Your “new” is not news
- Thu, August 30 2007
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
These are two common questions I hear:
How do I communicate to supporters about my new logo/brand?
How do I launch my new newsletter or website?
My answer is this: Your “new” is not “news.” You should not communicate what is new in your universe. You should communicate what matters to your constituents.
If you have a new logo or brand look-and-feel, that’s nice, but it doesn’t mean a thing to the outside world. What matters to the outside world is how they experience you—an experience that unfolds as the people that work for your cause answer the phone, help others, convey messages, provide services. Think about how to make that new brand come alive as an experience. In other words: show, don’t tell your brand.
If you have a new newsletter or website, figure out what is incredibly interesting IN that newsletter or website. Show what your audience members can they do that they could not before. Think like a person who writes coverlines for a magazine – what is the tantalizing content or promise that will make people want to open the magazine when they see it in the check-out lane? Or in your case, what will make them want to read that newsletter or go to that website? THAT is what you want to communicate, not simply the fact that you made a change.
Comments
I agree. You only want to bother your donors, volunteers, and supporters with information that is relevant to them. Seth Godin calls it, “Me Mail.” Referring to personalized and relevant email that we should be sending to people based on what “they” want, not what “we” want.
It reminds me of the analogy you made in “Robin Hood Marketing” of how you would not go to a party and introduce yourself to someone by saying “Hi, my name is Katya, let me tell you all about why we should be friends…” !!!!