How Small Adjustments Can Make a Big Impact
In 2025, MBS is turning its attention to communication, community and collaboration. In addition to our bi-weekly A-Z series, we are hosting FREE quarterly training workshops. Today’s AdventWord is REFINE and I would like to explore refining your communications strategy.
You might say, well we don’t have a strategy, or we don’t need one.
I’d say, as a charity, this is pretty important.
Everything you do has an element of communication, whether talking to internal teams and your members or proactively communicating with physical or online communities. The likelihood is you do have a strategy or at least the start of one. This could be as simple as an idea of what you want to say. This is where refinement comes in. I want to talk about how to refine or make small changes can develop your strategy to make a bigger impact.
Communication strategies require constant attention and adaptation. A common mistake is thinking that major overhauls are needed to keep pace with changing trends. However, sometimes small, well-considered refinements can make a profound difference. Let’s explore what it means to refine your communications strategy, why it matters, and how minor adjustments can enhance your results.
Why “Refine” Matters
To “refine” means to improve something by making small changes that enhance quality. Applied to marketing, refinement means taking what’s already working and sharpening it, rather than overhauling your entire approach. Refining can involve analysing data, making subtle shifts in messaging, focusing on key audience segments, or adjusting the timing of your communication. These tweaks might seem minor, but they allow you to get more from your existing efforts without a huge investment of time or money.
I will now offer advice on steps to get you started.
Step 1: Reassess Your Audience
Refining begins with a deep understanding of who you are talking to (your audience). Are there any new trends or observations in behaviour, preferences, or demographics within your target audience? Is there an element or group that’s responding particularly well (or poorly) to your current efforts? Can you refine how you approach different audiences (i.e. external community, internal teams, trustees, donors etc).
Refinement here could mean customising/tweaking your communication delivery for different groups. For example, if you discover that younger members prefer engaging with your organisation on social media platforms, whereas an older demographic prefers email, you can adjust how you talk to these groups to reflect these preferences. Small shifts in who you’re targeting and how can lead to greater engagement.
Step 2: Fine-Tune Your Message
The language you use can be as important as the request itself. When refining your messaging, ask yourself these questions:
- Are your value propositions clear and compelling?
- Does your messaging resonate emotionally with your target audience?
- Are you focusing too much on features rather than benefits?
Refinement in messaging could be as simple as tweaking a subject line, emphasising the benefits over features, or using more relatable language. For example, instead of describing a charity as “a support organisation,” a refined message might read “an organisation that brings hope and resources to those in need.” The shift in tone creates a stronger emotional connection with the audience, often resulting in better engagement.
Step 3: Optimise Your Content Strategy
Content remains a key driver of engagement, but the way you present it can always benefit from refinement. This may mean refreshing older blog posts with updated information, reworking social media captions to improve clarity, or experimenting with content formats like videos, infographics, or stories.
Look for insights on what types of content perform best. Are your audience members more responsive to quick tips or long-form articles? Does your content effectively guide them through the buyer’s journey? Refinement might include focusing on higher-performing content types or experimenting with fresh formats, like moving from static images to short, engaging videos. These small shifts can make your content more appealing and improve visibility and engagement.
Step 4: Assess and Adjust Your Timing
Refining your strategy can also mean tweaking when and how often you proactively email/post/deliver content to audiences. Timing can have a significant effect on how your audience interacts with your message. For instance, posting on social media in the early morning might perform better than midday, depending on your audience’s habits.
If, for example, you want to appeal for volunteers, don’t proactively communicate right on top of the holiday season. If you would like to appeal for donations, don’t send outreach on the same day the country announces tax hikes. Having an awareness of what is going on in the wider sphere can assist you in refining your timing. Sounds simple, right?
Look at your data to see when engagement peaks. If your email open rates are higher on Fridays, consider adjusting your schedule to send important communications on that day. Sometimes, a slight change in timing can be the difference between your message being seen or overlooked.
Step 5: Evaluate Your Outreach
Not every mechanism or channel is a good fit for every charity. Refining your outreach strategy might mean taking a closer look at where you’re most active and whether those channels are truly delivering value. For example, if your newsletter is generating minimal engagement while Facebook is thriving, it might be time to invest more resources into Facebook ensuring you share your newsletter there and encourage mailing list sign up.
Remember, refinement doesn’t always mean adding more—it can also mean cutting back on what isn’t working. Streamlining your approach ensures that your efforts are focused on the channels that yield the greatest returns.
Step 6: Measure and Iterate
Refinement is an ongoing process. After making small adjustments, measure the results and make additional tweaks as needed. This iterative approach to refinement is often more effective than making large, infrequent changes. It allows you to adapt quickly and fine-tune in response to real-time feedback from your audience.
Final Thoughts: Small Changes, Big Results
Refining your communications strategy is about honing in on what works and making small but impactful changes. By reassessing your audience, fine-tuning your messaging, optimising your content, and adjusting your timing and channels, you can create a more effective, efficient approach. Remember, outreach isn’t always about grand gestures—sometimes, the biggest impact comes from the smallest refinements.
Gemma White
If you found this blog useful, you might like our upcoming MBSC workshops helpful. These are FREE to attend and are packed with tips and resources to support your communications efforts in 2025. Alternatively, if you would like to suggest topics relevant to you for us to cover, please share your ideas below.
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