Whatever an organisation does, however diverse its audiences and activities, it is crucial that at its heart is a shared sense of purpose.
Knowing what makes your institution special will guide decision making, inform communications, unite staff and ultimately create a powerful presence in the minds of audiences.
Identify objectives and opportunities
The first thing to do is to articulate what a clearly defined brand strategy can help the museum achieve. Then communicate to staff and to key stakeholders what the opportunity is and what the objectives of the project are. Having a shared goal and a clear plan on how to get there will help you bring people on board and will give you criteria to assess all work as it happens.
Assess strengths and weaknesses
Before thinking about the future, you need to have a clear picture of where you are -- the positives the brand strategy should build upon and the issues it should address. You should talk to people inside and outside the organisation to get a sense of how your organisation is perceived and experienced.
This requires time and resources and there is a potential risk of self-diagnosing and getting it wrong. Sometimes it can also be difficult to address the elephant in the room by openly discussing internal tensions or negative external perceptions. That’s why an external perspective is often useful at this stage.
Look at the landscape
You also need to understand the context in which you operate. A thorough analysis of your competitors’ communications and messaging (both online and offline) can often reveal a pattern in how organisations in the same sector talk about themselves. How can you break that pattern and stand out? When thinking about your potential competitors, don’t be literal. Explore other sectors and look at commercial brands, as well as international organisations.
Define your strategy
Developing an impactful strategy is about concisely answering four key questions. You might already have a compelling answer to some of these questions or you might have to think about all of them. There is no secret formula -- this is where you get creative!
Involve staff in developing the ideas to ensure that they really reflect your organisation and that the narrative is not only meaningful, but also truly understood and owned by everyone. And remember that each element of the strategy has a different purpose and it is aimed at different audiences.
Where are you going?
The ‘where’ is about articulating your future ambition as an organisation. It is an internal tool, designed to inspire and focus staff on what it is that you are ultimately trying to achieve together.
What do you do?
The ‘what’ is about communicating your offer to your external audiences.
How you do it?
The ‘how’ is about defining what you stand for and what you believe in as an organisation. They can help you evaluate potential partnerships and make decisions about how you will approach your activities and communicate.
Why do you do it?
The ‘why’ is the key element of a brand strategy, the idea at the heart of everything you do. It is about your organisation’s ultimate purpose and is what engages staff and audiences. The ‘why’ is what makes the organisation special and what truly sets it apart from its contemporaries.
Evaluate, tweak, repeat
Once you have agreed the general sentiment for each point, work to articulate it concisely so staff can remember it. Don’t worry if all the elements don’t feel quite right initially. It is very rare to get things right at the first attempt. Share early drafts with teams across the organisation to collect and integrate their feedback along the way.
Explore what it means in practice
Whether the organisation is big or small, the challenge is getting staff to believe in the importance of the strategy and in the difference they can make by implementing it in their work. Once the strategy is agreed, spend time talking with teams, encouraging questions and comments and exploration of the ideas in the strategy. They should be confident to use the strategy to help them make the right decisions for your organisation so that everything you do is consistent and compelling.
Celebrate success
When someone makes an effort to bring the strategy to life through their work and behaviour recognise this and celebrate it. Sharing practical examples and success stories internally (through newsletters or at team meetings) is vital in the early stages to keep momentum and motivate staff. This is ultimately what it is all about - bringing the brand to life. Things won’t change overnight. But if you stick to the plan you’ll see the first results sooner than you think.
Sofia Carobbio is a consultant at Jane Wentworth Associates, which helps cultural organisations to build stronger reputations; be more commercially effective; and attract new audiences.
Knowing what makes your institution special will guide decision making, inform communications, unite staff and ultimately create a powerful presence in the minds of audiences.
Identify objectives and opportunities
The first thing to do is to articulate what a clearly defined brand strategy can help the museum achieve. Then communicate to staff and to key stakeholders what the opportunity is and what the objectives of the project are. Having a shared goal and a clear plan on how to get there will help you bring people on board and will give you criteria to assess all work as it happens.
Assess strengths and weaknesses
Before thinking about the future, you need to have a clear picture of where you are -- the positives the brand strategy should build upon and the issues it should address. You should talk to people inside and outside the organisation to get a sense of how your organisation is perceived and experienced.
This requires time and resources and there is a potential risk of self-diagnosing and getting it wrong. Sometimes it can also be difficult to address the elephant in the room by openly discussing internal tensions or negative external perceptions. That’s why an external perspective is often useful at this stage.
Look at the landscape
You also need to understand the context in which you operate. A thorough analysis of your competitors’ communications and messaging (both online and offline) can often reveal a pattern in how organisations in the same sector talk about themselves. How can you break that pattern and stand out? When thinking about your potential competitors, don’t be literal. Explore other sectors and look at commercial brands, as well as international organisations.
Define your strategy
Developing an impactful strategy is about concisely answering four key questions. You might already have a compelling answer to some of these questions or you might have to think about all of them. There is no secret formula -- this is where you get creative!
Involve staff in developing the ideas to ensure that they really reflect your organisation and that the narrative is not only meaningful, but also truly understood and owned by everyone. And remember that each element of the strategy has a different purpose and it is aimed at different audiences.
Where are you going?
The ‘where’ is about articulating your future ambition as an organisation. It is an internal tool, designed to inspire and focus staff on what it is that you are ultimately trying to achieve together.
What do you do?
The ‘what’ is about communicating your offer to your external audiences.
How you do it?
The ‘how’ is about defining what you stand for and what you believe in as an organisation. They can help you evaluate potential partnerships and make decisions about how you will approach your activities and communicate.
Why do you do it?
The ‘why’ is the key element of a brand strategy, the idea at the heart of everything you do. It is about your organisation’s ultimate purpose and is what engages staff and audiences. The ‘why’ is what makes the organisation special and what truly sets it apart from its contemporaries.
Evaluate, tweak, repeat
Once you have agreed the general sentiment for each point, work to articulate it concisely so staff can remember it. Don’t worry if all the elements don’t feel quite right initially. It is very rare to get things right at the first attempt. Share early drafts with teams across the organisation to collect and integrate their feedback along the way.
Explore what it means in practice
Whether the organisation is big or small, the challenge is getting staff to believe in the importance of the strategy and in the difference they can make by implementing it in their work. Once the strategy is agreed, spend time talking with teams, encouraging questions and comments and exploration of the ideas in the strategy. They should be confident to use the strategy to help them make the right decisions for your organisation so that everything you do is consistent and compelling.
Celebrate success
When someone makes an effort to bring the strategy to life through their work and behaviour recognise this and celebrate it. Sharing practical examples and success stories internally (through newsletters or at team meetings) is vital in the early stages to keep momentum and motivate staff. This is ultimately what it is all about - bringing the brand to life. Things won’t change overnight. But if you stick to the plan you’ll see the first results sooner than you think.
Sofia Carobbio is a consultant at Jane Wentworth Associates, which helps cultural organisations to build stronger reputations; be more commercially effective; and attract new audiences.