Getting the Most out of Your Message: How to Communicate Effectively with Decision-makers

1. Getting the Most out of Your Message: How to Communicate Effectively with Decision-makers University of Florida Department of Agricultural Education and Communication Tracy Irani

2. Communicating Effectively with Decision-makers • Why do we need to communicate effectively with decision-makers? • Who are they? • What do they want to know/like to hear from us? • The right message—crisp, clear, and consistent • Frequency/repetition of message • Extension as a brand with identifiable attributes

3. Opinion Leadership • Two step flow—communicating with publics and with those who can exert influence on publics • Branding through media reaches information seeking opinion leaders, who then influence receivers

4. Campaign Planning/Tactical Marketing Campaign • Strategic, structured plan • Based on analyzing the situation Brand • Product, good, or service • Identifiable, consistent image Message • Main idea • Key information Publics • Various audiences that must be reached • Internal and external clientele

5. Campaign Planning Brand Image • The way Extension is perceived by your clientele and stakeholders; based on beliefs, values and experiences Brand Loyalty • Consistent users of your services, not easily swayed by other options-the extent to which you have this is an asset called brand equity

6. Audience Analysis • Understand who could receive the message • Define the target audience • Determine the best methods of reaching the audience Demographics • Age, gender, race, marital status, income, education, occupation, and geography Psychographics • Attitudes • Values • Lifestyles

7. Audience Analysis Usage Patterns • Most used media channels • Tendency to be interested in a particular subject Prior Knowledge • People have experience with the message • Knowledge can make people either more or less likely to be interested Finding the Right Target and Reaching It • Know the message • Determine who needs the message • Determine the most effective methods of communication

8. Integrated Marketing • Process of coordinating promotional tools to build and maintain brand awareness, identity and preference. Uses consistent message themes and marks, via multiple channels to reach a targeted and segmented audience • Based on strategies derived from identifying audience characteristics and leveraging SWOT analysis

9. Integrated Marketing Components Advertising • Paid • Delivered through mass media • Attempts to persuade Public Relations Objectives • Promote goodwill • Promote a product or service • Enhance internal communications • Counteract negative publicity • Lobby • Give advice and counsel • PR Methods • Press release • Feature story • Media alerts/tip sheets • Company newsletter • Interview and press conference • Sponsored event • Publicity • Media exclusive • Cause related

10. Integrated Marketing Media Relations • Establish ongoing relationships with local media-understand media packaging for gatekeepers, AP style • On a regular basis, provide informational materials to reporters • Become a reputable and dependable expert source • Get to know the reporters in your geographic region, and know their “beat” assignments of reporters • What’s Newsworthy • Timely • Unique • Local impact

11. SWOT Analysis Internal • Strengths • Advantages (Good reputation, cost advantage, access to high-quality resources, etc.) • What the organization does well • Weaknesses • What could be improved (Poor reputation, high cost, etc.) • What should be avoided

12. SWOT Analysis External • Opportunities • Good chances (Unfulfilled customer need, new market, etc.) • Changes in technology or policy (loosening regulations, removed trade barriers, etc.) • Changes in society (Shifts in consumer trends toward the organization’s products or services) • Threats • Obstacles • Competition (Emergence of substitute products) • Changes in technology or policy (New development makes the organization’s processes obsolete, new regulations, etc.) • Changes in society (Shifts in consumer trends away from the organization’s products or services)

13. Creative Strategy Who, What, and Why • Product Oriented • Generic claim • Product features • Unique selling proposition • Consumer Oriented • Brand image • Lifestyle • Attitude • Values

14. Unique Selling Proposition (USP) • Product differentiation- • Approach the correct target audience • Make audience see program as different or better • “… Extension offers state residents the only comprehensive, one-stop source of practical education on hundreds of relevant topics. Programs are research-based, regionally customized and geared to meet a participant’s specific needs through the unbiased assistance of dedicated …specialists.” • What’s unique about your program?

15. Creative Strategy • Graphic Design • Eyes want to read from top to bottom and left to right • Important items should be placed in the areas people naturally scan • Sizes and proportions should be varied to prevent the ad from becoming boring • White Space • Can be used to separate elements that do not belong together • Elements surrounded by white space indicate importance

16. Other Considerations • Partnerships • Local media • Companies • Organizations with similar interests • Media Location • Flyers at grocery stores, community bulletin boards, libraries, schools, or locations the target audience frequents • Community calendars in newspapers, on television, on radio, and on the Internet • Word of mouth to opinion leaders • News Outlets • Explain your need personally; personal pitch, pitch letters • Send information about your event to a newspaper or television or radio station’s public relations person, public affairs director, or promotions director – by name--compile media directory • Include “boiler plate section with contact info in same place in every media release by every county faculty member.

17. Other Considerations • Website • Effective and inexpensive • Post important information and upcoming events • Can be incorporated into the other marketing methods - refer people to the website • Must be relevant, fresh, always changing to attract and keep users coming to site

18. Evaluation • Criteria • “Getting it” (Do consumers understand?) • Knowledge (Can consumers recognize and recall?) • Attitude change (Where does the brand stand?) • Behavior (Will people buy the product or service?) • Methods • Survey • Attendance or participation • Frequency of inquiry • Results • Performance review • Gauging success • Changing strategies • Different approach

19. Guerilla Marketing • Unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources. • Guerilla marketing involves being original, breaking the rules, and looking for alternatives to traditional marketing methods. • More about matching wits than matching budgets • Low cost • Innovative • Less clutter • Less reach

20. Principles • Presence – find ways to make yourself known at all times – chat rooms, forums, discussion boards, e-mail, radio, magazines, blogs, Yellow Pages • Activity – be aware of opportunities to make your product known at all times and act on them • Energy – continually marketing – ‘360 degree marketing’ • Networks – always looking to make contacts and develop networks – importance of relationships • Smart – don’t offend clientele or turn them off

21. Guerilla Marketing: 10 Commandments • Know your market. Know who you want to reach, how they think, and where they go--segmentation. • Keep your name in front of your regular clientele—but understand they are already ag-aware. • Work with the press. • Educate the market—what’s the key message you need to convey? • Put e-marketing/e-newsletters to work for you. • Do the Web right. • Get a prime spot on the Web's search engines. • Radio and Web go together better than print and web-frequency versus reach.. • Talk up your web site when you give talks and presentations at association meetings and conferences. • Think about what’s in it for your audience-why should they care?

22. Viral Marketing • Marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message via weblogs, cell phones, email, Wikis. • Hotmail

23. Viral Marketing • Creates a relationship with the audience • To form or change an attitude, information relevance and motivation to process are key • Give away products or services—viral newsrooms, virtual reprints • Provides for effortless transfer to others—spreads the messages like a virus-email alerts, business cards • Exploits common motivations and behaviors— • Curiosity • Free • Need to belong • Cool • Warm and fuzzies • Information seeking

24. Developing a plan – seven critical elements • What’s the benefit to your audience • Your positioning or key takeaway message—what do you want to influence in terms of attitude formation or change • Your target market—who are you targeting and why • Your budget—how much can you spend and what are most cost effective, yet efficient ways to spend resources • Tactics • Guerilla marketing and PR techniques • Viral and Internet marketing • Month by month implementation schedule –because you need both reach and frequency

25. Work in groups of four-five to develop a detailed plan-not a single activity Brainstorm the key message takeaway or catchphrase you want to convey Benefit Key message positioning Target audience(s) Budget Tactics Implementation schedule Activity

26. Sharing what works—building the network • Wetpaint—quick and dirty Wiki groups • Use to share ideas and programs • Ag awareness blog—develop a topic calendar, share moderating chores, get on blogrolls, get linked • E-newsletter • Viral newsroom

27. Thank You! Questions?