Motivation and Madness in March

Motivation and madness in March — what am I talking about?!

I have plenty of reasons to be motivated this sunny month of March.

I’m totally motivated after spending a couple days at the NATCON16 Show in Las Vegas. Me, Kimberly and Doctor C welcomed hundreds of people into our booth (not all at once, but it felt like it sometimes). It was so inspiring to have deep conversations with total strangers about the good work they do in their communities, and the kind of help they need to keep doing it. Most have never had to market before, or spend any time building their brands.

The madness is good thing too, as I contact all those awesome people I met.

What struck me most, aside from their level of dedication, is how many organizations across the country are becoming more aware of the importance of being out there with clear messaging around who they are and what makes them different and unique. They also know they need consistent branding components and some kind of integrated marketing strategy.

People are turning the corner, realizing if they don’t have this branding thing right they may not stay relevant. They can be operationally and clinically great, but if the communities they serve don’t know who they are, they can’t provide care for all the people that need it.

I talked to people about a lot of different aspects of building healthy brands. They stopped by to ask about websites; how to share and celebrate outcomes data; how to communicate core values; how to go from just mental health to including primary care; how to handle a merger; how to refresh a brand; how to re-do a brand; how to reposition an organization; and how to market the opening of five new centers aimed at helping post-9/11 veterans.

My motivation is to help all these organizations so they can help even more people.

My madness, if I may call it that, beyond making a few hundred phone calls and sending notes and emails, is knowing that me, Doctor C and my team can do it. We will show again at NAATP in May, where I’ll be serving on an ethics panel discussion and presenting a program on branding — now that’s motivation and madness!