How can one person best use the full suite from a marketing perspective to benefit a non-profit?

[NonProfitinCanada]

I am new to the full CC suite but a long-time InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop user. I'm looking for suggestions from the pros as to how I can best use the suite to market my organization. I hope to map my learning of each product based on your suggestions. Is there a Community you can suggest that I join?

[cmgap]

You may want to look into Adobe Spark Post, Page and Video for starters. In particular their branding component – which will allow you to manage your brand across multiple channels. Id, Ai, and Ps skills are all useful and translatable but not required to use Spark.

If your goal is to market your organization you may find that the Spark offering will get you to a launch point remarkably quickly.

[Brad Lawryk]

I totally agree that from a Marketing view starting with the Spark Tools is the way to go. from there you will discover your other needs and work into InDesign and Photoshop and perhaps some video.

The Spark Tools will get you far in the electronic marketing, but for print you may want to look at InDesign next.

Oh, and it's nice to see another Canadian on here. 😉

[Ussnorway]

Its a bit vague as a question;

• Do you want young kids to volunteer to walk stray dogs and pick up rubbish
• Do you want local business to sponsor your staff in a fun run
• Do you want government tax cuts and grants
• Do you want average people to donate money to some cause
• Or do you just want to get the word out that you have existed as a group for years and nobody appears to notice

[cmgap]

Great questions!

[Ko.Maruyama]

From an advertisement / marketing viewpoint, your question might not be focused on client content (all clients have different marketing needs).

You can have generic questions and get specific reasons for how CC subscription might be used by one person (or studio). Here are some modified questions I would ask clients (or yourself).

1. What is your message?
2. How do your nonprofit clients  (or you) want to reach the audience?  (Social Media / Print / Video / Interactive)
3. How do you want to build collateral for campaigns? (Individual creatives / Team (collaborative) / Out-of-house toolkits)
4. How do you want to employ creatives (full time / part time / freelance)
5. Do you want to update and republish your campaigns frequently?

... of course the standard demographic questions apply to the creation of the content within the campaign

1. REACH.

Print

You already know Id.

You might want to consider how to push into interactive media using Id as layout. (you probably know this one)

Video

You can use Ps to create custom, personal video (GIFs) - great for social media. see Cinemagraphs

Want to get more serious?  Check out After Effects to produce advertising and outreach videos.

Editorial Videos - - Stay simple: PremiereClip (free mobile) - doesn't do much, but it's easy to learn.

PremirePro CC - quickly put together a video campaign. It's not as scary as this: Pr CC !!

Interactive

Lots of choices.

Design a website with Dreamweaver CC.

Prototype an app with XD.

Social Media

Yes, there is Adobe Spark (free).  It's not a reason for the whole suite, but you can make your elements better if you have the suite.

It doesn't have the analytics that your NonProfit may need for a serious campaign, but you can use it to easily build collateral for social campaigns.

2~3. Team

You're solo, but if you share assets with teams - learning to create toolkits (templates) is key.  How do you market yourself? Or how do you market the tool? (maybe the answer to that is Behance.com

4. Updates

Creating engaging materials for any marketing campaign is an ongoing challenge.  You need to keep publishing new material frequently (that is relevant to your target audience).

I am a lead animator / editor / creative director.

My advice - - VIDEO.  but that's me.

HOMEWORK - watch these again.

[NonProfitinCanada]

Thank you! Planning to review everyone's suggestions as soon as possible and bring questions. Always enjoy the possibilities Adobe can bring. Grateful for this forum.

We are the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization in Ontario, Canada and I am the sole graphic designer/communications secretary in the provincial office of 45 staff. We serve 150 churches doing good for the communities here everyday and there are thousands more churches across the world. It's my passion to show the church is here to do good and not harm, to love people, provide needs and not change/fix/hurt anyone. We're known for our health message and even have a blue zone in the U.S. occupied mostly by our members (Loma Linda University and area). Our social media/ video/ magazine/ online newsletter that I do have for years been directed internally to our now 33,000 members and we desparately need external promotion. Video and billboard marketing are my targets as well. I'm looking for stock video and tips to get the work done quickly. I have many departments I serve so very little time. It's a big undertaking but the budget is there. Our leadership needs to know what Adobe can do and I'm working to show them the expense is worth it. Your help is profound to my little desk!

[Ussnorway]

NonProfitinCanada  wrote

billboard marketing

fyi pro drivers look at the road and kids look at their phone

[Ko.Maruyama]

I would suggest an Enterprise account (45 designers is a big department!)

You can collaborate and switch out licenses.  The amount of stock and server space available to you is also a bonus to the business account.  You can also switch IN/OUT freelance artists as needed - so the accounts you purchase are tied to the individual artists as long as they are in your department.

As for HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT - a single post wouldn't be able to do justice to the reasons for purchasing the licenses.

Your Board of Directors wants to hear:

• It will have a quick return on investment (yes)
• It is going to be used to deliver a strong/engaging message (that's your design / yes - and with more tools you'll be able to more effectively reach that audience and showcase the works of the church)
• It will be easily deployed / used by the team (yes - - get them onto Adobe Forums if not)
• It is within the department budget (talk to your accountant about benefits of MONTHLY cost amortization) - I'm pretty sure you'd benefit from the subscription at any of its cost points.

*Loma Linda is just a short drive from here! (Los Angeles County)

Good luck!

[NonProfitinCanada]

He he. 45 staff yes, but I'm the only designer, plus a handful of secretaries that do their very best posters and flyers. This month I will put out 2 email newsletters to approx. 1000 readers, my third layout for our quarterly magazine (which really needs a design overhaul) and a poster and program booklet for our annual meeting that hosts 7000+ members and guests. My biggest challenge is organizing time to get it all done. If the Suite has shortcuts I'm not aware of, this is where I need to focus learning. 

This is L. A.!

[Ko.Maruyama]

LA!  I think that your user name made a couple of us think you were from 'the other Ca'

5 seats? You wouldn't need enterprise, but... CC can help you out.

Consider Dynamic Link (like psd's inside Id docs).  You can create templates that the entire office can update easily.  Using CreativeCloud for print and video alone would be worth it.

You could offer your 1k readers interactive media during your design overhaul.

Where to focus your learning?  Only you know the answer for that but maybe start with:

• EPUBS / INTERACTIVE PDF
• DYNAMIC WEBPAGES
• TYPEKIT (CC)
• ADOBE STOCK (template projects) not just photos
• XD - if you're redesigning ('overhaul') your portion of the site, how do your readers/hosts/members/guests interact with it?

There's so much out there.
Most people haven't called it "Suite" for a long time, but yeah. Subscription is gonna get you efficiency "shortcuts".

[NonProfitinCanada]

You'll have to forgive the lingo. It's more than just software I need to upgrade...

And yes, I'm Canadian. Just giving props (Is that a savvy enough word?)

Awesome. You've given me a lot to work with.

You're good deed is done. For today....;)

Mucho gracias.

KB