Introduction
In an effort to communicate effectively with its internal and external audiences, the Florida Cattlemen’s Association (FCA) approached the PIE Center with interest in conducting a communications audit. The goal of an audit is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an organization’s communications materials and processes within the organization as well as with its stakeholders.
The PIE Center requested and received a representative sampling of materials FCA uses to communicate. The resources, which included a membership recruitment folder, brochures and FCA’s website, were reviewed and analyzed for consistency, usability, messaging strategies and effectiveness.
Key findings
A variety of logos were used in the communications materials. FCA used a longhorn cattle logo as well as one that shows the state of Florida and a cowboy. PIE Center researchers noticed the cowboy logo, which was fairly busy, could appear dated to younger members.
Various stylistic problems limited the website and print materials’ effectiveness and professional appearance. Multiple fonts, text sizes and colors created a disjointed appearance. Without a clearly stated mission or purpose statement explaining FCA’s history, goals or objectives, the site and brochures did not promote a strong brand identity.
FCA personalized its membership recruitment folder by affixing stickers to generic folders, which PIE Center researchers found underwhelming. The researchers felt the presentation did not match the important documents included. The folder’s contents were well organized, but a lack of a materials list or instructions could be confusing to potential new members. Additionally, the list describing FCA membership benefits of FCA membership seemed broad and unorganized, with many items overlapping. In addition, the benefits listed may not be perceived as benefits.
Recommendations
To ensure consistency and a strong brand identity, the PIE Center suggested that FCA develop an identity guide for all communication materials. An identity guide establishes a protocol for when any new materials are created, including brochures or additional pages to the website. The guide also specifies requirements for logo placement, colors to represent the organization, which fonts to use for headlines and body text, as well as any other guidelines.
The PIE Center recommended that FCA develop or choose one logo and use it consistently to emphasize the brand. The logo should be simple so that the design appears clearly on a variety of materials and can be printed in both color and black and white.
To attract potential new members, FCA should explore the development of unique recruitment folders. If FCA uses custom folders, key messages describing the organization’s mission, goals and history should be printed on the inside flaps for message and brand consistency.
