Carer Positive Marketing & Communications Strategy by GladstoneMedia

Marketing & Communications Strategy

prepared by Gladstone Media

Introduction This marketing & communications strategy has been prepared by Gladstone Media on behalf of Carer Positive during the first quarter of 2019. Gladstone Media is a full-service marketing company spearheaded by seasoned print, marketing and publishing professional, Mark Eaton, who is supported by a team comprising experienced administrators and award-winning design professionals.

Purpose of Strategy  To raise awareness of the Carer Positive initiative  Highlight the growing population/number of carers in the workforce and the impact this could have on businesses  Encourage employers to adopt best practise for carers in the workforce  Encourage employers to sign up to the Carer Positive initiative

Contents Key Action Points

Social Media

Website

Data Gathering

Video Case-Studies

Infographics

Press

Printed Materials

Events/Sponsorship

Referrals/Introductions

Follow-Ups

Summary

Key Action Points

Social Media Taking into consideration the huge interest in the use of social media for businesses (see Page 11 for more details), it is our recommendation that dedicated Carer Positive social media accounts are created on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Following a discussion with Sue McLintock, it became apparent that a Carer Positive LinkedIn company page has already been set up, with Sue assigned as page admin, however there has been no activity or use. It was agreed that no action should be taken with the page until the newly appointed Carer Positive Marketing Officer is on board and they can assume responsibility for the day to day running of this. It was also agreed that, due to the differences between setting up a Facebook personal page and business page, the decision on which option to go for should be left up to the newly appointed Carer Positive Marketing Officer and, as such, no further action should be taken by Gladstone Media at this point. On behalf of Carer Positive, Gladstone Media has now set-up the @CarerPositive Twitter page and the account is following 307 individuals/organisations and has 33 followers. With all social media accounts, key tasks are as follows:  follow/like/connect with all the social media accounts for organisations linked to, or with some connection/interest in, the care community, i.e. start with the organisations listed under ‘Support for Carers’ on the ‘Resources’ page of the Carer Positive website then perhaps connect with the organisations listed for Scotland in the Local Directory Search on the Carers UK website. Gladstone Media has already started the task of connecting with linked organisations on Twitter, with the vast majority of support organisations listed under Support for Carers and in the Local Directory Search now being followed  follow/like/connect with the various corporate social media accounts for each and every one of the businesses that have signed up to the Carer Positive initiative. Just to give you an idea of how much reach this could potentially give you, across Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, the top 10 employers (by employee numbers) currently signed up to the initiative, have a cumulative total of over 2million followers that you could reach (see table shown overleaf). And that’s only the top 10! While it should be understood that the vast majority of these followers will likely be members of the general public – and perhaps not the specific target audience this strategy was aimed at – please bear in mind that, statistically, 1 in 7 of these people could be carers and it can’t do any harm at all to make them aware that there’s an initiative out there that’s of interest to them…….in fact, once they’re aware of it, there’s a chance they may even ‘promote’ the initiative to their own employers. This has been completed by Gladstone Media on the Twitter platform  follow/like/connect with the social media accounts on all platforms for the individuals that you deal with within those businesses already signed up to the initiative. The purpose of this is to keep them personally aware of what’s happening with the initiative with the expectation that they’ll share/comment/retweet Carer Positive social media activity among their peers such as fellow HR Directors, MD’s, business owners, etc. This can, in turn, create in-bound enquiries and connections coming from their network. 7

 email each one of your contacts within these signed-up businesses announcing to them that Carer Positive has landed on social media and inviting them to connect with you, with the email containing hyperlinks to each social media platform making it easy for them to connect. As discussed with Sue McLintock, this will be done as part of an email newsletter to be sent out  follow/like/connect with the corporate and personal social media accounts for each of the press outlets/press contacts listed in the Press section of this strategy as these could also become valuable share-points for Carer Positive social media posts. This has been completed by Gladstone Media on the Twitter platform  email these same press contacts inviting them to connect with the Carer Positive accounts  follow/like/connect with the corporate social media accounts for the businesses you are targeting as potential new signings and do the same for the individuals within those businesses that would be responsible – or play a part in the decision making process – for signing up to the initiative. An invitational email should also be sent, inviting them to connect with the Carer Positive social media accounts. This ensures they keep up to date with what’s going on, who else has signed up, what the benefits are, etc. Essentially, it allows you to contact and reach out to these prospects every single day, via social media, without any effort.  Carer Positive social media accounts should be monitored and populated on a daily basis using press releases, infographics as detailed in the Infographics section of this strategy, links to articles, news of new employers signing up to the initiative, shared/retweeted posts from other relevant social media accounts

Social Media Followers of Top 10 Employers currently signed up to Carer Positive Employees 24,000 23,500 19,000 18,000 17,500 15,000 14,500 14,500 12,500 10,533

Organisation NHS Lothian Police Scotland Glasgow Council Edinburgh Council Fife Council Aberdeenshire Council NHS Tayside University of Edinburgh RBS NHS Highland

Twitter 16,500 227,000 182,000 113,000 48,100 32,300 11,200 99,400 68,300 10,900 808,700

Facebook 10,997 291,285 41,143 20,586 37,539 18,989 14,622 213,730 113,457 7,846 770,194 2,194,467

LinkedIn 4,965 7,382 9,886 11,824 8,556 6,119 1,800 191,981 371,622 1,438 615,573

Social Media Statistics For information, here are some key stats relating to each social media platform: Twitter  71% of Twitter users read news or news related articles on the platform  Twitter is the No.1 social media platform for government leaders/officials  People are 31% more likely to recall what they saw on Twitter  75% of B2B businesses market themselves on Twitter  Twitter posted a 50% increase in ad engagement between Oct 17 – Oct 18  For B2B, the best time to tweet for peak ad engagement is around 3pm on weekdays  93% of Twitter videos are viewed on a mobile device  Tweets with a video attract 10x more engagement  Best times to tweet are 8-10am and 5-6pm with the latter seeing the highest number of retweets or click throughs (source: Hootsuite - 28 Twitter Statistics All Marketers Need to Know in 2019)

LinkedIn  45% of LinkedIn users are in upper management roles  57% of LinkedIn use is on a mobile device  54% of B2B marketers on social media use LinkedIn to publish content  Best time to post on LinkedIn is 10am-12noon and the best day for posting is Wednesday (source: 16 LinkedIn Statistics That Matter to Marketers in 2019)

Facebook  Facebook has 80million small and medium business Pages/accounts  66% of Facebook users use the platform daily  88% of users are accessing the platform via a mobile device  89% of B2B companies use Facebook, according to Hootsuite’s 2018 Global Barometer Report  Best times to post on Facebook is 9am, 11am-12noon and 3-4pm and the best days are Thursday to Sunday (source: Hootsuite - 41 Facebook Stats That Matter to Marketers in 2019)

Website It’s our recommendation that while the current Carer Positive website is certainly functional, it should be updated to become a little more ‘interactive’ in so much that we recommend adding a live feed from your social media accounts to the front page of your website. As agreed with Sue McLintock, this will be actioned by Gladstone Media on behalf of Carer Positive. Also, considering how strong a connection a video case-study can be, we would recommend having at least one of the existing video case-studies placed on the front page and changing this periodically, say monthly, to keep it ‘fresh’. Again, as agreed with Sue McLintock, this will be actioned by Gladstone Media on behalf of Carer Positive in the first instance with future updates to be the responsibility of Carer Positive. We also recommend that a data capture system should also be incorporated into the website so that any new visitors to the site are invited to register their details (even just simple basic data such as name, business name, email address) – information which then provides you with an active prospect to interact with. Sue McLintock has expressed that she would like this to be an optional choice for website visitors, whether or not they choose to submit their details, with their decision having no impact/limit on their site visit. While we would recommend that consideration is given to making applying for Carer Positive status a simple online form, we understand from Sue McLintock that most people applying don’t complete the application in one sitting, rather it’s downloaded as a PDF or Word document, completed (either partially or fully) before being passed to other personnel/departments for input/comments before being fully completed and submitted. This may mean that it’s simply not feasible or practical to change the existing arrangement and, as such, should be left in its existing format.

Data Gathering As part of the email newsletter to be sent out by Carer Positive, it’s our recommendation that organisations participating in the Carer Positive initiative are asked if they have any data, facts, figures or testimonials relating to the positive impact the initiative has had on their business. Some suggested leading questions would be:     

Has it helped reduce staff turnover/retain staff? Has it helped with absenteeism/presenteeism? What percentage of their workforce has carer responsibilities? Would they recommend the initiative to other businesses, and why? Would they and/or any carers in their workplace be prepared to do a video case-study? (also see ‘Video Case-Studies’)

Ultimately, the aim would be to gather as much information as possible that can be used in a targeted manner as part of any future communications/marketing As covered in the Website section of this report, we also recommend that a data capture system is incorporated into the front page of the Carer Positive website, allowing you to gather basic information from new site visitors such as name, business name and email address, the purpose being to provide you with active prospects to interact with.

Video Case-Studies Video case-studies allow you to engage with the viewer and humanise the case-study subject better than any other form of communication and we recommend that these should be a key component in the marketing and communications strategy. This view was supported by Andrea Barrett of Centrica who, at the Scottish Business Pledge event on 6th March 2019, pointed out just how valuable real life video case-studies are to connecting with people – employers and employees – and making them understand and appreciate how real a problem this is. From a carers perspective, the case-studies help employers empathise and appreciate the struggles of juggling paid work with care responsibilities and then highlights the benefits to the employee of working in an environment which supports carers. From a business perspective, the case-study could be an employer highlighting the benefits of adopting a carers policy, i.e. staff retention, improved morale, etc. We have identified that the existing video case-studies on your website, although slightly dated, are still very much of use and should be used until such time as more up to date videos can be produced, which we would recommend. Consideration should also be given to the fact that, with the popularity of video content on social media (see video specific social media stats below), these video case-studies should not be limited to appearing on your website, but should be used frequently on all social media platforms to boost awareness and engage with the wider audience.

Social Media Video Statistics Facebook  71% of people have increased their online video viewing in the last year and 60% expect to watch more social video next year (source: Hootsuite - 41 Facebook Stats That Matter to Marketers in 2019)

Twitter  93% of videos posted on Twitter are viewed on a mobile device and Tweets containing a video attract 10x more engagement (source: Hootsuite - 28 Twitter Statistics All Marketers Need to Know in 2019)

LinkedIn  Video posts on LinkedIn get 3x more engagement than text-only posts and are 5x more likely to get comments (source: 16 LinkedIn Statistics That Matter to Marketers in 2019)

Infographics Infographics are a visually compelling communication medium that combines the best of text, images and design and, when done well, can communicate complex data in a visual format that is potentially viral. Human beings are highly visual and because 90% of the information that comes to the brain is visual you need to tap into that “optic nerve” – a well-designed infographic can do that. Just looking at the abundance of statistics relating specifically to Carer Positive and, more generally, carers in the workforce, there’s sufficient data to create a large number of visually attractive, attention-grabbing infographics. Just some of the statistics we think are key to communicate include those shown overleaf. Our recommendation is to utilise the services of a professional graphic designer to create a full suite of branded individual infographics that convey key information such as those shown overleaf, formatted to suit all social media platforms. For graphic design services, Gladstone Media can be employed to produce these infographics to your requirements or you may wish to re-connect with Georgie Lowrie who created the initial suite of images/graphics for Carer Positive.

Infographic Statistics  307,632 the number of people in Scotland who have quit their job to provide unpaid care for a loved one  327,711 the number of employees in Scotland now working for Carer Positive employers  137 the number of employers in Scotland who have signed up to the Carer Positive initiative to support carers in their workplace  250,000+ the number of people who juggle their job with being a carer  15% the average percentage of the workforce in Scotland who are also carers  759,000 the number of adults carers in Scotland, equal to 17% of the adult population  2million the number of UK adults who have reduced their working hours in order to care  219,737 the number of people in Scotland who have reduced their working hours in order to care  500 every day, this is how many people take on a caring responsibility  6% the percentage of people in Scotland who said unpaid caring negatively impacted on their paid work  56% the number of carers who are employed or self employed  45-64 the peak age for carers, which may represent the most skilled & experienced members of the workforce  759,000 the estimated number of unpaid carers in Scotland  3 in 5 the number of us who will become carers at some point in our lives  33% the percentage of people juggling work and care who said their employers have no policies listed to support carers  86% the percentage of Scottish adults who said a supportive line manager/employer is important when combining their job with unpaid care for a loved one  84% the percentage of Scottish adults who said the option to work flexibly is important when combining their job with unpaid care for a loved one  1million the forecast number of carers in Scotland by 2037, an increase of 50%  69% the percentage of employees who say they’re more likely to STAY with an employer that offers a good employee package including flexible working (source: Capita Employee Insights report – 2016/17) 

68% the percentage of employees who say they are more likely to MOVE job to an employer that offers a good employee package including flexible working (source: Capita Employee Insights report – 2016/17)



£30,614

the average cost of replacing a member of staff

(source: Cost of Brain Drain research, Oxford Economics commissioned by Unum – February 2014) 

40%

the percentage of HR’s budget taken up by temporary staff

(source: Centre for Economics and Business Research, ROI Model. March 2012) 

25%

the percentage of HR’s training budget taken up by temps

(source: Centre for Economics and Business Research, ROI Model. March 2012) 

20%

the productivity of temporary staff is 20% lower than permanent employees

(source: Cost of Brain Drain research, Oxford Economics commissioned by Unum – February 2014) 

28 weeks

the time it takes a new employee to reach their optimum productivity level

(source: Cost of Brain Drain research, Oxford Economics commissioned by Unum – February 2014)

Please be aware that these statistics, and sources, would have to be verified as some may be out of date or inaccurate. 15

Press Considering that there are multiple benefits to having articles published, including those shown below, it is our recommendation that Carer Positive engages with as many press channels as possible in order to gain maximum exposure for the initiative:  free exposure and raising the profile of Carer Positive  the opportunity to brand/position Carer Positive as an industry/topic expert in the field of carers in the workplace and become the ‘go-to’ source of information  the opportunity to reach targeted audiences  drive traffic to the website/social media platforms Key to this however is ensuring that any article is well written with headlines, pull-quotes, statistics and supporting images/infographics that resonate with the target audience…..i.e. make sure the headline in particular touches on either a pain point or empathy point for the specific reader so, for example, if you’re writing an article aimed at small business owners, the headline could focus on their biggest pain point which might be losing staff resulting in a decrease in productivity which results in lost revenue/profit coupled with the expense of recruitment and retraining or, from the empathy angle, the headline might focus on the increase in staff morale and loyalty from adopting best practice for carers in the workforce and this could be supported with a pull-quote from an existing employer who has signed up. Listed overleaf is a list of suggested media outlets that should be contacted with a view to contributing an article for editorial inclusion.

Press Outlets/Channels Business Scotland Magazine – http://www.businessscotlandmagazine.com/ the official magazine of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Business Insider – https://www.insider.co.uk/ longest established B2B magazine in Scotland, both in print and online Editor – Ken Symon; k.symon@insider.co.uk Deputy Editor – Hamish Burns; Hamish.burns@reachplc.com Business Women Scotland Magazine – https://bwsltd.co.uk/ independent magazine aimed at women in business that also runs a series of networking events and business masterclasses Editor – Lynne Kennedy; lynne@bwsltd.co.uk Business Now – http://www.business-now.co.uk/index.php an Aberdeen based B2B magazine for the North East of Scotland that also hosts/runs business and networking events Editor – Eric Farquharson; editor@business-now.co.uk HR Network Magazine – https://www.hrnetworkjobs.com/ the leading magazine for all HR and people development & management professionals across Scotland with linked industry events, conferences and awards Publisher – Lee Turner; lee@hrnetworkscotland.co.uk Scottish Licensed Trade News (Peebles Media) – https://sltn.co.uk/ publication for the Scottish drinks and hospitality industry Editor – Gillian McKenzie; Gillian.mckenzie@peeblesmedia.com Scottish Grocer & Convenience Retailer (Peebles Media) – https://www.scottishgrocer.co.uk/ online and print publication aimed at convenience stores/retailers with annual Awards event Editor – Matthew Lynas; matthew.lynas@peeblesmedia.com Project Plant (Peebles Media) – https://www.projectplant.co.uk/ online and print publication for those in the plant/construction sector Envirotec Magazine (Peebles Media) – https://envirotecmagazine.com/ magazine aimed at those operating in the environmental technology sector, part of the ‘Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities’ industry sector, which is the largest industry sector in Scotland Editor – Paul Marsh; paul.marsh@peeblesmedia.com Project Scotland Magazine (Peebles Media) – https://projectscot.com/ the only magazine in Scotland aimed at decision makers in the construction industry which is the second largest industry sector in Scotland Editor – Gary Moug; gary.moug@peeblesmedia.com

Scottish Local Retailer Magazine – https://www.slrmag.co.uk/ magazine and online news platform for Scottish convenience stores/retailers Publisher – Antony Begley; abegley@55north.com Web Editor – Findlay Stein; fstein@55north.com DRAM Magazine (Media World) – http://dramscotland.co.uk/ magazine for the licensed trade in Scotland Editor in Chief – Susan Young; susan@mediaworldltd.com Editor – Jason Caddy; Jason@mediaworldltd.com Hotel Scotland (Media World) – https://www.hotelmagazinescotland.co.uk/ monthly magazine aimed at managers/decision makers in Scotland’s hotel industry Editor in Chief – Susan Young; susan@mediaworldltd.com Scottish Construction Now (Dundee Press Agency) – https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/ an online news platform and daily newsletter aimed at 40k professionals operating in the Scottish construction industry Editor – Graham Ogilvy; g.ogilvy@scottishnews.com News Editor – Kieran Findlay; newsdesk@scottishnews.com Scottish Housing News (Dundee Press Agency) – https://www.scottishhousingnews.com/ an online news platform and daily newsletter sent to 19k people working in housing associations, local authorities and third sector organisations News Editor; newsdesk@scottishnews.com The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland – http://www.journalonline.co.uk/ sent to over 10k readers each month, including all practicing lawyers in Scotland Editor – Peter Nicholson; peter@connectcommunications.co.uk IoD Scotland Magazine – https://iodscotland.com/magazine/ magazine for directors in Scotland CABLEtalk Magazine – https://www.cabletalkmagazine.com/ official magazine of the trade association for Scotland’s electro-technical industry, sent to 2k decision makers & business owners Editor – Iain Mason; iain@connectmedia.cc CA Magazine – https://www.icas.com/contact-us the official magazine of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland Editor – Robert Outram; ca@thinkpublishing.co.uk Scottish Tourism Alliance – http://scottishtourismalliance.co.uk/ the representative body of the Scottish tourism industry comprising over 250 trade associations, businesses, destination groups and other organisations with an interest in tourism. Interestingly, they recently reported that their members rated ‘Difficulties recruiting skilled staff’ as a factor impacting their sustainability and growth (need to do more to retain skilled staff when they have them on board?) Business Support Manager – Mhairi Smith; mhairi.smith@stalliance.co.uk

Forestry Journal – https://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/ monthly magazine aimed at those working in the forest industry (part of the third largest industry sector in Scotland), from forestry contractors and machinery manufacturers through to local authorities and land agents The Scotsman Business - https://www.scotsman.com/business Business Editor – Scott Reid; scott.reid@jpimedia.co.uk Business Reporter – Hannah Burley; Hannah.burley@jpimedia.co.uk The Herald - https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/ Deputy Business Editor – Scott Wright; scott.wright@heraldandtimes.co.uk Press and Journal - https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/category/business/scotland-business/ Editor – Alan McCabe; pj.editor@ajl.co.uk ACVO E-Bulletin – http://acvo.org.uk/about/publications/e-bulletin/ the ACVO is the Third Sector Interface for Aberdeen City and it’s role is to develop, involve, represent and support the voluntary, charity and social enterprise organisations in Aberdeen. Their E-Bulletin is sent out every week to over 2k subscribers Communications Officer – Alasdair Simpson; asimpson@acvo.org.uk Third Force News (TFN) – http://thirdforcenews.org.uk/ Scotland’s dedicated news outlet for charities and voluntary organisations, published monthly in print format by SCVO and twice weekly news e-bulletins Editor – Susan Smith; susan.smith@scvo.org.uk News Editor – Graham Martin; graham.martin@scvo.org.uk Public Sector Executive Magazine – http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/ although a UK-wide publication, this magazine directly targets those responsible for running and developing the UK public sector, including Chief Executives, Department Heads, MDs, Directors & Senior/Middle Management. They do offer an option to only utilise their e-newsletters or solus eshots rather than the UK-wide magazine as a whole and this could be a good option if they can specifically target their Scottish readership/subscribers Editor – Luanna Salles; editorial@publicsectorexecutive.com

Printed Materials Having looked through the range of printed materials currently produced by Carer Positive, our opinion is that the ‘Essential Information for employers’ 28-page booklet and the ‘Support & strengthen your workplace’ A5 double-sided leaflet are both well produced in terms of layout, content and quality; the lined writing pads and sticky notepads, again, are good quality and excellent hand-out items, as are the pens and memory sticks, however we feel that the presentation folders would be better produced, more professional looking and more robust if the inner pockets were glued rather than held together with tabs. There are some A4 hand-outs which have been put together by Sue McLintock and appear to have been printed on a desktop laser printer and it’s our recommendation that these, perhaps together with some of the Infographic statistics, are combined into a single professionally designed and printed document which would portray a far more professional image of Carer Positive. One style that is very popular is a concertina-fold leaflet and a sample of one we have produced for a Scottish charity has been given to Sue McLintock for reference.

Events/Sponsorship It is our opinion, and one which Sue McLintock confirmed, that businesses are more receptive to the initiative when they are in a meeting/discussion situation with a Carer Positive representative and with this in mind, it is our recommendation that, as an organisation, Carer Positive explores every possibility to participate in – or self-host – events across Scotland. We understand that Carer Positive already has a commitment to taking part in events throughout 2019 including one organised by HR Network and another organised by the Scottish Government which coincides with the 5th birthday of the Carer Positive initiative but we’d suggest looking at other platforms which give you the opportunity to get in front of those you wish to connect with. Suggestions include:  Make contact with local business networking groups to ask if it would be possible to speak at their next event  Reach out to organisations already signed up to the initiative to ask if they hold supplier open days or events and, if they do, ask if it would be possible for Carer Positive to attend or sponsor it in some way and/or provide handouts for attendees  Host a series of ‘regional’ events (golf day, business breakfast, lunch) where you invite a combination of target businesses together with existing businesses signed up to the initiative…..perhaps even allow existing businesses to invite one or two of their suppliers  Speak to your press contacts to find out if they’re holding any events/awards that Carer Positive could get involved in  Are there any opportunities to sponsor/host a coffee morning at local or even national carer groups? This gives an opportunity to let carers themselves know that there’s an initiative out there that could help/benefit them and their employers in the workplace meaning they could carry the message back to employers.  Care sector specific events/awards – what opportunities exist to get Carer Positive involved?  HR sector specific events/awards – again, what opportunities exist to get involved? We understand that Carer Positive already has an excellent working relationship with the leading hub of Scottish HR and people development – HR Network – but are there any other ways in which this relationship can be developed or are there other platforms?

From attending the Carer Positive & Scottish Business Pledge event in March 2019, Gladstone Media were able to observe Carer Positive with an outsider’s eye and one of the key things we noticed was a lack of visual stimulation in the room prior to the event starting. From experience, we know that in the period between delegates arriving at an event and taking their seats, and the time the event actually starts, there can be moments of awkward silence or small talk however, when the room contains visual stimulants linked to the event, often delegates will engage in conversations about how the subject/topic affects them, their reason(s) for attending, etc. all of which can create a positive vibe before the main presentation even begins. Visual stimulants that can be used effectively include:  Background PowerPoint presentation playing on a loop with each screen displaying a key infographic or statistic  Pop-up roller banner(s) displaying key information regarding the initiative

We also observed that the PowerPoint presentation used in this event did not truly ‘sell’ the benefits of signing up to the initiative; that is, key slides such as the “Business Case”and “Where It Works Well” slides did not directly address the ‘pain points’ for employers (the target audience) and therefore may not connect with them or may not connect with them strongly enough to give them the impetus to sign up. Putting ourselves in the shoes of an employer, I’d be looking for these slides to hit me straight between the eyes with facts/information that is direct, powerful and hard to ignore. This could easily be done by drawing inspiration from the Infographic Statistics (listed on Page 14 of this document), i.e.  Can you afford to lose 1 in 7 of your workforce?  How would it impact your business if your most skilled and experienced workers were less productive and making mistakes through the stress of juggling work and carer responsibilities?  If you need to bring in temporary staff, are you aware their productivity levels are, on average, Can your business afford to be less productive for 28 weeks while a new employee reaches their optimum productivity level? While the information currently shown in the Power Point presentation is undoubtedly useful and factual, in our opinion it’s hard-hitting facts and statistics like this that will help business owners realise how potentially damaging it could be if they choose not to look after their staff. With this in mind, it is our recommendation that slides are included throughout the presentation with ‘pain point’ facts that link to the slide previous/following.

Referrals/Introductions While we’re aware that the 'Exemplary' level of membership of Carer Positive asks employers to engage in awareness raising activities and communicate the business case to other employers, from our discussions with Sue McLintock we understand that this isn't happening to any great level. We’re of the opinion that this is therefore an area of huge untapped potential and it is our recommendation that the Marketing Officer, in conjunction with Sue McLintock, approaches all ‘Exemplary’ members to discuss how they can be more pro-active in introducing Carer Positive to other businesses. As discussed elsewhere in this report, it may be something as simple as the existing business inviting Carer Positive along to participate in a supplier event/open day or take part in a business networking group they’re involved in; it may even be them making a direct introduction to another business they think would be interested. Whatever the action, the important thing is that there is action…..that the ‘Exemplary’ member helps to raise awareness of the initiative and promote the business case to other employers.

Follow-Ups One of the key things that resonated with us from our initial meeting with Sue McLintock was the lack of any real step by step action plan to follow up on things. Our understanding is that, at the moment, due to the lack of a full-time Marketing Officer, potential prospects are being allowed to slip through the net as the current staff deal with tasks on a day by day basis which can result in a prospect slipping from the top of a to-do list and the impetus being lost by the time they’re picked up again, if at all. Following-up marketing activities is one of the primary keys to success therefore our recommendation would be for the Carer Positive team, including the new Marketing Officer, to define a follow-up plan of action for new prospects, something that is trackable, measurable and timed. For example, let’s assume a new prospect is identified via data-capture on the website, our suggestion would be a follow-up action plan something similar to the following:  2 working days – within 2 working days, Marketing Officer or Carer Positive Manager to send an email to the individual thanking them for visiting the website and informing them that further information (folder with printed materials and application form) will be posted to them. Email should also include links inviting them to connect with Carer Positive on social media. Diarise a follow-up call.  2 working days – within 2 working days, connect with the individual and their business on all social media platforms  5 working days – if there’s been no further communication from them one week after sending them the information, make a follow-up call to ask if there’s anything further they’d like to know; offering to visit them at their place of business to discuss the initiative in more detail and how it could work for and with their business; offering to let them speak to a business local to them or in the same industry that’s already signed up; inviting them to an event you’re hosting or involved in; etc.  Ongoing – if they don’t sign up at this point (after a visit/attending an event), it’s important to keep communication channels open with them in a non-invasive manner, i.e. send periodic emails when new information, statistics or press releases are published that they may find relevant; ensure social media channels are kept populated so that Carer Positive becomes a regular sight on the platforms they use; comment or engage with their social media activity; invite them to future events; send them a copy of an industry relevant magazine Carer Positive has had an article published in; etc.

Of course, within this follow-up plan there would have to be sub-plans defined for each stage/activity, i.e. if the prospect accepts an invitation to an event there should be a separate defined action plan that covers action points for all event attendees such as pre-event communications, follow-up calls or meetings, etc.; if they agree to sign up to the initiative, how long do you leave it before a follow-up call is made to offer assistance. No matter how defined your follow-up action plan is, the important thing is to just follow-up. This marketing and communications strategy has been created with the aim of increasing awareness of the initiative which should, in turn, increase the number of potential prospects. Your follow-up plan should help ensure these prospects are methodically seen through to a conclusion.

Summary From what we have learned about Carer Positive and its aims, we believe this marketing and communications strategy provides an excellent platform to assist the initiative in growing and developing and, of course, the strategy itself can grow and develop with the organisation and its personnel. Important marketing and communication channels such as social media, press and printed materials have all been addressed and our recommendations are just that; recommendations. The execution and interpretation of this strategy in its entirety or in part is down to Carer Positive, although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our belief that we have put forward relevant and strategic suggestions that will ultimately help the initiative in achieving its aims.

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March 2019