Getting results

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• Rhonda Weldon, Director of Communications
• Office of the Vice President for Employee and
  Campus Services
• Dana Campbell, Webmaster Office of the Vice
  President for Employee and Campus Services

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Getting results begins with a plan
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Why is a plan important?

• If you make a plan, you can
• Target an audience
• Craft an effective message
• Choose an appropriate communications channel
• Measure the outcomes of your communications
  efforts

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Typical Communications Failures

• No defined expectations.
• We need to build awareness. Lets make a
  brochure.
• Poor, unclear message

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Typical Communications Failures

• Poor choice of communications channel
• PowerPoint presentations with charts you cant
  read
• Designs/visuals that dont support the message
• No metrics

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Effective communications plans

• Articulate the situation
• Include carefully developed messages
• Identify the communications channel(s) most
  suited for the target audience
• Use effective visual designs to support the
  message
• Include strategies for measuring results

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Whats the situation?

• What is the desired outcome of the communication?
• Who is the target audience?
• Demographics (e.g., age, language, language level
  OR leadership, faculty, staff, student)
• Preconceptions/Predispositions
• What are their preferred channels of
  communications?
• What are the benefits? Strengths?
• What are the barriers? Weaknesses?

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Message Development

• What is a message?
• A message is a statement that resonates with your
  audience and compels them to act. Beale
  Communications
• Messages
• Inform
• Persuade
• Move individuals to act

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Message Development

• What makes a message effective?
• Appeals logically and emotionally to the audience
• Connects to the overall business strategy and
  brand
• Is validated by evidence (e.g. stats, facts,
  anecdotes, testimonials)

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Message Development

• Message Development Step-by-Step
• 1. Review situation analysis
• Desired outcome
• Target audience
• Strengths
• Weaknesses

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Message Development

• 2. Draft language that
• The audience will understand (e.g., language,
  reading level www.utexas.edu/vp/ecs/communications
  /SMOG.pdf)
• Yield expect outcomes (inform, persuade,
  motivate)
• Play on strengths/Counter weaknesses
• Gives evidence (e.g., stats, facts, anecdotes,
  testimonials)
• 3. Edit language for
• Clarity
• Consistency
• Credibility

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Message Development

• Q. How many messages should there be?
• Typically, no more than an intro, three key
  ideas, and a conclusion in a presentation or
  short written piece.
• Solution Core messages

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Message Development

• Case Study
• HCFA
• Medicare Flu Shot Campaign

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Message Development

• Medicare Flu Shot Campaign Situation Analysis
• Desired outcome Increase number of Medicare
  beneficiaries getting flu shots
• Target audience 65 and older, multi-lingual/multi
  -racial, interest in maintaining health, frequent
  physician visits, many on maintenance
  medications, strong family feelings, significant
  number on fixed income, preconception that the
  flu shot gives you the flu (vaccine was once live
  virus)

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Message Development

• Medicare Flu Shot Campaign Situation Analysis
• Benefits/strengths 85 of those who get flu
  shot will NOT get the flu, stay healthy during
  the holidays, Medicare pays for the flu shots
• Barriers/weaknesses preconception, confusion
  about how often and when you should get the flu
  shot, people allergic to eggs shouldnt get the
  flu shot, confusion about payment for the flu
  shot

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Message Development

• Core Messages
• You cant get the flu from a flu shot
• The flu vaccine is a dead form of the virus grown
  in eggs.
• People who get sick after getting the flu shot
  were likely exposed to it prior to taking the
  vaccine.
• Medicare pays for flu shots
• Medicare Part B pays for the shot no matter where
  you get it. As long as the person giving the
  shot charges no more than Medicare pays, your
  shot will cost you nothing
• Most members of Medicare HMOs can get their flu
  shot from their HMO.

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Message Development

• Core Messages
• Get the flu shot and stay healthy and active
• Get the flu shot every year because the flu virus
  changes every year.
• Get the flu shot in the fall before flu season
  starts.
• Avoid getting the flu and spreading it to your
  loved ones.

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Message Development
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Measuring Results

• Four types of measurement
• Formative pre-testing
• Process procedures and tasks
• Outcomes attitude change, behavior shifts
• Impact long range results, return on investment

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Measuring Results

• Formativepre-testing
• Survey Define your audience
• Focus groups Test messages and products
• Ask some friends Informal, but effective and
  cheap.
• Why pre-test? Get information and feedback
  before you spend your time and money.

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Measuring Results

• Processprocedures and tasks
• Timelines and deadlines
• Task lists
• Why process measures? Excellent project
  management tool.

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Measuring Results

• Outcomes--attitude or behavior shift, action
  taken
• Focus groups and surveys (attitude)
• Quantify desired action
• Sales
• Calls
• Participants
• Why outcomes measures? If you dont measure it,
  it never happened.

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Measuring Results

• Impactlong range results, return on investment
• Data indicating long term social or behavior
  change
• Data indicating you
• Saved money
• Made money
• Avoided costs
• Why measure impact? When you measure impact you
  tie your communication back to the larger
  organizational goal, objective, or strategy.

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Measuring Results

• Data indicating--long term social or behavior
  change
• For example, As a result of a broad based
  educational campaign implemented by HCFA and
  state health care organizations and providers,
  the Medicare program saw an overall 15 increase
  in immunization rates for flu during the past two
  year in Texas.
• Source Medicare Part B claims data

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Measuring Results

• Data indicating you saved money, made money, or
  avoided costs
• For example, reduced hospital admissions for flu
  and pneumonia saved Medicare
• ROI is
• Revenue (saved money, made money, or avoided
  costs) minus Cost of communications
  (salaries/time, channels)

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INTERMISSION
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Design for Success
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Good design leads the reader to your message.
YOU
T
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Good design leads the reader to your message.

• Eyes generally go to top right (print) or top
  left (web)
• Graphics and photos command attention -
  especially faces
• Line it up and break it up!

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Key Design Elements

• Balance
• Contrast
• Rhythm
• Unity

• Color
• Line
• Space
• Typography

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Color

• The Color Wheel

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Color

• The Color Wheel
• Complementary
• Directly across from each other on the wheel

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Color

• The Color Wheel
• Analagous
• A color and its adjacent colors on the wheel

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Color

• Color schemes using the UT Color Palette

http//www.utexas.edu/web/guidelines/color.html
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Contrast

• Contrast draws the eye by setting elements apart
  from each other.

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Contrast and Balance
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Balance and Rhythm
Grouping related items together is far more
effective than random placement
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Whitespace
Dont be afraid of white space. It makes your
elements pop and enhances readability.
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Whitespace
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Line and Consistency
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Typography

• Rule of thumb no more than two fonts
• Serif fonts are best for reading comprehension
  except on the web
• Effective if you use sans-serif for your
  headlines, use a serif for your body text and
  vice versa

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Typography
Serif Godzilla Lives!
Sans serif Godzilla Lives!
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Typography
Serif Godzilla Lives!
Sans serif Godzilla Lives!
Serifs help lead the eye through a lot of
text. But on the web, serifs blur the text.
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Graphics and Photos

• Must relate to the message, or theyll simply
  distract from your message
• Be judicious in using clipart
• On the web, avoid animations, flashing text, etc.

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Elements

• contrast
• Engaging, relevant photos
• Clear message

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And Need We Mention

• Never, ever, send out a print or e-mail message
  with a typo or grammatical error.

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And Need We Mention

• Never, ever, send out a print or e-mail message
  with a typo or grammatical error.

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Color Wheel

• Complementary

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And Need We Mention
Never, ever, send out a print or e-mail message
with a typo or grammatical error.
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Getting it Read
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Getting It Read

• Why do so many print and electronic
  communications get ignored?

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Getting It Read

• Choose the right communication vehicle.
• Send it to the right audience.
• Plan your timing.
• Use good design and wording to make it stand out
  in the pile.

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The Right Vehicle

• University Communication Tool Box

• Web Sites

• Campus Publications

• E-mail

• Departmental Publications

• Meetings/Councils/Committees

• Media (off campus)

• Voice Mail

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University Communication Tool Box
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Getting It Read - E-mail

• 1 - The SUBJECT line
• Avoid acronyms
• Be concise and compelling
• Avoid spam-triggering words

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Getting It Read

• Subject Lines
• Demonstrate value ie, give them a reason to
  open your message.
• Emphasize University/official affiliations to
  differentiate your message

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Subject Lines
SUBJECT Sale on swimsuits! BETTER Suit sale
supporting UT Aquatics program

SUBJECT PDC offers LAD certification BETTER
UT Career Center offers certification
SUBJECT Informational BETTER Informational
Bush on campus
SUBJECT Important notice from tech
services BETTER Action required password
change by Jul 17
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Getting It Read - E-mail

• 2 - The Return Address
• Is your Sender a mystery?
• Take care with attachments

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Getting It Read - E-mail

• 3 - The Message
• You have 8 seconds or less
• State your core message up front
• Use very short paragraphs, subheadings, bullets
  and bold text to break a long message up

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Getting It Read - Web

• Make it easy for the user to find what they
  came for
• Accurate, user-friendly links
• Content that is correct and current
• Put your web address on everything (without
  the http// unless it is in an e-mail)
• Dont make them wait

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Message Timing

• Mondays and Fridays are not optimal
• People get bulk of messages on Mondays messages
  on Fridays more likely to be put off or ignored
• Mid to late morning best times
• After beginning-of-the-day rush, but while people
  are still fresh

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Timing

• Repetitive messages
• Effective with print if each piece offers new or
  different information
• Not effective with e-mail (exception official or
  high stakes communications)
• Immediacy
• Print materials might be read days or weeks later
• E-mail is usually read immediately or not at all

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Get Action

• State the requested action clearly
• visit our web site to
• register today
• Make sure your links work!
• A period, parentheses, or quotation mark at the
  end of your URL can render it unclickable
• Link directly to the page you want them to see
• Include contact information
• Keep response stats
• how did you hear about us?

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The Challenge
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Develop a Communications Plan

• Situational Analysis
• B. Strategy / Message Development
• C. Measurement

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Scenarios

• Give Pez a Chance

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Scenarios

• Going Bananas

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Scenarios

• Bubble, Bubble
• Toil and Trouble

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Scenarios

• No Bones About It

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Brainstorming
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Communications Resources

• Communications Plan Template
• SMOG test
• Color Wheel
• Sample News Releases
• Crisis Communications Dos and Dontsthese are
  all available at www.utexas.edu/vp/ecs/communicati
  ons

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Communications Resources

• Universitys Visual Guidelineswww.utexas.edu/visu
  alguidelines
• University Group E-mail Guide
• https//utdirect.utexas.edu/gs/oe/index.WBX
• Short course on typographyhttp//www.utexas.edu/v
  isualguidelines/vg_p_type.html

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Communications Resources

• ClickZ - Marketing, print and e-mail strategy
  www.clickz.com
• Web Sites That Suck - great donts
  !www.websitesthatsuck.com

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Communications Resources
UT Design Center www.utexas.edu/opa/design Univer
sity Printing www.utexas.edu/services/printing
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Go Forth and Communicate

• Develop a communications plan.
• Hone your message.
• Choose the right medium for your target audience.
• Design it well.
• Deliver it at the right time.
• Reap your rewards!