Maureen Hackett, co-founder of the Hackett Center for Mental Health, once told me, “You and your team apply the science of communications.” I had never heard our approach described that way, and I’ve certainly never thought of myself as a scientist (nor did any of my school teachers) but I understand what she means. She was talking about our passion for research. For an organization’s digital advertising, funder appeals, marketing materials or social media platforms to deliver a positive return on investment, there must be research that answers fundamental questions.
So many leaders want to jump straight into producing tangibles. I understand, we want solutions that we can see, touch and hear, and we want them now. It’s tough to be patient when you need solutions, but to create an ad, upload a post or appeal for funding without doing your homework first, weakens your ability to achieve the results you’re looking for.
In this and the next two episodes of Minute with Messaging we’re going to dive into how curiosity pays off in communications. How research doesn’t have to slow down taking action, but has everything to do with how successful those actions will be.
Every organization is founded on answering a need. It defines your purpose. What is the value of your organization’s purpose and how is that clearly communicated in its messaging? Answering that fundamental question is the first step in research that I’ve yet to see not reveal significant results.
Let me give you an example. We were asked to help an organization that tackles issues related to homelessness find its voice and stand out. As part of our research into who they are, what they do and why, we met with a group of their leadership to ask a series of basic questions. It was only in the last 5 minutes of a 3-hour meeting that we hit on the nugget of their story. For years they had buried the lead and pushed what fundamentally distinguishes them from all other organizations addressing homelessness to the back seat!
It’s something we see fairly often. An organization is so familiar with its own story that it loses sight of what makes it special and that gets lost in its messaging.
Now the organization we helped sits confidently at the homeless-prevention table. The unique value of their purpose clearly distinguishing them from others and evident in all their communications. Investing first in some basic research sent them on a whole new trajectory that even in the pandemic has improved the course of their organization.
In the next episode, we’ll talk about how researching your audience’s language (and I don’t mean dialect) will connect you with success.
I’m Kelli Newman and this has been a Minute with Messaging™. For past episodes of a Minute with Messaging, and to learn how your organization can benefit from Newman & Newman’s communication strategies, visit our website at NEWMANandNEWMANinc.com.
