Marketing Cycling Handbook by Ben Hummer

Marketing Cycling Handbook

Introduction

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The challenge – and the opportunity About this handbook What is marketing?

1.1 The challenge – and the opportunity Increasing cycling in the UK is a priority for everyone. It would mean a huge improvement in our quality of life – both personally and collectively. But first we have to change peoples’ attitudes towards cycling. Specifically, we have to persuade many non-cyclists to try, and enjoy, cycling – then keep on doing it!

is to try to increase awareness of an existing provision which is under-used – maybe an on- or off-road cycle route, a programme of organised cycle rides or a schools-based project. By applying the techniques suggested in this handbook, you will start to get a sense of what works in your area and how best to take things forward. 1.3 What is marketing?

The National Cycling Strategy (NCS) aims to increase cycle use by all age groups. Its immediate objective is to triple the number of cycle trips by 2010, taking 1996 figures as a base. This is ambitious – but achievable. It would simply mean that cycling in the UK reached the levels already achieved in other European countries such as Sweden and Germany. It’s easy to think of persuasive arguments in favour of cycling. The challenge is communicating them effectively to the people who are most likely to try it for themselves. That means thinking, and taking action, at a local level. And this is where you can make a difference. 1.2 About this handbook This handbook is designed to help you plan and implement successful local cycling marketing campaigns. It explains how to use basic marketing tools to work out which groups of people to target and how to communicate with them. It also includes examples of good practice which demonstrate the value of marketing techniques and show what’s possible.

Marketing is no more than a set of principles and techniques that can be applied to almost any objective. It seeks to understand people as consumers, to know what interests and motivates them, and to present them with good, relevant reasons for doing something. Above all, marketing encourages you to be customer-focused. Only then can you understand the barriers that stop people from cycling. These may be physical things – like not having a bike, being unaware of safe cycle routes, or not having secure cycle storage. Or they may be more intangible concerns, like having a poor image of cycling, or feeling that it’s “just not for me”. For example, one cycling initiative aimed at schoolchildren discovered that many children were not cycling because their bikes were in a poor state of repair. Arranging basic cycling maintenance classes was an effective way of getting them cycling again.

Even small-scale projects can make a difference, so don’t feel you need a major initiative to get going. A good starting point

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Deciding on your objectives

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What do you want to achieve? Setting objectives Are your objectives SMART? Turning objectives into actions How will you achieve your aims?

2.1 What do you want to achieve? Being clear about what you want to achieve is the first stage of a well-thoughtout marketing plan. It helps you focus on the key issues and make the most of the resources available. 2.2 Setting objectives When drafting your marketing action plan, the first step is to set your objectives – the ultimate goals of your marketing activity. Here are some simple tests you can apply to your marketing objectives to establish whether they are sensible and workable. Do your objectives reflect the needs of consumers? Your objectives should reflect the needs of consumers – the groups of people you have identified who would benefit from cycling more – as well as the aims of your organisation and any partner organisations involved in the project. First, you will have to define your target audience. You can find out how to go about this in section 4.

2 Have you considered how your programme will be resourced? In an ideal world your resources would match your ambitions. In practice, it may be difficult to find new resources for marketing. However, you may be able to put together local partnerships in which people from different groups – cycling organisations, council officers, community representatives, health professionals – work together to achieve a common goal. These partnerships may open up new sources of funding. 2.3 Are your objectives SMART? To set objectives effectively, write them down and make sure they’re SMART. Smart objectives are: Specific Make sure that your objectives relate to specific outcomes, not the actions you take to achieve them. For example, producing a promotional leaflet is not an objective, although it may be an important action that contributes to achieving your aims

Do your objectives tie in with local or national policy objectives? Consider how your objectives contribute to the achievement of wider regional and national policy objectives.

Measurable Can you measure progress, and is there a system in place to help you do so? It is easier if you can focus on something quantifiable – a rate or percentage or number: for example, the percentage of children at a local primary school who cycle to school.

Are your objectives practical? Focus on realistic, achievable goals; a record of success will gather its own momentum and drive further initiatives.

Achievable In principle, could you achieve your objective, given a reasonable amount of effort and application?

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Deciding on your objectives

Consider boosting the effect of your marketing activity by gaining the support of a partner organisation or sponsor. Sustrans has obtained the support of Halfords in publishing information aimed at encouraging non-cyclists to try cycling

Relevant Are your objectives relevant to consumer needs and motivations? Time-specific Is there a clearly stated finish and/or a start date? An example of a poorly set objective would be: Increase recreational cycling in Summerstown. A ‘smart’ version of this might be: Increase the average daily number of cyclists using Summerstown’s riverside path by 15 per cent over the 12 months to 31 July 2005. 2.4 Turning objectives into actions Here are some examples of objectives and the actions you might take to achieve them. Objective 1 To raise awareness among school children (in the 9 to 11 age group) about cycle routes between their school and home. To achieve this objective you could approach the head teachers of the relevant schools and suggest you talk to children in class about ways they could cycle safely to school. You could encourage schools to find out about the school cycling and training project which will be launched in spring 2005. You could also arrange a guided cycle to school with parents and helpers. Objective 2 To encourage weekday shoppers to cycle rather than drive to the local supermarket.

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You could approach the local supermarket and discuss how it could encourage people to cycle – for example, by raising awareness of secure cycle storage provided by the store, or offering cyclists a free coffee or tea in the store café. You also could persuade the local bike shop to stock a large-capacity, removable shopping bag. Objective 3 To encourage a local women’s group to cycle a different route each month during the summer months as part of its planned activities. You could build a relationship with the women’s group by attending/speaking at meetings, offering support in planning routes, finding volunteers to guide initial rides and providing information on safe, enjoyable cycling. 2.5 How will you achieve your aims? Once you have established what you want to achieve, you must work out how to do it. Remember, your marketing action plan must meet the needs of a specified group of people or ‘market segment’ (see section 4), and the partner or sponsoring organisation if there is one. Your action plan should address the following areas: What do people want or need? As different people expect different things, you must decide who your target groups are and identify their needs and wants. Section 4 provides more details on segmentation and targeting.

Deciding on your objectives

How can you create a positive experience? What benefits does the target group expect? How can you ensure its experience is a positive one? See Section 5. How will you communicate the benefits to people? What messages do you want to communicate? What are the most efficient and cost-effective promotional tools for reaching your target audience? For more information, turn to Section 5. Have you done what you set out to do? When drafting your plan, it is important to think about monitoring and evaluation, so you can learn from your experiences and do even better next time. You will only be able to do this if you can measure progress. See Section 8.

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Finding the information you need

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Facing facts Gathering information Primary research sources Secondary research sources Making best use of your information

3.1 Facing facts Understanding people and their behaviour is the starting point for any marketing programme. Whether you are looking to develop a new cycle route or to promote regular cycling to inactive people, you need to understand your ‘customer’. Being a cycling expert or enthusiast does not necessarily make you very good at this! You need reliable information.

3 exercise in which representatives of local groups expressed their views about a specific cycling issue

_ Responses from a ‘focus group’ meeting in which a group of invited attendees discussed a series of pre-set questions Secondary research refers to information gathered by others. The obvious advantage is that someone has done the work for you! However, this information may be more general, less up to date and less directly relevant to local circumstances than information you gather yourself.

3.2 Gathering information Before starting to gather information, be clear about what information you need and how you will use it. Put your preconceptions aside and try to be openminded. Using information effectively means being prepared to change your mind about things. Information falls into two categories. Original information that you generate yourself is known as primary research. The advantage of primary research is that it can be highly specific to local circumstances. The drawback is that it can be expensive and demand significant time and resources to obtain. If you look hard, you will often find that the information you’re looking for is available in secondary research sources. There are many types of primary research. This category would include:

There are many types of secondary research, including: _ Census information _ Academic research _ Articles in transport magazines _ Department of Transport surveys and reports _ Material gathered by organisations like the National Cycling Strategy Board, the CTC or British Cycling If the information you need is difficult to find or your needs are complex, you may need to seek the assistance of a specialist before trying to gather data. Here’s a quick rundown on some of the main forms of information gathering. 3.3 Primary research sources

_ The results of a questionnaire designed to find out local employers’ views on cycling _ Data on the number of cyclists passing a certain point on a cycle route _ The results of a community consultation

Observation One easy way to monitor how many people are cycling is to count them! You can also obtain information informally when cycling yourself. Make sure your own

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Finding the information you need

Researchers travelled around the UK checking cycle storage facilities at railway stations. They looked closely at how cyclists were choosing to secure their bikes. Large numbers of cycles locked to railings or other structures suggested that bike racks were in the wrong place

experience is typical, though. This type of market research is called observation. Observational research is gathering data by watching people, their actions and activities. You can observe cycling facilities to see if they are well-used, or watch parents arrive at school with their children to get a broad picture of how many walk or cycle. Observation is an inexpensive and useful way to gather initial information. Taking photographs over a period of time can also capture information for future reference. Open-ended research People are often reluctant to express views that they fear may give offence. So if someone knows you are trying to promote cycling, they may subconsciously try to please you by appearing more positive about it than they really are. Sometimes it makes sense to ask people about their views without being too specific about what it’s for. For example, if you are trying to find out what schoolchildren really think about cycling, it may be better not to tell them that you are actively trying to promote it! Community consultation A way of enabling a wide cross-section of local people to share their experiences and views. This is useful both when you are gathering information and when you are actually planning or promoting a particular course of action. Community consultation can reveal things which you might not discover any other way. For example, you might find that people did not use a particular cycle route

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“The process of community consultation can reveal things that you might not discover any other way” because of worries over safety. The key to increasing use would not be promoting the route, but working out what would make it safer – for example, improving the lighting. An advantage of community consultation is that it enables you to reach beyond people who are already committed to cycling. Community consultation can be organised in the form of workshop sessions or drop-ins. It’s better to go to where people are – clubs, workplaces, schools, libraries – rather than expect them to come to you. Another form of community consultation is aimed at discovering the views of specific interest groups – for example, local cycling clubs, environmental groups, health professionals and so on. This can be a very efficient way of tapping into local expertise and building wider support for your promotional strategy. In-depth interviews You can gather a lot of useful information by conducting one-to-one interviews. They are a good way to explore people’s views in depth or get reactions to publicity material or projected events. Ask the interviewee’s permission and try to choose somewhere fairly quiet. It is a good idea to record your conversation if you can; that way, you don’t miss any points they make and you don’t have to scribble notes.

Finding the information you need

A Leicestershire school had few pupils cycling to school and poor security and storage facilities. A teacher organised a school conference on cycling. Pupils were given disposable cameras to take pictures of the problems they encountered trying to bike to school. This stimulated interest to the point at which the school was able to mount a successful funding bid. Pupils were involved in how the funds were spent, selecting a package of measures including a new bike store with lockers. 50 pupils and 5 staff now cycle to school

Focus groups Similar to in-depth interviews in that they are fairly informal in nature, focus groups typically involve talking to between six and eight people at one time. Focus groups are usually a small sample of typical users or consumers under the direction of a group leader who guides the discussion. Like one-to-one interviews, they are a useful way of exploring issues in some detail or testing reactions to ideas. They are best done with the assistance of a professional market researcher. Focus groups generally last a couple of hours, and you need somewhere quiet to hold them. You may need to offer travelling expenses and provide refreshments. Questionnaires In-depth interviews and focus groups help you to identify the key issues. They can be used on their own, but are often used before drawing up a more detailed questionnaire to use with a much larger group of people. Questionnaires are more structured than other primary research methods described above, typically containing questions that require respondents to select from a predetermined list of specific answers. This is useful because it allows you to quantify responses (eg “72 per cent of respondents said they would cycle into town if they were allowed to use the canal towpath”). Questionnaire design is a specialist area and you will need the input of someone experienced in this field. A good questionnaire is easy and quick to understand, relevant to the respondents,

simple to answer and straightforward to analyse – and will generate relevant, fair and reliable data. Pilot testing a questionnaire It’s useful to pilot test your questionnaire before “going live”. This means trying it out on a small sample of people first. This will reveal whether the questions are understood and meaningful. Much better to find out in advance if you’ve not got it quite right. Sampling and reliability Your questionnaire results and conclusions must stand up to close scrutiny because you’re going to base decisions on the findings. One issue is whether your survey sample is a fair representation of the wider population whose views the findings are used to represent. If you plan to put together your own survey or questionnaire, you could start by taking a look at existing examples. For surveys on children’s use of bikes, look at www.saferoutestoschools.org.uk www.schoolzone.co.uk www.eco-schools.org.uk www.youngtransnet.org.uk 3.4 Secondary research sources Whether or not you decide to conduct primary research, you may want to consider what secondary research (research already undertaken and published by others) is available. The vast range of potential sources includes: Government statistics on population, health, leisure and transport information, available either in printed form or online. Local authorities in particular are likely to be aware of existing research on the local population.

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Finding the information you need

A school in Eastleigh set itself the objective of increasing the number of pupils walking or cycling to school over five years. They devised a questionnaire and sent it to 600 pupils and parents. The results indicated that bike storage facilities were inadequate and insecure, and cycleways poorly lit. As a result of the survey, the local authority has provided funds to address these issues

Statistics compiled by organisations and public bodies. Cycling and transport organisations such as the Cyclist’s Touring Club (CTC), British Cycling and many others publish a wealth of cycling-relevant facts and information online and in print. Area tourist board statistics and information on leisure and recreation trends. Newspapers and magazines (particularly specialist publications). They often have useful background information or facts about local issues. The internet Search engines like Google are a good place to look for information on themes in your research, although you need to look carefully at sources. Not all information you find online is reliable. 3.5 Making best use of your information As well as making use of research findings yourself, you may want to share them with others – the people who participated in your research project, for example. Sometimes research results are newsworthy and can be used to get wider publicity for your programme. For example, a local newspaper might be interested in a news item about the number of local children who would cycle to school if they were encouraged to do so. Publicity would be a good way of preparing the ground for the measures you plan to implement. Research findings are not always what you anticipate. Be prepared to adapt your plans accordingly. Being responsive and flexible will make your marketing plan stronger in the long run.

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“If research findings are not what you expect, you must be prepared to adapt your plans accordingly”

Toolkit 1 Getting specialist help You may find your project requires specialist, professional input in certain areas. For instance: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Market research Marketing planning Creative design Brand identity design Copywriting Web design Media buying Photography

Whether or not you use any of these services on a commercial basis will depend on: _ Your objectives _ The scale of your project _ The time and financial resources available _ Your own skills and experience, and those of members of your team or project partners _ Project deadlines _ Project requirements

Golden rules Dealing with specialist suppliers for the first time can be daunting. If you decide that outside help is needed, follow these golden rules. _ Ask your network of contacts (or the major cycling organisations) to recommend suppliers they’ve used and been satisfied with. Or find the appropriate professional body (eg The Market Research Society, The Chartered Institute of Marketing) and ask for their list of approved members.

_ Suppliers should be experts in their particular field, and should also have (or be prepared to develop) an understanding of and sympathy for cycling. _ Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. Establish a clear budget and find the supplier who will deliver best value for that sum. Don’t necessarily go for the cheapest option. _ Meet two to three different suppliers to compare their strengths and weaknesses – even if you feel comfortable with the first one you see. _ When you find a potential supplier, ensure that the people you meet are the people you would be working with once any contract is agreed. _ Ask potential suppliers to provide client references. Most will be prepared to put you in touch with previous customers. _ Be clear about deadlines. Ask the supplier to provide a project schedule, with clearly assigned responsibilities. _ Provide a written brief and agree it with your supplier. This should specify objectives, the services to be provided, quality criteria, timings and budget parameters. _ Hold regular progress meetings to ensure the project runs smoothly. If you establish clear lines of communication with your supplier you should enjoy a productive working relationship, get the results you need – and learn a lot in the process!

Identifying and understanding your audience

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Making resources work harder Segmenting your audience Targeting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; setting priorities Ideas for segmentation Evaluating market segments Forms of segmented marketing

4.1 Making resources work harder

4.3 Targeting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; setting priorities

In an ideal world you would tailor your marketing effort to the specific needs of each and every potential cyclist. In the real world this is clearly not possible. You need to identify and focus on the groups of people your research suggests will be most receptive to pro-cycling messages.

Once you have applied your criteria for segmenting the population, you will have a series of defined sub-groups, each with certain shared characteristics. The next stage is to decide which sub-groups offer the most potential, and then concentrate your resources on meeting their needs. This process is called targeting.

There are two processes involved in targeting your audience: segmentation and targeting. This section explains more about these concepts and how you can make use of them in your work at local level. 4.2 Segmenting your audience The process of dividing consumers with similar needs or wants into smaller subgroups is known as segmentation. This recognises that different people have different needs and motivations. Rather than treating consumers as a single entity, it is far more effective to tailor your message to meet the needs of key subgroups. By doing this, you maximise the impact and relevance of your marketing message, giving yourself the best possible opportunity of achieving your objectives.

Sometimes your target audiences have been determined by the wider objectives of your organisation or partners. For example, if you are working with health professionals your audience may be people who are physically inactive or overweight or who have suffered from a health condition. In other cases there is no pre-determined target group, and it is up to you to study each of your possible target audiences in turn and work out which are likely to be the most receptive. For example, if your general objective is to promote cycling to school, you may choose to focus your efforts on children in years 5 and 6, because they are old enough to be allowed to cycle to school on their own. 4.4 Ideas for segmentation

You need to think carefully about the criteria you use to segment your audience, as this will make a big difference to the outcome of your project. You could create groups based on age, gender or the area in which people live or work. Or you could focus on behavioural factors such as what types of activities people participate in, whether they already have a bike or what their attitudes are towards transport and recreational issues.

There are numerous ways in which people can be classified into segments. They include: age; socio-economic group; family lifecycle stage; geography/location; a combination of demographic and geographical factors; and behaviour. There is no single best way to segment your market. It depends on your objectives, the resources you have available, and the context in which you are operating.

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Identifying and understanding your audience

Cycling isn’t just for youngsters. “Pedal Back the Years” is a project in Cornwall that is directed specifically at encouraging older people to take up cycling. Health visitors and community workers can refer people for cycle rides on existing trails or between villages

Age For example, you may wish to focus on school children, particularly those in the later stages of primary school. Or you could target the active retired, or people in their twenties who used to cycle but have lost the habit. Socio-economic groupings Social and occupational factors are very closely related in the UK. The concept of social class can be a contentious issue. However, it is widely used in marketing and social research and can be useful if you are considering newspaper advertising, for example. The most commonly used classification is: A

Upper middle class High managerial, administrative, professional

Middle class Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional

Lower middle class Supervisory, clerical , junior managerial

Skilled working class Skilled manual workers

Working class Semi-skilled or unskilled workers

Older people, casual workers and others on very low income

Family lifecycle This approach categorises people according to their family situation. A family lifecycle approach may be

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suggested by the facilities available in your area. For example, there may be a cycle route that is particularly suited to families with small children, well away from main roads and passing a playground. Or if there are scenic routes to enjoy, you may wish to target members of bodies like the National Trust or English Heritage. Geography A simple way to segment the population is according to geography/location. This may be useful if you are encouraging people to bike to work, for example. It may mean targeting those who live or work within a certain distance of a cycle route, or who work in a certain location. To do this you will need some basic information about travel patterns. Demography Demography is the study of human population in terms of size, population density, location, age, sex, occupation, education, religion, health profile, race and nationality. You probably already know a lot intuitively about the demography of your local area. For example, it may be clear that a lot of people living on a particular housing estate work in the local retail park and could be encouraged to bike to work. Or you may have spotted that a particular area has a high proportion of families with small children who would enjoy cycling together at weekends. You can combine demographic and geographic factors to get a more detailed picture of potential to cycle – for example, people who live within two miles of the town centre.

Identifying and understanding your audience

Girls are less likely than boys to cycle to school. Within the Safe Routes to School programme, Sustrans is making targeted efforts to encourage them. Headlines like “Girls don’t cycle, do they?” challenge girls to give their views and say what stops them cycling

“If you know broadly what motivates people, you can design projects to inspire and encourage them” Behavioural factors People cycle for different reasons. Leisure cyclists may go cycling to discover a new area or enjoy a view. Teenagers may bike to meet friends. Others may cycle to get to work or stay fit. If you know broadly what motivates people, you can design projects that encourage them to cycle more. 4.5 Evaluating market segments There are a few simple questions you can apply to evaluate whether each market segment would make a viable target group or not. Your shortlist of potential target segment(s) should pass the following tests: Is the segment distinct? Have you identified groups of people who are similar to each other, yet sufficiently different from the rest of the population? You should be able to describe your target segment in a few words: for example, families living within one mile of the local primary school. Is the segment large enough? Will targeting this segment be an efficient use of your resources? Can you justify the cost of a marketing campaign aimed at only a small number of people? Can you reach the segment? You need to be able to communicate with the target segment using appropriate promotional tools. (Read more about this in Section 7.) Make sure that the target

segment can be reached using the promotional methods which are within your budget. Is the segment relevant? How does marketing to the segment help fulfil the goals of your organisation? Does it give you a clearer picture of how to design or adapt cycling provision? If the answer to any of these questions is no, look again at your chosen segment(s)! 4.6 Forms of segmented marketing When you have divided the target population into meaningful subgroups, you need to decide which segments you will concentrate on. There are three broad approaches for you to consider: _ Mass marketing _ Differentiated marketing _ Niche marketing Mass marketing Having conducted your segmentation exercise you may find that everyone wants more or less the same things. Mass marketing is where you recognise that market segment differences are minimal, and decide to go after the whole market at the same time. (For example: everyone living in Summerstown.) You have identified a common need. Differentiated marketing Research may have revealed a number of very distinct segments, each with very different needs. Differentiated marketing is where an organisation decides to target several market segments and designs separate opportunities and promotional

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Identifying and understanding your audience

campaigns for each. (For example: families with teenage children living in the north of Summerstown; people working in the retail park to the west of the by-pass.) Larger local authorities may be able to develop or adapt different cycling opportunities to meet the needs of different user groups eg recreational routes, commuter routes, safe routes to schools, and so on. A promotional campaign can be designed specifically to meet the needs of each of these target segments. The same facilities can meet a range of different needs. So long as the different uses are compatible with each other, you can promote the provision to a range of market segments. Niche marketing Niche marketing is when an organisation aims to identify and serve the needs of a single target group. While your provision may be generally available for everyone, you may wish to organise special activities to encourage greater use by one specific group of people. (For example: pupils in years 4, 5 and 6 at Summerstown Primary School, plus teachers, parents and carers.) Niche marketing allows you to tailor provision to highly specific needs, leading to higher levels of satisfaction among your target group.

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Toolkit 2 Thinking about segmentation Not all groups are equally receptive to procycling messages. In 2001, researchers at the Transport Research Laboratory* looked at peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attitudes to cycling. They found that most people fell into one or other of nine groups. Their findings are a useful starting point for thinking about segmentation. The nine groups (with the percentage of the population they represent) are: _ committed cyclists (7 per cent) Cycle about four times a week; few opportunities to increase this _ regular cyclists (8 per cent) Mostly male; scope to increase their cycling for both recreational and everyday journeys _ occasional cyclists (15 per cent) Most own bikes but use them only once every couple of weeks. Very receptive to promotional messages _ toe-dippers (5 per cent) Most own a bicycle but cycle only occasionally. More likely to cycle for leisure than everyday journeys. Cycling promotion needs to convince them of the benefits of cycling

_ the unconvinced (27 per cent) Two-thirds are women; very few own a bike. Promotion needs to focus on increasing cycle ownership, although not all are receptive _ the unthinking (18 per cent) About half own a bike, but use it rarely. Generally pro-cycling in their attitudes. Need to focus on promoting cycle ownership, and then on leisure rather than everyday trips _ the no-needers (12 per cent) Predominantly female and over 44; donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t own a bike, or think they need one. Difficult to persuade _ the self-conscious (6 per cent) Almost all women, half under 26; most own a bike and cycle occasionally. Not likely to cycle more unless their circumstances change _ the lads (3 per cent) Predominantly young (under 26) and male. Do not own a bike and no plans to get one, though not actively hostile to cycling. * Transport Research Laboratory report 481, A quantitative study of the attitudes of individuals to cycling (2001) by D Davies, S Gray, G Gardner and G Harland.

Winning people over

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Plan for the long term Developing the experience Barriers to cycling Thinking about promotion Adapting your message to your audience Making it memorable Brand identity Managing expectations

5.1 Plan for the long term

experiences as well.

If you were to launch a new cycling initiative in your area and get a terrific response on launch day, that would be immensely encouraging – but it would not necessarily indicate longer term satisfaction and success.

The only real way of testing whether you’ve got it right is to keep talking to people and asking them their views. Research should be an on-going process, not something you do just once.

Since effective marketing is about genuinely meeting people’s needs, the true test of success is whether one-off cycling experiences can be developed into regular, sustainable patterns of behaviour. 5.2 Developing the experience Try putting yourself in other people’s shoes and looking at cycling from their point of view. This may lead you to focus on the benefits of using a traffic-free cycle route, for instance, rather than the route itself. (“Get to your local shopping centre in less than ten minutes…”). See Section 7 for more on benefits. People are typically less interested in the physical features of a route and more in the benefits it offers – attractive views, secure family cycling or a route past the pub. Initiatives to raise awareness of a new or existing provision can be a source of positive satisfaction in themselves – for example, a well signposted cycle route leading to a famous beauty spot. 5.3 Barriers to cycling

Your research may reveal that although some of the things that influence people are outside your control, you can affect the way people perceive them. For example, there is little you can do about the weather (although if you think people’s perceptions of the weather are inaccurate, it may be worth correcting them). But you can emphasise that not even the most committed cyclists cycle everyday, come rain or shine. Sticking to dry weather is fine! Sometimes you will need to work in partnership with other agencies or organisations to address aspects of the wider experience. For example, you could approach public transport operators to discuss producing joint promotional material – incorporating cycling information in timetables, for instance – or work with local bike shops on initiatives involving local schools. 5.4 Thinking about promotion It’s good practice to think about promotion early on. Considering how you will “sell” your new project or provision is a good discipline; it helps you make sure you’ve tailored the offer to your target audience and are clear about the projected benefits.

Think about the barriers that prevent people from cycling. When you’ve identified a negative factor, think of things you could do to counter it. Think of things you could do to reinforce positive

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Winning people over

Even when we like the idea of doing something, sometimes it takes a reward to get us to take the plunge. As part of Bike Week in Yorkshire, IKEA has offered free meals to customers arriving on bikes

Think about the main purpose of your cycle route, event, activity or other provision. _ Does it fulfil that purpose in its current form? _ Who will make use of it? _ What are the potential barriers that may stop people using the provision? _ How will you enhance people’s experiences, or change their behaviour? _ How will people know about it? _ What information do they need to make informed choices? People involved in cycling promotions often work in partnership with other organisations – the local tourist board, transport operators, bike businesses, cafes, shops and community groups. You will be in a stronger position to get their support and help if you have answers to these questions. 5.5 Adapting your message to your audience Cycling offers a wide range of personal benefits, but you will not achieve the best results by promoting the full range to everyone. Rather, think about the market segments you are targeting. Consider which messages will appeal most to different segments, and make sure the benefits you offer are relevant. Here are a few examples of potential target segments and how you might target different benefit messages to each. Commuters Cycling to work saves time and/or money and keeps you fit too

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School children Cycling is fun and makes you feel free and independent Leisure cyclists Cycling is a relaxing and enjoyable way to see the local area Adults Cycling is fun, perks you up and improves health, well-being and body shape 5.6 Making it memorable Given the sheer volume of information we try to make sense of every day, we develop associations to help us recall information. You are competing with a broad range of attractions and activities for the user’s time, so you need to consider how you can make cycling more tempting and attractive than other forms of transport for particular journeys. You need to establish positive associations in people’s minds. For people to recall your project or initiative, it needs to be: Consistent Positive associations are built up over a long period of time Relevant Something that really matters to your target consumers Distinctive Something that makes your offer stand out in people’s minds Easily communicated Represented by an idea or image that is easy to put across

Winning people over

The cost of buying a bike can be a barrier to people wanting to try cycling. North Yorkshire County Council tackled this issue head on with a pertinent message: “For the cost of one month’s petrol, you’d never have to fill up again!”

“You must provide honest, accurate and up-to-date information about cycling opportunities” One way of making a cycling initiative more memorable and compelling is to give it a brand identity of its own. An American idea catching on in UK schools is WOW (Wheels on Wednesdays), encouraging pupils to cycle to school at least one day a week. You could create even more of an event (and a great photo opportunity) by supporting WOW participants with pom-pom wielding cheerleaders! 5.7 Creating a brand identity Branding can be a useful way of making cycling promotions more memorable and effective. A brand identity is a name, term, sign, symbol or design (or combination of these) used to identify your organisation or the facilities, events and activities it provides, and to distinguish it from others. Brand identity should express the key features of your organisation or product: Key aspects: personality, ambitions, way of communicating with people Benefits: such as health, convenience, relaxation, low cost, views, etc Values of your organisation: such as serving the community

person would it be?” This can be a helpful way of working out a consistent brand personality and making sure it is presented effectively in different media. You may need to choose a brand name. If so, make sure it is: Easy to pronounce, recognise and remember Short names are best. Build up brand recognition by using the brand name or logo on all your promotional tools. Distinctive Your name should be memorable, different from others and instantly recognised 5.8 Managing expectations It is important to manage the expectations of your target audience. To do this you must provide honest, accurate and up-todate information about cycling opportunities. Under-selling your provision will reduce response. Over-selling it – making promises you can’t keep – will simply lead to disappointment. The degree to which users are satisfied with a service depends upon their actual experience of what’s provided, measured against their expectations. A satisfied user of a cycle route will want to cycle again – and she/he may tell friends and acquaintances about it too. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of promotion. Remember, even the best promotion in the world will find it hard to sell a bad product twice. The image and information you present has got to match the reality of the experience.

Brand researchers often start by asking, “If this brand was a person, what kind of

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8

Toolkit 3 Making use of good design Why design matters Good design is more than just windowdressing; it adds real value to your message. This is because well-designed communications are much more likely to be noticed and remembered. Words and pictures should work together to make a compelling whole. If you develop a strong style and stick to it, you have developed your own local cycling “brand” – a distinctive approach that people recognise instantly.

Getting people’s attention _ People respond instantly to leaflets and posters – you only have a second to catch their attention. _ If they think there is something interesting on the page they will scan it more slowly _ Then they’ll read on – if they think it is relevant to them If you are closely connected with a project, it is sometimes difficult to look at promotional material with a fresh eye. Try your ideas out on someone who isn’t too involved – and ask them to be honest. If something doesn’t have the required impact, you need to know before spending money on printing and distribution.

Effective design Some basic rules apply to posters, leaflets and other promotional material. Most people like simple layouts with plenty of white space. They are put off by too

much text and find clean, unfussy typefaces easier to read.

Briefing a designer Professionally-designed material is almost always more effective, so using a professional graphic designer for things like posters and leaflets may be money well spent. If you use external design consultants it is important to provide a clear brief. Tell the designer as much as you can about the background and purpose of the promotional material he or she will be working on: _ Your target audience, in as much detail as you can (eg young people in their teens and twenties who are interested in fitness and watching their weight) _ Your key messages (cycling is a convenient, everyday way to keep fit) _ What you are trying to get people to do (cycle somewhere local at least once a week) _ How you want them to feel (interested, inspired, energised) _ What you want to achieve (an increase of 10 per cent in the use of a local cycle route to the town centre) Try to create a positive and constructive relationship with the designers you work with. It will help if they understand and sympathise with your aims and objectives, so make sure they know exactly what you’re trying to do and why it’s important.

Making it happen

6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4

Preparing your marketing action plan Planning partnerships Your implementation framework Tips for making it happen

6.1 Preparing your marketing action plan

6.2 Planning partnerships

A systematic approach to marketing involves a number of different stages and tasks. Drafting a marketing action plan is the best way to ensure that your overall approach is coherent and thought-out. It will help you win support and backing, and maintain the project’s direction as time goes on.

Marketing cycling is a big challenge, best tackled in partnership with others. It’s helpful to engage people at an early stage in planning, market research, or promotional activity. Shared ownership can mean increased resources and commitment.

Many aspects of marketing planning which you will need to include have already been covered in this handbook, and you may already have had a go at them. 1 Set SMART objectives 2 Gather research 3 Segment your audience 4 Establish target segments 5 Tailor the idea to meet the needs of your target market 6 Develop targeted messages and possibly a brand identity You will also need to: 7 Design a detailed communications/promotional programme 8 Build in ways of monitoring and evaluating the success of the project

Establishing a steering group or working party is a popular way of harnessing the knowledge and contacts of project partners. Once your marketing action plan is drafted, it’s a good idea to gain feedback from colleagues, as well as from representatives of a range of other interested parties. These might include tourist officers, education providers, community leaders, health professionals, local cycling shops, other businesses and user groups. It may be too early to produce detailed costings, but an initial idea of cost is needed for planning purposes. It can be useful to get a rough idea of the cost of your planned activities by talking to suppliers and agencies. Make any necessary amendments to your plan before you start work on the details. 6.3 Your implementation framework To implement your plan, you need to:

See sections 7 and 8 for more on communications and evaluation. Your marketing action plan will catalogue and summarise your methodology, findings and progress. As you put the action plan together, refer regularly to your objectives and make sure that your project meets the needs of target users and any partners or sponsoring organisations.

Get the necessary approvals If someone’s approval is needed it is a good idea to involve them early on, at the planning stage, so they feel a sense of shared ownership of the plan.

6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4

Making it happen

Decide on the steps leading to implementation What do you need to do to make your plan a reality? Decide on the sequence of events and activities leading up to your end date. Using timelines or project planning charts may help. You may be juggling cycling promotion with other responsibilities. Be realistic, and don’t make commitments you can’t keep. Assign responsibility for actions Decide who will be responsible for ensuring that each stage in the action plan is completed. Set up a working group This may mean putting together a working group, working with an existing group, recruiting outside help, or giving parts of the job to other staff or volunteers. Set deadlines Set your target deadlines, then work back from the launch date to decide the timing of the tasks leading up to it. Before you set your deadlines, establish your priorities. Some elements of your campaign may be less time-critical than others. Market testing Whatever promotional tools you choose, remember to test them before going into full production. You need to know if they will work and will achieve the desired effect. Build in evaluation Think through how you will check progress, put in place monitoring arrangements and plan corrective action.

6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4

“Decide who shares ownership of the plan, and who is responsible for making decisions” Confirm budgets Many of the steps in your plan have associated costs. Ensure those responsible for each step know the budget limits. 6.4 Tips for making it happen Agree Decide who shares ownership of the project, and who has the responsibility and authority to make decisions. Sometimes group consensus is necessary and reaching this may take time. Identify and agree at the outset who will decide what. Involve and inform Keep people involved and update them regularly. This helps build support for the programme and often stimulates helpful ideas and connections with other events and activities. Co-ordinate If more than one person is implementing the plan, make sure that everyone is kept “in the loop”. It is helpful if one person acts as overall co-ordinator. Check Monitor the progress of the plan at regular intervals and be prepared to revise it if things change.

Toolkit 4 Preparing your marketing action plan This shows how you could set out your marketing action plan. List your objectives and how they will be measured _ Objectives To encourage people to cycle rather than drive to the local supermarket

and do top-up shopping without having to sit in traffic jams for half an hour Provide details of your promotional programme The message we want to promote is: “The smart way to shop” Promotional tools

_ Evaluation Number of people using secure cycle storage adjacent to the supermarket, measured over an average week Identify your target group and the benefits it might expect _ Target group Week-day shoppers using two supermarkets in and around the Summerstown area _ Benefits A simple way to get fit, do top-up shopping through the week and avoid traffic jams around Summerstown ring road Explain what is needed to meet the needs of your target group _ Required Secure, all-weather cycle storage Suitable cycle bags or panniers for individuals to carry shopping in A motivating promotional offer Awareness of dedicated cycle route across ring road and into the store Explain your positioning strategy _ A great way to get fit, get some fresh air

_ leaflets distributed outside store and door-to-door _ in-store posters _ editorial coverage in local paper _ promotional offer Implementation _ Approach supermarket manager to allow distribution of leaflets instore. Responsibility: cycling co-ordinator. Deadline: by June 1. Budget: travel expenses and preparation of briefing paper=£10 _ Arrange promotional offer on panniers and shopping bags at local cycle shop. Responsibility: chair of local cycle group. Deadline: by June 14 Budget: n/a _ Discuss promotional offer with store – eg half-price tea or coffee in store café for anyone who cycles. Responsibility: cycling co-ordinator. Deadline: by June 1. Budget: n/a _ Leaflets and poster for in-store noticeboard and community noticeboard. Responsibility: cycling co-ordinator and volunteers. Deadline: by June 8. Budget: graphic design, £350; paper and print £100.

Communicating the message

7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

Promoting benefits not features How we make decisions Planning effective promotions Promotional techniques Successful campaigns

7.0 Communicating the message

7.1 Promoting benefits, not features

Communicating effectively is an important aspect of any marketing or promotional campaign.

Our lives are full of choices. Understanding how people make decisions, and what motivates them, can help you to develop more effective promotional programmes.

This section focuses on techniques for communicating with your target audience and suggests some things you can do to make the most of your opportunities. Looking at things from the user’s point of view can help you understand what messages will be relevant and motivating. Most people recognise the benefits of cycling – they just choose not to do it. There could be all kinds of reasons for this. For example, your market research might indicate that they: _ don’t know where to cycle _ think they don’t have time _ don’t feel fit enough to cycle far, or up hills _ don’t have a well-maintained bike _ are put off by wet weather _ don’t have anywhere to leave their bike at the destination _ are concerned for their own or children’s safety To be effective, your communications must: _ Address people’s concerns about cycling, whatever they are _ Communicate the benefits of cycling in a way that makes sense and is motivating to individuals _ Encourage people to give it a try!

A key point to remember is to focus on benefits, not features. For instance, a firsttime personal computer buyer is more likely to choose a PC “powerful enough to manage his/her life with” (a benefit) than one “offering a 100Gb hard drive” (a technical feature). Similarly, you might promote the benefits of a new cycle route as “an enjoyable, fast and convenient way to the shops”, rather than as “a hard surfaced track created by the city council to divert bikes from the High Street”. It makes sense to identify the benefits you think will mean most to each particular audience. For adult women, cycling may offer an easy way to incorporate exercise into daily life without the expense of gym membership. You might choose to focus on the positive effects on body shape and general health. Children may be more influenced by a desire for independence and freedom. Motorists may need reminding that cycling is sometimes a fast and convenient way to avoid traffic jams. 7.2 How we make decisions Experts have identified four key stages in the decision-making process. You can use the AIDA model to make sure each of these stages is addressed in your communication plan.

7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

Communicating the message

A Yorkshire council offers “Families on wheels” and “Returners to cycling” courses to help those with specific needs to get out on their bikes. Courses include basic cycling skills, advice on what to wear, and route planning guidance

create

Awareness “I’ve seen these great images of women cycling”

generate

Interest “Perhaps I should think about taking up cycling”

awaken

Desire “I’d like to look like that”

invite

Action “And there’s a fantastic offer on at the Summerstown bike shop at the moment”

Awareness Your target audience has to know about a cycling opportunity, in order to be in a position to choose it Interest Beyond initial awareness, you have to make people curious and interested Desire Passive interest needs to be developed into an active desire to participate Action We need to find the final “trigger” that can make our target audience take the plunge – in other words, start cycling! Completing this four-stage decision-making process could take anything from a couple of seconds (an impulse purchase of a new chocolate brand at the supermarket checkout) to months or even years. Different stages in the decision-making process suggest particular forms of communication. Local advertising, for example, can take your message to a big

7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

audience, so is good for creating awareness. But there is limited scope to include detailed information (about a network of cycle routes, for example) in an advert, so it is not as effective at encouraging action. Public speaking is not so good at general awareness raising but allows you to establish a connection with a smaller group of people and to communicate personal enthusiasm and commitment. An offer or reward – a free guided ride, for example – can help spur people into action once they are convinced of the general benefits of an activity. 7.3 Planning effective promotions The term “promotion” covers any activity that communicates your message to a target group. For example you could stage a launch event, publish an information leaflet, give a talk to a group of people or do an interview on local radio. The most effective promotions are part of an ongoing programme of communications, not one-off activities. Investing time at the planning stage will help you to make the best use of your resources – money, expertise or people. To achieve your overall objectives, it may be a good idea to set ‘sub-objectives’ for your promotional activity. (For example, making people living on the housing estate west of the Summerstown by-pass aware of the cycle route leading to the supermarket.) Again, make these marketing objectives SMART, and relate them directly to your target audience(s).

Communicating the message

7.4 Promotional techniques Many marketing tools are available. Some are expensive, so consider what you can afford and what impact you are likely achieve for your money. You will probably want to use a mix of different techniques to reach different audiences. Mass marketing Local advertising Local newspapers and magazine coverage Poster campaigns Leaflet displays Press invitations and visits Door-to-door leafleting The internet Differentiated marketing Local magazines and newsletters Leaflets and information packs Personal encouragement (public speaking) E-mail campaigns (permission based) Niche marketing Guided or led cycle rides Personal talks School or youth club visits Leaflets or information packs

Local advertising Local press advertising is relatively expensive but can reach large audiences. To find out the cost, telephone your chosen publication(s) and ask for a rate card (the list of advertising charges for the newspaper or magazine). Pricing structures can be complex, so if you are seriously considering advertising in a publication, ask the advertising sales person to explain how it works. You should also try to establish whether the readership includes your target audience. Most newspapers will have demographic data about their readership. Publicity and press If you are hoping to get press coverage you need to have an interesting story to tell. Local newspapers like stories and photographs of local people. You stand a better chance if you can provide good briefing information. Your press or PR officer, if there is one, can help develop a story that works for the publication and your audience. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a press office, try to build up good relationships with the journalists on the local newspaper, and learn how to write effective press releases. Editorial coverage is free and may be seen as more objective and credible than paidfor advertising. You can invite selected journalists and photographers to attend launch events or special activities to generate additional publicity. Bear in mind that ultimate editorial control lies with the newspaper, so you do not have any control over what appears.

7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

Communicating the message

Sussex University launched a “Give it a go” promotional campaign for National Bike Week. The package of support offered to students included subsidised training, help with bike repairs, organised rides and a free breakfast

Personal encouragement Personal encouragement through interaction with your target group(s) is one of the most cost-effective promotional methods. By talking to people and organising activities in which they can participate, you are building up relationships and encouraging them in the most human and involving way to try cycling. Word of mouth It’s free and has more credibility than any other form of promotion. People are far more likely to act as a result of a personal recommendation than a message in a leaflet or poster. Personal example is challenging and encouraging: “Well, if they can do it, then I can too!” However, with word of mouth you do not have control over the message passed on. And bad experiences are as powerful an influence as good ones! Public speaking/presentations Other than the public speaker’s time and travelling expenses, this involves little expense, and the benefits can be considerable. Most audiences find a speaker’s evident enthusiasm infectious. Public speaking also makes it possible to gauge how many people are interested in getting involved in a project – and then you can offer on-the-spot information and support. Presentations are generally smaller in scale but can be no less effective. You could hold regular briefings with local community groups and businesses, updating them about the latest routes, facilities and events.

7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

“People are far more likely to act as a result of a personal recommendation than a message in a leaflet” Direct marketing Direct and individualised marketing can be effective at changing people’s transport habits, though they are both labourintensive. Both entail communicating directly with members of your target audience, either by mail, telephone or face-to-face. With individualised marketing you tailor your offer to the needs of individuals. For example, you ring someone up and ask if they would be interested in cycling to work. If they express an interest you help them identify a route, provide them with information and possibly even arrange an incentive. Photography Good photography can be a powerful element of almost any promotional campaign, communicating your message simply yet persuasively. You will find that newspapers and magazines will be far more likely to cover your project if you can offer a good photo opportunity. Local newspapers like photographs featuring local people – they sell papers! The images you use can make a big difference to people’s perceptions of cycling. Be imaginative and look for unusual photo opportunities. Cycling pictures often look fairly uninspiring, with an undue emphasis on tarmac and road

Communicating the message

Pupils at an Edinburgh school created an “e-cycle” animated e-mail to promote cycling in an entertaining way. They sent it to everyone they knew, encouraging recipients to forward it to their friends. The message soon went global!

markings! Make them attractive with an appealing background, unusual location or props and you’re more likely to attract the press. A local councillor or politician cutting a ribbon is not very exciting. How about a photo of a politician or celebrity on a mountain bike, or a group of children cycling together to school for the first time? (Make sure that the politician or celebrity is happy to do what you’re suggesting, before you sell your photo opportunity ideas to your press contacts!)

The internet There are a variety of ways to use the internet. You can establish your own website – or even set up a database and send regular e-mail updates to people who express an interest in cycling. (If the latter, you will need to conform with the government’s data protection legislation and ask people’s permission before adding their e-mail addresses to your list.) Or you try to get mentions on other websites – for example, the cycling or tourism pages of your local authority website. 7.5 Successful campaigns

Leaflets Simple maps and leaflets – for example, maps showing cycle-friendly routes in your area – are widely used as promotional tools. They need to stand out from the clutter in order to be effective. They rely on skilful writing and design and carefully managed distribution to make sure they reach your target audience. Displays If someone is already in the area, signs, maps and information boards can provide high visibility promotion at the point of use. They are only able to deliver a small amount of information, but can prove very influential. They too require skilful writing and design and careful placing. Events Cycling-related events and other community events and activities can generate awareness-raising success stories that provide good press coverage. The London to Brighton cycling event, or the amateur follow-up to the Tour de France, are good examples of this.

Although some marketing activities can stand alone – such as major launch events – they are most effective when they are planned in advance and part of an ongoing programme. The most effective campaigns use a mix of marketing tools to reinforce core messages. Value for money is an essential consideration in planning any campaign. You will need to balance the cost of the marketing activity against the impact it will make on the target audience. Reliable information will help you predict the impact of your marketing activities. For example, you could ask a similar organisation what kind of response it received from an advertisement in the local press. Many of the research methods discussed in Section 3 can be used to test and evaluate the effectiveness of your campaign. Show people the material you’re planning to use, and ask them for their views. Find out where they get information, and which newspapers and other media they read.

7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

Communicating the message

The test of a successful campaign is whether you achieve your aims and objectives. Each step in the planning process can contribute to this success. Here are some tips:

Allocate adequate resources for research

Learn from past experience, reviewing past and similar campaigns

Your promotional campaign should leave a legacy for others, providing information for people who will undertake similar efforts in future. Sharing and learning from the experiences of others – local authority cycling officers, marketing officers from other organisations, the National Cycling Strategy Board – is an important part of developing marketing skills and expertise.

Start with the target markets that are easiest to influence – for example, focus on people who have a bike but aren’t using it much. Many campaigns fail because the target audience does not recognise the issues or want to change its behaviour Keep it simple – promote a single change in people’s behaviour which is achievable and can be explained in clear terms Develop and promote something that feels tangible to support the change in behaviour – the more a campaign resembles “selling a product”, the more successful it’s likely to be Understand and address benefits and costs – increase the perceived benefits of behaviour change and reduce the barriers Make participation easy – provide simple ways for people to make a start and get cycling Develop attention getting and motivational messages Provide response opportunities that make it easy and convenient for people to act Allocate appropriate resources for promotion – provide funds to reach the target audience often enough to communicate the message

7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

Track results and make adjustments, monitoring progress and adjusting your marketing plan as you go.

Toolkit 5 Writing a press release Only the strong survive! The majority of press releases get binned. A news editor will spend only a few seconds reading your press release, so try to make it as effective as possible.

cross-section of people (eg 70 per cent of people don’t take enough exercise to stay healthy)

Journalists often cut and paste to meet press deadlines. Write a good press release, and you may be surprised to see virtually all of it appear in print!

_ Look carefully at your story and try to find an angle that will interest the news editor and his/her readers. You can use a national event (eg Bike Week) as a jumping off point, but the main theme of the story should be local events and local people

How to help get your news printed

_ Convey the essentials in as few words as possible: Who? What? When? Where? Why?

_ Don’t assume everyone is as interested in cycling as you are. “Sell” your story

_ A good headline will catch the editor’s attention. It should be short and descriptive, not long-winded or flippant (puns, double meanings)

_ Check the newspaper’s deadlines beforehand. A press release reaching the news desk 30 minutes too late is a waste of everyone’s time _ Be clear and forceful, but avoid exaggeration. Use everyday language. Be self-critical: look at your story and ask “if I didn’t know anything about this, would I be interested?” _ People and events are more interesting than policy targets or committee decisions _ Include a photo, a photo opportunity and a quote as a part of your press release

What makes a good press release? _ News editors are looking for news, heartwarming stories and developments of interest to readers. Relevant facts help make a story seem relevant to a wider

_ Keep it brief – a single page is ideal. If you want to add facts and figures, add a separate background page

The pyramid approach _ Think of your press release as a pyramid with the most important information at the top. This makes it easier for the news editor to cut the copy to suit the space available _ Write short paragraphs no more than two or three sentences long _ Get the meat of the story into the first two or three paragraphs with detail later _ At the end include a contact number and name, with a mobile number and details of availability

Toolkit 6 Working with the local press It’s a competition! _ Even a small local paper will receive 20 or more press releases a day. You need to work hard at getting press coverage. Remember that you’re competing with lots of other local groups and campaigns _ Local newspapers are always keen to respond to a good lead, so offer interesting exclusive stories, preferably with strong picture opportunities _ Don’t assume that the editor is particularly interested in cycling initiatives or can remember other things you’ve done in the past. “Sell” your message _ Look at the issues that are getting coverage locally and see if there could be a link. For example, if the local paper is featuring stories on traffic congestion, you might be able to get publicity for a cycling initiative which could help

Build relationships Get to know your local press contacts. Ring up the paper and find out the name of the best person to talk to. Call them and say who you are and what your work involves. Say in advance when you will have news for them. _ Find out about deadlines. Make sure you make contact in sufficient time to get coverage at the right time

_ When speaking to a journalist, never assume a conversation is “off the record” _ Press releases are good, but personal contact is better. Call your contact to tell him/her that the press release is coming. Outline the key points and offer to provide more information if needed

Think about pictures Real action pictures are difficult to take and don’t always work well in a newspaper. It may be better to set up the photograph to bring your message to life. _ The worst sort of photograph is a “firing squad” – people lined up looking tense and uncomfortable _ A good close-up of one or two people on bikes works better than a shot of a group of people _ Try to think up an unusual shot that will catch the attention of the editor and readers _ Think of the people you hope will see the photo and what will attract them. If you are trying to appeal to school-age children, for example, try not to make the picture too regimented or formal-looking _ Emphasise the local angle by giving details of the people involved and where they come from

How did it go?

8.1 8.2 8.3

Monitoring as you go Evaluation Basic techniques

8.0 How did it go? If you follow the SMART guidelines for setting objectives (see 2.3) you will find it much easier to work out how successful your initiative has been – and prove it to others! 8.1 Monitoring as you go Monitoring is the process of collecting and analysing information about your promotional programme as it is being implemented. It involves regular checking to see whether things are going as planned. When you drew up your marketing action plan, you will have identified ways of measuring how much progress you are making. You should do this at regular intervals and keep a record of your results. Monitoring your progress ensures that you can take timely corrective action if things start to go wrong. You also reduce the risk of running out of time and resources towards the end of the project. 8.2 Evaluation Evaluation is the process of collecting and analysing information about the effectiveness and impact of your marketing programme. It combines the results of monitoring with detailed information on outcomes. It will help you: Make improvements and changes in future Apply what you have learned to other areas/projects

8 Provide information for funding partners, sponsors etc Evaluating your project allows you to compare the theory (what you were aiming to achieve) with the practice (the actual outcome). It allows you to work out exactly how far you have moved towards your original objectives. It also helps demonstrate the wider value of the project to the community. 8.3 Basic techniques There are some basic techniques to help you monitor and evaluate marketing: Counting How many people used a new facility or attended an event (and how many did you think would)? A simple measure – like installing people counters on a cycle route before the route is actively marketed – can provide a baseline against which to measure future activity. If fewer people participated than you hoped, why was that? (Was your event not noticed by your target audience? Did the weather put people off?) What could you have done differently? If the response was better than you expected, try to work out the reasons – you may be able to reproduce the same effect in the future! Telephone enquiries Always ask callers how they heard about the project and where they obtained your telephone number. The responses may help you to target promotional messages more effectively in future. If you get a lot of calls after you’ve given a talk to a local group, for example, that might indicate that it’s a good way of stimulating interest.

8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3

How did it go?

Organisations such as the YHA, the National Trust and the Caravan Club all co-operate with Sustrans, linking their websites directly to its site. Sustrans is able to monitor web traffic and find out how many “hits” originated from partner sites

“If you have a website, it is useful to measure how many people are using it” Response mechanisms You can measure the success of a leaflet or booklet by including a way for consumers to respond – for example, a coupon, website address or form requesting further information. Website usage If you have a website it is useful to measure how many people are using it – perhaps by a simple site visit counter

8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3

More information

Websites www.nationalcyclingstrategy.org.uk A comprehensive resource with an excellent links section, including sections on planning, promoting cycling and local cycling initiatives

www.cyclecityguides.co.uk Cycle City Guides is a leading urban cycle map producer; its site includes many maps produced independently by local authorities and others

www.sustrans.org.uk An essential resource for anyone planning a local cycling initiative. Contains a huge amount of practical information, much of it for or about local authorities

www.whycycle.co.uk Bike industry-supported website with lots of useful information for new and potential cyclists

www.saferoutestoschools.org.uk Information and guidance on the Safe Routes to Schools scheme www.go-ride.net A cycling programme for young people, supported by British Cycling, the governing body of cycling as a sport, and Sport England www.travelwise.org.uk Website of Travelwise, a partnership of local authorities and other organisations working together on sustainable transport www.local-transport.dft.gov.uk A Department of Transport site containing information on travel plan guidance and details of research into travel plans and travel behaviour

www.bcf.uk.com The website of the sports cycling governing body, British Cycling www.transport2000.org.uk The website of Transport 2000, a leading campaigner for sustainable transport, including walking and cycling www.ctc.org.uk Website of the UK cyclistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; organisation www.cobr.co.uk Website of the Consortium of Bike Retailers www.cyclesense.net Simple safety advice for cyclists www.companyofcyclists.com Website of the Company of Cyclists, a company providing cycling promotion and support services

www.nottingham.ac.uk/sbe/planbiblios A comprehensive bibliography on sustainable urban travel, with particular emphasis on cycling and walking, based at Nottingham University

More information

Publications

Addresses

Cycling: the way ahead for towns and cities. European Commission, May 1999; can be downloaded free of charge from www.europa.eu.int/comm./environment/ cycling/index.htm

National Cycling Strategy Board Zone 3/17 Great Minister House 76 Marsham Street London SW1P 4DR Tel: 020 7944 2977

The Department of Transport produces reports on transport patterns, sustainable transport and cycling; for details see www.dft.gov.uk The Transport Research Laboratory produces reports on cycling-related issues â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for example, on attitudes to cycling, and the impact of cycling on health â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which are available from its website at www.trl.co.uk Social Marketing: Improving the Quality of Life By Philip Kotler, Ned Roberto and Nancy Lee. Published by Sage Publications (2002) ISBN 0761924345 Hands-on Social Marketing: A step-bystep guide By Nedra Kline Weinreich. Published by Sage Publications (1999) ISBN 0761908676 Marketing in Local Government By Kieron Walsh. Published by Longman Group UK Ltd Harlow (1989)

CTC 69 Meadrow Godalming Surrey GU7 3HS Tel: 01483 417217 Sustrans/National Cycle Network 35 King Street Bristol BS1 4DZ Tel: 0117 929 0888

Acknowledgements

This handbook was produced by the National Cycling Strategy Board with the support of the Department for Transport. We are grateful to the following organisations for their contributions: to Sustrans, the CTC and British Cycling for their knowledge and experience of marketing cycling; to Circus for editing and design; and most particularly to the Paths for All Partnership and Scottish Natural Heritage for permission to draw on Promoting paths for people: A marketing guide and toolkit, as our inspiration when compiling this handbook. For further copies, please contact: National Cycling Strategy Board c/o Department for Transport, Zone 3/17 Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DR. This handbook is dedicated to all those who believe in cycling and who, in their various ways, work to promote it as an essential part of our way of life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether for transport, physical activity or fun.