You know it when you see it. When an organization has a clear brand, you recognize them anywhere, even without their name. Think Apple or Target. You don’t need to see their logo to know you’re interacting with them.
That’s what a well-defined brand can do. It can be a game-changer for any organization, and PTAs are no exception. Creating your PTA brand doesn’t have to be complex or overwhelming, and you definitely don’t have to have an MBA. Even implementing just a basic brand identity for your organization can make a big difference.
There are lots of different components that go into creating a brand. From your mission and values to eye-catching logos and your brand voice, once you have the pieces in place, you’ll have built a unique and memorable identity that gives your school community something meaningful to connect with.
A recognizable PTA brand is a powerful tool for differentiating your organization, letting people know what your group’s purpose is, and giving your members a sense of belonging. Branding can increase your credibility in the community by helping to build trust and enhance your reputation.
Good branding can also improve your marketing and outreach efforts. A striking logo, consistent messaging and look, and a great digital presence can help you effectively reach and engage your school community.
There are key elements that work together to create a cohesive, high-impact brand identity. They include your mission and values, visual identity, messaging, and brand personality. As you build your brand strategy, keep in mind any guidance and guidelines from your national organization.
Before you can do anything else to build your organization's brand, you have to start with your mission and values. These guiding principles are the blocks on which all the other branding pieces are built. Your mission and values define your group’s purpose, priorities, and the unique contribution you make to your school.
Defining your mission is as simple as focusing on the core purpose of your organization. What do you aim to achieve? To outline your core values, think about the principles and beliefs that drive your actions and decision-making. PTA’s commonly have values that focus on advocating for student success or excellence, empowering parent-teacher collaboration, and fostering community.
Your visual identity isn’t just about looking good. It serves as a powerful tool for communicating your brand values and personality. More than just a logo, it’s all your brand colors, fonts, images, and overall style.
As you think about your visual identity, imagine how you’ll use it on your website, social media platforms, in flyers, and on event signage. Select design elements that are versatile and work well across all the ways you’ll use them.
Inviting the school community to help create your visual identity is a great way to get people involved and engaged. Make designing your logo a student contest or ask a member with great design skills to come up with a couple options the wider community can vote on. Low on design skills? No problem! Try an easy-to-use design tool to create a cool logo.
Your messaging strategy is how you talk about your PTA’s purpose and will guide how you communicate with your audience. It includes your tag line, the tone of voice you use in your communications, and the overall story you build around your PTA.
The best way to start building a messaging strategy is to define what makes your group valuable to students, parents, teachers, and the wider school community. Distill that down into a tagline or slogan that quickly and clearly tells people what you’re all about. Your tagline will be a key branding component you use everywhere, so make it great!
Think about a tone of voice that best reflects who you are as a group. Friendly and fun? Passionate and energetic? Professional and knowledgeable? There’s no right or wrong answer. Choose your tone and use it across your newsletters, fundraiser updates, social posts, and when you talk in public about what your group does. Then create a key set of messages and key talking points you can use in all your communications.
The last piece of the branding puzzle is your brand personality. That’s the way your PTA shows up through interactions and touchpoints.
It’s easy to default your group’s brand personality to be similar to the personality of the president or a high-profile member, but the truth is your PTA has its own personality! Dig deep to figure out what it is and make sure it’s authentic to your organization's vibe.
Once you have all of your PTA branding in place, it’s time to start putting it out there. That means implementing it everywhere including your:
