3 Reasons to Revisit Your Biomedical Nonprofit’s Core Brand

Branding a biomedical nonprofit is a big undertaking and not a process that should be repeated often. However, as the competitive landscape shifts and your institution changes and grows, its positioning and messaging will naturally evolve, too. It can be helpful to perform regular brand health checks to be sure that you are clearly communicating your values and expertise as they are now—not as they were two years ago. Here are 3 reasons to do a checkup on your core brand now:

Inconsistencies Dilute the Power of Your Brand
Can everyone on your development or communications team recite your biomedical nonprofit’s core messages? Would you get several different answers if you asked? If members of your internal team are spreading your messaging differently, your core brand is at risk. Revisiting, refreshing and refining your core brand will ensure that your messaging is relevant and that everyone at your institution is on board with it. Start by having everyone on your communication’s team select 3 key messages that define your institution. Are some of them still using messaging that was relevant a year or two ago (like a new state-of-the-art facility) even though the rest of you have moved on? Doing a departmental self-check will help you see where there are disparities—or that you are all on the same page.

Inconsistencies Show Up Across Different Channels
Maintaining your biomedical nonprofit’s core brand across digital platforms is a challenge, which is why it pays to double-check your efforts every once in a while. It’s easy to make the mistake of stressing brand elements in print pieces and then focusing almost entirely on specific campaigns or fundraising efforts online. While some brand elements, like fonts, are different online and off, your brand’s overall tone and key messages should remain the same. Once you enter the digital realm, you lose some control over your brand, so take extra care with the things that you can control like your company’s website, blog and key social media sites.

Inconsistencies Allow Others to Brand for You
Your institution may be a topic of discussion on any number of social media sites, and you may not have the control you wish you did over what is being said. Remember, your reputation is created by what others believe to be true about your brand – not necessarily what is true. Leadership Marketing teaches us ways in which we can showcase our institution’s expertise and work to enhance its reputation. But if our marketing messages are not consistent, those efforts may fall flat. Your biomedical nonprofit must clearly communicate its value to stand out among the white noise. That starts with having a clearly articulated core brand.

Thought-leading biomedical institutions are forward-thinking institutions. Updating your core positioning on a regular basis ensures that your brand reflects that. If you would like a FREE copy of my Bioscience Brand Health Check, please contact me by calling 866-960-9220 or emailing karan@cushmancreative.com.