Seven Tips for a Quality Website

Is your website out of date, under construction or lacking in focus? Here are seven tips to help you build a better website. Read more ...

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Your brand is your promise to your constituents regarding what you will deliver. It is what you stand for including the quality of your programs and services; how you relate to customers, volunteers and donors; the service experience you offer; and your beliefs and organizational culture. Your brand is important because people align themselves with brands they respect and trust.

You communicate your brand through words and visuals, in particular, your mission statement and graphic presentation, including your logo. Your mission statement should clearly indicate what needs you address, your solution and what makes your solution different. Your logo and graphic presentation should complement your message and add meaning to your brand.

1. Know where your brand is right now. At least once a year, gather all of your marketing materials and review them. This includes your website, print materials, presentations, donor letters and emails. You also should consider your profiles in social media, blogs and other postings. Is your mission statement consistent and integrated into all of your marketing pieces? Do you continue your message in your social media communication? Can someone tell by looking at all of your marketing tools that they represent the same organization?
2. Develop an annual marketing communications plan. This step is critical if you want to present a consistent brand while staying on budget. Your organizational goals should drive your marketing efforts. Once you have established your goals for the year, confirm that your mission statement and goals are aligned. Develop targeted messages for each audience you want to reach. Establish goals, quantifiable objectives, and tactics with timelines and a person assigned to each for accountability. Understand how to best reach each audience and use these communication channels.
3. Implementation. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of your organization and let your marketing efforts slide. Resist the temptation to put your marketing efforts on the back burner. If you find yourself skipping an issue of your newsletter or blog, try scheduling time on your calendar for these tasks. Treat this time as you would any other appointment. If necessary, outsource projects to stay on track.