Some of our work
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Communications samples produced by Marianne Chilco.
Our services, outlined
Brand building
The essence of your company is unique. It’s what you hitch your programs, identity and investments to, so the more obvious it is, the more fully clients, partners, customers and even staff can understand and embrace it.
It’s essentially your brand, what you stand for and what you’re good for. How’s yours?
A little brand refinement can lead to extraordinary things, like a succinct tagline that galvanizes everything you do. Or a one-pager that clarifies and summarizes the company brand for all your stakeholders. A refreshed logo and colour palette. Or an updated mission, vision and values.
A Chilco Street consultation about the state of your brand, and how we might help to strengthen it, can be revealing. And productive. And might very well change everything, for the better.
Campaign Strategy
Let’s say you have a bit of time on your hands. You’re flipping through Twitter or Facebook, or going through your mail. Suddenly you find yourself grabbing your credit card to make an online donation, or forwarding an email to a friend to get them on board, or writing to your local government to demand change.
What happened? Something got to you. Behind the scenes, someone produced a campaign that made you stop. And feel enough to act.
A Chilco Street consultation on creating a compelling fundraising or advocacy campaign is the first step in soliciting a donation, securing a ticket purchase and kick-starting peer-to-peer fundraising or community activism.
The next step is to go backwards, tracing all the intuitive steps that would likely lead to those actions. Then we build our way into the present. It’s a creative journey that generates impressive outcomes. Like positive change in the world.
Communications Planning
There’s great beauty in taking a step back to see where you’re going. As there is in finding clarity and uncovering new opportunities. And, sometimes, inviting a fresh lens from an outside professional can infuse new ideas, insights and innovation into your plans. Also beautiful.
A Chilco Street consultation on communications planning doesn’t have to be about the sweeping strategic plan that sets company direction for the next three or five years. It can be. But it can also be about this year’s plan to enliven internal communications or launch a new product or program. It can be a vibrant comms plan to strategically expand your partnership network, increase your media coverage or engage your community.
Whatever your vision, a well organized, creative communications plan takes you there, and meets your goals, objectives and KPIs along the way.
Content Creation
Good writing opens doors, hearts and wallets – not with manipulation but with truth. It doesn’t just inform, persuade or promote; it creates an experience that resonates.
What you have to say, and how you say it, is vitally important. You can present your message in a million different ways, but its power is in the way it touches people and invites them in. Whether it’s a stunning suite of collateral, crisp news release, rousing speech, interactive website or integrated, accessible messaging across all platforms, your stories, messages and images deserve careful, expert treatment.
A Chilco Street consultation on creating content might surprise you. A guided conversation can shake loose salient points, capturing precisely what you want to achieve. We shape these ideas to ring true and clear, cut through marketplace noise and make your content sing.
Digital Media
All the rules of producing impeccable print communications also apply to digital. And with the added versatility, cost-effectiveness and immediate impact of digital platforms, you’ve got lots of room to play. Not to mention bounce rates, optimization and TikTok, which all sound like a lot of fun.
The trick is to use concise, high-impact content with clear calls to action and a meaningful message. And to never trick the user. It’s easy to get lost in a sea of digital properties, anonymous companies and the relentless pursuit of clicks, but we want you to stand out, with integrity.
How about a beautiful series of customized memes to creatively promote a program or advocate for a cause?
Want to tell a powerful story? Let’s make a powerful video. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune but can be one of your premier marketing tools.
And how about turning the heads of new members, clients or donors? We can strategize on leveraging your networks and platforms to create or reinforce relationships.
A Chilco Street consultation on your digital media needs can lead to ramped up outreach, and the invigorating energy of incoming connections.
Project Evaluation
The fun stuff, let’s face it, is creative brainstorming, landing on the perfect wording and producing dazzling designs. Getting positive press coverage doubles the fun. And watching your community engage with your work? Off the charts.
Not usually associated with a good time is project monitoring, evaluation and measurement. And, okay, it may not be all laughs, but it sure does position your project in the best possible light.
That illumination comes in the form of data intelligence: it proves you’ve met or exceeded your goals; it indicates the areas where more resources are needed; it supports your course corrections, expenditures and outcomes; and it informs the parameters of subsequent projects, saving time and money, a recognized career-building move.
A Chilco Street consultation on project evaluation puts in motion sound policies and procedures that form the foundation of project management and reliable data-gathering. That could be anything from a multi-level dashboard to measure social media engagement to a consumer feedback survey to ongoing website analytics to a respectful cross-divisional debriefing process. It all leads to a happy place with watertight metrics and welcome peace of mind.
Partner Relations
What value can we place on community? For any business or charity, the trusted relationship you have with your organizational partners is priceless. Which is why keeping them engaged, positive and proud of their affiliation with you is a wise and worthy investment.
It can be easy to let momentum slip, rely on stale communications or allow too much time between touchpoints. You don’t necessarily need CRM technology to nurture these important relationships, just good old-fashioned attention and an astute contact approach.
How about making this the year to reinforce connections with your donors, volunteers, board members, staff, customers and clients? And let’s not forget about your vendors, neighbours, government reps and sector associations. The more personal and strategic your connections, the stronger your community, the more profound your impact.
A Chilco Street consultation on partner relations – whether you’re keeping them sweet or delving into damage control – can inject energy, intentionality and sustainability into your hard-won alliances. And that’s worth everything.
Pro-to-Pro Mentorship
No matter how experienced you are in the field of communications, there are times that scream out for an objective perspective, an intuitive sounding board.
We’ve all been there – scenarios you’ve handled easily in the past suddenly stymie you. You’re uncharacteristically indecisive. All you can see are risks and threats, no matter what move you make. This is when you could use some input on how to manage a stubborn communications problem, how to restructure your department or how to unblock a logjam in planning.
When facing this type of professional challenge, it’s surprising how helpful it can be to talk things out in confidence. Speaking to another communications professional can provide that all-important objective ear and the opportunity to relate on common ground as you see your way through to concrete solutions.
A Chilco Street consultation about pro-to-pro mentorship can open the door to sweet relief. Being heard, understood and supported by someone with over three decades of communications experience can return a sense of confidence and control to your professional life.
Note: One-on-one mentorship sessions are hosted by Marianne Chilco and are completely private and confidential. Choose a one-time 45-minute session or weekly sessions over the course of a month, or play it by ear, whatever meets your needs. Sessions are held by phone or virtually. $75 per session, or save on a package of four for $250. (No charge for a career information session with a communications student or recent grad.)
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