If you’re a leader with a public relations, strategic communications or marketing budget burning a hole in your pocket, let’s talk. Obviously, this is a self-serving piece of advice, but it turns out I could be doing us both a favor. Most organizations need to spend this money by New Year’s Eve, or it turns into a pumpkin. The good news is there are real, valuable things you can spend it on now, and which we can accomplish together in the new year. My business is incorporated, fully insured and licensed to do business in the state of New York, so I tick all your finance department’s due diligence boxes. I’m also nimble and efficient, so I can help you get things done decisively when the pressure is on. Here are some ideas:
Build A Storytelling Library
Interview and photograph and film the people who love you, talking about why you’re so great. Have their stories ready to tell in a variety of formats into the New Year. My colleague Ellen and I at TwoMindsComms specialize in these kinds of in-depth interview projects and we’ve got some shared capacity to take on a project like this in the new year. Here’s a case study of a recent similar project.
Gayle Carney, Director of Strategy at Pulse Forward, said: “Working with Ellen and Matt helped us bring out the special sauce in the work of the Center for Restorative Change. They got us, and what we were trying to do, and it was not simple. They managed a lot of stakeholder interviews in a sensitive and considerate way. They listened, were organized, responsive, and a pleasure to work with. I’d recommend them to work with on any complex copy or content needs.”
Get New Headshots
The number one piece of advice I give to any leader or recently incorporated leadership team is to get good headshots done. I recently got about 20 new ones and the number of positive comments they’ve garnered for such a modest budget is off-the-hook. What image do you want to project? If you’re in New York I can connect you with someone to do this and you can pay for it now, waiting until the weather improves to take the photographs.
Plan For a New Website
If your website is falling off a cliff then let’s get the budget in place now to replace it next year. As I like to tell clients, a website is a canary in a coalmine. If it’s starting to play havoc with your donor base and key audiences, then we should go through a couple of conversations to ensure your new one meets your goals. I have good connections with website creators who can produce these within reasonable bounds.
Start A Weekly Newsletter
If you’ve been meaning to get a weekly newsletter going all year but haven’t managed to get your ducks in a row, then it might be time to admit that working with someone who can do the heavy lifting is the best way to get unstuck on this front.
Start A Podcast, Video or LinkedIn Live Series
I’ve done some LinkedIn Live discussions and couldn’t recommend them more highly to demonstrate your thought leadership on a given issue. Podcasts, too, require more thoughtful planning to get them off the ground but can deliver incredible value for organizations if they’re done right. If you do want to produce these things then you can cover the cost of podcasting and video equipment, including lighting and sound equipment, now.
Pay Your Thought Leadership and PR Retainer Up-Front
Some organizations want regular strategic communications advice for a prolonged period. Right now, I’m still working for one client who paid me for a given number of hours back in January. My accounting practices are all “forensic,” as my accountant likes to say, and so we’ll project manage and track anything we’re doing together for as long as you’d like to.
Do A Risk Management Audit / Crisis Comms Bat Signal
As a crisis communications consultant and former journalist, I’m frequently contracted by organizations who are getting the wrong kind of attention. I can take a good look through your communications materials and plans and prepare you to avoid unnecessary pitfalls. If you’d like to book some crisis communications hours ahead of time for the New Year, we can also do that. I call these “paying for the bat signal” so that yours truly can get in his car and drive over, any time, from Wayne Manor, when the Joker strikes.
Refresh Your Messaging, Narrative Frameworks and Strategic Communications Planning
If you’re pivoting for the new political climate and want to think about your goals and audiences considering that, it’s probably time to revisit your north star communications documents. I’m experienced at delivering these and am happy to discuss your needs further.
Partner with an Influencer
If you’re trying to get new audiences in front of your offering, you can do worse than pay a social media influencer to engage with your brand. I’ve been part of such a partnership recently that’s paid off well.
Commission Video, Design, and Marketing Collateral
From social content to takeaway documents and annual reports, there aren’t many assets that a good designer can’t vastly improve. I also don’t think you can ever overdo it when it comes to t-shirts, water bottles, sports bags, pens, mugs, and other things with your logo and key messages on them. If you’ve got a goal and an audience and a message, make a video. Partner with a creative storytelling team to make it brilliant and raise some money with it.
Pay for Recruitment
If you partner with a recruitment consultant on communications talent, you’ll get better people, and that’ll pay off for years.
Fix A Tricky Problem
If you’ve got something managerial on your mind but you don’t know if there’s anyone you can trust with it, I’m happy to be a trusted sounding board for your challenges. There aren’t many I’ve not encountered, and I can help you figure out how best to plan a strategic course. I keep my counsel, as countless people will attest.
Take A Strategic Communications Consultant Out to Lunch
No kidding. I promise to give you at least an hourly-rate’s worth of advice and I appreciate a good restaurant as much as you do. If you need to pay for the lunch before the end of the year, we can book the consulting session now, and I’ll be happy to get the check when the time comes.
Time’s a ticking! Email me or let’s have a zoom. You can also text me, if you like: 917 526 9530. A problem shared is a problem halved.
Thanks for reading, as always. Please share this email with anybody you feel might appreciate it.
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Matt Davis is a strategic communications consultant in Manhattan.
