How to Raise the Visibility of Your Organization

Has someone ever asked you where you worked? What kind of reaction did they give when you told them? Amazed? Confused? Apathetic?

Sometimes this cannot be helped depending on the organization we work for. Some agencies or companies are simply better known than others. Other than the cool factor of telling people where we work, your organization’s visibility is important to your work. People are more willing to partner with someone they are familiar with. Here we take a look at how to get your organization noticed by others, and why it is important.

Why is Visibility Important

It people have never heard of you, they don’t know you exist. This makes it tougher to get assistance for something when you truly need it. When other organizations are made aware of your presence and what you have to offer, a number of gates become open:

• Relationship building becomes more organic
• Others are more willing to assist you
• Your organization is sought after for its expertise

Participate in Relevant Projects

One way to get noticed by others is to have your agency’s name attached to a project. By “project” I mean something that is a collaborative effort with outside partners. This could include research projects, white papers, or other combined efforts with partner companies. Regardless of what type of project you commit to, the point is to have your agency name displayed somewhere on the finished product.

No one will know who provided the funding, or whose staff helped write a report if you don’t tell them. Something as simple as getting listed on the acknowledgments page will let your audience know who to thank for such an awesome product. If your company gets credit for participating in a highly visible project, other organizations will begin to see what you have to offer and seek to work with you later on.

Connect with Organizations That Have Related Goals

Networking continues to be key to individual career growth, but can also be applied to organizational growth. Networking events work in part because it allows an individual’s name to gain exposure to a broader audience. Organizations, much like individuals, can develop the same exposure by reaching out to partners in related fields. Building relationships with others who share similar visions will help cement your agency’s name within their memory. This will be important later on as your company takes on projects that require assistance from outside sources. Connecting first with those who have the information you need will make the transaction much smoother as opposed to cold contact.

Help Others With What They Need

One way to get on someone’s radar is to provide him or her with something of value. It’s easy to ignore spam emails or credit offers in the mail because they do not benefit us very much. How much would that change if an organization you were trying to partner with received some much-needed information, and they got it from you.

I regularly pass on grant information to city, county, and nonprofit groups that I have built relationships with. The managers and staff within these organizations are constantly looking for additional funding sources for future projects. As a result, these same people contact me regularly to see what grants are available for them. Because of the useful information I pass along, our organization becomes known as a go-to resource for grant information.

Get Published Somewhere

The written word has power, particularly on the internet where things tend to stay around for awhile. Writing something for your organization can take the form of a blog, an article on a website, or something in a published journal. Publishing something in print or electronic form allows readers to learn about you and who you represent. These pieces also help to establish your credibility within your field, which makes you a more trusted source of information. People searching for information tend to gravitate towards trusted sources, and one way to do this is to build up a reputation as an expert in your given industry.

Roman Alvarez is part of the GovLoop Featured Blogger program, where we feature blog posts by government voices from all across the country (and world!). To see more Featured Blogger posts, click here.