Communications for smaller housing associations

Communicationsfor smallerhousingassociations

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The National Housing Federation runs iN business for neighbourhoods in partnership withmembers to promote the neighbourhood work of housing associations.

Introduction

Most organisations use communications techniques all thetime. Giving customers basic information, asking theiropinion, reaching out to partners or showcasing their work isall about communicating.

Housing associations are no different. You are communicatingday in, day out whether you have a formal strategy or not.Why not make the most of the resources you use by planningthat communication with results in mind?

Many smaller associations already do this brilliantly. Theyknow their audience and their message and engage in a waythat’s effective, professional and that promotes dialogue.

If you think you don’t have the time or money to take astrategic approach to communications – think again. All it means is looking at what you already spend oncommunicating and making sure it’s focused on achievingyour objectives – whether that’s to be recognised by partnersfor your innovation or valued by your residents for youramazing service.

This guide will give you some simple steps to producing acommunications strategy that works and a quick tour of the toolsof the trade. It’s only a starting point but will help you:

• raise the reputation of your association and your work

• advance your corporate objectives

• defend yourself against unfair criticism

• help improve the image of the sector as a whole.

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Communications for smaller housing associations

Your strategy

To start with it’s a good idea to have a communicationsstrategy. Producing one is a simple process by whichyou’ll define your:

• objectives• audience • key messages.

It will also help you decide how to deliver yourmessages and how to measure your success.

Get buy-inIf yours is a small association that hasn’ttraditionally done communications work, you needto maximise buy-in of your project, from the top andfrom people across the organisation. You mightwant to set up a working group to review andmanage the development of your strategy. Keep itsmall, give it tight terms of reference and a chairwho can make decisions. You could involveresidents as well as managers and staff.

Do an auditBefore you start, an audit will help you assess whatcommunication you do now and how effective it is.

Begin with your organisation’s corporate objectivesfrom its business plan and look at your vision,values and long-term goals. They will need to bereflected in all your communications work.

Look at the methods you use to talk to peopleinternally and externally. Examine the feedback youreceive and consider surveys or focus groups to findout what people think. This should cover residents,staff, key partners, decision-makers and the media.

Review your publications and literature, yourbranding and your website. How effective are theyand what do they say about your organisation?

Look outside your organisation too. See how youcompare to other associations of a similar size.

A Swot analysis that looks at your strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and threats can helpwith your strategy by giving you a clear idea of theareas you need to work on. If you have one, get yourworking group to brainstorm ideas.

You can do this work yourself or you could considerusing an independent consultant.

Ask yourself• what are our objectives as an organisation?• who are the audiences we speak to and how do

we do it?• when we look at all of our material together,

what impression does it give?• what do organisations similar to us look like

from the outside?

Your objectives

Once you’ve got the results of your audit, think carefully about what you want to achieve through yourcommunications. You should have a clear goal; an overarching purpose for all the things you do. You should alsohave a series of objectives that will contribute to achieving your goal. Your objectives should be Smart (specific,measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound).

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Your audienceAs well as knowing what you want to achieve, youneed to be clear about who you will target and thethings that will attract and motivate them. Whilesome audiences will be common to all housingassociations, others may vary. Here’s a list ofpotential audiences for you to consider:

External audiences• residents (tenants and leaseholders)• their family members and carers• local community members• the media.

Influencers and decision makers• the Government – MPs, ministers and shadow

ministers• local government – councillors and officials• industry bodies, including the National

Housing Federation, the Homes andCommunities Agency and other regulators.

PartnersPartnership organisations can help you deliver yourstrategy by endorsing your messages, givingcredibility to what you say. Consider:

• health authorities• the police• developers• suppliers• lenders• other housing associations.

Think about each of your audiences and what drivestheir decision making.

Internal audiences• staff• board members.

Don’t ignore these. To be effective your staff andboard members need to be properly involved andconsulted. Your staff can help you understand whatresidents want, test out new ideas and becomevaluable advocates for your organisation.

MessagesYour messages will come from your goals andobjectives and should be geared towards youraudience. They should be clear, compelling andmemorable. Ideally you will have:

• One main message – it will hold yourcommunications together, so make it simpleand direct and something with broad appeal.

• Secondary messages – they will support yourcore message and explain how it will beachieved. They should still be concise but can betweaked and targeted to audiences as relevant.

Refine your messages to get them right:• think about your audience and what will

motivate them• good messages combine the rational with the

emotional – they appeal to people’s hearts and heads

• avoid jargon, clichés and acronyms• be positive – engage your audience by

motivating them to act.

Talking pointsBe ready to back up your messages with plenty ofevidence; include case studies, facts and figuresfrequently asked questions, quotes and soundbites.


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An example

Organisation: a small housing associationspecialising in supported housing for older peoplein one area. As well as offering excellent homesand services, its objectives include helpingresidents to maintain an independent and activelifestyle.

Main message: we believe that age should lead towisdom, not isolation.

Secondary messages for potential residents: weoffer the support you need to live your own life, theway you want to live it. We want you to feel thatmoving into your home is an exciting newbeginning.

Secondary messages for local councillors: wemake decisions with our residents, not for them.We support our residents to play an active role inthe local community.

Facts and figures:

• our resident panel meets monthly to raisemanagement issues and help set our businesspriorities

• our customer satisfaction ratings are high –95% of residents would recommend our homesto a friend

• for those who want to get involved, we helpresidents to volunteer for local charities andattend neighbourhood meetings.

Your objectives


HINTFor maximum effect link your messages directly to

the objectives that drive yourbusiness decisions.

6Resources

Your teamYou will need someone to manage and deliver your new strategy. You may already have acommunications manager or team in place, but formany small housing associations communicationsis part of another role. If you are usinginexperienced staff, invest in proper training.

Alternatively, think about employing a PRconsultancy to work with you. As with branding, talkto a few consultancies about the things you aretrying to achieve and choose the one that’s best foryou. Ask your regional group for recommendationsof consultancies and training providers.

SpokespeopleIn addition you’ll need to identify key spokespeopleand corporate ambassadors for your organisation.These are people who will present your messagesin an eloquent and convincing way; through themedia, at public meetings, through social mediaand to influencers.

They will also need to be the public face of theorganisation if things go wrong. They are likely to besenior staff, board members and specialists. Thinkcarefully about who you choose and the image theypresent and ensure you provide them with enoughsupport and training.

Your brandBefore you do anything else it’s important to giveyour corporate brand a health check. Your brand isa difficult thing to quantify but it’s essentially whatpeople think of when they think of you. It’s a mix ofyour corporate image and your visual identity, so ittakes in your reputation and your logo. Once you’vedone your audit and defined your message andaudiences, it’s worth seeing if your brand measuresup; if it communicates your message and properlyreflects the image you want to portray.

You should set out rules for using your logo and theother elements of your visual brand. This includeshow your corporate colours and typefaces shouldappear in print and online. It may also include ruleson the sort of imagery to use and a style guide thatsets the tone for your written communications.

If you want to rebrand or refresh your existing visualidentity, you’ll need help from a professional designor branding agency. Talk to a few agencies, getquotes and recommendations, but don’t go on pricealone. The agency will use your audit and strategy toinform their work and make your brand fitseamlessly with your aims and objectives.

Once you have your visual identity there are a fewbasic places where it should be used. Have yourdesigner produce layouts for these and includethem in a design manual that staff and designerscan use for guidance:

Stationery – letterheads, business cards andpresentation templates.

Digital media – websites, emails and bulletins needto reflect your branding too.

Publications – make these consistent by developinga literature system for any printed materials such asnewsletters and annual reports. Keep it flexible so itwill work with basic reports and give you the scopeto be more creative if you need to.

Marketing materials – leaflets, adverts, posters andbanners all need to be on-brand.


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Develop a diaryGet organised with a diary of opportunities. This willhelp you plan your communications, maximiseopportunities and avoid awkward clashes. An Excelspreadsheet looking a year ahead, should do.Populate it with events you have planned, key datesfor your organisation and milestones (your AGM,your 100th home, the launch of a new scheme).

Include national dates that you can contribute to(Black History Month, Energy Saving Week,Dementia Awareness Day) and key news events (theBudget, the Queen’s speech) that might presentnews opportunities or that should be avoided. Makesure staff are aware of your diary and that all yourcommunications activity, including publications, isincluded. Someone should have responsibility formanaging it and keeping it up-to-date.

Manage your databaseIf you don’t already have a database of contacts youwill need to put one together. This is an importanttool for reaching your audiences, especially theinfluencers, so again someone needs to manage itand make sure it is accurate and kept up-to-date.

Case studies and researchCommissioning research can give credibility to your communications. Case studies of real-lifeexperiences will also have a huge impact, bringingyour messages alive. Use personal accounts told in residents’ own words together with film orphotography. But remember to have a properpermission system in place so people know whatthey are signing up to.


Resources

HINTIf you’re a Federation member,

join your regional communicationsgroup. There’ll be networking

opportunities, the chance to share bestpractice and to find out about local

suppliers who can help you with thestrategy and its delivery.


8Bringing your strategy alive

Once you know what you want to say and who you need to reach, you need to put all of this into action.

There’s a wide and ever growing list of communications channels out there. The trick is pulling together a packageof tools that work well together and are suited to your audience and message.

Media relationsMedia relations can be a key way of reaching youraudience. Done right it is cost effective, powerfuland adds credibility to your message. The mediafeed on stories but good coverage can only besecured if yours are genuinely newsworthy. Toattract the attention of journalists you needsomething that’s relevant to their audience andcurrent and timely. Before contacting the mediaalways make sure your story has a news hook, byasking “what is the story?” and “why should anyonecare?” Your hook might be:

• something unusual, entertaining or fun• a new statistic or report• a real-life, human interest story• a great photo• involvement of celebrities and potentially MPs,

businesses and schools• a new or local angle on a big national story.

Try to understand your target media, whether local,national, consumer or trade. Journalists need yourstories and you need to get your message out, soit’s worth cultivating a good relationship. Get toknow your local papers, radio stations, websites,forums and newsletters. Read and listen to themregularly, so you understand their content andaudience and can gear your stories to them. It’s anidea to meet their reporters too.

Do• Meet deadlines if responding to queries, even if

it’s only a short holding statement. You’ll build areputation for being quick.

• Set up your own events far enough in advance.• Only issue press releases that are newsworthy,

well written and accurate.• Cultivate contacts with local journalists.• Help them out with the facts, analysis and case

studies to flesh out your story if needed.

Don’t• Exaggerate, mislead, or overstate your case.• Make enemies. If you feel you’ve been

misrepresented, deal with it professionally and sensitively.

How to contact the media• A well-written, timely press release emailed out

is still the standard way of issuing news to themedia. It will alert journalists and give themenough information to report on your story.

• A good photo could secure you coverage,regardless of news value, as can good filmfootage for online and broadcast media.

• Follow up a press release with a call to a contactyou’ve made or the newsdesk, but be aware ofdeadlines – start the conversation by asking ifit’s a good time to talk.

• Tweet your news stories as soon as you issuethem.

• Invite journalists to events, photocalls andbriefings, which are well organised andnewsworthy.

• Have a list of experts who are media trained andwilling to give interviews.

• Write letters to the editor or add your commentsto online news stories and forums to state yourposition on issues and correct misinformation.

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Tips for a good press release• Give it a punchy, informative headline.• Include all the key information in the first

paragraph, as journalists often cut from thebottom up. Make sure your first paragraphanswers the questions who, what, where, when and how.

• Make it factual and informative with precisefigures rather than vague adjectives.

• Bring it to life with a good quote, which can include opinion but should reinforce your message.

• Keep your language clear and simple and yoursentences short. Avoid jargon and acronyms.

• Proofread it carefully; check spelling, grammarand all facts and figures. Make sure it’sconsistent throughout and be especially carefulwith name spellings.

• Use double spacing, date it and include yourcontact details.

• Tailor your releases to the media you’retargeting.

Tips for good photos• Use a professional photographer experienced in

taking news pictures if you can.• Go for lively and interesting action shots –

discuss ideas and props you could use with thephotographer before you start.

• Avoid large groups of people and especially line-ups, cheque presentations and other clichés.

• Caption your photos carefully. They may be usedwithout your press release so the caption needsto get your message across succinctly. Checkname spellings and job titles carefully.

• Have a permission form to ensure thatmembers of the public who appear in yourphotos understand how you plan to use theirimage. Remember, it’s a legal requirement that you get parental permission for any photosof children.

• Email out your photos immediately. For printmedia send high resolution images (300dpi).

Managing your reputationIt’s your most valuable asset and can take years tobuild, but your reputation could be ruined in hours.This is especially true in today’s world where socialmedia and 24-hour news mean damaging storiescan build rapidly.

How to prepare• Make sure you monitor news and social media

carefully, so you know what people are sayingabout you and you don’t get caught out.

• Be ready for the unexpected by being clearabout anything in your organisation that couldtarget you for criticism. Also think aboutcampaigns and projects and what might gowrong. Address the problem now and prepareclear lines and responses in advance.

• Have good internal communications in placeand agree who will act as your spokesperson ifneeded. Keep up-to-date lists of out-of-hourscontact details and make sure yourcommunications team always has access tosenior people.

In a crisis• If you’re caught out don’t answer questions

straight away, go away and prepare a response.• Decide who will speak to the media, make sure

they are well prepared, have good delivery andwill stay on message. You may want to restrictthe number of people who speak to the media orconsider issuing a written statement.

• Always respond by the deadline you’ve beengiven, earlier if possible.

• Make sure the person leading the responseknows everything there is to uncover, even if themedia don’t know it yet.

• Be as transparent and open as possible, don’tlie or be evasive.

• If you’ve made a mistake, apologise and explainwhat you are doing about the situation.


Bringing your strategy alive


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Digital media

Your websiteWith growing numbers of people choosing tointeract with organisations online, it’s importantyou have a website that’s easy to use, informative,properly maintained and that reflects your brand.You can set up your own website using softwaresuch as Wordpress but it’s worth having itprofessionally designed. It doesn’t need fancyfunctionality but as a minimum should contain:

• all your contact details – address, email, phone numbers

• the basics about your organisation – where you operate, what you offer and who your keyemployees are

• information for residents – what to do in anemergency, how to report a repair, how to makea complaint.

Also consider:• a jobs section – all your vacancies and how

to apply• publications – download your annual reports,

newsletters and leaflets• news – all your press releases plus media

contact details • online services – eg ability to report repairs and

anti-social behaviour and pay rent• a handbook – details of all your residents’ rights

and responsibilities.

The key thing with your website is to look after it.It’s a growing resource that needs maintaining andadding to frequently. Keep it up-to-date, make surethe copy is clear and accurate and that all namesand contact details are correct. Ensure thateverything on your website has a purpose andcontributes to your strategic aims. If you are givingresidents the option of contacting you online, makesure you check for messages and respond quickly.

Social mediaThis takes in social networking sites, mainlyTwitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as blogsand forums. They are useful because they allow youto have a two-way conversation with youraudiences; to put information out and get instantcomment and feedback. They are also cheap andeasy to use and can rapidly generate awarenessand drive traffic to your website. Again though, ifyou are going to do social media you need tocommit to using it regularly, building your profileand keeping up with new developments.

Some ideas for using social media:• Have a Facebook page – many of your

residents will use Facebook anyway, so it’s agood way to reach them, but keep it current and interesting and remember to comment onrelevant pages from local residents’associations and other partners.

• Create a Twitter account for your organisation.You may want to encourage key staff membersto tweet too, but think about a social mediapolicy with clear rules about using Twitter in aprofessional context. Again, if you’re going totweet, do so regularly to maintain momentum.

• Use LinkedIn to build networks with partnerorganisations and influencers.

• Think about a regular blog on your website that you can promote on Twitter. But you willneed to commit to producing it and respondingto any comments.

Whether you actively use social media or not, it maybecome a channel for people to comment aboutyou, so you need to monitor it closely forcomplaints. Check for comments on Twitter,Facebook and neighbourhood news sites andforums. Have a plan in place for responding and beswift to do so.

Bringing your strategy alive

Bringing your strategy alive 11

EventsA programme of events will showcase yourorganisation and give you personal contact withyour audiences. Examples include official openingsof schemes, celebrations of landmarks andanniversaries, receptions and seminars. To makeyour event a success think about:

Timing – set a realistic date that gives you plenty oftime to organise it and promote it to your audience.

Audience – decide who needs to attend and howyou will reach them.

Venue – make sure it’s comfortable, convenient andpleasant – but avoid anything too lavish.

Materials – plan your audio visuals, backdrops andpress kits. Make sure they are accurate and on-brand. It’s worth producing generic banners andstands that can be used at different events.

Planning – have an agenda and timetable andpractise to ensure everything works logistically.

Evaluation – get feedback from your guests ordelegates to evaluate the event for future.

Publications and marketing materialsPublications used to be central to communicationswork but times have changed and there are lots ofother tools out there. Print is expensive and has anenvironmental cost, so if you are going ahead withprint you need to be super-critical to make sure it’sworking as hard as it can. Every piece of print anddesign should advance your objectives, presentyour key messages and be on-brand. You will needexcellent distribution methods to get it out to youraudience and evaluation mechanisms to reviewquality for next time.

Have a distribution list for your publications thatincludes key local venues such as libraries, GPsurgeries and shopping centres.

HINTAs a housing association you are

currently required to publish an annualreport for your tenants. So think about

how you can use it to maximum effect incommunicating your key messages. For

tips on producing annual reports visitwww.housing.org.uk and search on

annual report toolkit.



Evaluation 12It’s always worth measuring your communications work to check how effective it’s been. Are you reaching the peopleyou said you needed to? How can you improve in future?

By planning how you will evaluate in advance, you stand a better chance of getting an accurate picture when it’s timeto judge whether you met your objectives.

Comprehensive and robust evaluation can be expensive, but don’t let that put you off altogether. Some information isalways better than none, and there are ways you can keep track of your success for free.

• analyse your website and social media – you cansign up to useful tools such as Google Analyticsor HootSuite for free

• monitor your media coverage for quantity andquality – you can pay a clippings agency to dothis, even club together with other organisationsto reduce costs, or simply keep a file of yourcoverage as you spot it

• make a note of comments by the people youwant to influence, such as local MPs orcouncillors, whether they are good or bad –looking back over these can give you a clueabout whether you are making progress

• make your objectives quantifiable – eg we wantX number of residents to take part in ourconsultation or by this time next year every localcouncillor in our area will be able to describewho we are and what we do

• consider surveys and focus groups to analysethe effectiveness of your communication withtenants, or your events and publications.

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Useful links

• visit www.housing.org.uk/regions for details of regionalpractitioner groups in communications

• visit www.housing.org.uk/events for training

• visit www.guardian.co.uk/housing-network searchcommunications for more tips

• try the Media Trust www.mediatrust.org for training and events.

Communications checklist

To get the best out of your communications, you should aim tohave in place:

• a communications strategy with agreed objectives, audiencesand key messages, that has buy-in from the senior team

• a clear understanding of the resources available includingpeople and budget

• a plan of how you will deliver the strategy for both external andinternal audiences

• a package of tools including a your diary, database and brandguidelines

• a plan for measuring the effectiveness of your communications,identified from the outset.

National Housing FederationLion Court25 Procter StreetLondon WC1V 6NY

Tel: 020 7067 1010Email: [email protected]: www.housing.org.uk

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The National Housing Federation is the voice of affordablehousing in England. We believe that everyone should havethe home they need at a price they can afford. That’s why werepresent the work of housing associations and campaign forbetter housing.

Our members provide two and a half million homes for morethan five million people. And each year they invest in adiverse range of neighbourhood projects that help createstrong, vibrant communities.

Communications for smaller housing associations

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