Big picture thinking: Consulting, planning, discovery and strategy

In over fifteen years working closely with organizations of all stripes, we’ve created roadmaps for all kinds of clients, big and small.

Our services include: content planning and creation, communications needs assessment; information architecture and content organization; project management assistance; art direction; RFP creation; User Experience (UX) analysis; brand strategy and creation; and third-party service integration such as Eventbrite and CRM platforms.

Here are common questions we believe organizations should ask themselves *before* starting a design initiative:

Do we have a plan moving forward, with clear outcomes, goals, and priorities?
How much work can my team expect when partnering with a web agency?
What direction do we have for our brand or communications strategy?
What are we doing about our content? Should we rewrite it in parallel with the design process?
Do I need an RFP? If so, how can I put that together efficiently and thoroughly?
How can I evaluate proposals?
What do agencies need to know, and what do I need to know about them?

We can work with you to develop a clear path and vision and get all the pieces in order, before you engage in a large-scale contract with an agency.

Our Consulting, Planning and Strategy Services

Our consulting, planning and strategy services help organizations prepare. plan, prioritize, and strategize for new digital communications ventures. We help with both internal preparation, through meetings with internal staff and stakeholders, as well as external management, through meetings with potential vendors or users.

Customer and Client Management

We can help make sense of your customers through your pre-existing CRM, such as Salesforce, Salsa, Action Network, EveryAction, NationBuilder, or Convio, or we can build a custom membership-ready site designed to fit your unique needs.

Let’s talk. Contact Us to set up an introductory phone call.

Our Toolkit Includes

Web and Brand Strategy:

Brand direction, narrative, and strategy;
Evaluating priorities, establishing measurable outcomes, and setting goals;
Developing a comprehensive work plan;
Consultation on work with third party agencies;
Creating a value proposition for your digital communications project.

Content:

Coordinating staff and departments to gather content and assets;
Copy-editing and consultation;
Planning for content migration.

Information Architecture (IA) and Content Organization:

Organizing content, identifying metadata and ways to differentiate and connect various types of content;
Developing a content model to visualize your content model and architecture;
Developing a sitemap;
Understanding differentiation and cross-pollination of content;
Understanding relationships and what types of content need to be linked;
Thinking through organization within a framework of User Experience (organizing according to your user and demographic needs).

Project Management Consultation:

Knowing what to expect in a full design and development process;
Knowing what to ask for;
Knowing what you need or want;
Helping you coordinate internal staffing decisions and knowing what to expect on a web project;
Including scheduling “look ahead” and timeline creation;
Facilitate stakeholder decision-making, input, and inter-office politics as you embark on a design process.

Art direction:

Advising on imagery;
Recommending photographers or illustrators;
Evaluating existing media assets.

User Experience (UX) Analysis:

Focus Groups (both staff/admin and public users);
User Surveys (both staff/admin and public users);
Understanding Demographics and Target Audiences;
Personas, Journeys, and User Flows;
Analysis of the relationship between User Needs and Organizational Needs.

Current Website Analysis and Communications Strategy and Optimization:

Copy and media assets;
SEO (Search Engine Optimization);
Analytics (site traffic analysis).

Third-party Systems Evaluation and Recommendation:

We help with decision-making regarding third-party digital platforms such CRMs (Salesforce, Salsa, Nation Builder, Action Network, etc.), CMSs (WordPress, Drupal, Expression Engine, etc.), web hosts, and security considerations.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM);
Content Management Systems (CMS);
Events Management;
Payments and Donations;
Membership Management.

Consulting Deliverables:

Presentations and in-person meetings;
Branding briefs, narratives, and collateral.
Site audits (including SEO, UX/UI);
Surveys/polling internal employees for their needs;
RFPs to circulate among potential vendors;
Discovery White Paper;
Recommendations of specialists in tangential service fields (copywriting, photography, etc.);
Offer follow-up design and development services as necessary.