Don't Get Zebras When You Need Horses

Fairly often I've had clients come to me with a project, "I need to get stories about our organization placed in the media," or "I need to set up a crowd-funding page for this project." As a consultant, I always feel like I have to ask, "What are you hoping to achieve? How do you know that's the best solution for you?"

Often - very often - those questions haven't been asked much less answered. But like a doctor prescribing treatments in the absence of a diagnoses, when you do that, you are just taking shots in the dark.

One of the latest social media trends is sharing selfies - a picture you take (usually) of yourself. The Oxford Dictionary named "selfie" as word of the year for 2013 and this year the word was added to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Love or hate the trend, selfies aren't going away anytime soon.

When Ellen DeGeneres took that famous selfie at the Oscar Awards last March, nonprofits sat up and noticed when it resulted in $3 million in donations from product sponsor Samsung. Since then, supporters and nonprofits have come up with some creative ways to leverage the selfie moment while it's hot. 

The #nomakeupselfie viral trend raised ₤2 million via text donations within 48 hours for Cancer Research UK. Even more extraordinary is that the organization didn't start it. When author Laura Lippman tweeted a photo of her face au naturel in response to criticism about actress Kim Novak's looks, another person added a donation link in their retweet and it snowballed from there.

Thanks to all of you who have donated because of the #nomakeupselfie trend. We are overwhelmed by your support! pic.twitter.com/GjH38dufuV

— Cancer Research UK (@CR_UK) March 19, 2014

Terri Longfellow Fuller is creative director and owner of Red Berry. She is an award-winning creative who likes to produce work that is beautiful and relevant. She has served a diverse group of businesses and nonprofits with projects ranging from motion graphics for the Oprah Winfrey Show, to complex design packages for Turner Entertainment, to streamlined campaigns for small organizations.

Two Secrets to Effective Branding - Part One

I am going to share my two best secrets for developing an effective brand. Many organizations do not understand the power of a strong brand identity. But the only way to reach your customer in today’s media-saturated marketplace is with clarity and consistency of message.

Your brand is another’s perception of your product or service. Think personality, character or charisma! At the highest level, a brand is an expression of your company’s essence. At the most basic level, a brand distinguishes you from the competition.

Secret #1: Define your brand at the start.