Nonprofit Performance 360 Issue 13

Christmas. It was lovely. But the sermon was rhetoric.It was old stories that we heard years ago. It wasn’t original, and it wasn’t from the heart. I heard another sermon at a different mass that was magnificent. It was the same thing for the high holidays for Yom Kippur. One was awesome, and one was not so awesome. Guess what…there is no room for not awesome. It requires huge impression management and sensation transfer. A brand is not a logo on the church bulletin. A brand is a feeling that is so hot it goes through the dermal layers and leaves a lasting impression, not just at the epidermis, but at the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system. Audit of Brand Integrity Once you have an understanding of what you want people to say about you, and how you want them to think and feel about you, then you take an inventory of everything that you’re doing. Have every one of your employees or colleagues or volunteers take a yellow pad with the brand description in the left column. In the second column, they should list their intersections with other human beings and other institutions, since they’re representing this brand. The third column is this: Am I in integrity with this brand? What are examples of me being in integrity? What are examples of me not being in integrity? The next column is this: What changes can I make? Am I willing to make those changes? I may be willing to make changes, but I’m not going to make changes that I’m not aware of.

This is what we call an audit of brand integrity. It’s what I teach in the book Preventing Brand Slaughter. It’s a simple process. What are the brand qualities and characteristics? What are the intersections and interfaces you have? Are you living in concert with your brand, or are you undermining it?What can you do to change that? When everyone does that, and they really take massive personal responsibility to make those changes, everything shifts. That is how mega-brands work. Brand Slaughter The opposite of that is brand slaughter. That is how long-time, long-term, long- building brands can fall down in a day. I’m talking about reputations of clergy, corporate executives, you and I, as subject matter and leaders can fall down in a day. You might say, “I’m the CEO of the organization. My receptionist did that, not me.” Fine, but put your hands behind your back. You’re under arrest for brand slaughter in the second degree. Moving Forward I like to ask people, what is your mojo? What is it within and around you that is attractive, persuasive, influential, of value? What are the characteristics and qualities of you? Then, what are those characteristics and qualities of your organization and your institution? We did research long ago, and it holds true today. Who do you consistently buy from? Why do you keep going to that church? Why do you keep buying that bottled wa- ter?The first group says they buy because of features and benefits. The next group does so because of relationship. But the largest group, why you buy from whom you buy, is God only knows.They have no clue. Would you switch? The first group says, sure, they can find features and benefits elsewhere. The second group says, sure, they can find another relationship. But the God-only-knows group, the group that doesn’t know why they keep going to that institution, they said there was no way they would switch.That is the mojo. What is your mojo? What is the mojo of your organization? Do it consistently because that is your brand. You’re engaging in behaviors that are either building or killing it.That is the essence. When I work with clients and they get that, their brand

each piece of content. It should be done in a subtle way so as not to jeopardize the bond you have created with your audience. One way is to mention that they can go to a website if they would like more information. A short catchy URL that people can remember is best. This way you are never selling; that will be done by the page you send them to. It is crucial to send them to a well optimized landing page designed for your desired action. The Advertising Advantage If you choose to run Facebook ads, my branding manner allows you to review the stats from your published content. Certain pieces of content will stand out by having higher engagement (likes, shares, and comments) than others. Use these pieces of content (video is best) to run ads. Your ads will nearly always be successful because you are using a video that has already proven to be highly engaging. Just Get Started If you have never published anything online, this may seem a little intimidating. That is ok. Most people feel that way when they start. Like most activities, the more you practice, the better you will become! Pipp I Patton is the co-founder of Search Intelligence LLC, a digital marketing agency based in Tampa, Florida, specializing in SEO, sales funnels, and Facebook marketing. Pipp was a Yellow Pages rep when your yellow pages directory was the search engine of choice. www.si-5.com David M. Corbin, keynote speaker, business adviser, president of private and public corporations, inventor, mentor, former psychotherapist, and pretty good guy, provides practical, highly relevant speeches coupled with entertaining and sometimes side-splitting stories. His books, keynotes, and trainings are about systems that foster peace of mind and productivity through personal and professional growth and development, offering models for identifying values and mission, and giving procedures and processes for bringing them to life. DavidCorbin.com Patton , continued from page 27 asset value goes crazy and so does the asset value of each of those employees, because they get it. Wherever they work, whatever they do, they get it. They take that lesson with them.

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