StoryPath celebrates 10 years in business at the end of May. In that time, we’ve worked with 100+ different clients and agency partners. Some were small one-time projects, while others have been ongoing relationships for many years.
While our core services are strategy consulting and content creation, we’ve also helped businesses and nonprofits with crisis communications, employee communications strategies, and even communications around the closure of a business.
As we reflect on 10 years in business and the wide range of client projects we’ve completed, we’re sharing three key insights for small business and nonprofit marketing.
1. No two organizations are alike
We primarily work with small businesses and small nonprofits — solopreneurs, growing businesses with 10 or fewer employees, and many nonprofits who are run by all-volunteer boards with no paid staff. And each one of our clients is unique in their mission, their history, and their goals.
That also means that our strategy recommendations are never the same. What works well for one client may not work at all for the next. What’s working for a client’s competitors may not work for them either.
We’re huge advocates of embracing who you are and letting that shine through in your brand and your marketing efforts! We love seeing the relief on client’s faces when we tell them they don’t have to do everything to be effective at marketing their organization.
2. Communications touches every aspect of an organization
When first starting StoryPath Communications, we specifically chose communications rather than marketing for our name. Why? Because we believe that communications encompasses everything. When people talk about marketing, it’s easy to limit that to digital marketing channels or more traditional forms of marketing like direct mail or print.
Communications touches everything — from how you speak about the organization at a networking event to the follow-up email you send after completing a service. When we do strategy work with clients, whether through a comprehensive communications plan or focusing on a single channel, we look at every aspect of the messaging from beginning to end and top to bottom. It’s not just about the message on social media or the text on the website — it’s everything that your organization says and does.
3. Clarity is critical for effective marketing
Most of our clients come to us because they’re struggling with clarity, even if they don’t realize it when they first reach out. They’re struggling to keep up with their marketing, not sure where to say on social media, or feeling like they can’t keep up with the latest greatest trend for small business marketing.
The more clarity someone has around their audience and their message, the more effective everything else becomes. In our strategy consulting work with clients, the process often brings as much clarity as the final deliverables. We love seeing those light-bulb moments for clients when something clicks into place about who they’re trying to reach and what really matters to them.
We’re excited for the next 10 years of StoryPath Communications and can’t wait to help more small businesses and small nonprofits get clarity around their message! Schedule an intro call today to learn more about how we can help.