Lidia Varesco Racoma, founder of Lidia Varesco Design, is passionate about helping non-profits raise their brand profile through effective story-telling.
She shares with The Savvy Entrepreneur radio show the three biggest branding mistakes that most organizations make: (1) they don’t articulate their “why” effectively enough (2) they don’t do enough market research to find out whether their message is truly resonating with their stakeholders and reaching those stakeholders with the right platform and the right content; and (3) they focus too much on the features and benefits of their product or service, and not enough on how they will add value to their customers.
She shares plenty of tips and suggestions that have worked for her clients over the years. Spoiler alert: one of those tips is to pick a message and create a campaign with regular, consistent pieces of your message, rather than just posting here and there as the spirit moves you. Non-spoiler alert: there’s lots more of those kind of practical tips in our interview!
What follows is a transcript of our interview, but you can also go here if you’d prefer to listen to the show on-demand. It’s well worth your time to listen to or read!
Doris Nagel 0:42
Welcome to The Savvy Entrepreneur show. I hope all you entrepreneurs and small businesspeople are having a great day out there. Settle in, I’ve got a great show for you!
I’m Doris Nagel, your host for the next hour. The show has two goals: first, to share helpful information resources. If I can help just one of you entrepreneurs out there not make some of the mistakes I’ve made myself or I’ve seen my clients or friends and family make, then I’ll consider this a success.
The second goal is to inspire. I don’t know about you, but I find being an entrepreneur often confusing, and sometimes lonely. And you sometimes you have no idea if you’re on the right track or not, or where to turn for good advice.
So every week, I have guests on the show who are willing to share their stories and their advice.
This week’s guest is Lidia Varesco Racoma. She’s the founder and owner of Lidia Varesco Design. She joins me this week to talk about a topic that is so important for every small business or organization: marketing and branding.
She knows what she’s talking about: she’s been in business for helping organizations with this with these topics for over 20 years. Lidia Varesco Design empowers organizations and entrepreneurs to make change through their strategic branding and marketing.
She’s active in the creative and nonprofit communities here in the Chicago area. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Association of Consultants to Nonprofits, and liaison to the Marketing Communications Committee there, as well as on committees for Association Forum and the American Marketing Association.
She’s a blogger, speaker and leads branding and creative marketing workshops for nonprofits and small businesses all over the world.
Lidia, thanks so much for being with me today. Welcome to The Savvy Entrepreneur show!
Lidia Varesco Racoma
Thank you so much, Doris. I’m so excited to be here. I’m really glad we got connected. And looking forward to talking about branding today.
Doris Nagel
Absolutely. It’s a great topic. Because as you and I were talking about before the show, if I look back at one thing about my own business efforts, and I’ve had quite a few, most of my mistakes were probably the result of not really thinking through the marketing and the branding side.
But before we delve into that, talk a little bit about your business. What does it do? What kind of problems do you solve? And who do you do that for?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 3:34
As you mentioned, I’ve been in business for a little over 20 years. I just celebrated my 20th anniversary last year. So I’ve been doing this for quite some time. I help organizations discover their who, what and why.
And then I help them to express that through their marketing, through their outreach. So the branding is the who, what, and why. And then the marketing portion is the actual outreach.
I mainly work with mission-based organizations. So I work with nonprofits, associations, higher ed, social entrepreneurs. I love working with organizations that really have a mission, especially those that are working to make changes here in Chicago and the various Chicago communities.
Doris Nagel
How did you get started in this business?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 4:34
It’s interesting. My career path kind of took some twists and turns and sort of made a 360 and came back where I started.
When I started out my career, I went to Columbia College here in Chicago, and I was an intern at a small design studio in the Loop. And so that design studio actually did quite a bit of work for higher education, as well as some nonprofit organizations.
Specifically, we worked with some conservation organizations. I did some educational publications as well as worked with organizations like University of Chicago School, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
I ended up getting a job there. I worked there for a couple of years, and sort of laid the groundwork for my career. But then I kind of took a few different paths. I ended up working in the restaurant and hospitality industry quite a bit when I first launched my business. So I was working with restaurants and restaurant companies for a while.
And then, after my first child was born, which was about 10 years ago, I realized that I wanted to do something that would make the world a better place for them. It just changed my whole outlook on the power of design and what design can do.
So I started thinking back when I started out my career, and wondered I could tie that into this new focus of having a mission in my work. And I realized, “Oh, my gosh. I got started with these nonprofits and higher ed.”
I realized, okay, so I’ve got that experience, and I’ve already laid the groundwork Why not go back to that? So I decided to make that my niche.
And interestingly, I found that my business started to really grow and take off at that point, because I was really focused, and I was really getting to know the loca, nonprofit community, and different organizations, and it really helped me to get a really good perspective on that particular sector.
Because it is different. Working with nonprofits and associations in higher ed, is a little bit different than working in a corporate setting, or with a big brand.
But I love it. And now that I have two children, I definitely feel like my work is making a difference. I really do try to support and work with organizations, especially those that help and support women and children. So it’s really made my work more fulfilling over the years.
Doris Nagel
You said something I’m curious about — that branding and marketing is a little different for nonprofits, and organizations like higher ed than small companies. But I’m guessing there are some things that are pretty similar.
What would you say, in your experience, are the biggest differences? And what are the similarities?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 7:54
I’m so glad that you mentioned that, because a lot of times, I feel like people get hung up on the fact that they’re a nonprofit, and so they can’t really do things the way this bigger business does, or this big brand does.
Doris Nagel
Certainly a lot of small companies will say, Well, that’s for Fortune 1000 companies, that’s not for me.
Lidia Varesco Racoma 8:22
One of the things that I’ve really focused on in my business and become intrigued by is how nonprofits, or small businesses for that matter, can be inspired by these bigger businesses, and learn from how they’re running their business, how they’re working, and operating, and then taking some of those aspects and applying them to nonprofits and associations and other mission-based organizations.
I’ve made an effort over the years is really learn how they can be more targeted, focused, efficient. And with a for profit business, of course, their goal is really more of a financial based goal, a profit based goal. With a nonprofit or with an association, it’s not necessarily all about sales and selling as much as possible.
But there still is that financial goal, there’s that financial aspect of either increasing the number of donations, increasing how large the donations are, growing your membership base, growing your student body. We approach it differently, but I feel like there’s definitely something to be said for being inspired and learning from the for-profit organizations and then applying it, maybe on a smaller scale. I do that quite often with my clients.
Doris Nagel
In my experience, the people who can tell an effective story excel. It almost doesn’t matter what business or objective they have you maybe it’s just selling their book right? Or maybe being an effective radio talk show hos.t I it’s almost like it doesn’t matter.
It’s just an art form. And some people are naturally good at it. And some of us not so much.
And so my guess is you help more of those people who struggle with it, and maybe aren’t the naturals of being able to do that?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 10:47
Yes, definitely. And I’m so glad that you brought up the storytelling, because that really is the key, I think, with why some organizations feel like they’re not making a connection with their audience. It’s really that they haven’t been able to tell that story.
So what I do in my work is I focus on a brand strategy that is rooted in the who, what, and why of a brand. So the who would be the audience that they’re targeting, the what is the problem that they’re solving. And the why is that point of difference, that that thing that makes them different and unique.
And that’s really where the story comes in. So when I go through this process with my clients, it’s always really fun, figuring out the audience, and sort of the problems that you solve are a little more straightforward. But really diving into that, why that I think is where the magic happens.
And that’s where you start to create the story, write the messaging around that story, and then weave that into both your branding, as well as all the marketing that you’re creating.
So you know, it really does come down to that, who, what, and why. And I put why last, because that’s where I really want people to spend most of their time.
Doris Nagel
I agree with you. “Why?” is hard, but why IS it so hard for many of us?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 12:26
Speaking from personal experience, it’s hard, I think, to think about your own company or your own organization.
First of all, it’s hard, because you don’t have time. There’s so many other things pulling you in different directions. And you don’t have that structure or that framework.
What I like to do with clients is schedule a call, you know, maybe a few hours. Now it’s Zoom, whereas it used to be the whiteboard in my office. The whiteboard is always fun, because you get to write things down in different colors. And now we’re using the digital whiteboards, which is fine.
But that’s where I feel like it’s fun. My clients get to kind of stop what they’re doing. And just really think about things and think about their organization, and why they’re doing what they’re doing.
And I find that when I do these sessions, people have these lightbulb moments where it’s like, “Wow, I never realized that about organization.” Or” I never realized that we weren’t really expressing this part of ourselves.”
And I think the reason is because we’re not really open to it, because we’re busy, and we’re distracted, and we’re doing our work. Branding is not necessarily part of an executive director’s work — they have other work they need to do.
So I think that’s the beauty of someone like me coming in and leading them through this process. And then they can really figure these things out that would have been really hard to just do on their own. I know even for myself that I don’t always set aside the time to do it. When I do, then it’s great, and I come up with some really great insights.
Doris Nagel
It’s funny, the number of consultants that I’ve had or business advisors that I’ve had, even as guests on the show, who are always are saying, “Well, my website is still under construction. I’ve been meaning to get to that….”
Lidia Varesco Racoma
I could say the same thing. My website is currently being revamped.
Doris Nagel
Do as I say, not as I do, I really know what I’m talking about. Trust me.
Other than not telling your story very effectively, what are some of the other most common branding mistakes you’ve seen over the years?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 15:05
I think not knowing your audience — that “who” — or thinking that your audience is everybody is one of the biggest mistakes. It’s something that I think can happen to everybody.
Because when you start out — especially for a small business – you’re just thinking that I just want to get business. I want to start rolling with my business, and get new customers.
And you kind of lose sight of the fact that not everyone is a good potential customer, nor do you want everyone to be a customer. It’s almost a little bit hard to kind of narrow it down, because you think, “Oh, what if I’m missing out?”
It’s the same thing with nonprofits, you know. They’re thinking well, but we really want to get donors from all different places. We don’t want to turn down anyone.
And that’s fine sometimes. But as far as where you focus your efforts, that’s where you really need to know the audience.
That’s actually something I had to learn in my business. When I was developing my niche, I was a little hesitant thinking like, “Oh, gosh, well, if I say that this is my niche, then what if someone comes, that’s not in my niche? Do I have to say no to them?”
Well, no, of course not. You know, if it’s still a good fit, then you can still work with that client.
But the fact is that you are being more focused in your outreach and in your branding, and the people that you are attracting to your organization. So you know, if somebody else comes to you, yeah, it’s still a good fit great, you’re not going to say no.
So that’s the first one not knowing their audience, or thinking everyone is their audience.
And I think the second one is not knowing their why. Either not really being clear on what the story is. Or maybe what makes you different, what makes you unique. I think this is something that comes up you know, again, with small businesses as well as nonprofits
Well, you know, there’s a lot of graphic designers out there so what makes me unique or there are a lot of organizations that benefit women and children what makes this organization unique.
So I think that’s a really important part to consider because it can like you said, become a mistake if you’re not really conveying that why you know, that sort of special thing about you in your branding and in your marketing.
Doris Nagel
As I listen to you talk about these mistakes, I can’t help but think about them through the lens of businesses that I’ve been associated with, either my own businesses or friends or clients’ businesses. And I’m always thinking back on those experiences, trying to put my finger on whether that business went wrong with their why or maybe their inability to focus in on their target clients.
I’m curious about your perspective on it, but I think it ties into one of my favorite themes, which is do some market research. It’s a very scary thing to say, “Well, I’m really intending to focus on these clients, and not focusing on these other clients.
It’s scary, because if you don’t know that there’s a market for the ones that you’re niching on and focusing on, and your why is focused on those clients, you will not have a viable organization.
You need to make sure before you head down that path too far that your choice of target customers and value proposition is viable.
For example, it’s great to say that you want to have a nonprofit that focuses on salvaging beat up teddy bears. And that’s very niche right? But if nobody really cares about salvaging beat up teddy bears or wants to donate money for that, it’s not such a great choice.
And I may have a great why. I’m very passionate. I love these little teddy bears. And maybe people will think, oh, that’s really cute. I’m into that. But you don’t know that until you’ve done some market research. You may launch and find you have no audience.
Lidia Varesco Racoma 20:10
Doris, it’s like we’re completely synched today, because that leads directly into the third branding mistake, which is focusing on yourself instead of the problem that you’re solving.
And I think that’s so common, especially with small businesses. You get an idea, you’re excited about it, and you build a business around it. And like you said, you put it out there, and maybe you haven’t really done the market research. You don’t even know if what you’re offering is viable.
And I can see how that easily happens, because it’s happened to me. I’m one of those people that always has a million ideas in my head, thinking, “Oh, I should start this side business, sell this product, why hasn’t anybody ever done this?” Right?
So, I’ve realized that that’s really the key for small businesses. And it’s also true for organizations where somebody might say, “Gosh, I really want to support this particular cause.” And it’s great, because usually when people do that, they have a personal reason and a connection.
But they might be overlooking the fact that there’s already an organization that’s doing that. So maybe instead you can find a way to partner with that organization, or collaborate with them, or help them build a bigger organization. I think that’s become very common in the nonprofit sector these days.
And that’s why we’re starting to see where some of these nonprofits coming together, collaborating and forming partnerships, because they’re realizing that instead of there being 10 of us doing the same thing, we can come together, maybe form one organization, or a collective impact organization where a bunch of different organizations come together for one cause.
So whether you are small business or a nonprofit/mission-focused organization, you need to do that research into your audience, and that problem that you’re solving. And sometimes it might actually change your business or your organization and you’ll realize, “Hmm, I think I need to focus on something else.”
It’s kind of like what the pandemic did, you know, causing a lot of people to pivot their business. We said, “Hey, all of a sudden, people need digital branding.” Okay, how can I offer more digital branding?
So it’s kind of staying flexible. And doing your research, I think is really important, so that you are focusing on the problem you’re solving not on yourself and your exciting new idea?
Doris Nagel
I think your point is spot on. And it’s certainly a challenge for a lot of businesses when things evolve pretty quickly these days.
The pain point your customer may have been very fixated on two years ago, say when you first started your business or five years ago, may not be their big pain point at the moment.
So you’ve got to stay really close to your customers or stakeholder, whoever that is, whether it’s donors, or subscribers or its clients, you got to stay close to him and make sure that you’re staying in touch with where their pain points are.
Lidia Varesco Racoma 23:55
Yes, and I think that’s a great point as far as branding is concerned, because brands change and evolve. And it may be happening kind of in the background, and you’re not even really thinking about it.
So I really encourage my clients to do a brand review, maybe yearly, or maybe even quarterly.
I have like some worksheets that I provide to my clients, where you can really just kind of do a quick check in and look at the different aspects of your brand.
That’s especially important now because I think that people are realizing that they need to either maybe change some of their digital outreach, or they need to add to it, maybe add some more touch points because now they’re not able to reach people in person. So we really have to focus on more maybe social media or content or — like this podcast — or a webinar.
So really staying in tune with it. I know people have a lot on their plate, but if it’s one of those things, you put it on your calendar, I think it’s a nice thing to do at the end of the year, when people maybe have a little slower of a schedule. Just do a little brand check in and do an audit and see what’s going on with your brand. See if anything has changed, and whether you maybe need to make adjustments in some of your visuals or some of your messaging.
Because things like that change, especially messaging. You probably won’t be changing your logo every year, but your messaging is definitely changing. That’s especially true now because the pandemic. You may have been saying one thing before the pandemic, and now it’s a whole different story.
So I think checking in at least once a year is a very smart idea.
Doris Nagel
Talk about what happens when a company’s branding is not very effective. What are some of the downstream consequences?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 26:00
One of the things my clients say is that “People don’t know what we do.” And that’s pretty common.
Maybe they haven’t really expressed it in a way that resonates with their audience. Or maybe what they do is kind of complicated and needs to be explained, and needs to be some education built around what they do. Or maybe they’re just not being consistent in their outreach.
So there’s a lot of different reasons why that can happen. And I feel like it all comes down to stepping back and looking at that who, what, and why.
Maybe your organization hasn’t really thought about it because you’re so busy in your day to day. Or maybe things have changed.
But I think that really taking this step back and looking at it from how your audience looks at it. When I do this brand audit that I mentioned, what I have people do is print everything out — you know, your website, your email newsletter — print it all out and spread it out at a table so you can see it visually. And then I’ll say okay, now show it to your partner, or show it to your neighbor. Somebody who doesn’t know about your business or your organization, and see what they say.
Sometimes it’ll be very clear. You know, I’ve gone on people’s websites where I am just like, “Wow, I know exactly what this person does.” I have a feel for their personality, there’s a picture of them, they’re smiling, you really get it.
But then sometimes you go on a website and you’re just like, I have no idea what this company does.
Doris Nagel
Absolutely. I want to explore that in a little more detail and maybe some stories related to that because i think that i think you’re on to a biggie right there.
Lydia, we were talking about websites. I’m so glad you brought that up because that is one of my bugaboos. I meet the owners in person, and they have a phenomenal story to tell. But if that doesn’t trickle down to their marketing materials, exhibit one usually meaning your website.
That’s not a good thing. I’ve been doing some market research on radio shows and podcasts related to entrepreneurship and women entrepreneurs. I’m doing just what we were talking about, right? I want to expand my business, and I want to understand what my competition is doing and what whether what I’m doing is unique enough to grow it or whether I need to make some changes.
And I am utterly astounded at the number of websites where there’s an “About Us” section, but it doesn’t say really like who these people are, why they’re doing what they’re doing. And some I’m really not sure what the heck they are. And so I’m guessing there’s probably a lot of that out there.
Lidia Varesco Racoma 29:10
You are absolutely right.
Recently I was attending a parenting conference, and I really like one of the speaker’s talk. I went to her website, and I thought, wow, this website really expresses who she is. I had seen her and listened to her speak, and her personality came through in her speaking. And then her website really also had that personality. I even wrote her an email and told her that I work in branding, and that I thought her website really embodies her brand.
Because like you said, it doesn’t always happen where you go onto a website and you think, yeah, this is really who she is. And I understand what she does.
I think that it really boils down to the brand positioning. And the brand positioning is the who, what and why. You’re summarizing it into a couple of sentences. That’s one of the things that I help my clients with is developing that brand positioning. Then that serves as guidance for everything that you do, including your website.
So then when you’re working on your website, whether you’re creating a new website or you’re revamping it, you can really look back at that and ask, “Does this messaging — what I’ve written — really embody my who what and why?” You need to ask whether the pictures tell the story? Do the colors, does my tone of voice?
All of those things are really so important to determine before you put everything out there. I think a lot of times people, just because you know how it takes to put a website together right, sometimes maybe don’t have all that figured out. So you’re putting it out there and you’re kind of retroactively grinding it out.
Which is fine. I don’t really think that’s a problem, but I think that you do want to make sure that you are looking at your website and you’re asking yourself, number one, “Does it visually express who I am?” So in the case of this parenting coach, it was the pictures of her where her personality came across.
And then number two, ask “Is it expressing my brand and the messaging?” That includes the headline, the tagline, the body copy, and all the different sections of the website to make sure it is written in a consistent tone of voice, and one that ensures what I’m saying is that really aligned with what my brand says that we do.
So, it feels really tricky and overwhelming, but I think it’s more about simplifying. I think that a lot of people — myself included, which is why I’m revamping my website currently – end up with websites that get a little cluttered because you throw so much in there.
I think sometimes you do have to step back and then just really keep the basic elements that are the most important.
Doris Nagel
I think there’s one other element that is interesting, and that’s how all of this is wrapped around human psychology. Whether it’s your stakeholder psychology or in oftentimes see your own as the business owner, or founder or principal, I have seen recently.
Sometimes I’ll say to somebody, “I think the website could use some updating,” and I’ll give them some specific examples of how it could be better, but I get resistance. I’ve seen that now, with three different things that I I’ve worked on recently. But the people in charge just dig in and say, “No, it is clear, it’s fine.”
And I could be off base — maybe it’s just me, which is certainly possible — but I find it interesting how people often just don’t see what outside people see.
Lidia Varesco Racoma 33:45
Yes, and I think that’s why having that outside perspective is so key. I’ve really realized this in my years of working with clients. And you can get that outside perspective by hiring an outside consultant to help you. But you can also get that outside perspective by surveying your customers.
If you have a sales team, have them talk to your customers and ask them what they think about the website. “What do you think about this page?” And they’ll tell you, “Oh, I always have a hard time finding such and such,” or, “You know, I really, I’m not sure how to do this.”
So if it’s a for profit business and you have a sales team, those are the people that are really in touch with the customers. And all they have to do is ask and, knowing human nature, people love to give their opinions. So all you have to do is ask.
You can also put together an email survey, if you don’t really have a large team, you can just do a small focus group. I’ve seen that done quite successfully with an association that I’m involved in who was revamping their website. They asked for, I think, maybe 10 volunteers to join this mini focus group, and they would show you the new website and you would get to interact with it. And you could offer your opinions.
And I thought, “Wow, that’s brilliant.” Because first of all, they’re focusing on the members, the ones that are using it, and if the member doesn’t like it, or can’t use the website, it’s basically useless, right?
So I think really focusing on those key stakeholders that are going to be accessing your website and asking them those key questions.
You can ask them about the usability which is very important, but there’s that emotional aspect of the brand you know, do you when you come to this website, do you get a sense of who we are, do get a feel, you know, for our mission? does it connect with you? Does it make you want to learn more about us? Are you intrigued you know, those more of those kind of emotional questions are are what I want to know when it comes to the branding. You know, the user experience is super important, but that’s kind of an another category that in the branding aspect, it’s really that emotional aspect of the of the website.
Doris Nagel
I hope you entrepreneurs and small business people are listening out there, because those are some golden nuggets from somebody who’s been in this business a long time.
I think the key takeaway is: you need to ask. I think it’s all too easy for people who have lived with a website for a while to take no action. They think “I paid some firm $10,000 to update it and so it’s good.” Or they’ve reached their threshold in terms of dealing with it, and just don’t want to look at it anymore. Or they’ve gotten so used to seeing it that they see what they want to see from it.
And so asking the questions of your stakeholders is pretty great advice.
Let’s switch to another topic that is near and dear to your heart, but I think is one that’s a head scratcher for a lot of smaller organizations. And that is digital media and digital marketing. Is there is there a distinction between digital and non-digital branding and marketing? Or are they just facets of the same thing?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 37:35
I look at it as a multi-channel experience. When I talk about branding and touch points, we talk about both the print and the digital touch points.
In the case of a nonprofit, they have their fundraising appeal. The touchpoints are the letter you get in the mail, and the envelope that you can send back, and the postcard that they send you to thank you for your donation. So those are print touchpoints.
But then within that campaign, you also have a digital aspect to it. You have the social media posts that you’re seeing, you have the landing page on the website, you have the giving page — you know a lot of nonprofits they will have a separate giving page on their website — and then you have the email that you receive and then also maybe the executive director is talking about the nonprofit on a podcast.
[So the issue is]: how can all of these different expressions of branding be integrated and work together? There’s definitely a difference in how to approach the two, of course, because print is very tactile. I come from a print background, because back when I started there was no digital branding. We were doing writing in print
Doris Nagel
I’ve been hearing it from different places that that print media may be making a comeback. Is that something you’re seeing as well?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 39:08
Yes. I’m so glad that you mentioned that because I was just on a call yesterday with a group of fellow creative business owners and we were chatting with a couple of print paper vendors. And they were talking about this resurgence in print, especially now, with people are feeling like they’ve been cut off. Everything’s been online, everything’s been digital, and we notice we haven’t been getting the mail in our mailbox because we’re working at home or not in our office. And so more marketers are turning to print because it helps you stand out.
Doris Nagel
Plus, there’s so much clutter on social media. It’s noisy out there and it’s hard to be heard. So I’m really not surprised that some people saying, “Okay, well if I can’t cut through all the social media & email clutter,” so they’re trying old school methods.
Plus, I know plenty of people who just don’t even check any of their social media accounts. That’s probably not the millennials and younger people, but I know a number of people who are boomers and GenX and in between who tell me they just don’t check their LinkedIn or their Facebook or their Twitter anymore, and may even have shut some of them down. They tell me, “I just don’t do that anymore. I got overwhelmed., so I turned it off.”
Lidia Varesco Racoma 40:47
It’s so true. I think that we’ve all gotten overwhelmed with the number of digital touch points that are out there now. And some people didn’t like how [during the pandemic] we were all kind of forced to interact [that way].
Like I said, I have a print background, and I love print. So I was excited yesterday to be on this call and hear them talking about how things are changing. In the print world, maybe they’re not using as much paper, but people are still creating those printed pieces.
And I think where it becomes most effective is with a multi channel approach. So for example, with my nonprofit clients on their appeal letter, there’s a personalized URL that the donor can go to to make their donation. That way, the organization can track who has donated as a result of getting this letter.
Another way one of my clients has used this is by putting out some ads like Calls to Action (CTAs). Again, there’s a personalized URL, because especially with advertising like billboards, digital billboards, and CTA advertising, you can’t always track it as easily. So having that personalized URL means that when the recipient is visiting the website via that URL, they know that person saw that the bus panel, or we know they saw that digital billboard.
So I think that having the campaigns integrated is really the key. And that’s what gets you that brand recognition. Because people say, “Oh, yeah, I remember I got that letter.” And then next thing, they see a social media post on Facebook that features the same visuals, the same branding from that letter.
They start putting it together. They may think, “Oh, yeah, that’s right. I did get that letter. Maybe I better go and sit down and make my donation”. So that’s how a multi channel approach [can be really effective].
Doris Nagel
What’s your advice for getting heard in that noisy digital world out there? It really is overwhelming, because people get so many emails and texts and pop up ads and things like that.
But for a business that knows it needs to be on social media, how do you sort through all the noise?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 43:34
I think that one of the ways to do that is through storytelling. So really getting clear on your story, the story of your company or your organization that “why” that we’ve talked about, and figuring out how can we tell that story in a unique way? Something that will stand out and stick with people?
And then I think it’s also good to think in terms of a campaign. So instead of saying, “Oh, let’s put something out there, on social media,” think about how you can roll it out into a full campaign.
Doris Nagel
So maybe like a Burma shave set of signs? Yeah, I’m dating myself but the that to those of you out there who are older, you may have seen or heard of the Burma shave signs. They were a series of signs that you would see along the roadside, and you had to read each one to get the full picture and story.
Lidia Varesco Racoma
Totally. And I’ve seen some brands that that still do that, pretty cleverly, on billboards along the roads.
But yes, exactly — thinking about it in that way. So rather than just a one off, you’re thinking: “How can we make this either like a regular feature, where you know, you’re posting something every Wednesday?”
Or maybe you make it an annual event. So in the month of November, maybe you’re going to feature your donors. I think in the month of April there’s National Volunteer Week. So tapping into these events that are already happening can be helpful. You can tap into that and l start sharing some stories from your volunteers.
So I think that either creating your own campaigns, where you have a longer-term theme and you post regularly & consistently about it, whether that means you’re going to post every week or whatever you determine — not just like once every two months. Or, getting in on some larger campaigns. For example, I like to participate in Women’s Small Business Month.
Those are some easy ways to help your brand to stand out from the noise. Because there is a lot, and people are feeling overwhelmed. I know on Facebook that organic engagement is down, so you really have to make an effort.
That’s also why some organizations are reaching out on other platforms, like Instagram and doing Instagram reels, or TikTok, or LinkedIn. A lot of organizations are realizing that they really need to be on LinkedIn and have more of a presence on LinkedIn. Not just checking in from time to time, but really start putting your content out there.
Again, we come back to the research that we talked about. Do some research into those channels to see which of them, as a whole, is most effective for you.
That’s where surveys come in handy as well. Ask those customers or those stakeholders what social channels they are on. Where do you follow us? Where would you like to see us? Things like that.
Doris Nagel 51:12
Even the companies that know they need help with marketing and branding also know it’s not easy to find a consultant that is a good match for the organization.
My experience in the past has been that there are a lot of folks out there that label themselves a branding or marketing consultant. But in some cases, really they’re only focused on social media posting, or graphic design. They’re pretty focused on some aspect of branding, but they call themselves marketing and branding consultants.
How do you sort through all of that noise? What’s your advice for organizations to find the right Lidia for them?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 48:14
I think the first thing is to make sure that they really focus on your industry or your sector. Like we talked about with websites, if they have like a niche, that will be quite apparent
For example, I have colleagues that focus on really specific niches. So, I have a colleague that works on companies that are in the beauty industry, and clients in that industry would probably go to her for branding, rather than to me.
This is where finding someone who really has that niche, and who will understand your challenges your problems, and will know how to solve them is key.
You need to determine that through a conversation with that person, hopefully looking at their website, seeing samples of their work, seeing what else they’re doing. Usually people who are really involved in a niche also carries over into other aspects of their life. In my case, I’m on the board of directors at an association for nonprofit consultants. So you can see I’m pretty committed to the nonprofit and association world.
Doris Nagel
I imagine it is pretty hard to be all things to all people in any business, but certainly in marketing and branding, where there are so many facets.
Lidia Varesco Racoma 50:01
Yes, I agree. You need an understanding of that person, where they’re coming from, and where their experience and passion lies. I think that’s where you’ll find the right consultant.
Like I said, I have colleagues that do focus on a specific type of niche and I know that. So if somebody comes to me and say they are like a coach, I will tell them that I know the perfect designer that focuses on working with coaches. She knows what the needs are of a coach are, and what type of marketing deliverables they need.
It’s fine if you’re a generalist — a lot of people are. But I think you still want to have a good conversation with that person to make sure that they understand your unique challenges, whatever they may be, and that they can address them.
Doris Nagel
That’s great advice.
What do you see for the future of your firm and the future of branding and marketing?
Lidia Varesco Racoma 51:02
Definitely digital branding is the future. I think that we are going to be seeing more ways to engage with a brand digitally. More interactive outreach with a brand, where it’s not just a one way street. In the past, it was like here’s an ad, so look at it.
In the future, it will be more like brands will be asking you a question and they want to know what your answer is. So more of this interactivity between a brand and a consumer or someone in their audience. I think marketers will definitely be exploring different ways of engaging with these different audiences.
Maybe a company or a nonprofit will say, “We need to be on TikTok because we have a younger demographic or we know that they’re in that space, and that’s where we need to be.”
So definitely be aware of the different ways that you can connect with people, and look for new ways to connect, new ways to create a community. What I see a lot of brands and organizations doing now is building a community around their cause or what they do, and that’s is really part of their branding.
If you have a Facebook group with followers, you are expressing your brand and your mission in that Facebook group. I’ve been seeing some really unique communities through Slack and of course Facebook groups, but also other online communities where people can come together.
I think that’s really the future for branding — making it easier for people to connect with you and then also to connect with each other– other members of the community, like-minded people. Because that’s what brands want. They want to bring people together, not just to reach that one person.
Doris Nagel
Not just buy a product today or contribute this week. You want to create fans, basically. And repeat buyers, repeat donors.
Lidia Varesco Racoma 53:27
Totally. It’s much cheaper to get a repeat donation than it is to get a new donor. It’s the same thing with sales, where it’s cheaper to work and get more sales from an existing customer and keep them as a repeat customer.
So remember to do that follow up and stay connected. And digital branding makes that easy.
Back in the day when we were doing everything by mail and print, it might have been a little bit harder to keep in touch as often with people. You had to design the piece and you had to print it and write letters or notes.
But now you really can keep in touch with people –personally keep in touch through social media and through email.
One email tactic that I’ve heard has been really successful is to ask people a question in your email. It’s as simple as asking, “What do you think about this?” You reply and let them know. Some brands are having wonderful results with that.
I do that with my own emails now. And I’ve heard from other businesses who have been doing that and they’ve had amazing results.
Now, of course, you need to have somebody who can read those emails and respond to them and collect them. Because it’s that human and personal aspect. That may almost seem a little bit like counter intuitive because it’s digital — we’re not in front of each other or able to touch another person.
But I think you can still have that human and personal aspect through branding by making it personalized and using video, and asking questions and responding to people, and interacting with them.
So I think that’s something else that’s in our future: more of that human and personal aspect in digital branding.
Doris Nagel
Tell people how to get in touch with you, if they’re interested in learning more about Livia resco design services, or they’re just interested in chatting, what’s the best way for them to connect and find out more?
Lidia Varesco Racoma
The best way is via my website, which is lsvdesign.com. And you can also send me an email through my website. I am also at lsvdesign on social media – I’m pretty active there.
I’m also quite active on LinkedIn. Lastly, connect with me on LinkedIn, I always love to stay connected. So please connect with me.
Doris Nagel
Well, I definitely will connect with you, Lidia.
Thank you so much for being with me today, and for sharing with my listeners a little bit more about marketing and branding, two very important but related topics. So thanks again.
Lidia Varesco Racoma
Thank you so much, Doris. This was wonderful. I love how in sync our conversation was. This was really great,
Doris Nagel
That’s a wrap for this week! Thanks so much to all of you for listening.
And thank you again to my guest today Lidia Varesco Racoma, the founder and owner of Lydia Varesco Design.
You can find more helpful information resources on my consulting website, which is globalocityservices.com, as well as my new radio show website, thesavvyentrepreneur.org, where you’ll find lots of tools, blogs, podcasts and other resources.
My doors always open for comments. I’d love to hear from you. Just shoot me an email at dnagel@thesavvy entrepreneur.org and I promise you’ll always get an answer back.
Be sure to join me again next Saturday at 11am Central/noon Eastern.
But until then, I’m Doris Nagel, wishing you happy entrepreneurin
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