Client Case Study for READ USA

The Challenge

Before partnering with Keene Lane Co. (KLC), READ USA faced several challenges:

Brand Perception: READ USA’s branding lacked consistency, making it challenging to establish a strong presence with major donors, the community, teachers, and students. A unified and professional brand identity was needed to enhance visibility and credibility across all audiences.
Marketing Inefficiency: Their digital and offline marketing efforts lacked streamlined processes, cohesive messaging, and a consistent visual brand identity, making it difficult to establish a recognizable and professional presence across all channels.
Operational Alignment: The team lacked structured workflows, leading to inefficiencies in content creation, collaboration, and asset management. No centralized system was in place for organizing marketing assets, making it difficult to maintain consistency and access files efficiently.

"KLC’s expertise elevated READ USA’s brand presence, making us a stronger, more recognizable organization. Their team’s strategic approach helped us build a scalable marketing infrastructure that continues to support our mission today."

Rob Kelly, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, READ USA Inc

1. Brand Consistency & Storytelling

Designed on-brand marketing templates for digital, print, and video materials, including flyers, event banners, sponsorship packets, annual reports, and video templates for consistent brand storytelling.
Developed a new website that aligned with READ USA’s mission and growth goals.
Collaborated with the Chief Communications Officer and communications partners to maintain a unified brand voice across social media, newsletters, and donor communications, ensuring consistency while enhancing engagement.

3. Technology & Process Implementation

Implemented HubSpot tools, including CRM, marketing automation, and Deals tracking for donor and sponsorship management.
Supported and elevated file management and content organization within tools like Dropbox, Canva, and Microsoft, ensuring streamlined access and consistency across marketing and operational assets.
Integrated RSVPify for event management and initiated the process to leverage for each event.
Developed and organized Canva setup, creating branded templates for consistent marketing materials across digital and print platforms.

4. Team Training & Empowerment

Trained staff across departments on the tools and processes implemented, ensuring they could effectively perform their roles with confidence and efficiency.
Developed standardized processes for content creation, email marketing, website and blog management, reporting, analysis review, social media planning and scheduling to ensure streamlined workflows and efficient execution across all marketing functions.
Led regular strategy meetings with leadership to ensure long-term success and alignment to goals.

Results & Impact

READ USA experienced a transformative shift, with ongoing benefits that continue to support their success, particularly in marketing efficiency, brand consistency, and team collaboration. Implementing Canva played a key role in these improvements by streamlining content creation and enhancing workflow management.

Brand Visibility & Professionalism:

- Positioned as a more impactful and professional nonprofit, strengthening stakeholder trust and engagement.
- Unified Visual Identity: The establishment of a cohesive brand identity across all materials enhanced recognition among donors, volunteers, and the community.
- Template Utilization: Custom Canva templates ensured all content remained on-brand, maintaining a professional appearance across platforms.

Marketing Growth:
- In a single year, email clicks grew almost 40%.
- Social media interactions more than doubled, driving greater audience engagement.
- Increased Content Output: Collectively, the team produced a higher volume of marketing materials, including social media graphics, event promotions, and presentations to support various campaigns and initiatives.

Website & Content Expansion: Blog views grew over 24% in a single year, demonstrating expanded reach. In a single year, website sessions increased by almost 37%, leading to a 41% increase in new contacts added to their CRM — a strong indicator of higher engagement and improved lead generation.
Operational Alignment: The team gained confidence with structured processes and tools, ensuring sustained efficiency and success.