Everyone knows this proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you’ve fed him for a lifetime.”
The world is full of top-notch public relations and social marketing firms. Outsourcing all of your work, however, is just about the same as dining on that one fish. If you want to feed your organization for a lifetime, then there’s wisdom in learning how to execute at least some of this work in-house.
For many organizations, that means improving your staff’s ability to think, plan, and act like marketers. Even staff who may not have any background in this work. Here are three great reasons it might be the right approach for you.
1. PR and Marketing agencies are expensive.
You probably know just how expensive PR and marketing firms can be. If not, please stop reading right now, do a Google search for firms in your area, make a few calls and find out. Go ahead—I’ll wait.
Done?
If you had to pick yourself up off the floor when you heard some of those fees, I’d understand. Most nonprofits I’ve worked with don’t have that kind of money to spend. Instead, they pull back and decide that a basic website, a few social media accounts, and the occasional press release will have to suffice. The work often goes to young interns who may be very savvy about Instagram stories but are only tacticians—not strategists. And when those interns move on to the next job, the work has to start all over again.
That’s why training dedicated staff in strategic communication, social marketing, media outreach, social media, and other topics is an affordable alternative for just about every organization.
2. No one cares as much about your work as you do.
That’s right, no one—including an outside firm. You may be their only client (and you probably aren’t), and your agency still won’t understand the full of impact of your organization’s work in the same way that you do.
This means you and your team are actually well-poised to tell your story to the world. You have the passion and the knowledge—you just need to learn how to do it strategically and in ways that will resonate with audiences you want and need to reach.
3. Build a team—meaningfully.
Having trained dozens of organizations and community coalitions, I can attest to the fact that dedicated communication training galvanizes people. There’s nothing wrong with rock-climbing to to do some team building, but this kind of collaborative experience results in more than just a new set of skills for everyone at the table; it results in a renewed—and often personal—investment in outcomes.
These skills aren’t rocket science, but they aren’t necessarily intuitive, either. You can, however, build a sustainable system within your organization that reduces (or eliminates), the need for outside marketing and PR. Consider facilitated training that’s customized to meet your organization’s needs, coupled with ongoing support to address roadblocks and keep the momentum going!
Contact Jean for a conversation about your organization’s needs.
Synodinos Consulting 