2. Telling Your Story: How to Communicate The Value of Your Organization Matt Charles, DPA Matt Charles Public Relations www.mattcharlespr.wordpress.com

3. Why Should We Listen to This Guy? For a over decade, I have provided a suite of public and community/government relations services for a number of nonprofits, government organizations and small businesses and startups. I teach for the following top institutions: University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies Public Relations program, American University Master’s in Strategic Communication program, Northeastern University Master of Corporate and Organizational Communication program and Chautauqua Institution Special Studies program.

4. Why Should We Listen To This Guy? I have served as director of media relations for the U.Va. Darden School of Business and director of communications and public relations for Danville (Va.) Regional Foundation. I have a background as an on-camera spokesperson and host in Los Angeles and served as a special investigator in New York City, investigating sex and drug crimes against children. I hold a doctorate in public administration/public policy communication, am a UVA grad and earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke.

5. Takeaways First and foremost, this is a dialogue. I can provide this PPT to you via e-mail. Strategic Communications Planning Extending Your Brand/Community Engagement Media Relations Social Media Evaluation/Metrics

6. Strategic Communications Planning Who are you? What is your mission? What are your campaign goals? Build measurable objectives from goals. Who is/are your target audience(s)? Form overarching strategy from objectives. Build tactics from strategy. Consider pre-campaign research and metrics to evaluate campaign (during and after). Formulate your budget.

7. SMART GOALS 1.Specific 2.Measurable 3.Attainable 4.Realistic 5.Time-Bound

8. Branding Through Public Relations Do not miss an opportunity to extend your brand through public relations. Community relations is a major opportunity. Elements include: – Functional: nuts and bolts – Symbolic: emotional tie and hook – Experiential: history and gravitas

9. Research: Support Campaign Success Primary Research: Conduct with original data 1. Survey 2. Focus Group Drawbacks: Can be more expensive and time- consuming. Strengths: Creates current, targeted data set that lends to reliability and can use to base post- campaign and year-after-year surveys.

10. Research: Support Campaign Success Secondary Research: Use previously gathered data set. 1.Can find via Internet (e.g., Pew data). 2.Professional associations (e.g., nonprofit and chamber/universities). Drawbacks: Not targeted and current data. Strengths: Most likely cheaper since already collected and collected appropriately since scientifically vetted.

11. Communications Tactics 1.Community presentations/open houses. 2.Media exposure (earned media). 3.Internal newsletters. 4.Social media channels (shared media). 5.Advertising (paid media). 6.Website (owned media). 7.Annual report.

12. Media Relations (Cost-Effective) The public usually views media articles written about an organization as more credible as the reporter has taken the time to do so and not been paid by the organization. Relationships with the media are crucial to effective media relations efforts. Trust and reliability are essential. If you have an authority ready to speak when a reporter needs it, or have content that they need, the news outlet is more apt to come back to you in the future.

13. Get to Know Who Covers You Create a database of reporters that cover your organization or industry. Examples: 1.Local: Staunton News Leader 2.Regional: Richmond Times-Dispatch 3.National: The Washington Post 4.International: Financial Times 5.Niche: The Chronicle of Philanthropy

14. Distribute Your Message Press releases are one method and make sense for major news. In today’s world with media needing content, publications will sometimes print the release word-for-word. Offer a pitch (one paragraph). Opportunity to foster relationships. Tweet out information.

15. Third-Party Advocates Op-eds offer the opportunity to have another individual or organization write about the great things you are doing, why it is valuable and needed by the community or customers.

16. Website and Social Media Host a dedicated media page on your website. Your website controls your message. Determine who your primary audience is and target homepage to them. Have dedicated organizational users for social media. Social media channels require common voice and messaging.

17. Evaluation & Metrics Content Analysis: Monitor tonality of organization’s mentions in media, as well as social media. Google Alerts helps keep tabs on media mentions for tonality and number of mentions. This is free service that allows for once a day (or more frequent) gathering of media mentions related to your organization or individuals/aspects related to organization.

18. Q&A QUESTIONS?