How does cultivating a brand story build recognition, align resources, and strengthen a company mission?
A local affordable housing developer with a portfolio of acq/rehabs seeks to tell the story of its first new construction development to garner funds and increase recognition. It engages ThinkinBig to write a grant submission. The developer is awarded the grant, and begins partnering with ThinkinBig on more projects to strategically share the company story with key audiences in the media, community, and industry.
What happens next?
With each new project, the developer discovers that, with every interaction, its most powerful asset is its mission-driven story.
To guide the client to its marketing and communication goals, ThinkinBig determines a cohesive marketing strategy is needed – one that will provide the foundation from which to build a brand.
To begin, the company commits to making branding a priority and embraces the belief that every interaction is an opportunity to experience the brand.
With ThinkinBig as a long-term partner, the company:
- Identifies core messages shaped around stories of growth, impact, and lasting change
- Engages key audiences of business and civic leaders, community supporters, and residents
- Leverages and expands opportunities across marketing channels – in print, in person, and online
- Garners dozens of awards and media exposure that total in the millions
This intentional strategy helps the company evolve into a leading, well-established brand.
Here is how ThinkinBig builds a lasting brand…
Client
This affordable housing developer and service provider transforms lives and strengthens communities with a vision that, one day, everyone will live in a strong, healthy, and sustainable community.
Challenge
Position “one of Orange County, California’s best-kept secrets” from a regional nonprofit housing developer into a leader of quality workforce housing and services statewide and beyond.
Strategy
With words as the tool of choice, develop and deploy a multi-channel branding and messaging strategy that is authentic, accurate, and consistent:
Strategic Branding & Messaging
- Craft compelling story and messaging from existing materials to resonate with key audiences and update annually to align with strategic business plan.
- Rebrand the company in all elements – corporate identity, marketing, media relations, key messaging, photo and video library – to reflect an evolving corporate mission.
- Design and develop repository of collateral that includes custom brand guidelines (for in-person, online, and in-print channels), brochures, property logos, property overviews, impact reports, PowerPoints, and more.
- Develop and manage sub-brands for company acquisitions, initiatives, programs, and properties.
- Partner with internal MarComm team to design and create a central library of sourced historical knowledge and numerical data. Develop systems and processes to maintain this central library as the company’s source of truth to continue to build an accurate, consistent, and growing brand.
Digital Marketing & Online Presence
- Launch, expand, and manage the brand portfolio to capitalize on evolving digital marketing platforms and technologies with content plans that include:
- Website modernization, redesign, and content (frontend, backend, user experience, plus online giving portal)
- Email newsletters
- Social media platforms
- Online advertising (including Google for Nonprofits)
- SEO and analytics
- Google Business Profile
- Interactive, online custom properties map on Google platform
Public Relations & Media Engagement
- Devise and execute a local, regional, and national media relations effort that leverages the company’s industry expertise and widens its exposure as a thought leader through property events, resident stories, and housing impact that, in turn, influences industry trends.
Awards & Grant Writing
- Garner funds and recognition for the company’s properties and services through award submissions and grants.
- Establish, build, maintain, and expand awards process/protocol and annual calendar.
- Submit and win 100+ local, statewide, and national awards for market-rate quality affordable housing with services in architectural design, area and land use planning, sustainable development, community revitalization and impact, business and leadership innovation as well as for public-private partnerships.
Events & Stakeholder Engagement
- Design milestone anniversary, groundbreaking, and grand opening events that promote the company’s mission, strengthen its strategic relationships, increase visibility of its future capacity, and raise funds for its resident services.
Crisis Communications
- Create crisis communications plan for the company.
- Serve on Emergency Action Team for corporate crisis communication as public relations consultant.
- Advise crisis management team as communications advisor throughout global pandemic.
Internal MarComm
- Advise, counsel, and coach staff at all levels within company (executive, line, and field) in key messaging, branding standards, media training, and crisis communications.
- Coach and conduct branding and messaging trainings for all staff levels within the company.
Reporting & Measurement
- Communicate MarComm accomplishments, deliverables, and measurable results tied to overall business objectives. Report routinely and systematically in a way that is easy to understand for various internal audience stakeholders.
- Serve up easy-to-understand reports routinely and systematically on MarComm accomplishments, deliverables, and measurable results to internal stakeholders.
- Create reports on MarComm accomplishments and measurable results that are easy to understand for all levels of internal and external stakeholders.
Results
In 20 years, the company’s staff expands 15-fold. ThinkinBig’s industry knowledge and expertise expands accordingly. Our team helps to catalyze the growth of the company in all strategic and creative aspects of communications and marketing.
As of 2023, the company’s portfolio includes the development of and/or ownership interest in 10,000+ affordable rental apartment homes in 100+ California communities – topping a portfolio value of $3.2 billion.
