During the 10th Annual Nonprofit Conference, CT Nonprofits named Co-Communications, a full-service marketing and public relations firm with offices in Connecticut and New York, an endorsed partner for marketing and public relations services. Here’s a little Q & A to help you learn more about our newest endorsed partner:
1. What makes Co-Communications unique?
The “Co” in Co-Communications stands for collaboration. Our agency culture focuses on working with one another to achieve the best results. We apply this principle to the relationships we have with our clients, partnering to develop cost-effective, hard-working strategies that achieve their communications and organizational goals. This approach has allowed our agency to develop many long-lasting relationships with nonprofits.
2. What services does Co-Communications offer to nonprofits?
Co-Communications offers a full suite of end-to-end marketing and public relations services for nonprofits. We develop and implement strategic communications plans, media relations programs, social media marketing programs and inbound marketing programs. We also offer a-la-carte services, such as media training and social media training. Lastly, we partner with organizations such as CT Nonprofits to provide workshops for small groups on topics ranging from building a nonprofit communications plan to integrating traditional communications with social media marketing. Regardless of the task at hand, our goal is to help you ‘make yourself perfectly clear.’
3. How does Co-Communication help nonprofits to move the needle?
Our agency takes a research-based approach to nonprofit communications. Whether we commission custom research or survey key stakeholders, we find out what makes target audiences tick, how they perceive an organization and what information they are craving from or about the organization. This gives us a good understanding of where the opportunities and challenges lie and we focus on developing creative strategies and tactics to address them. Using this information as the baseline, we set measurable objectives that align with not just the organization’s communications goals, but their overall organizational objectives.
4. Can you tell us a little bit about Co-Communications nonprofit experience?
Co-Communications first client back in 1997 was the Boys and Girls of Northern Westchester, which remains a client today. During our 15-years in business we have worked with a wide-range of local, regional and national nonprofits, including: 2-1-1 Child Care, Community Partners in Action, CT Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS), End Hunger Connecticut!, Graduate!CT and March of Dimes, Music Conservatory of Westchester, and Westchester Children’s Museum, among other organizations. Our work for these organizations and others ranges from promoting annual fundraising events to developing advocacy campaigns.
5. How has the advent of social media impacted the communications programs that you develop for nonprofits?
The continued growth of social media requires us to develop nimble communications strategies that can be adapted in real-time. With positive or negative ‘word-of-mouse’ able to spread in seconds, social listening is equally, if not more, important than creating compelling online content that resonates with target audiences. We help our clients to develop cohesive strategies that integrate traditional and social communications to ensure a consistent brand voice across all mediums.
Social media has also led to the shortening of traditional news cycles, making it more important than ever to monitor media conversations for timely opportunities to insert ourselves into the news cycle to share relevant and valuable content.
6. What communications trends should nonprofits have on their radar going into 2013?
The growth of content marketing is a trend that will carry us through 2013. With nearly every nonprofit, business and individual creating content, organizations need to focus on developing unique, compelling and shareable content that breaks through the clutter and drives action. Another trend to have on your radar is corporate social responsibility (CSR). An increasing number of for-profit organizations are taking their CSR programs online, using social media as an avenue for fundraising – and “friendraising” – on behalf of nonprofit organizations. Co-Communications has a history of pairing for-profits and nonprofits within our network and we look forward to fostering new online collaborations as this trend continues to grow.
