The Problem: How do you educate the community on  your expanded services?

The YMCA of San Diego County had a perception challenge.

Their service offerings had grown significantly but many in the community still thought of the YMCA for their traditional camps and fitness centers. San Diego needed to know that the YMCA offered much more.

Leadership developed a comprehensive brand strategy to communicate their new focus on community, well-being and belonging. While the YMCA’s updated brand strategy set the vision, they still needed the messaging that connected with the different audiences they serve.

The Solution: StoryBrand driven messaging

YMCA’s child care services enjoyed successful campaigns in past projects with Sagetree. Sagetree employed Donald Miller’s StoryBrand framework to create the messaging.

Story is the oldest form of communication and people pay attention when information is shared through story.

As a result, childcare services achieved dramatically higher engagement than previous campaigns.

Now the YMCA of San Diego County wanted to use the same formula across the organization. They wanted to ensure clear, consistent messaging would be used across all the different channels that they employed: website, social media, radio, tv, billboards, signage, and more.

Sagetree’s certified StoryBrand guides interviewed each of the YMCA’s customer groups: families, adults, and individuals over 55. The team captured the challenges, aspirations, and the factors that drove each group to join the YMCA.

From these interviews, a customized Brand Message Guide was crafted for each customer group. Now the various teams across the YMCA had a narrative-driven framework to ensure consistent communications across the entire organization.

The Results: Effective, consistent messaging for the entire organization that connects with their audiences

The YMCA’s marketing materials and communications were redesigned to incorporate the messaging from the Brand Message Guides. The impact of the StoryBrand framework was transformative. So far, results include:

• Enhanced Community Engagement: Clear communication has encouraged stronger connections with the community and its members, fostering active participation in YMCA programs and events.
• Streamlined Marketing Efforts: With clear messaging, YMCA’s marketing efforts are more efficient and effective, allowing them to reach the right audience with a message that truly speaks to their needs.

With story-driven messaging, the YMCA of San Diego County is better able to connect with and serve their constituents, helping them achieve their membership and service goals.

How would more effective messaging affect your organization’s growth? Contact us today to see what StoryBrand can do for you.