Strategies to Cut Through the Noise

By Clint Nessmith
CEO, Resource Development Group

We can all agree that effective and consistent communication is important to every company and organization regardless of industry sector. This is certainly true for membership and investor driven organizations like chambers of commerce and economic development organizations. Members and investors that feel included and informed are significantly more likely to be with you for the long-term. In this article, we will discuss the importance of communication and hopefully give you a few things to consider incorporating into your strategies.

You are likely thinking to yourself; We publish a newsletter and/or we host events…isn’t that adequate? Probably not, as I can confidently predict that your messaging is not being effectively noticed by at least one-third of your funders. My take is based on the trends we take note of as we conduct feasibility studies for our clients all around the country. The scary part of this is funders that feel disengaged or are unable to see the ROI are more likely to pull or reduce their funding.

The frustrating part is the disconnect is usually not a product of the quality of the message but is primarily tied to the fact that we are all being inundated with information daily to a point where we just don’t have the bandwidth to always pay attention to things like we might wish.

Consider these staggering statistics from FinancesOnline.com, and understanding that the estimated data consumption from 2021 to 2024 has doubled, and you can quickly understand why message penetration has become difficult. As social media, AI, and smart phones continue to evolve at lightning speed, I think it is safe to say this will only become a bigger challenge.

So, what is the solution? Go old school! Be sure to add in-person one-on-one and small group updates and discussions to your communications and member / investor relations strategies. When everyone else is communicating digitally and virtually this is one sure fire way to stand- out from the crowd, and ensure your message is heard. It is a lot harder to ignore someone when they are sitting across the table from you.

In closing, communications and messaging is essential yet is also becoming more difficult. A robust communications strategy should include in-person one-on-one and small group meeting opportunities, in addition to any digital communications and events. Effective deployment of these strategies will help your organization stand-out from the crowd and have a positive impact on investment and member retention.

Resource Development Group (RDG) is a fundraising consulting firm focused on capital campaign management for economic development programming and initiatives. To learn more about Resource Development Group, please click here.