eNewsletter 3 - July 2005

Recently, I made a brownbag lunch presentation at the Academy for Educational Development on the importance of tracking the results of organizations' communications. Creating printed pieces that achieve a number of objectives and help drive additional traffic to your web site are just two of the topics I covered. This event gave me a chance to share with folks what I've learned about how technology can help you gauge the impact of your message.

Too often organizations fail to devise a long-term communications strategy. They neglect to plan the kinds of print and online campaigns they will undertake one, two or even three years down the road. Yet even if staff members don't think they know what their communications needs will be in the future, they need to make an educated guess to ensure that their communications dollars and other resources are being channeled in the right directions.

Information technology lets us do this in a methodical way. For example, software such as Webalizer lets you track the number of people viewing your Web site or online advertisement. It will tell you not only how often visitors look at the information, but which specific pages they view. Good content is key to any web site, and Webalizer is an excellent tool for assessing what information is appealing and useful to viewers. Analyzing which pages of your site people are most drawn to can provide insight into which topics can be developed more in printed pieces. Webalizer results can also be the measure of the success of an advertisement.

When I collaborated with D.C. design firm the Worthemore Group to create a Web banner ad for the Venezuela Information Office (VIO), the objective was to drive more traffic to the VIO's site. VIO staff have since told me that the number of hits on the Office's site since the ad first appeared on The Nation's Web site has more than doubled: from 4,000 hits per day to 9,000. I'm proud to report that not only did these numbers exceed anyone's expectations, they warranted the creation by KTDC of a second ad for the Mother Jones Web site.

On a related note: consider ways to leverage print and web pieces to accomplish multiple communications objectives. For instance, the reverse side of your organization's stationery can serve as a marketing brochure. A moving announcement might also function as a corporate capabilities brochure and—if you include your URL—a means to drive more viewers to your web site. And any brochure or annual report can double as key fundraising tools.

Every organization is different—but each can make the best use of technology to get their message in front of the audiences they hope to reach. The information sessions KTDC offers to both for-profit and nonprofit arenas integrates the theories of writing and design to achieve measurable results. Contact KTDC to learn more and arrange a brownbag lunch session at your organization or company.

Elisabeth Kvernen, Academy for Educational Development Washington, D.C.

Not sure how politically correct your print communications are? Concerned that some paper manufacturers are paying lip service to being “eco-friendly” but not backing it up? Barry Tollenger, marketing specialist at RIS Paper, recently shared with me some of the issues that the 12-year-old Forest Stewardship Council considers when giving paper-makers its stamp of approval for producing paper using environmentally sound methods. They must adhere not only to certain practices for procuring the raw wood and pulp that goes into the paper, but they must meet strict water- and air-use standards in their manufacturing processes.

“In the past two years, [the FSC] has gained momentum due largely to a growing awareness by organizations and corporations about their corporate social responsibility,” Tollenger says. “Paper manufacturers, distributors and printers are responding to this growing movement by providing products and education.”

FSC, Tollenger went on to say, serves as an independent third party to help certify that the wood being used to make paper comes from well managed forests. Endangered forests, old growth stands of trees, and poorly managed woodlands do not become FSC-certified.

“Paper manufacturing is truly a global industry,” he continues. “Unfortunately, not all manufacturers embrace environmentally sound practices. FSC and other environmental groups are helping recognize those striving for environmental excellence,” while calling attention to those companies not practicing sound policies.

Tollenger added a note about the use of recycled and post-consumer waste fibers. “That's an important but separate issue,” he says. “While many paper manufacturers use recycled and post-consumer waste in their processes, it does not mean they are FSC-certified.” The origins of the post-consumer product, he says, are almost impossible to determine.

At KTDC, we have a cadre of partners with whom we work on projects from copywriting and editing to web development, information architecture and more. Our “virtual studio” model allows us to choose the creative professionals best suited to your specific project.

For this issue of the e-newsletter, I spoke with David Andrews, one of the consultants in the KTDC “virtual studio.” Currently he is a communications consultant at the World Bank who also numbers AstraZeneca, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, among his clientele. He also wrote the copy for the KTDC website and has contributed to this e-newsletter in the past.

Andrews was brought on by the World Bank in March to contribute to several knowledge-management initiatives there. His team—“a really cool and compassionate group of people”—works with different groups in the Bank “to help them develop their messages, identities and strategies—and to make sure the groups are working together.”

Interest in knowledge management has surged in recent years, he notes. There needs to be a way to make available the knowledge that employees have about the systems, processes, clients and history at a given organization. This collective knowledge is one of the key assets any organization possesses, and companies are attempting to use software and systems to capture it for the benefit of all.

“I think it is exciting work,” Andrews says. “Part of what I do is looking at the way processes run currently, putting that against some of the tools and metrics that exist [for evaluating processes]. Some of it may seem like overkill, but I think it is valuable for people to step back” and look at how information is used and stored around an organization.

Andrews has a master's degree in secondary education; he taught high school English in Maryland for three years. “Everything I need to know I learned in high school as a teacher!” he says with a laugh. “You need tact and diplomacy and to talk to people about their [work] in such a way that they don't feel threatened.”

Spotlight on the Success of Your Organizations' Communications Session Wednesday, August 24 from 7-9pm at the Affinity Lab's conference room at 2451 18th Street, NW Washington, DC. From 7 to 7:30pm will be an Open Networking session and 7:30-8:30 the information session. Seating is limited. This event is free. Please email Kate at kate@katetallentdesign.com to reserve a seat. For more information about Affinity Labs go to: www.affinitylab.com.

As before, the folks who bring you this edition of the KTDC e-newsletter are some of the same trusted people with whom I collaborate the design and communications projects that come KTDC's way.

Read more about these partners on KTDC's virtual studio page at: http://www.katetallentdesign.com/about/virtualstudio.html

Think you can contribute to the KTDC virtual studio team? KTDC is looking to expand the pool of positive, passionate, dynamic partners in the virtual studio. If you are an information architect, writer, production artist or web developer and like to collaborate on projects for both the for-profit and nonprofit arenas send an email, including your resume, to kate@katetallentdesign.com.

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