads inevitably to fuzzy and ineffectual messaging. The remedy? Look upon every major communications initiative as an opportunity to assess and affirm the organization's mission. Often, it's not until you sit down to write about the organization that you detect slippage between the organization's declared mission and what it actually does. Check in with your board, staff, and key supporters. Be sure everyone is more or less on the same page. If not, you may find your communications efforts are more confusing than clarifying.

Italians have an expression: fare una bella figura . It means to make a good impression. But more than that, it’s a commitment to present oneself well, to look and act one’s best. It’s not just about good looks or expensive clothing. It’s a personal choice to cultivate grace and style. There’s a lesson here for nonprofit organizations that are struggling to find the resources to produce effective marketing material. Even on a tight budget it’s possible to create something thoughtful, effective, even beautiful. 1. Don’t underestimate the power of good design. Even a modest investment in a professional designer can elevate an otherwise mediocre piece into something special. 2. Don’t let poor design get in the way of a good message. Remember that your message is competing with an unprecedented level of media noise. Readers typically spend less than a second or two deciding to read new material or toss it out. Even the smallest obstacle (a poor choice of font, a confusing layout, an awkward phrase) is enough to put them off. 3. Good design doesn’t mean fancy design. In fact, it’s often said that the best design is invisible. While a little bit of eye candy can attract attention, no amount of whiz-bang graphics will compensate for weak or confusing content. Equally bad are over-designed pieces that distract readers from core messages with intrusive visuals. 4. Avoid kitchen sink syndrome. Adding extra information doesn’t add extra value. Usually it muddies the water, making it more difficult for readers to understand what’s important or, worse, discouraging them altogether. Stick to your key messages. State them clearly and persuasively, and always give your readers an option to seek more information if they wish. 5. Take advantage of electronic media. Printing and postage are expensive. Save money (and trees) by using e-mail marketing, social media and blogs. Redirect those funds toward copywriting and design. Cultivate a corps of volunteers and press contacts who will publish your organization’s message on their own networks. Be sure your website and blog are properly integrated with social networks so viewers can share, follow, like, retweet or repost your information with a click of a button. At some point in its evolution – and that point ought to come sooner rather than later – an organization will need the help of a communications design professional. It’s an investment worth making. In fact, it’s a priority.

Nonprofit Communications Archives - Gattuso Media Design

Q: Sneak peek: Flemington Area Food Pantry

We're pleased once again to help the Flemington Area Food Pantry with its communications program. This time, we're putting together a website. It's still in development, but here's a quick preview of the overall look. The Food Pantry welcomes donations and volunteers. Call 908-788-5568 for information about how you can help.

Q: Stock the Shelves, Stop the Hunger

We were honored once again to be asked by the Flemington Area Food Pantry to produce invitations, posters and other print collateral for the “Stock the Shelves, Stop the Hunger” event. The turnout was excellent, the evening was delightful, and the organization raised much-needed funds for its move to a new facility.

Q: A Website Is Only as Good as Its Content

I’m often asked about search engine optimization (SEO) as if there’s some secret technological solution to climbing the search engine ladder and driving hordes of viewers to a website. Sure, using the right keywords, building backlinks, and doing all the other technical tricks SEO gurus recommend will give your site a boost – at least temporarily. But if you don’t have useful or interesting content, viewers won’t hang around for long and they certainly won’t return. So when folks ask me about SEO, my first suggestion is to take a good, hard look at their content. Does it give web users a reason to visit the site and stay a while, or to make repeat visits? Is it useful, attractive, logically organized? Are there any snarls in the user experience that discourage visitors from proceeding. In a world of ever shorter attention spans, even a momentary hiccup is enough to send web users clicking away to the next shiny object. Before hiring an SEO firm, make an honest assessment of your site’s content. There’s no point attracting visitors to a website that’s not worth visiting. You may get more bang for the buck hiring a good designer and copywriter.