Tips for Optimizing Your Communications Dollars

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Tips for Optimizing Your Communications Dollars
Creating Messaging that Works

• National Disability Institutes REI Tour
• Mayors Leadership Academy
• Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
• Sept. 27, 2011
• 440 540 p.m.

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introductions

• Andrew Houghton Moderator
• Disability Inclusion Solutions, Inc./President,
  NDI Board of Directors
• Paula Kelley
• Client and Business Management Executive,
  Northeast and Southeast Trust Divisions, U.S.
  Trust, Bank of America/NDI Board of Directors
• Michael Jensen
• Partner/Consultant, Mission Control Media/NDI
  Board of Directors
• Lisa Stockmann Karp
• Director of Communications, National Disability
  Institute

3
Communications

• What is it?
• Why do we do it?

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what is it?

• COMMUNICATION

• COMMUNICATIONS

• Transmitting or imparting information (one-way)
• Sharing or exchanging information (two-way)

• The field of expressing ideas effectively
• The practice of imparting or sharing information

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Communicationwhy do we do it?

• Transmit information
• Seek information
• Share ideas
• Educate/Understand
• Develop relationships/rapport
• Influence/Persuade
• Inspire/Motivate

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Communications the practicekey components

• Strategy
• Planning
• Implementation

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Communications strategy

• STEP 1 STRATEGIC PLANNING - ORGANIZATION
• MISSION
• Who are we?
• What is our purpose?
• VISION
• What do we want to accomplish?
• What would success look like?
• Who are our stakeholders/customers?
• STRATEGY
• How are we going to do achieve our mission and
  vision?
• What specific action steps do we need to take?

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Communications strategy

• STEP 2 COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
• RULE 1 YOU CANNOT DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE
  COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY IF
• You dont know who you are
• You dont know why youre here
• You dont know what success looks like for your
  organization
• You dont know or understand your
  stakeholders/target audiences
• BOTTOM LINE YOU NEED A SOLID STRATEGIC PLAN TO
  DEVELOP A SOLID COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY!
• COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY IS SIMPLY ONE OF THE MANY
  ACTION STEPS NEEDED TO EXECUTE YOUR OVERALL PLAN.

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Communications strategy

• THE BACKBONE
• Branding
• Positioning
• Messaging

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branding

• WHAT IS YOUR BRAND?
• YOUR PERSONALITY!

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YOUR BRAND IS . . .

• What your organization or company stands for
• What youre known for
• How stakeholders/ customers perceive you
• What stakeholders/customers say about you
• A PROMISE YOU MAKE TO THE WORLD!
• The key to your brand promise?
• YOUR PEOPLE
• Build brand ambassadors!

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positioning

• Owning a word or category in your
  stakeholders/customers mind
• What makes you different your unique position?
• What makes you unique in the crowded field that
  is your category?

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messaging

• What you want to say about your brand
• How you want to say it (tone, angle, keywords,
  etc.)
• A good message is
• Memorable
• Frames problem
• Offers solution
• Call to action
• Verbal and visual

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Mapping your message
Do Now Think Now
Do in the Future Think in the Future
Differentiator
MESSAGE
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TAILOR MESSAGE TO AUDIENCE
MARKET ACCESS PRIMARY NEEDS SECONDARY NEEDS RESULTS
Low-Income Written Online Income Navigating benefits Financial Stability Basic Financial Independence
Middle-Income Online Written Navigating benefits Financial Planning Financial Independence
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Next steps

• Branding, positioning, messaging finalized
• Create implement a communications plan
• How reach target audience (vehicles)
• Specific objectives/deliverables for each vehicle
  type
• Timeline
• Measureable outcomes
• What does success look like?
• Metrics

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Implementationcommunications vehicles

• Collateral/Marketing Material
• Advertising
• Public Relations
• Media Relations
• Community Outreach/Education/Partnerships
• Email Marketing
• Online/Web
• Social Media
• Text Message/Mobile Marketing

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Collateral/marketing materialPrint or electronic

• Brochures
• Newsletters
• Flyers
• Posters
• Postcards
• Mailers, etc.

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Collateral/marketing materialWAYS TO SAVE

• Get writing, design and printing donated
• Offer established designer, firm and/or printer
  sponsorship/publicity in your initiative in
  exchange for pro bono services
• Give aspiring professionals an opportunity in
  exchange for pro bono services
• Local college or university
• Local chapter of professional organizations
• AIGA (graphic design)
• PRSA (public relations)
• IABC or WIC (communications/editorial)
• AMA (marketing)
• Volunteer or one of their contacts

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Collateral/marketing materialWAYS TO SAVE

• Tricks of the Trade
• 1-C or 2-C printing
• Digital Press (low quantity)
• Existing Photos (with permissions, of course!)
• Royalty-Free Stock Photography/Illustrations/Video

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Collateral/marketing materialWAYS TO SAVE

• Online Resources
• DESIGN
• 99designs.com
• ROYALTY-FREE STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY/ILLUSTRATIONS/VIDEO
  S/AUDIO
• iStockphoto.com (very affordable!)
• PRINTING
• 48HourPrint.com
• Vista Print
• FedEx Office
• AlphaGraphics

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ADVERTISING

• Print
• Broadcast
• Online (more later)

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ADVERTISING PRINT

• Newspaper
• Magazine
• Billboard
• Direct Mail

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ADVERTISING - PRINTWAYS TO SAVE

• Ad Space Donation/PSA
• Know your print media, sizes
• Have ads campaign ready to go, or ready to be
  tailored when ask
• Sponsored Ad
• Sponsor or local business pay to place
• Request discount
• Sponsor logo/ brought to you by
• Spotlight Ad
• With other partners or non-profits
• Go in to buy a page together, each getting
  portion of space
• Local college/university, professional
  organization/club/publications ad or creative
  dept./volunteers and their contacts
• Donate creative services

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ADVERTISING - BROADCAST

• Television
• Radio

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ADVERTISING BROADCASTWAYS TO SAVE

• Produced Spots
• Ad Space Donation/PSA
• Know your broadcast media lengths - 15, 30,
  100
• Have ads campaign ready to go, or ready to be
  tailored when ask
• Sponsored Ad
• Sponsor or local business pay to place
• Request discount
• Sponsor logo or mention/ brought to you by
• Live Read - On- Air Mention by Personality
  (radio)
• Local college/university, professional
  organization/local on-air personality/stations
  ad or creative dept./volunteers and their
  contacts
• Donate creative services

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PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Promoting and developing goodwill between your
  organization and the public, your target
  audiences/stakeholders, the community.
• Practice of managing communicating between you
  and the public/stakeholders.
• MAIN TYPES
• Media Relations
• Community Outreach/Education
• Partnerships/Networking/Rapport Building

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PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA RELATIONSWAYS TO SAVE

• FREE But deliberate, strategic, trend analysis
• MEDIA RELATIONS
• Placing stories
• Pitching news to local media (print, broadcast,
  online, social)
• Trend spotting and analysis
• News Cycle The Tuesday Principal
• Creating and placing your own online content
• Articles, blogs Online content is King (more on
  this later)
• Being an expert resource for media on your
  topic/brand category

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PUBLIC RELATIONS MEDIA RELATIONSWAYS TO SAVE

• FREE But deliberate, strategic, trend analysis
• MEDIA RELATIONS
• Get to know your local media/relevant journalists
• Develop rapport
• Local college/university, professional
  organization, PR agency, volunteers and their
  contacts
• Donate media relations and PR services
• Generate media list
• Local media contacts relevant to your
  cause/brand/category
• Database and platforms available (Cision, etc.)

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PUBLIC RELATIONS community outreach, education,
partnershipsWAYS TO SAVE

• Marketing message to influencers, target
  market/stakeholders
• Also FREE But deliberate, time consuming and
  strategic
• TYPES
• Public Speaking/Presentations
• Community Engagement/Customer Service
• Community Partnerships/Coalitions Raise Issue
  Visibility
• Education Programs
• Customer Service Brand Ambassadors
• Word of Mouth
• Social Media (more later)

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EMAIL MARKETING

• FREE But need to be mindful of privacy,
  permission-based and spamming laws
• Only send marketing emails
• People who have requested to receive them
• Relevant content
• Engaging, collaborative tone but brief
• Build and create email contact list
• Must avoid being flagged as spam

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Email MARKETINGTips for Strategy Success

• BUILD A TARGETED MAIL LIST
• Tips Build your list with the aid of your best
  advocates friends
• BRING VALUE
• Tips Provide a well crafted content piece, tell
  a story
• DEVELOP A STRATEGY
• Tips Goals for new members, existing
• GOALS
• Tips Know what you want!
• TEST MONITOR RESPONSE

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Email MARKETINGMarketing Services Overview

• Constant Contact
• Manage email database, provides design
  templates, monitoring, metrics
• Set monthly fee based on size of list
• Constantcontact.com
• Vertical Response
• Manage email database, more design freedom,
  monitoring, metrics
• Pay-as-you-go fee or pay monthly
• Non-profit program up to 10,000 emails free per
  month for 501c3 orgs
• Verticalresponse.com
• List of Online Services Available
• http//email-marketing-service-review.toptenreview
  s.com

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Website Marketing

• Website Development
• Make your website an information destination
• Building or adapting your website content for
  consistent updates Social Media Integration
• Monitoring/Metrics
• Tips Resources
• Consider Use of WordPress format for Website
  build
• Offer established web designer, firm
  and/developer sponsorship/publicity in your
  initiative in exchange for pro bono services
• Give aspiring professionals an opportunity in
  exchange for pro bono services
• Local college or university,
• Local chapter of professional organizations
• Finding Talent to build your site Freelance
  talent elance.com
• Design 99designs.com
• Programming codemyconcept.com

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Online MARKETINGAdVERTISING Overview

• Advertising Basics
• Pay Per Impression ( CPM or PPM) Banner Ads/Pop
  Up Ads
• Pay Per Click (PPC) Google AdWords, etc., pay
  when ad is clicked
• Pay Per Action (PPA) Pay per sale, affiliate
  programs

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Online- MarketingOpportunities

• Outreach Programs Examples
• AOL Impact
• http//impact.aol.com/
• Cause Cast
• http//nonprofit.causecast.org
• Regional Outreach Opportunities
• Patch.com - Local!
• Digital sites in serving your communities
• Pew Research Jan 2011 Of 79 of Americans
  online. Internet was the second most
• Relied on source, adults under 40, after local
  newspaper (many of which have digital sites)

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SOCIAL MEDIA

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Others

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Communications vs. social media

• COMMUNICATIONS

• SOCIAL MEDIA

• Brand-driven
• Educates
• Message delivery One way
• Message repetition
• Brand creates content

• User/Audience driven
• Influences, Participatory
• Conversation Two-way
• Message evolution
• Audience and Brand create content together

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SociaL mediaStRategy Overview

• Design Strategy
• Craft Messaging/Voice
• Build Content Roadmap
• Identify Goals
• Create Content Drive Engagement
• Build Online Community
• Moderate Participation
• Support
• Listen Respond
• Provide Value

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SociaL media - BenefitsOpportunity

• Engaging your Audience
• Improve Loyalty with your Audience
• Analyze Insights and feedback to Improve
• Creating Brand Advocacy
• The Share Factor Friends tell Friends - Power
  of referrals

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TEXT MESSAGE/MOBILE MARKETING

• NOT FREE But like email marketing, need to be
  mindful of privacy, permission-based and spamming
  laws
• Only send texts to
• People who have requested to receive them costs
  them to receive, you to send
• Relevant content
• Engaging, Short, Collaborative tone
• Build and create texting contact list
• Must avoid being flagged as spam

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Questions Answers
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Tips for Optimizing Your Communications Dollars
Creating Messaging that Works

• National Disability Institutes REI Tour
• Mayors Leadership Academy
• Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
• Sept. 27, 2011
• 440 540 p.m.