PLANNING WORKBOOK TUTORIALMODULE 3

STEPS FOR DEVELOPING ROADWAY USER

AWARENESS AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS

FHWA Highway SafetyMarketing, Communications, and Outreach

Decision Support Tool

The Planning Workbook is designed to help you Plan marketing, communications, and outreach activities at the

product, project, and program levels. Think through planning decisions like a marketing and outreach

professional. Access knowledge and information relevant to FHWA safety

marketing, communications, and outreach.

In using this decision support tool, please keep in mind The tool is intended to provide guidance and help. Not all of the guidance or help will be applicable to your project or

program. Use what you can; there are no right or wrong answers.

CHECKLIST 1. BASIC ELEMENTS OF MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH PLANS

• What are the major benefits of my product or program for the customers or partners?

• What are the major drawbacks (market barriers) for the customers or partners?• What's my message (how do I communicate the benefits and overcome the barriers?• Who are the customers or partners I must reach in order to effectively promote the

product or program? How can I gain input from them? What are the most effective tools and techniques for reaching them?

• What trade or professional organizations represent these customers? How can the FHWA work with them to promote this product or program?

• Who are the product or program champions? How can they help?• What is the plan for distribution of marketing and outreach tools, once they are

developed? What actions need to be taken? What's the schedule? How will distribution be tracked?

• How will I know when I have succeeded in achieving my marketing, communications and outreach objective? What is my goal? How am I tracking progress?

STEP 1: IDENTIFY OBJECTIVE

KEY QUESTION: What’s my chief objective?

Which of the three objectives below most closely describes what you want to achieve? Based on your answer, turn to the appropriate section of the workbook. If none of these selections appear to apply to your objective, contact your Communications and Outreach specialist for assistance.

Implementation of a Highway

Safety Product

GO TOTAB 2

What am I trying to achieve?

Increased Support for Roadway Safety

Programs

GO TOTAB 3

Roadway User BehaviorChange

GO TOTAB 4

MODULE 3

STEPS FOR DEVELOPING ROADWAY USER

AWARENESS AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS

It’s a whole different ballgame.

• Greater resources to achieve meaningful results.• Involvement of outreach, public relations and/or

advertising professionals for awareness programs.

• Involvement of professional educators and curriculum developers for education programs.

Because they need to reach broader audiences, public awareness and education programs generally (but not always) require:

• Focus efforts.• Broaden partnerships.• Leverage resources.

The suggested steps that follow assume that you are working with partner organizations.

The guidance in this tutorial will help your team:

STEP 2: SEEK AND CONVENE PARTNERS

KEY QUESTIONS: What organizations share an interest in this highway user awareness and education issue? How can we motivate them to provide resources and work jointly on highway user awareness and education activities? How can we convene partnership meetings and support partnership activities?

STEP 2: SEEK AND CONVENE PARTNERS

KEY QUESTIONS: What organizations share an interest in this highway user awareness and education issue? How can we motivate them to provide resources and work jointly on highway user awareness and education activities? How can we convene partnership meetings and support partnership activities?

Convening a committee or working group with representation from all of the partners is an excellent way to manage a public awareness or public education campaign.

Tab 9: Guidance on Key Influencers of Highway Safety Audiences, lists many of the major associations that are involved with highway safety issues.

STEP 2: SEEK AND CONVENE PARTNERS, continued

STEP 3: REACH OUT TO OTHER DOT AGENCIES AND OFFICES

Key Questions: Who else within DOT has experience in managing highway safety awareness and education programs similar to the one we are planning?

• Previous DOT-sponsored campaigns.• Potential partners:

– Public interest groups.– Trade and professional organizations.– Industry groups and coalitions.

Tab 10: Guidance on Highway Safety Roles of DOT Agencies and Offices, will help you determine whom to contact. Ask about:

STEP 4: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S)

KEY QUESTIONS: Who are we trying to reach? Why? Where do they live? What do we know about them?

STEP 4: DEFINE PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE(S), continued

For example, if the data show that older drivers are disproportionately involved in pedestrian crashes in your State, you may want to consider targeting them as a distinct audience sub-sector in your statewide pedestrian safety awareness campaign.

Do the crash statistics back up your audience choices?

STEP 5: DO YOUR HOMEWORK

KEY QUESTIONS: Who has conducted similar campaigns in the past? What strategies did they use? How successful were they? What were the lessons they learned? Are there any outreach or education materials already available that could be used or adapted for use in the current campaign?

• Do a web search.

• Call the organizations that have published highway safety awareness and education materials.

To research previous campaigns:

STEP 6: ESTABLISH CAMPAIGN GOAL(S)

KEY QUESTIONS: What behavior change(s) do we seek from the target audience(s) of highway users? How will we measure the behavior change? How much change are we trying to achieve? During what time frame?

• Use outcomes of previous similar programs to set realistic and achievable goals.

• Establish a way to measure progress.

STEP 7: SEEK TARGET MARKET INPUT

KEY QUESTIONS: How do members of the target audience(s) perceive the highway safety concerns we are dealing with? What outreach strategies work best for these audiences? What messages are most effective?

Learn about each target audience from members of that audience group. Options include:

• Focus groups.

• Opinion surveys.

• Interviews.

STEP 8: TEST DRAFT OUTREACH AND EDUCATION MATERIALS

KEY QUESTION: How do members of the target audience(s) react to the draft materials? What suggestions do they have for improvements?

• Ask representatives of the target audience(s) to review drafts.

• Make modifications to ensure that the outreach and education materials will have the greatest possible impact.

For further assistance in developing your marketing, communications, and outreach plan, contact:

Janet EwingCommunications and Outreach Program ManagerFHWA Office of Safetyjanet.ewing@dot.gov202-366-8029