Branding: It’s More Than Just a Logo

By Abny Santicola

4. What do you do to deserve the brand you want to promote? Do the programs you operate track squarely with the concepts you are communicating?

5. Evidence. How do you prove it? What kind of information, statistics, facts and figures do you publicize to show how well you’ve done in meeting your mission? What stories and pictures in the news tell your story of success?

6. & 7. Primary and secondary message. How do you move your brand forward into the world? Take the core concepts developed in steps one through five and build your brand message.

8. Positioning statement. Place yourself in the public’s consciousness relative to the rest of the world. Answer these questions: Why should anyone give their time and money to us rather than other organizations? Why should anyone use our services rather than the services of another organization? Think about these questions in relation to your competition. The positioning statement should tell why you’re different; why no one else does what you do.

9. Collateral materials. How and where do you convey your message and information? Some forms of information conveyance Zimmerman noted were proposals, brochures, logo, byline, ads, banners, Web pages, stationery, etc. Branding is more than just an organization’s logo or slogan; It’s all of your collateral materials working together to convey your message.

10. Communications media. What channels will you use to relay your message? TV, radio, print ads, word-of-mouth, the Web, billboards, direct mail, etc. all are viable channels.

11. Strengthen. How will you create and sustain the brand? What will you communicate to whom? In what ways will you do so? When and how frequently? How will you legitimize the message? What do you expect the results to be?

Nonprofits can use the exercise to brand a new organization, do a brand audit and/or rebrand. According to Zimmerman, completing it can take anywhere from a half a day, to two days, to a few weeks or even months depending on the complexity of the organization and what it’s trying to accomplish.