What is marketing? It is not a dirty word.

1. What is marketing? It is not a dirty word.

2. It is not the crass commercialization of synagogue life • It is not trying to trick someone into buying something they do not want

3. It is not just another word for advertising • It is not just another word for public relations • It is not just another word for promotion Marketing is broader and these are all part of marketing

4. Marketing is… A wide range of activities to help you meet the needs of your congregants and to make sure that your congregants valuetheir membership.

5. Marketing involves… • Understanding your market (congregants) • Understanding your future or potential markets (potential members – young adults, young families, empty nesters…)

6. Marketing is • Figuring out who you are • Learning your story • Crafting your story • And… • Sharing your story in a compelling way!

7. Market Research • A well marketed congregation is congregant focused • Learn what your congregants priorities are and make them your own

8. Marketing Research Tools • Interviews • Research • Surveys • Focus Groups

9. Interviews Meet with key people: • Temple Staff • Board Members • Committee Chairs

10. Interviews • Questions • What is our reputation in the community? • Who are our competitors? • What are the demographics of our membership? • What are the needs of each demographic? • Are we meeting those needs? • What are the demographics of our potential members? • What are their needs? • Could we meet those needs?

11. Research • Other congregations in your area • Visit their website • Read their bulletin • Find out what the costs of membership are • Research other houses of worship too!

12. Research • Other non-profit • Organizations: • JCC • Local museums • Volunteer Organizations

13. Surveys • Disadvantages • Rate of response is often low • You get the answers to the questions you ask • Often focuses on the negatives or weaknesses • Advantages • Inexpensive • Reaches the greatest number of people • Good way to gather information • Easy

14. Surveys • Questions • Demographic – gather information about your members • Strengths – What are we doing well? • Weaknesses – What could we be doing better? • Opportunities – What things should we be doing that we are not? • Threats – What are the obstacles?

15. Focus Groups Can be a valuable tool for obtaining thoughtful information

16. Focus Groups • Invite thoughtful answers • Allow Focus Groups members to express themselves • Provide the opportunity to meet new people • BUILD COMMUNITY

17. Focus Groups • Designate a leader • Appoint a note-taker • Stress confidentiality • Informal setting • Refreshments

18. Focus Groups • Sample Questions • The things that concern me most about our congregation are… • If with a stroke of a pen I could change one thing about our congregation, I would… • The two or three most significant changes I would like to see in the congregation are…

19. Focus Groups • Two great questions: • If our temple were a car, what make, model, year and color would it be? • If our temple were an ice cream flavor, what would it be?

20. What do we do with all of this information? • Review it • Create a report and share it with the board, committees and the congregation • If you are lucky, you have the makings of a brand new mission statement • CREATE A MARKETING PLAN

21. Your Marketing Plan • Create a marketing plan • It does not have to be complicated! • You can do it!

22. Your Marketing Plan • Step One – What are your main goals? • Limit it to just a couple of goals • Example – Integrate new members into the temple • Include communications goals to support your main goal • Example – Feature an article about a new family in each issue of the bulletin

23. Your Marketing Plan • Step Two – Who is your audience? • Which groups are you trying to reach? • Potential members • Families with young children, • 65+

24. Your Marketing Plan • Step Three – What is your strategy? • Target audience – potential members • Strategy – Shabbat service for prospective members • Target audience - Families with young children • Strategy – Saturday afternoon program in the park • Target audience - 65+ • Strategy – Film series

25. Your Marketing Plan • Step Four – Tactics (Publicizing) • How will you deliver the message? • Target audience – potential members • Strategy – Shabbat service for prospective members • Tactic – Advertisement in local newspaper (Camera-ready ad supplied by the URJ) • Tactic – Invitation on temple Facebook page

26. Your Marketing Plan • Step Five – Work Plan • Who will do what? • Staff • Volunteers • Timelines

27. Your Marketing Plan • Step Six – Budget • Do we have a budget? • How much will our plan cost? • What can we do for free? • Community newspapers, calendar listings in local press, cable TV, temple website, social media

28. Your Marketing Plan • Step Seven – Evaluation • Have several measurable outcomes • Did more people come to this event than last year? • Define a target number of new members who join after having attended the Shabbat service for prospective members • Use analytics to measure the effectiveness of social media

29. What is Earned Media? • Earned media is publicity gained through promotional efforts other than advertising, which is called paid media. • Earned media includes: • Editorials in newspapers and magazines • Interviews or event coverage on television and radio • Postings on blogs • Calendar listings • Letters to the editor • Op-eds • Polls • Mentions on social media

30. Why Do We Need Earned Media Most congregations have a very limited budget. We need earned media to supplement advertising to get the word out about programs and events, attract members and speak on behalf of the larger Jewish community on important issues.

31. Steps to Getting Earned Media • Assemble a Press Kit • Build a Press List • Target the Right Outlets • Cultivate Relationships • Develop a Pitch • Get the Word Out – Press Releases, Media Advisories, Follow-Up • Handling Press at Events • Respond to Breaking News • Respond to Inquiries • Write Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor • Evaluate Your Progress

32. Assemble a Press Kit • Create a general media kit about your congregation. Kits should include: • fact sheet or brochures describing your congregation, your work and your initiatives • short biographies of clergy, staff and key lay leaders • a business card

33. Build a Press List • Create an up-to-date press list of the Jewish and mainstream press and local news websites, including newspapers, television and radio outlets serving your community, as well as community bloggers. • Include names and contact information (phone, email, fax) for news and assignment editors and reporters covering religion, local events, community issues. • Subscribe to any relevant blogs so you know what media/online journalists are saying about your congregation and as a reference for where you might want to eventually pitch stories. • Create niche press lists for specific events.

34. Target the Right Outlets • Determine your desired audience • Target media outlets that speak to that audience - less is sometimes more • Step out of the box – think of new media outlets (trade pubs, listserves, blogs, etc.) • Tailor your pitch to specific outlets • Use online and social media to spread the word to new audiences

35. Cultivate Relationships • Get to know the media • Research what writers are covering - read their stories, learn their beats, follow their trends • Meet the press by arranging get-to-know-you meetings or lunch dates • Always bring business cards and press kits

36. Develop a Pitch • Tell Your Story • Think like a reporter – Why would my audience care? Why is this timely? • Discover the hook – what makes this story unique? • Write succinctly – make sure your pitch is clear and concise • Show. Don’t tell. – illustrate points with personal, emotional anecdotes • Build partnerships – with other organizations • when appropriate – strength in numbers

37. Get the Word Out • Press releases • Media advisories • Targeted emails (do not use attachments) • Social media • Phone calls • Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up

38. Write a Press Release • Press releases must inform the media about congregational news (i.e., a new initiative, program, or leadership appointment), must grab the media’s attention and offer all the relevant information. • Follow up with recipients and offer interviews with key individuals, discuss additional information, or offer alternate story angles. • Press releases follow a specific format. Use templates or look at examples to guide you. • Always write from an “objective voice.” A press release shouldn’t be blatantly promotional.

40. Write a Media Advisory A media advisory is typically used to inform the media of an event you want covered, or placed in the calendar listing of a newspaper. It presents the basic facts of the event— the who, what, when and where. Send these media advisories out a few weeks before an event, and again the week of the event.

41. MEDIA ADVISORY Contact: Annette Powers 917-225-4857 apowers@urj.org SXSW Event to Showcase Emerging Model for Innovative Jewish Engagement Reform Movement Partners with ROI to Present Alternative Shabbat Experience at SXSW WHAT:          Warehouse ATX - an alternative Shabbat experience at SXSWWHO: Musician Josh Nelson WHEN: Friday, March 15, 2013, 7 – 9 pm WHERE: SXSW Festival in Austin, TXTakoba’s Cantina El Milamores (Behind the restaurant) 1411 E 7th St Austin, TX 78702

42. The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) has partnered with ROI Community to present WAREHOUSE ATX at the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. WAREHOUSE ATX, featuring musician Josh Nelson, is an alternative Shabbat experience using music and new media. The event will be followed by a musical showcase featuring musicians SimjaDujov, NeshamaCarlebach, NoaMargalit and Ami Yares. WAREHOUSE ATX marks the latest in a concerted effort on behalf of the Reform Movement to reach those Jews with whom traditional community experiences do not resonate, but to whom the values of Reform Judaism – diversity, equality and modernity – are a strong contemporary spiritual framework. Building Jewish community at events like SXSW – a set of music, film and interactive festivals that draws tens of thousands – is a natural fit for a partnership between ROI Community and the Reform Movement. As an international network of more than 800 activists and change makers in 50 countries who are redefining Jewish engagement, ROI Community is working at the bleeding edge of identity and community. The Reform Movement’s fabric of modern families and values helps build a living Jewish experience for a diverse and vibrant community. Together, this confluence sparks opportunities for Jewish peoplehood for the future, and builds bridges to Jews at SXSW who might not otherwise have had a taste of modern Reform Judaism.

43. Handling Press at Events • Determine who will be the press contact on-site to ensure members of the press everything they need and to facilitate interviews. • Create signage to direct the media to where they need to check-in. • Take pictures to send to the media and post on your website. • Provide the media with a press kit, customized for the event, with names and bios of speakers and transcripts of prepared remarks, if available. • Prepare a post-event press release in advance, including key highlights or news from the event, and speaker and leadership quotes. Distribute immediately after the event.

44. Respond to Breaking News When a major story breaks in the news about an issue important to your community or the larger Jewish community, community news outlets will look for a local perspective. Be prepared to act fast to offer a statement to the local media (via press release, phone or email) or to make leadership available for an interview. Being quoted establishes you as the voice of the local Jewish community.

45. Respond to Inquiries You may receive unsolicited requests for statements, information or interviews. Basic tips for being prepared:  • Determine what the reporter is asking, how it will be used, and the basic direction of the story. • Determine the reporter’s style and approach. • Pick your spokesperson. • Develop message points. • Keep responses simple, clear and concise. • If unsure of an answer, don’t guess. • Nothing is “off-the- record.” • Use anecdotes, facts and statistics to illustrate points.

47. Write Op-Eds and Letters to the Editor Writing op-eds (opinion-editorials) and letters to the editor is a good way to reach the public and policy makers with your position on relevant issues. An op-ed often addresses issues or viewpoints introduced by the writer. A letter to the editor is generally a reaction to an item that previously ran in the paper.

49. Op-Ed and Letter to the Editor Tips • Letters to the editor are usually 200-300 words • Op-eds are usually 750-1,000 words. • Stay on message. • Take a stand. • Use powerful language. • Be specific. • Have only one person sign the letter. • Be timely—send ASAP. • Include weekend and night contact numbers. • Never send a form letter.

50. Evaluate Your Progress • Measure volume of coverage – number of articles, broadcast segments • Analyze the tone of your coverage • Assess advertising equivalency • Aggregate all press coverage and maintain “In the News” section on your website