Welcome to ELEVATE, the e-Newsletter dedicated to helping government, nonprofit and community-based organizations understand how to build an outstanding brand through cost-effective marketing, communications, and customer service strategies. Explore our brand models and valuable resources at www.fullcapacitymarketing.com.
January 2012 Marketing Column – New Year – New Approaches to Strategic Planning
Marketing Strategy – Go Mobile - Go Now
Innovation in Action – HIRE LA's Youth
Marketing Training – FCM Workshops & Resources
Marketing Poll – Workforce Website Benchmark Study - Did you get in?
Ask the Expert – Improving Search Engine Rankings 
New Year – New Approaches to Strategic Planning
It seems that 2011 held one challenge after another as nonprofit and government organizations worked at warp speed to survive extreme funding cuts, a dip in donor support, and a dismal economic landscape. Moving into 2012, these challenges call for new approaches in how organizations strategically plan.
Traditional government and nonprofit approaches to plan for the future fall short because of their episodic and linear nature. No sooner has a strategic plan been documented, than many of the assumptions upon which it is based are no longer valid. Strategic planning in concept and application has to be reinvented to foster a culture of planning and marketing strategically with objective data that can drive discussions.
Organizational excellence will come to those that are masters of aligning their internal business processes with their brand strategy, resulting in exceeding the needs and expectations of stakeholders, funders and customers.
Here are the three ongoing data sets that should get integrated into a planning and marketing strategically model. Here are the three processes that should be integrated into your approach.
#1: Start with a baseline analysis of your brand.
In the world of nonprofit and government organizations, politics can often drive decisions which is why it’s imperative to gather and analyze relevant data that can give executive team leaders an objective-based understanding of a) how the community perceives the organization and its mission; b) the most urgent issues that are important to the community and key stakeholders; c) how your mission solves any part of these issues and the impacts of these solutions; and d) how the community perceives the need for your services. Examining these data sets can provide clear strategies around developing a brand platform that positions the organization so that donors, funders, volunteers, customers and the community at large understand, value, and support the mission.
#2: Use structured improvement processes to evaluate internal operations.
Private sector companies have long known the value of implementing processes pertaining to quality improvement such as Lean Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, and Change Management. Yet, government and nonprofits often make the mistake of thinking that its staff, partners, board members and volunteers will naturally maximize customer and business processes. These private sector processes can be adapted to government and nonprofit organizations to eliminate customer dissatisfaction, reduce errors, increase speed of service, and optimize process efficiency.
#3: Develop an organizational dashboard that can drive funding decisions.
Planning strategically means that executive teams and managers have the ability to capture ongoing, real-time data that measures the efficiency of internal processes, the perception of the brand externally, and the opportunities that can lead to expanded funding, partnerships and support.
FCM’s unique approach to planning strategically combines private-sector quality improvement processes with marketing and communication strategies that result in streamlined operations, community awareness, strategic partnerships and funding. For a complimentary consultation on our approach and how it would work for your organization, contact us. 
Go Mobile - Go Now Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, mobile Internet usage has been rapidly and steadily escalating.
Android and Windows mobile offerings followed suit shortly after, further spreading mobile Internet usage and popularity. By the end of 2011, as LTE and 4G adoption went nationwide, mobile Internet officially crossed over to the mainstream. Mobile Internet usage is only going up, and analysts expect it to ultimately overshadow desktop usage as more and more devices hit the market and specialize in various ways.
If you currently serve your customers or employees with data or services over the Web, or are planning to, you need to consider a mobile strategy. The most obvious approach is to simply make sure your current website translates well to the smaller screens. At a bare minimum, it is worth checking to make sure that your site and webapps are usable on a smaller screen. Next, all too often, intense JavaScript effects aren't applicable on mobile devices and can serve to make page-loads incredibly slow. Video and Flash can also present issues both in terms of formatting and performance. Finally, consider that many mobile Internet users have capped data plans; they will appreciate sites that aren't bandwidth hogs.
There is an even bigger picture, however.
Your mobile audience has considerably different requirements, at different times and in different situations than your desktop users. Mobile needs are extremely short-term and highly focused or single-task oriented. A mobile user, for example, is rarely going to sit down and browse vast quantities of data. More likely, they will want to find something very specific, or do one or two specific tasks—they want to get in, and get out quickly. At most, unless they are on a tablet device, mobile users will choose to bookmark or set aside large reports or sets of data at a later date on the desktop.
To implement a successful mobile strategy, it's imperative to consider this "get in, get out" nature of mobile Internet usage, and to think about how it can enhance your current default offering to make your users happier and more productive. Think outside the box and analyze ALL the unique use cases that your users will demand of your site and applications.
Mobile Internet usage is at 13 percent now, and doubling each year. The time to jump in with both feet is now, but jump in wisely. FCM can help you with the process. From analyzing your needs to execution, our experts have more than twelve years of mobile Internet experience. Schedule a consultation to find out how we can make the mobile Internet work for you. 
HIRE LA's Youth – A Case for Using the Voice of the Customer Today, one in every five young people between the ages of 14 and 24 are out of school and out of work in Los Angeles. This was the reason Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa re-doubled the City’s efforts to "hire L.A.'s youth" and set them on the course toward a steady paycheck and a better life.
Hire LA’s Youth Employment Program works to provide young adults ages 14-24 with employment opportunities ranging from summer jobs to full-time employment. Since its inception in 2006, HIRE LA’s Youth Campaign has placed more than 28,000 local youth in crucial, first-time paid positions.
The program’s recently produced video is an excellent example of telling stories through the voices of youth participants. Check out the video at http://bit.ly/zYT9XT. For more on the program at www.hirelayouth.com. 
Marketing Training - FCM Workshops & Resources National Association of Workforce Boards – Annual Forum
March 10-13, 2012
Washington, D.C.
www.NAWB.org/Forum National Economic Impact Scorecard Initiative - Workforce Investment Boards A key barrier in WIA reauthorization has been the system's lack of ability to report a collective, fully-vetted, cost-benefit and impact assessment of its programs and services. NAWB and its partners have designed an economic impact scorecard model that is currently being reviewed by some of the nation's top-level economists. NAWB encourages all WIBs to consider the scorecard model, and will share the core components of the pilot project including methodology, data collection, analysis, and communication of results. Presenters:
Ron Painter, President & CEO, National Assn of Workforce Boards
David Stevens, Director, The Jacob France Institute and Research Professor of Economics
Celina Shands Gradijan, President & CEO. Full Capacity Marketing, Inc.
Andrew Crapuchettes, President & CEO, EMSI
Christine Quinn, President, South Central Michigan Works! Workforce Website Benchmark Study: Innovations Using Technology & Social Media The first-ever Workforce Website Benchmark Study examined more than 30 workforce organizations that allowed access to their website statistics and completed an extensive survey about online publishing behaviors. The results allow the workforce system to understand how workforce organizations are doing with their websites. Participants uncover the correlations between organizational behaviors and website traffic outcomes, benchmarks for common website statistics, and information about how much time and energy workforce organizations are investing in their websites – and how much they should be investing. Participants receive a step-by-step tutorial on how to improve their workforce technology, websites and social media activities. Presenter:
Celina Shands Gradijan, President & CEO, Full Capacity Marketing, Inc. WIB Members in Action – Making an Impact on the Community Workforce Investment Board members are charged with creating strategic workforce solutions for their local community. This goal is made more challenging by the complexity of the public workforce system, the need to build partnerships among many different entities, and the uncertain policy and economic climate. The session is designed to prepare board members to address these challenges and become productive trustees for their board. This training is focused on grounding participants in NAWB’s WIB Performance Framework of Legislated and Leadership responsibilities. Participants will leave with a foundation for thinking and acting strategically in their community and what they can do as individuals to make their Board more effective. This training has been delivered to over 50 WIBs online and in person on several occasions and Board members have been consistently positive. Presenters:
Tim Aldinger, Special Assistant on Professional and Project Development, NAWB
Cheryl Carrier, Ford Motor Company Fund, NAWB Board Member
Frank Gradijan, Sr. Business Consultant, Full Capacity Marketing, Inc. Workforce Leadership Council - Kick-Off Training The Council is a learning exchange of WIBs interested in deepening understanding and capacity for improved performance and leadership. The Council participants enter a structured cohort that is based on private-sector quality improvement processes such as Lean Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, and change management. Access is granted to a member-only learning exchange to pose questions, engage in discussions, post and share documents, and enroll in interactive Webinars. The process includes a WIB leadership assessment, analysis and review of the assessment results, and technical assistance to achieve high performing success and excellence in talent development. Over the year, participants in this first cohort will deepen their capacity to provide demonstrable, relevant value to their local community beyond WIA performance measures. This is a closed session for Council members. If you’d like to participate, please go to www.NAWB.org/WLC for more details on how to become a member. Presenters:
Ron Painter, President & CEO, National Assn of Workforce Boards
Tim Aldinger, Special Assistant on Professional and Project Development, NAWB
Cheryl Carrier, Ford Motor Company Fund, NAWB Board Member
Frank Gradijan, Sr. Business Consultant, Full Capacity Marketing, Inc. 
Workforce Benchmark Study “How much website traffic is normal?” This is a common question asked by workforce investment boards (WIBs) across the country. While it’s true that the answer depends on an organization’s online strategy, it's an unfortunate fact that little research exists to provide context for what’s “average” or “normal” web traffic, particularly for workforce organizations. Similarly, WIBs often wonder "How much time and energy should we be spending on website strategy?" but lack any useful data about how much similar groups are investing in their sites. FCM designed a first-ever Workforce Website Benchmark study that assists in filling these information gaps, and worked with more than 30 workforce organizations that allowed FCM access to their website statistics and completed an extensive survey about their online publishing behaviors. The results of the study allow the workforce system to begin painting a picture of how workforce organizations are doing with their websites. The study provides benchmarks for common website statistics, as well as information about how much time and energy workforce organizations are investing in their websites – and how much they should be investing. The study provides correlations between organizational behaviors and website traffic outcomes which will benefit workshop participants in improving their website performance. This study is timely as workforce organizations are doing more with less funding, at a time when they need to maximize technology to continue to achieve their goals. Industry benchmarks will be released in early March 2011. If you missed participation in the study, contact us and we’ll walk you through how to conduct a self assessment of your online technology tools.  Improving Search Engine Rankings Q: "What are some quick tips that we can use to move up in the search engines and increase traffic to our website?" A: There are several strategies to consider in meeting the goal of attracting and retaining visitors to your site, all of which require an ongoing maintenance effort. These include search engine optimization (SEO), online marketing, and social media. 1. Submit your Website to search engines. If you've changed your site’s URL, or have never submitted your information in the first place, make sure that you're listed on major search engines. Top search engines are noted at http://bit.ly/ddgzE 2. Focus efforts on the home page. Content is king, and one of the best tools to improve your search engine ranking. The homepage is a great place to emphasize keywords, encourage linking to your site, and boost traffic. Offer quality content that is of value to your target audiences, and update your Website frequently. 3. Use relevant keywords. Compile a detailed list of phrases and words that are associated with what you do. To generate additional phrases and keywords that you may not have considered, use Google's Keyword Generator. Edit the list to make sure the words fit what you offer. 4. Revise your title tag and keep it under 40 characters. The title tag is used to define the text in the top line of a Web browser, and also used by many search engines as the title of search listings. On your site's back-end you'll see <title></title>. This spot is the most important element of your page, when it comes to page ranking. Keep your organization’s name short and put the most important phrases here. 5. Write a descriptive meta tag. Meta tags are lines of code that are placed between the <HEAD> and the </HEAD> tags in your site's HTML code. They are designed to give search engines instructions on what your page is about and how they should treat it. When your page comes up in the search results, the contents of your META description tag are displayed right below the title of your page. Social media tools and the companies that run them play a large part in where search engine placement is heading. Fortunately for end users, the social media companies (like Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare and YouTube) have special partnerships with search engine companies; this means that data that you've stored and permitted them to annex in search engines is clearly translated to the engines.
Facebook Fan Pages, LinkedIn profiles, Twitter Tweets, and blog articles (which typically fare well in search engines due to their keyword-specific nature), all register with the search engines. Changing your thinking from "search engine visibility" to the more comprehensive "online visibility" will help guide your efforts in developing a holistic approach to what you offer clients, partners and your community. For a complimentary evaluation of your website contact us at (858) 793-6694 or info@FullCapacityMarketing.com.
Download our latest Web ebook on Writing for the Web at: http://www.fullcapacitymarketing.com/register_form.php Have a question? Contact us below.
Contact Us
Full Capacity Marketing, Inc.
3525 Del Mar Heights Rd. #296
San Diego, Ca 92130
Phone: (858) 793-6694 (858) 793-6694
Fax: (858) 793-1728
www.fullcapacitymarketing.com
info@fullcapacitymarketing.com
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