Foundation center presentation 2010

Marketing Strategies for Health and Human Services Organizations

The Foundation Center — San Francisco

April 14, 2010

© 2010 small | simple marketing. All Rights Reserved.

What is marketing for human services agencies? Anything and everything you do that places your services, your

programs or your organization before your identified audience

Collateral — brochures, newsletters, flyers, postcards, advertisements Internet — websites, social media* Media relations — talking to the press, pitching the press Public events — community events, professional events Fundraising — direct mail, direct contact, fundraising events Direct services Everything else


How can I market my organization? You’re already doing it

Real Question: How can I market my organization effectively?

Have a strategic plan, follow it


What is a strategic marketing plan?A carefully thought out and clearly written series of steps that will

determine:

Where your organization is right now

Where your organization is going over the next year or more

How you’re going to get there

How you'll know if you got there or not


Basic components of a strategic marketing plan Who are we?

Where are we now?

Where do we want to be?

What do we want to say?

Who are we talking to?

How do we reach them?

What can we afford?

What is framing?


Who are we? Know your organization

What makes you unique? What programs do you offer that are unique? What challenges do you face?

Know your partners Other NGOs, Board members, current and former clients

Know your competition What makes them unique? What type of marketing are they doing?


Where are we now? Understand where your organization stands internally and externally

What have you accomplished? What have you produced? What challenges do you face?

Understand your clients and their needs, and whether and how you are meeting them


Where do we want to be? Determine realistic short-term (12-24 month) goals consistent with

your mission and business plan Increase donors Increase awareness of your services among clients Increase awareness of your mission among general public Increase participation in program X by 10 percent

Prioritize those goals based on resources and mission


What do we want to say? Your messages define who you are

Messages communicate to all your constituencies, both external and internal

Message development should be a collaborative process

Should be consistent across audiences, not identical

Use real people; let them tell their/your story


What do we want to say? Message Architecture Start with an umbrella message — all-encompassing

Mission, Values, Services

Key Supporting Messages — two or three Provide detail Allow for tailoring of message depending on context/audience

Proof Points Specific examples and case studies to illustrate the key messages


Message Architecture


Who are we talking to? Know your audience

Board Staff Clients Donors Partners General public Others


Who are we talking to? There is no one-size-fits-all message

You might not want to talk to your Board members the way you talk to your clients

Make sure you have the right message for the right audience

Know your audience — market research

Take advantage of free market research www.HealthMattersInSF.org/ www.HealthyCity.org


How do we reach them? Different audiences require different approaches

There is a right way and there is definitely a wrong way

Don’t reinvent the wheel

Don’t assume you can’t afford something

Don’t assume you have to pay for anything

Don’t try to do everything

Consider all your options


Different audiences, different approaches Nice, slick, four-color brochure may not sell well with your cost-

conscious Board

The low-end, photocopied letter may not play well with potential corporate donors

“The medium is the message”

Make sure you know your audience and how they get — or would like to get — information from you

Everybody has a computer


Don’t reinvent the wheel What have other organizations done that has worked?

What have you had success with in the past?

With whom can you establish partnerships to help get your message across?

Are there existing websites/newsletters that can disseminate your message?

Social media


Don’t try to do everything With a limited budget

Concentrate your dollars Focus your outlets Compress your time frame Take advantage of everything that’s free and that targets your audience Stop and think whether you really need that brochure Sometimes a letter is all that you need


Your options


Earned media Advantages

$ Greater credibility Wide audience

Disadvantages Filtered message Time investment No guarantees NOBODY READS THEM ANY MORE


Email Advantages

$ Unfiltered message Gets into people’s homes Links directly to website Frequency Trackable

Disadvantages Getting email addresses Federal regulations


Direct mail Advantages

Can target audience precisely Unfiltered message Gets into people’s homes

Disadvantages $$$ Limited frequency Limited audience


Television advertising Advantages

Can target audience precisely (Cable) Unfiltered message Gets into people’s homes Can couple with Internet $$

Disadvantages $$$ Easy to do it badly Limited content


Radio advertising Advantages

Can target audience Unfiltered message Gets into people’s homes Can couple with Internet Better for some groups than others

Disadvantages $$$$ Easy to do it badly Limited content


Print advertising Advantages

Unfiltered message Gets into people’s homes

Disadvantages $$ Easy to do it badly Declining demographic Limited content


Transit advertising Advantages

Potentially large audience Strong impact Unfiltered message Can cover a market area Daily exposure

Disadvantages $$$$ More expensive if done incorrectly


Billboards Advantages

Potentially large audience Strong impact Unfiltered message Daily exposure

Disadvantages $$$$ Not for everybody, not for every campaign


Community sponsorships/fairs Advantages

Large audience Wide exposure Perception that organization is part of community Unfiltered message Direct contact with community $$

Disadvantages Limited duration Staff time Sunburns


Your website Advantages

Unfiltered message Extensive access to content Dynamic messages Opportunities for conversion You’ve already got it $

Disadvantages Can’t target audience


Social media — Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs, Flickr, etc. Advantages

Highly targetable Perception that organization is part of the 21st Century Unfiltered messages Your voice is not the only one $

Disadvantages Easy to do it poorly Once you start, you cannot stop Your voice is not the only one


What is framing? A vital aspect of getting your message across

Every communication is framed in some way — don’t let it be an accident

Poorly framing your message is worse than remaining silent

The reply you get depends on the question you ask


Framing — example The U.S. Centers for Disease Control must prepare for an outbreak of

a rare disease that is expected to kill 600 people unless action is taken. They have proposed two possible courses of action:

Group X: Please keep your eyes open

Group Y: Please close your eyes for a moment


CDC: Group X Plan A: Will result in 200 people being saved

Plan B: Offers a one-third chance that 600 people will be saved and a two-thirds chance that no people will be saved


CDC: Group Y Plan One: Will result in 400 people dying

Plan Two: Offers a one-third chance that no one will die and a two-thirds chance that 600 will die


Framing: 600 lives at stake Group X

Plan A: Will result in 200 people being saved Plan B: Offers a one-third chance that 600 people will be saved and a two-

thirds chance that no people will be saved

Group Y Plan One: Will result in 400 people dying Plan Two: Offers a one-third chance that no one will die and a two-thirds

chance that 600 will die


Framing: 600 lives at stake Group X

Plan A: Will result in 200 people being saved — 75% Plan B: Offers a one-third chance that 600 people will be saved and a two-

thirds chance that no people will be saved — 25%

Group Y Plan One: Will result in 400 people dying — 10% Plan Two: Offers a one-third chance that no one will die and a two-thirds

chance that 600 will die — 90%


Use framing to get your message out CONTEXT — Is your story in the news these days? (e.g. can you tie your story to

the budget crisis? Is it relevant to or reflective of larger social issues or trends?)

TIMING — If you can, be flexible with the timing of your story. Look for something on the calendar — legislation, anniversaries of major events, seasonal trends — that will boost your stories perceived value.

AUDIENCE — How many people does your story affect? The more people the better, the more people close to home the better.

IT’S ALWAYS PERSONAL — if your story doesn’t feature a real person or describe precisely how real people will be affected, go back to the drawing board.

BUZZ — Make sure that others online are talking about your issue; if not, get them talking.


SIMPLE — Make it easy for your audience to understand the story and to find the relevant data.

PARTNER — Whenever possible, partner with one or more other organizations to present your story.

BE BOLD — Don’t be afraid to light a fire under the responsible parties. It’s always good to have a villain and a hero.

DO THE WORK — In pitching the media, remember that reporters are busy people who are more likely to cover a story when all the work has already been done. Have your statistics, your interviewees and all the contacts a reporter is likely to want.


Use framing to get your message out

If a young man tells his date she's intelligent, looks lovely, and is a great conversationalist, he's saying the right things to the right person — that's marketing.

If the young man tells his date how handsome, smart and successful he is — that's advertising.

If someone else tells the young woman how handsome, smart and successful her date is — that's public relations.

If half the people the young woman meets are talking about how handsome smart and successful her date is — that’s social media.


What is social media?


How prevalent is social media?

If you’re not using social media, chances are you’re making a mistake

Not all social media tools are appropriate for all organizations

Understand the different tools out there before you commit to them Blogging

Microblogging (status updating)

Social networking

Video sharing

Image sharing

Site sharing


Social media

Free is never really free

You are noted by your absence

“A taste of honey’s worse than none at all….”

Social media is still media and the same rules apply Clear, concise language

Audience appropriate

Show don’t tell

Social media has different rules


Social media


Some useful social media sites

Foundation center presentation 2010

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Transcript of Foundation center presentation 2010