Marketing & Outreach – Best Practices

1. Marketing & Outreach – Best Practices NCALL Research, July 2009

2. Introduction • One of the most important jobs of a self-help agency is the recruitment of families • Without families, the program builds no houses and benefits no one • For many programs, marketing can be one of the most challenging tasks

3. No matter what happens, remember these four rules: • Do not get discouraged • Try something new • Plan ahead • Use multiple methods to market

4. Review What Has Been Done • If this program is not new, review what has and has not worked in the past • If already completed, review the Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan • The strategies laid out in this document need to be carried out for the remainder of the program • Rural Development may conduct a review to ensure that this was followed

5. Motivation / Doing Good is Not Enough • The March 21, 2005 edition of “Fortune” magazine included an article entitled “The Best Advice I Ever Got,” which included interesting and inspirational stories. • Vivek Paul, the President and CEO of Wipro Technologies - “The best advice I ever got was from an elephant trainer in the jungle outside Bangalore. I saw these large elephants tethered to a small stake. I asked him, ‘How can you keep such a large elephant tethered to such a small stake?’”

6. “He said, ‘When the elephants are small they try to pull out the stake and they fail. When they grow large, they never try to pull the stake out again.’ That parable is a reminder that we have to go for what we think we are fully capable of, not limit ourselves by what we’ve been in the past.”

8. This tale speaks to how we are as nonprofit employees • The tether represents our expectations, our small budgets, our inexperience and our lack of having other local nonprofits that really raise the bar in marketing

9. We know we have a great product, right? • Families that couldn’t afford it any other way, get a home of their own • We tend to just put out some information about our program and sit back and let interested persons come to us • We think that the people who need housing will come • This strategy doesn’t work so well

10. Doing good is notenough! • We have to make people want to join our program. • We need a plan!!

11. Think about this in terms of going to a doctor • Shouldn’t we all get regular check ups from a doctor? Probably But how many people do that? Not many • We usually call for an appointment with a doctor when there is a problem • We call when we are motivated by being sick and requiring help • Motivation - We have to make people want to join our program

12. How about in terms of going to the dentist? • Not many people enjoy going to the dentist • Surprisingly these days, kids do, dentists have motivated them to want to go back • They probably don’t care too much about having their teeth cleaned • They want to go because they get floss, toothbrushes, they get to pick the flavor of rinse and paste that they use and at the end of the appointment they get to pick out a prize from a basket. That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

13. Self-help groups don’t need a prize basket • But, we do need to figure out what will make people WANT to get involved in a self-help housing program • What will inspire them enough to put themselves through all of the work and dedication that it takes to be involved with this program?

14. Telling someone they need our product is not as effective as finding out what they need and showing how our product meets that need • It's the difference between taking an educational approach -- laying out all the facts and hoping that people make a rational decision -- and a marketing approach -- persuading people to choose our product because it helps them to be the kind of person they want to be • This will take work

15. Develop a Marketing and Recruitment Plan

16. Introduction • To be successful, there needs to be a plan • The rest of this manual is dedicated to breaking down these steps and providing ideas • Allow enough time to accomplish each step • After the plan is finished ask...“Am I getting the most effective message to the most potential families in the most economical way?”

17. A marketing plan should contain: • Executive Summary • Business Overview • Target Market • Goals • Marketing Strategies • Implementation Tactics • Budget • Evaluation of Results

18. A Sample Marketing Plan and blank forms that will help you create your own are available in the Guide!

19. I. What do you want to accomplish? • List at least 3 goals (short-long term, best possible results) • Consider factors working for you • Consider factors working against you

20. Goal By When 1. Have 10 families approved for the first group before November 2009 submitting the Final Application 2. Have 10 families approved for the rest of the grant November 2010 3. Have 20 families on the waiting list for the next grant September 2011

21. What outside factors might help or hinder ability to achieve goals? Goal #1 Have 10 families approved for the first group before submitting the Final Application in November 2009. Outside factors working FOR you: Outside factors working AGAINST you: Not much available housing forNew program – no one low income families has heard of it – can it be done? New program – new opportunity Not much funding Supportive agencies No experienced staff Poor credit history

22. Goal #2 Have 10 families approved for the rest of the grant on November 2010. Outside factors working FOR you: Outside factors working AGAINST you: Propectives can see that it is Families in first group possiblemay not be cheerful Input from first group on how to improveCommunity may put stigma on low income Funding is availablehousing

23. Goal #3 Have 20 families on the waiting list for the next grant in September 2011. Outside factors working FOR you: Outside factors working AGAINST you: Can show finished homes and First grant may have had proud familiesproblems Can be doneKeep an eye on family availability Community may have heard

24. Try to overcome the factors working against you • Educate local agencies and employers that may help • NCALL can train your staff • Hold one-on-one credit repair classes • Use the factors working for you to your advantage • Revise goals if necessary to make them realistic

25. Goal By When 1. Have 8 families approved for the first group before November 2009 submitting the Final Application 2. Have 10 families approved for the rest of the grant January 2011 3. Have 22 families on the waiting list for the next grant September 2011

26. II. Who is your target market? • Describe potential clients as much as possible • In order to get this information: • Survey those who respond to marketing • Survey clients in your agency’s other programs • Ask other social service agencies for help • Write down what you now know about them (Be as specific as possible)

27. Include their: • Values and motivation, places of employment, where they live, where they shop, eat, what they listen to and read… • Where is the self-help program’s target market? Are they at work, church, home, clubs, PTA, etc. • What radio stations do they listen to? What programs, what time of day? • What papers do they read? What sections on what days? • What stores do they go to and when? (Laundromats, car shops, grocery stores, restaurants, etc.)

28. Partial Sample List • Works at local factory, Wal-Mart, hospital… • Shops at Super Fresh, Wal-Mart, 7-11, TJ Maxx, Target… • Lives now with relatives, in apartment, rental home… • Reads Sunday newspaper, weekly community paper, free shopper… • Listens to WKIS and WHLP • Watches WMNY, WRTV, and WBAL

29. Attends area churches (list) • Children go to Central School District • Belongs to Moose Lodge, Kiwanis Club, Moms Groups • Likes bowling, fishing, going to the park… • Values family, pride, independence, security

30. III. How are you going to market? • Review information from previous list • Brainstorm with others • List possible methods

31. Partial Sample List • Community Meetings • Ads and PSAs • Newspaper Coverage • Speak with Local Employers/ Organizations • School District • Find community supporter who will help market • Special Events • Signs • Contact organizations, employers, churches, radio & TV stations, newspapers...etc. Let them know about the program and find out how they can help get the word out. • What are the costs and are there other free methods available?

32. Develop Your Message • This area needs to get a lot of your focus • Before the media is contacted or brochures are developed, you need to know what it is you want to say • Don’t forget the equal housing opportunity logo or symbol that must appear in all advertisements • The message is not and should not be intended to tell everything about the program • Needs to interest them enough to take action

33. Messages need to be designed to achieve goals • A winning message takes into account what will work with the audience to build support, this does not mean restating your goals • It means making your case in a compelling way

34. According to Billy Shore of Share Our Strength, “Non profits suffer from literal sclerosis. • They are so literal about everything that they don’t translate things into language that people can understand.” • “Everybody else in communications makes big bold claims for things they don’t really know.”

35. ‘The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.’ Is that really the best part of waking up?” • “As a nonprofit we are more likely to argue this last question for weeks, hold a summit on it, and then decide that we can’t make that claim without more documentation. We would end up outlining the numerous physical and psychological benefits of caffeine ingestion when trying to get going in the morning, supported by data and charts. One method sells coffee; the other puts people to sleep.”

36. A good example of an effective message can be seen in the Texas anti litter campaign • The goal of the “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign was to “keep Texas beautiful and save tax dollars” • The campaign message worked because it hit a chord, one of state pride, with the target population of litterbug macho males 15-24 years old • “Let’s put litter in its place!” would not have been as effective

37. Mission - Based Marketing

38. A great resource for ideas about nonprofit marketing is the book Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes by Andy Goodman. Some of his tips for an effective message are: • Capture the reader’s attention • Make an emotional connection • Write a headline that offers a reason to read more • Use pictures to attract and convince • Make it readable • Test before, measure after • When everyone zigs, its time to zag (Don’t be afraid to try something new and unexpected)

40. This is an example of a very ineffective ad. There is way too much writing and not enough impact.

41. Very effective.

42. Again, very simple and effective. Really conveys a sense of urgency.

43. This ad definitely gets your attention and evokes an emotion.

44. The previous ads definitely make an emotional connection • Try to do something similar in your self-help housing marketing • Ask NCALL for help with creating ads if you get stuck

45. Why would they WANT this new home? We have to make them want it!

46. Creating an Emotional Connection • Why would people WANT to join a self-help program? Why would they WANT this new home? Create an emotional connection. • Independence • Safety • Security • Pride • Respect • Joy • Love of their children

47. Those are the things we must market. What will your new message be?

48. Following are some more tips to help in developing your message • The five elements of a message are: 1) Attract Attention 2) Stress Advantages & Benefits of Self-Help Housing 3) Prove what you say is true 4) Persuade 5) Ask for action

49. 1) Attract Attention • To attract the attention of a passerby or a newspaper reader an “attention getter” is needed to create interest. • “Build your dream” • “We know you care about your family…so do we” • “You deserve a home of your own…we can help” • “You can say with pride ‘I did it myself’” • “Ask me how to join the $24,000 club!” • “Own a home and pay less than you pay now in rent”

50. 2) Stress Advantages & Benefits of Self-Help Housing • As discussed, the message should be directed at what the families need and/or want, not just what the program provides