Marketing that moves missions forward.

Deep Varnish helps mission-driven organizations build the strategy and creative to turn what they do into something people remember.

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Upcoming Workshop:

Nonprofit Storytelling 9/29

Join us September 29, 7pm, at New Sun Rising for our free, hands-on workshop on nonprofit storytelling using the iPhone. John Craig, VP, Content Production at Fifth Influence and an award-winning photographer, is co-leading the workshop. John is an expert on visual storytelling and using photography and videography to capture the essence of your nonprofit's mission.

Register for Free

We're greedy about results.

We look at the whole picture. Where the spend is going, whether the website converts, whether the brand is actually pulling its weight. We stay on it until the numbers move. And you work with Shawn Graham directly, the same person who diagnoses the problem, builds the fix, and has run the campaigns himself.

Most engagements start the same way, with a Brand Storytelling Audit that finds your true north before anything gets built.

  • We find what's genuinely true about your brand and build your messaging, voice, and creative direction around it. The result is a story your whole team can tell the same way, the natural first step when the results aren't matching the effort.

  • We build a focused plan around your goals, channels, and budget, then help you execute it. Every decision is tied to a specific outcome.

  • Websites are often built before the strategic questions get answered. What visitors should do, how the navigation should work, whether the messaging is actually doing its job. We handle the strategy and creative direction covering architecture, messaging, calls to action, visual storytelling, and SEO foundations.

  • We make sure your website, channels, and paid campaigns are working together. The foundation has to be right before the spend makes sense.

  • Senior marketing leadership without the cost of a full-time hire. We set direction, align your team, and stay accountable to results for as long as you need that level of guidance.

Explore How We Work
Explore How We Work

Problems we solve…

  • White number 1 on a brown circular background.

    Our marketing spend isn’t paying off.

    We’re throwing money at tactics without a real plan and getting little to show for it.

  • Number 2 inside a brown circle

    We don’t have the time or capacity to do this well.

    The team is stretched thin, and strategy keeps getting pushed aside.

  • White number 3 on a brown circular background.

    Our brand voice is all over the place.

    Different teams are saying different things, and it’s showing up in our marketing.

  • Number 4 inside a brown circle

    We aren’t sure what’s working.

    Either we’re not measuring the right things, or we don’t know how to use the data we have.

  • White number 5 on a brown circular background.

    Our messaging isn’t connecting.

    It’s too vague, too technical, or too focused on us instead of our audience.

  • A circular badge with a brown background and a large white number six in the center.

    We’re producing a lot of content, but it’s not doing much.

    It’s not driving traffic, interest, or action. It’s just eating up time.

  • Number 7 on a brown circular background

    We’re struggling to reach the right people.

    Our audience isn’t engaging, and we’re not sure how to change that.

  • Number 8 billiard ball on a brown background.

    Our brand or website feels outdated.

    It no longer reflects who we are or what we do best.

  • White number 9 on a brown circular background.

    We’re afraid to stand out.

    We play it safe, and our marketing blends in instead of breaking through.

  • Number 10 inside a brown circle

    We’re stuck doing tactics without a bigger plan.

    Emails, posts, and campaigns are going out, but there’s no bigger plan tying it all together.

In their words.

  • A photo of Lori Gatmaitan.

    "I engaged with Deep Varnish on a range of projects including brochure development, photography and videography, SEO, collateral design, annual giving optimization, social media and email strategy, and a full website and brand redesign. Shawn was an exceptional partner throughout. His innovative thinking and thoughtful approach gently pushed our organization beyond its comfort zone in ways that ultimately strengthened our fundraising and advanced our mission. I would highly recommend Shawn and Deep Varnish to any organization seeking a creative, strategic, and truly invested partner."

    Lori Gatmaitan
    Former VP, SAE Foundation

  • A photo of Alan Miciak.

    "Deep Varnish was a great strategic partner and provided valuable insights to shape our MBA enrollment marketing strategy. Their understanding of higher education marketing resulted in recommendations that helped fuel our admissions efforts. We are already experiencing an encouraging improvement in enrollment and the overall MBA grad experience."

    Alan Miciak
    Dean, John Carroll University's Boler School of Business

  • A photo of Darin Smith.

    "Our web presence vastly improved with our new website and SEO. We dove right into a new marketing strategy and instantly had positive results in quote requests and sales. Deep Varnish was able to quickly learn our industry and gave us insight as to what our next steps should be."

    Darin Smith
    General Manager, Printscape Imaging & Graphics

Curious about working together?

Based in Pittsburgh, Deep Varnish works with organizations that want their marketing to reflect the quality of what they do. If you'd like to talk about a project, or just to say hi, get in touch.

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