What We Do
Water Words That Work, LLC is a full-service public relations and marketing firm. We organize our services into six categories, which you can explore on this page.
Service Descriptions
Consulting
Administrative Kickoff
At the outset of each project, Water Words That Work, LLC schedules an administrative conference call to:
Set up billing and time-tracking arrangements
Assign primary points of contact and introduce all project team members to each other
Review the scope-of-work and answer any questions
Update and confirm the project timeline
Schedule the first project meeting or conference call
Project Kickoff & Internal Discovery
Working closely with your staff, we will review your communications program to understand your goals, current and past efforts, and available resources. To start, we will interview key personnel to assess your outreach and communications program. If appropriate, we will use a web survey to gather "big picture" input from your board, committee, coalition partners, or stakeholders.
External Discovery
Who is your audience, how big is it, and how could could you reach them? We will compile findings from the US Census, mailing list brokers, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other resources. We will provide you with a summary report that we can use to make smart choices about how to deliver your message.
Outreach Jumpstart
We will lead your team through a structured brainstorming session around options to meet your communication needs. We will start by presenting you with a suite of ideas and samples that are relevant to your organization and your mission. Then we will brainstorm together until we come to consensus on an approach that is a great fit for your organization!
Strategy Brief
Once we have made the big decisions together, we will work with you to document the decisions in a 12-15 page summary document that we call the “strategy brief.” Our strategy brief covers the following areas:
Target Audiences: Who you will try to reach, and what you want them to do
Goals: A quantifiable and measurable description of what you seek to achieve with your effort
Message Delivery and Response: How you will reach them, and how they can respond to the message
Message Guidelines: The core messages, types of images, logos, colors, and typography you should include
Project Management: The phases of work and areas of responsibility for each team member
Budget and Funding Options: The budget and options for raising the funds to implement the plan
Editorial Calendar: A matrix that outlines the communications schedule, such as newsletters, email newsletters, Facebook posts, etc, for up to two years
Implementation Plan
Over a series of 4 conference calls, we will work with you to create a project management tool. You can use this tool to guide the execution of your effort, coordinate your team, and measure and report on your results. The tool includes the following features:
Dashboard: At-a-glance project management and results reporting
Tasks: What gets done, who does it, and when
Budget: The dollars and hours required to complete the effort.
Projections and Results: A detailed forecast for how you will achieve your goals and a place to track what you actually accomplish
Team Workload: How many hours you are committing each team member for, and when
Project Management
We will schedule check-in calls and meetings, prepare agendas, lead the discussion, take notes, and circulate follow-up to-dos. In between meetings, we will respond to your questions, ensure team members and vendors follow through on assignments, and troubleshoot unexpected delays and problems.
Project Wrap Up
At the end of the project, we will bundle up our deliverables into single package. We will prepare a final report summarizing our accomplishments, lessons learned, and recommendations for future efforts.
Quick Critique
Our consultants will review one public-oriented message (brochure, website, advertisement, interpretive sign, blast email, etc.) and compare it best practices for content and delivery strategy. We will then make recommendations for how to improve this piece and future pieces like it.
Training
Planning, Scheduling, Handouts
We will convene a conference call to review your training needs and determine course selection, schedule, prepare handouts, and make necessary travel arrangements.
Principal, Roundtrip and Onsite Day
Water Words' owner will travel to your location, spend up to 8 hours onsite with you, and stay one night.
Principal, Onsite, Day 2 & 3
Water Words' owner will spend up to 8 hours onsite at your location, and stay one night.
Principal, Local Onsite
Water Words owner will travel to a location within 2.5 hours drive of Frederick, MD, and spend up to 6 hours onsite.
Project Manager, Onsite
A project manager or trainer will travel to your location, spend up to 8 hours onsite with you, and stay one night.
Project Manager, Onsite Day 2 & 3
A project manager/trainer will spend up to 8 hours onsite at your location, and stay one night.
Project Manager, Local Onsite
A project manager/trainer will travel to a location within 2.5 hours drive of their home city, and spend up to 6 hours onsite.
Online Training Series
We will lead your group -- up to 15 people -- through three 90 minute training sessions with an optional homework assignment that students can complete to earn CEU credits.
Market Research
Benefit & Barriers Snapshot
What kind of program would appeal to your audience? We will invite answers from our Due Diligence Test Panel. We will ask 50 members of your target audience to share their views on the environmental behavior of your choice. Panelists will share their thoughts on why they would - and would not -- do what you want them to do. They will reveal how they get information on your topic and what sources they trust.
Survey
We will work with you to write a survey questionnaire with up to 25 questions. For no extra charge, we will secure responses by sending two emails to a list that you provide us with. Once we have gathered the responses, we will compile the results and provide recommendations based on the feedback received. For an extra fee, we can collect responses using an online panel or phone.
Google Keywords, Trends, and Analysis
We will explore Google search patterns to understand what is top-of-mind for your audience:
Trends: Is your target audience searching for your work more or less over time?
Analytics: Who are your website visitors? How did they get there? What did they do while they were there?
Literature Review
What market research is already available on your topic? We will work with you to find out. First, we will work with you to define your research objectives. Then we will scour the web for relevant and reliable sources, such as surveys, research reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, and white papers. We will review what we find and synthesize the information into a ~10 page report.
Message Test
Does your message hit the mark? We will recruit 50 members of your target audience read, watch, or listen to your public-facing message. Panelists will rate the piece on various criteria and share their reaction with you. We will provide you with a summary report and recommendations for how to improve the piece. This service is suitable for short messages like:
Brochures
Interpretative Signs
Press releases or Op Eds
Fundraising Letters
Web Pages
Print or Broadcast Advertisements
Electronic Petitions
Etc.
Revenue Roadmap
Serious outreach costs real money. Where can you find it? We will review your outreach project and the budget you need for it. Then we will dig through databases of federal and foundation grants looking for matches. We will provide you with a report on potential funding sources and tips for how to get started pursuing each one.
Supporter/Member Survey
How do your members perceive your organization and how could you find more like them? To find out, we will prepare an online survey for you to circulate to your supporters via email and social media. The survey will explore how they found you, what they value about your work, how often they want to hear from you, and more. We will prepare a summary report and make recommendations for how to improve your member services -- and where to find others likely to join.
Target Prospect Search
Using a combination of data-mining and crowdsourcing techniques, we can help you turn a long list of names and addresses (from a GIS layer or other source) into a short list of hot prospects for getting involved in your work. We offer this service to help organizations discover and approach individuals who are are likely donate, advocate, or participate in financial and technical assistance programs.
Website User Test
Are your website visitors finding what they came for -- or are they getting lost? To find out, we will invite Due Diligence Test Panel members to complete a virtual “treasure hunt” on your website. Once the panelists have completed their assignments, they will rate your site on various criteria and provide insights into how you can improve their experience.
Focus Group
We will facilitate a 90-minute discussion with representatives from your target audience, either onsite or online, to get their input on your work and your messages to them. Prior to the event, we will prepare a focus group guide and revise it based on your input. After the focus group, we will prepare a written summary of the discussion and make recommendations for how to act on the findings. For an extra cost, we can recruit participants, secure an appropriate onsite location, and offer incentives to participants.
Outreach Outsourcing
Social Media Content Creation
We will create a post, tweet, or similar social media message, including text and hashtags. We will use photos from your collection or ours.
Social Media Advertising
We will boost your post (or posts) to your target audience on one social media platform for one month. We will set the audience targeting, budget, destination link, run date and time, and pay for the ads on your behalf. When the campaign ends, we will provide you with a summary report of the results.
Banner Ad Content Creation
We will create a suite of 5 banner ads, using photos that you supply. The ad formats will be suitable for placing across the Internet through the Google Display Network.
Banner Advertising
We will serve your banner ads to your target audience across the Internet for one month. We will place your ads through the Google Display Network (a broker) and set the budget, destination link, run date and time, and pay for the ads on your behalf. When the campaign ends, we will provide you with a summary report of the results.
Copywriting (~500 words)
We will write up to 500 words of text, which approximately one page of full text or two pages of designed text, such as a brochure.
Event Display
We will design a tabletop display suitable for indoor and outdoor use, order it, and have it shipped to the location of your choice. The actual production costs are itemized separately.
Editing ~500 Words
We will edit, proofread, and make suggestions for up to 500 words of text, which approximately one page of full text or two pages of designed text, such as a brochure.
Email Blast
We will write, design, and send an email over your signature, to a list that you supply, using our email blast tool.
Desktop Publishing
Our graphic designer will format a report, booklet, or other document that is primarily text. We price these services per page.
Graphic Design
Our graphic designer will prepare one design-heavy piece (e.g. brochure, billboard, magazine ad, banner, etc.). We price these services per rectangle.
Multimedia, :30 Seconds or Less
We will script and produce a 30 second audio-video piece, suitable for use in broadcast or online advertising. We will write the script and create the piece using professional voiceover artists, photos and video from your collection or ours, and stock media that we purchase on your behalf.
Multimedia, :31 Seconds to 3 Minutes
We will script and produce a audio-video piece, up to three minutes in length. We will write the script and create the piece using professional voiceover artists, photos and video from your collection or ours, and stock media that we purchase on your behalf.
Pitch Scripts
We will prepare a pitch script, pitch email, voicemail scripts, and follow up email to approach your target audience on the phone. We will also prepare a spreadsheet to track the results of this outreach.
Pitching, One Hour
We will approach your audience (e.g. journalists, stakeholders, residents, partners) via phone and email for one hour, which is generally sufficient to reach 10-15 individuals.
Press Release
We will write up a press release, approximately 500 words of text, including recommended quotes for your staff and partners. The press release will be formatted to the conventions of the news media.
Web Development
Showroom Website
We help our clients build and launch attractive websites that are functional, mobile-ready and search engine friendly. Our web development philosophy is to train our clients to maintain their websites themselves, so they will not be locked into a vendor contract after launch.
We will develop your website sites using the WIX platform. After launch, you will maintain your account with WIX directly, subject to its terms and conditions. WIX is:
Affordable: Once the site is launched, you will pay between $14 and $25 per month to Wix for hosting and customer support.
Attractive: Clients will choose from a selection of pre-designed templates to start with, and then we will customize them together.
Maintenance Free: You have none of the hassle or expense of backups, upgrades, debugging, or hacker attacks that you have when you use your own installation of open source software.
Generous: You can easily upload up to 10 gigs of PDFs and other documents you wish to share for no additional cost.
Flexible. You can add a wide range of Wix apps to display maps, videos, slideshows, sign up forms, petitions, and more.
Mobile Friendly. The site will automatically adjust itself for phones and tablets.
We will start the web development process by inviting you to complete two questionnaires, one about the website that you have now and one about the website you hope to develop. Then we will schedule 5 90-minute sessions to work with you to:
Tailor your site’s overall appearance and organization to your liking.
Help you understand your visitors’ likely habits and how to prepare content accordingly.
Train you to add, remove, and reorganize text and photos.
Optimize your pages to turn up in more Google searches.
Design your pages to look good on phones and tablets.
Launch the site on your domain, set up web tracking, and configure Google’s webmaster tools.
As part of our services, Water Words will:
Set up the initial site and lead the training sessions.
Write and design 8 pages (up to 350 words) on your new website.
Integrate your Google Maps into the website, or create new maps using data that you provide us in spreadsheet form.
Integrate your Google Calendars into the website.
Set up an online donation form using PayPal.
To develop the site, you will have to:
Determine what content to carry over from the current site, and what to drop
Round up photos and videos to use on the site
Compile PDFs and other documents you want to make available for download on the site
Participate in the training sessions
Write and produce all remaining pages on your site
If you require additional services beyond what is spelled out above, we will charge you on an hourly basis at our prevailing rates.
Branding
Written Branding
We will help articulate your organization's work with a suite of carefully selected words. The written branding package includes:
Name
Slogan
Formal written mission statement
Informal, spoken elevator speech
We will come up with 6 first-round candidate names and slogans and 3 first-round mission statements and elevator speeches for your review. We will meet with you up to three times to edit and narrow the candidate pool to three of each for testing with a group of your choice. Once you have the test results, we will meet with you twice to select and revise the final choices.
For additional fees, you may:
Order additional suites of initial candidates
Arrange to test semifinalists with our test panel
Arrange for additional meetings to review and revise semifinalists and the final choice
Logo & Style Guide
We will help you lay the visual foundation to make your organization look great! We will work with you to develop a logo and a palette of complementary colors to use in your materials. Our logo package includes:
A suite of at least one dozen initial candidates
Three rounds of revision to your "semifinalists" -- your top three of those initial candidates
A test of the three semifinalist candidates with a review group you provide
Three rounds of revision to your "finalist" -- the top choice of the three
Final logo files in AI, EPS, JPG, TIFF, GIF, PNG formats
A suite of recommended colors to compliment your logo
For additional fees, you may:
Order additional suites of initial candidates
Order extra rounds of revision to your three "semifinalists"
Arrange to test semifinalists with our test panel
Order extra rounds of revision to the finalist
Identity Package
We will bring your branding materials to life with a professionally designed business identity package. Our identity package includes:
Business Cards (Up to 5 names and titles)
Envelopes
Stationery
PowerPoint Template
We will deliver the files in industry-standard formats and you can print them anywhere you choose.