My Theory on Brand Storytelling
My first video blog — yikes!
What Is My Personal Brand?
I am a branding expert. I’ve created brands for businesses and nonprofits. I’ve even created a brand for my own coffeehouse 100 years ago. Now, it’s time to create a personal brand for myself again, this time as a freelance brand strategist. And I am lost. I don’t know where to start. I don’t know…
How to Strengthen Your Brand with the Earned, Paid, and Owned Media Model
https://www.classy.org/blog/strengthen-brand-epo-media-model/ Click on the link above to read my latest contribution to Classy.org.
“Othering” is Not OK
A recent editorial by Ruth McCambridge at Nonprofit Quarterly really resonated with me. In it she laments the standard practice of many nonprofit executives who use “othering” language when talking about their clients. She says this practice is “a regressive blast from the past, full of words and phrases that are coded shortcuts to narratives…
Don’t Just Whelm People
Did you know you could be whelmed? Not overwhelmed or underwhelmed, just whelmed? I had no idea. But Merriam-Webster tells us that contemporary writers use the word to indicate that middle stage between under and over. I guess it’s more of a convention than an actual rule. Why am I bringing this up? I was…
The Power of Moments
I just finished reading The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath. I found it very interesting and insightful. As a marketing professional, I understand how important a moment can be in driving awareness, perception and conversion in the relationship between a customer and a brand. I had not thought much about how profound that moment…
Can Nonprofits Be Cool?
Of course they can! I think that doing good is always cool. But do most Americans think nonprofits are cool? Probably not. We are the bleeding hearts, the scavengers for cash, the reminders that the world is not perfect. I think most everyone know that nonprofits are necessary and useful in this world, but not…
A Promise Made…
A promise made must be a promise kept — Aristotle We make promises every day. We promise our kids they can have an extra 30 minutes of screen time if they get their homework done. We promise our boss we’ll have a report ready by Friday. We even promise ourselves a reward if we go…
Using Your Brand Voice in Storytelling
All marketing professionals tell stories in order to sell their products or services. It drives a deeper commitment to a brand by uniting consumers through shared experiences. Nonprofit marketers are no different. In fact, I feel it is even more crucial for nonprofits to be effective storytellers in order to stay viable. Our stories of…
Telling Their Stories
As the Vice President of Engagement for a regional social service agency, I am responsible for creating meaningful opportunities for critical constituency groups like donors and volunteers to connect with our mission. The best way to do this is by sharing real-life stories of our clients and how our services assist them in bettering their…
