B UILDING YOUR COMMUNICATIONS Creative Capital Exchange. November 12, 2015

A GENDA Introductions – goals for the session What is communications strategy? Deconstructing communications strategy Putting it all together Your questions and open discussion

S TRATEGY

C OMMUNICATION S TRATEGIES Define and Develop Brand Identity Elevate our brand profile Be consistent in representing the brand in all executions Protect and capitalize on the strength of the brand Cultivate a Culture of Communication Focus messaging on community impact, relevance and value Adopt a digital-first communications approach Develop a Stakeholder Communications and Engagement Strategy Develop an Internal Communications Strategy Focus on Targeted Opportunities Focus on flagship activities that amplify Council’s impact for/on artists, communities, the public and government stakeholders Public Engagement Develop partnership opportunities to realize the full potential of initiatives

K EY C OMMUNICATIONS A CTIVITIES Council Promotion Website Social Media Annual Report Strategic Plan Annual Public Meeting Media Relations Arts Promotion Social Media Speeches Ongoing communications to the arts community Public events Major Prizes Website Media Relations

D ECONSTRUCTING THE C OMMUNICATIONS P LAN

B RANDING Does our brand or positioning need refreshing in the light of our strategic objectives? Is it consistent? Does it resonate with our stakeholders?

C ANADA C OUNCIL ’ S B RAND

E XTERNAL ENVIRONMENT What aspects of or trends in the external environment have a positive or negative impact on our communication? How do we listen and collect intelligence to know what’s happening in the external environment? How is this information shared inside the organization? Do we collect the data we need to measure the effectiveness of our communication?

D ECONSTRUCTING THE C OMMUNICATIONS P LAN

A UDIENCE Who are they? Where are they? What makes them tick/what moves them? What do they need from us? Are their needs changing? What do they think of our organization?

S TAKEHOLDER M AP AND MESSAGES

M ESSAGES Do we have the messages we need? Are they clear? Does everyone in the organization know what they are? How do our messages play with our audiences?

K EY M ESSAGES * The new Liberal government has made many commitments to arts and culture in Canada during the election campaign, notably through investing significantly in the Canada Council for the Arts. We take this as a vote of confidence in the Canada Council and in Canada's dynamic and diverse arts sector. * With any increase in our parliamentary appropriation, the Canada Council will be better able to support artistic creation and its outreach in Canada and abroad. * With the introduction of our new funding model, we are ready to strategically invest in the arts in Canada, scaling up our impact and that of the sector.

D ECONSTRUCTING THE COMMUNICATIONS P LAN

C OMMUNICATIONS P LANNING Audience – who do you need to reach? What do they most care about? What is the desired result of the communication? Message Communications channel(s) Why and what do we need to communicate?

C HANNELS What channels do our audiences use? Where do they expect us to be? What resources do we have to support those channels?

M EASUREMENT & E VALUATION What does success look like? What metrics will indicate that we are successful? What metrics are important to my organization/board/key stakeholders?

E VALUATION S CORECARD Social Media Measurement Web Analytics Consistent look and feel Media Coverage Analysis Feedback from Stakeholders Research

C ULTURE /S KILLS / RESOURCES Do we have a strong communication culture? Does our internal communication support external communication? Do we have the skills and resources we need to get our voice out there?

P UTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

C OMMUNICATION S TRATEGIES Define and Develop Brand Identity Elevate our brand profile Be consistent in representing the brand in all executions Protect and capitalize on the strength of the brand Cultivate a Culture of Communication Focus messaging on community impact, relevance and value Adopt a digital-first communications approach Develop a Stakeholder Communications and Engagement Strategy Develop an Internal Communications Strategy Focus on Targeted Opportunities Focus on flagship activities that amplify Council’s impact for/on artists, communities, the public and government stakeholders Public Engagement Develop partnership opportunities to realize the full potential of initiatives

CEO O UTREACH Op-ed: Power of the Arts Speeches – Rideau Club, Creative Cities Network Outreach and learning trip: Northern Canada Twitter and blog Public events: Temporal Re-Imaginings, Governor General’s Literary Awards readings

T OOLS AND R ESOURCES Content Marketing Institute Marketing Profs You’ve Cott Mail Hill Strategies Google alerts IABC.com/articles Culture Days Americans for the Arts Hubspot

Q UESTIONS ? find me on