Free planning tools - advertising

Free planning tools - Advertising/Marketing

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Social enterprise works - promoting your organisation !

http://www.socialenterpriseworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/promoting_your_organisation.pdf This information sheet looks at the way you promote your organisation, products and services, and considers what is involved in developing a promotion strategy. Your organisation might choose to promote messages about:

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The benefits of your organisation and its services/products; The image of your organisation The people involved in the organisation

A promotion strategy might form part of a wider marketing plan, which should include amongst other elements a customer care strategy. See Social Enterprise Works information sheet on ‘Marketing’ under the Policy and Strategy section and Social Enterprise Works information sheet ‘Customer care guidelines’ under the Processes section.

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Image!

The image of the organisation and business is the face it presents to the outside world: it is a major part of the message. It is important to ensure that the image presented is appropriate to the organisation/business and the potential customer/user. Image is reflected in many areas of activity:

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Product and Services: positioning, packaging: Business Presentation: Name, logo, stationery. Consider carefully the visual. symbols that are placed on letterheads, posters, vans, T-shirts etc...It may be worth “piloting” the graphics to see how potential customers/users respond, and it also may be costs-effective to bring in outside expertise: Staff: Physical and professional qualities as seen by customers/users, such as appearance, gestures and language along with skills, experience and knowledge. (see Information Sheet 1 ‘Customer Care Guidelines’)

One aspect to consider is whether the promotional techniques should be targeted to non-targeted.

Targeted promotion means that it is possible to control or determine broad categories of people who will receive the message, and therefore be sure to reach the target market. Untargeted promotion sends out a message to a large and unspecified to a large and unspecified number of people in the hope that the target market is reached.

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Examples of targeted promotions are: ■ ■ ■

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Word-of-mouth/networking – though slow and message may not be clear.

Videos about the Organisation – Can target distribution but can’t ensure it is seen.

Open – Days/Evenings, Conferences and Lectures – but there is still the question of how you inform the target market of these. Useful for introducing new services and products to an existing market.

Stalls, exhibitions and shows – time-consuming but often effective.

Specialist newspapers, journals and magazines- some adverts may be expensive, but may be cost effective. Be careful in the placement of adverts – check what headings they are placed under and ensure they are not placed where they will not be seen or next to something inappropriate.

Leaflets and Posters – often a good technique if placed where the target market goes.

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Notices in shop windows – targets those in a geographical area.

Radio – most stations have identified market, including ethnic groups different age groups.

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The following are generally non-targeted promotional techniques: !

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Press Release – good for controlling the message but difficult to target Newspapers – can control message with adverts: if editorial or article, the message may be distorted though may be free. As with adverts in magazines, check that placement is appropriate.

Direct mail letters/newsletters, circulars – can have these inserted into local papers or delivered to all homes/businesses Directories (e.g. Yellow Pages) – Useful in reaching large market if message likely to stay the same for a long time, may be expensive Television – very expensive and need to b careful about image conveyed.

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The choice of promotional techniques will also depend on other considerations: ■ ■ ■

How quickly do you want or need the communication to take place.

Whether “Instant impact” is desired o Use AIDA formula:(gain0Attention,(generate)Interest,Desire(offer something) and Action (give opportunity to follow up)

Hefce / UnLtd - Social Entrepreneurship Awards Toolkit https://unltd.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Hefce-Toolkit-Narrative-Theme-6Marketing.pdf

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*There are endless great tips and facts in this article/PDF. I have included the main points and the info-graphs/diagrams

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Understanding your target audience and defining your value proposition Now that you’re ready to turn your idea into a reality and begin defining your business model <Link Stage 3, Theme 4>, it’s time to think about how you will market your products or services.

Marketing is a much broader topic than many people imagine. Most people would probably define marketing as advertising, PR and sales; but the true concept of marketing is much broader and a key part of any organisation.

What is marketing and why is it important?

At the most simplistic level, marketing is the activity which connects your organisations ‘offering’ with the target audience(s). Marketing is therefore the key ‘enabler’ to growing your business and achieving success. The principles of marketing are commonly understood around the following core ‘components of marketing’ The offering: the products (e.g. ethically sourced clothing) or services (e.g. counselling) ■ your organisation will offer.

The value proposition: Articulating your offering to the target audience- ‘the solution to ■ their needs’.

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The marketing strategy: Your strategy for connecting with the target audience (e.g. deciding to target a specific geographical audience).

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The marketing plan: The objectives, budgets and tools that will be used to deliver the marketing strategy.

The target audience: The stakeholders who will be ‘sold’ your value proposition.

Underpinning all of these marketing pillars must be comprehensive understanding of the target audience (e.g. who they are, where they are, what are their needs and their typical characteristics). The relationship between these different components is illustrated in the diagram below:

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Understanding your target audience As introduced earlier, understanding your target audience is a vital step in enabling your organisation to define its value proposition(s). Once you have defined your external stakeholders within your target audience, the next step is to examine the key features of each stakeholder group or audience.

Understanding target groups (e.g. beneficiaries or paying customers) will probably require the most in depth analysis. For this target audience you will need to understand: ■ ■ ■ ■

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The size of the target audience The structure of the target audience (this will often involve trying to segment the audience into a number of core groups) The trends associated with the target audience (e.g. growth) The needs and characteristics of the target audience (this is vital to allow you to develop a strong value position that addresses the needs and demands of the target audience)

What is a marketing strategy?

The marketing strategy of your organisation should define how you plan to communicate your value proposition to the target audience. It should therefore consider: Your brand identity – how you communicate your value proposition / offering to the market ■ Your position in the market landscape- how does your value proposition compare to your ■ competitors?

Your ‘routes to market’- how will you reach the target audience with your value ■ proposition.

Your marketing strategy should be seen as an integral component of the overall ■ business strategy <Link Stage 3, Theme 4> and will be play fundamental role in delivering your organisation’s mission and overall strategic aims. Once you have defined your marketing strategy, you will then be able to develop a marketing plan – i.e. the objectives, budgets and tools that will be used to deliver the marketing strategy.

Marketing strategy – brand identity

In some cases you may need to communicate your value proposition in different ways depending on the target audience or route to market. For example, an organisation providing information and advice services to the homeless is likely to communicate very differently with beneficiaries versus Local Authority commissioners.

Features are factual statements about your product or service, whereas the benefits should answer the target audiences question ‘how does this benefit me?

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Your brand identity needs to work effectively with all segments your target audience, and through all routes to market. However, the specific features and benefits you decide to emphasise may vary depending on the audience segment/ route to market in which you are communicating your value proposition (see marketing plan- next section).

Marketing strategy- your routes to market

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Module 1: Introduction | Social Enterprise Marketing Toolkit

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All though not a european video - very very useful to hear people talking you through marketing advice.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YghFsaoHrkI

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Marketing & Modelling your Social Enterprise - University of Greenwich

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Jz0pjHGfo

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