Your organization exists to serve a purpose, but if your audience doesn’t know it, your odds of success diminish. Leaders may be familiar with the “What’s in it for me?” question from their Marketing 101 course. However, there’s more to connecting your company’s “Why?” with your audience’s “Why should I care?”

To develop meaningful, long-term relationships with your audience, your organization must deploy strategic engagement programs that tap into emotions and inspire action. Here’s how to go about it.

  1. Align Your Mission With Your Audience’s Emotions Through Storytelling An emotional appeal can make the difference between a “So what?” and a “Tell me more!” However, aligning your mission with your audience’s emotions is both an art and a science.
  2. Share Your Organization’s Impact, Not Just Its Output
    Most companies strive to achieve target profit margins, retain market share and drive innovation forward. However, your audience likely isn’t worried about these factors in your company’s quarterly reports.
  3. Be Consistent In Every Audience Interaction
    Inconsistent branding and language are confusing in any industry, often resulting in a loss of trust or market share. Protect your investment and brand ownership by establishing guidelines to reinforce consistent messaging throughout your organization.

When you have a mission to share, it’s easy to get excited about communicating your message to your audience. Before you do, take a 360-degree approach to defining that audience, paying special attention to a population that’s easy to miss: your employees. Include this essential group in your messaging efforts, as their engagement will influence everything that follows.

Read the full article about organizational mission by Gloria Horsley at Forbes.