Marketing on the Cheap! Envision Hawaii Conference June 18, 2005

1. Marketing on the Cheap! Envision Hawaii Conference June 18, 2005 Mary Fastenau, StarrTech Interactive Tammi Chun, GEAR UP Hawai‘i

2. What we’re going to cover • Importance of brand • Tips on planning • Practical applications • Questions

3. Ask the hard questions • What “business” are you in? • What is your brand image? • Who are your “customers”?

4. What business are you in? • Example: American Heart Association • Research business? • Public education business? • Advocacy business? • Fund-raising business? • All of the above

5. What is your brand image? • Brand is set of values you stand for and how you want to be recognized • Your brand is sum of all your customers’ interactions with your organization • Promotions, advertising • Employees, volunteers, contributors, clients • Fundraising • Ongoing relationships • Any touchpoint

6. Why is brand important? • “If we don’t have a clear, strong and simple brand, they might see what we do, but they’ll forget who it was that did it.”

7. Look at your brand • Who are your “competitors”? • How do you differentiate your organization from your competitors? • How do you position your organization? • What is your unique role?

8. Who are your customers? • Who are your target audiences? • Example: American Heart Associations • People who are at risk for heart disease and stroke • Research community • Medical community • Other health educators and partners • Potential funders

9. Marketing strategy elements • Targeting—to whom are you going to market your products and services? • Positioning—how are you going to differentiate yourself from competitors? • Product/Service Attributes—what attributes/features will the product/service have? • Marketing Communications—how are you going to reach the target and with what message?

10. Marketing strategy elements • Pricing—what price will you charge the target? (Note: Remember that a price can be time as well as money.) • Distribution—what channels will you use to distribute the product or service? • Customer Service—how will you manage additional customer needs? • American Marketing Association: http://www.marketingpower.com/

11. Create a plan • Decide the target audience, how you are going to reach the target and the message to communicate • Determine how much of your budget is allocated to reaching the target with the message • Develop goals for each part of the plan • Try to track everything you do. • Think outside the box

12. Example: • Goal: Reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 25% by the year 2010. • Tactics: Focus on public education-“Learn and Live” campaign • Work with partners who can help increase the number of people reached • Target areas that have the most impact, i.e. hospitals that are treating heart attack survivors

13. Example: • Role of brand • Brand name carries history and reputation in science, medical, and fund raising communities • Potential partners know the value of AHA • Make sure the brand and goal are communicated in all encounters

14. Example: AHA Heart Walk • Objectives • Raise money for the AHA • Increase awareness of issues affecting heart disease and stroke • Encourage healthy living and physical activity

15. Example: AHA Heart Walk • Target markets • Businesses who in turn are asked to recruit employees • Strategies • Recruit a high-profile business leader as chair • Al Landon, Bank of Hawaii • Focus on the one to one commitments from business leaders • Create high visibility for participating businesses

16. Example: AHA Heart Walk • Marketing used • Radio station to promote and provide talent • Work in partnerships so that businesses get exposure • Internal communication within businesses • One to one marketing via the Internet

18. Example: AHA Heart Walk • Success factors • Money raised • Number of people who participated • Number of sponsors for the health fair • Ease in recruiting next year’s chair

19. Practical tips - How to start? • Look at your internal resources • Expertise • Connections • Enthusiasm/success stories • High profile issues or people • Unique opportunities • Be realistic

20. How to start? • Look for partners • Supplement internal resources with external ones • Identify partners who share your values • Understand the mutual benefit for partner • Focus on the brand and make sure everyone is on the same page

21. How to start? • Coordinate elements of the plan • Public relations (“earned” media) • Advertising (“paid” media) • Direct mail • Promotions • Internet • Collateral material

22. Public relations • Inexpensive way to get your name out • Requires a plan • Media advisory • Press release • Op-Ed/Letters to the Editor • How to get a story • Pay attention to the media and see what they are reporting on • Look for individual reporters • Tailor your story to what they are interested in

23. Public relations • See if there are opportunities for guest articles • Example: Kelvin Taketa from HCF in Honolulu Advertiser • Example: Sally Little in Pacific Business News • Become an expert: Make certain you are on the list of people who are contacted in your area of expertise • Publicize promotions and new hires

24. Public Relations • Understand your target markets and how to reach them • Midweek’s two-page spread on non-profit events • Weekly’s coverage of Envision Hawaii conference

25. Advertising • Look at ways to hit your target markets • Approach a TV station to see if they would produce and sponsor PSAs • Special sections in Hawaii Business • Hawaii Association of Broadcasters • Cable • TheBus placards

26. Advertising • Ask for details on any advertising buy • Where or when will the ad appear? • Are there any discounts for multiple insertions? • Does a discount make sense? • How many people will see the ad? • Who are those people?

27. Advertising • One message per ad • Make sure the ad supports your brand image • Tell people what you want them to do after they see the ad (“call to action”) • Find a way to track the results before you place the ad

28. Direct mail • Relevant message to targeted market • Offer something of value • Test the offers and the creative if possible • Develop a plan of action for the replies • Should they be entered in a database? • Is there a follow-up required?

29. Direct mail • Make sure you buy a good list • Example: Hawaii non-profit bought a list of businesspeople for under $200 and ended up with six enrollees in an expensive seminar • Or barter for a good list • Example: GEAR UP shares list with other college prep programs for recruiting

30. Promotions • Join with a media partner for a contest or prize • Easter Seals’ Taste of Honolulu Chef de Jour tickets via Downtown Weekly • Provide giveaways to organizations that promote your brand • Think of unusual partnerships • Look for cause-related marketing opportunities

31. Internet • Clearly define what you want the site to accomplish • Informational • Transactional • Relationship building • Customer service • The list goes on and on

32. Internet • Determine the budget for the site and get multiple bids • Think about it as a long-term investment • Have all the pieces in place to make things happen • Decide who will maintain the site • Make sure the visual image fits with your brand

33. Internet • Look at third party software • E-commerce – Will Yahoo Stores work? • http://store.yahoo.com/ • Email – Microsoft BCentral • http://www.bcentral.com/products/lb/default.asp • Site updating • http://www.macromedia.com/software/contribute/ • Cheap web hosting: ICD Soft • Google-like events & copy

34. Internet - Contribute to maintain website Managed through Contribute

35. Internet - Site hosting by ICD Soft

36. Collateral Material • Important way to communicate brand • Provides tools for staff, volunteers, clients to spread message (especially when it’s not easy to reach target via mass media)

37. Collateral Material • Develop graphic design • Brochure shells • Library of graphic elements • Own stock photos

38. Collateral Material • Understand printing • “Gang up” multiple projects • Print “additional stuff” in the margins • Use colors well • Hagadone advice about printing: “Training & Support” at http://www.hagadoneprinting.com • Postcard Press: http://www.postcardpress.com/ • Use templates • In house color printer vs. Kinkos

39. Collateral Material • Understand mailing • Postal guidelines for size • Bulk mail requirements • Netpost mailing via http://www.usps.com/ • Outsourcing • Logo items • http://www.cafepress.com/

40. Conclusion • Think outside of the box • Remember your mission • Understand your brand position and be true to it • Look at your return on investment • Analyze the cost expended for marketing • Real money • Opportunity cost • Set up mechanisms to track results

41. Conclusion • Ask the hard questions when someone is pitching you an opportunity • Know when you can handle things yourself and when you need help • Have fun

42. Contact Mary Fastenau StarrTech Interactive Mfastenau@starrtechmail.com Tammi Chun GEAR UP Hawai‘i Tammi.chun@hawaii.edu