Welcome to ELEVATE, the e-Newsletter dedicated to helping government, non-profit 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.
Summer 2010
Marketing Column – Are your News Media Efforts Going to Waste?
Marketing Strategy – When City and County Government Policies Hamstring Workforce Organizations
Innovation in Action – Engaging Elected Officials with Workforce Development
Marketing Training – Social Media for Non-Profits
Marketing Poll – Tracking Social Media ROI
Ask the Expert – Social Media Policies
Are your News Media Efforts Going to Waste?
What an awesome reality check from Assignment Editor Misty Montano at CBS4 News in Denver. Her recent blog Good Bye Press Release spells out the pitfalls of virtual pitches. She has three primary areas of any email pitch that she scans before considering it: 1) the sender; 2) subject line; and 3) content embedded in the body of the email that contains the who, what, when, where and why (no attachments).
Non-profits and government agencies have some pretty strong beliefs about their mission being critical to the community. But, assignment editors are beyond slammed between monitoring emails, taking phone calls, listening to scanners, reviewing social media networks and working with their team. Your job is to understand what constituents a compelling story, and how to get to the point fast.
Before developing a pitch, make sure that the story has at least the following components.
Is the story...
- timely, important, interesting and local?
- something that your community must know/should know or will want to know? Why?
- a topic that has an emotional appeal?
Building a great story is the first step in your process. Make sure that you understand how the media wants the pitch delivered to them. Check out CBS’ video on a “day in the life of a newsroom” and you’ll see how important it is to have both a great story and an effective strategy to present your story to the news media.
When City and County Government Policies Hamstring Workforce Organizations
A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey reports that only 26% of Americans trust the federal government. A third of the people questioned in the poll say they trust their state government most or all of the time; 52% indicated that they trust local government most or all of the time.
Many Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs) are part of their local city or county governments and are not structured as a stand-alone non-profit. With numbers like the ones reported in this recent survey, it can be challenging to get the public engaged with your mission, especially if you are part of a city or county structure. How can you turn this around?
The answer is in the development of a strategic communications plan that provides citizens with relevant, up-to-date information and mechanisms for letting their voices be heard. The problem is that some government organizations are not ready, or structured, to utilize social media and/or don’t have the response times or infrastructure needed to correctly implement the communications strategy.
If your IT administrator won’t allow the use of social media tools, develop a work around strategy by creating a microsite with a stand-alone hosting provider for a specific workforce campaign. The one-page campaign site can be focused on any number of topics such as a poll to ask citizens their opinion on an important workforce topic, or the promotion of a special event. Drive traffic to the site via a press release and promotions through your partner organizations. You can gradually morph the mini site into a full Website that can give you more flexible control with social media tools.
WIBs are effectively using social media in a variety of ways including: 1) blogs and online forums to solicit ideas on regional workforce and economic development plans; 2) proactively pushing training opportunities through Facebook or Twitter; and 3) uploading customer testimonials and info-videos on YouTube about the workforce system.
If you are affiliated with a city or country structure that is “social media phobic”, then consider a microsite to test the waters. Survey your customers as to what information they need from you and then give it to them - - be transparent, relevant, and stay open to input and ideas from your stakeholders and customers.
Measure your return on investment by monitoring microsite stats, along with any social media tool in which you engage. For more information on measuring social media, click here for 195 Social Media Measurement Tools & Technologies.
Engaging Elected Officials in Workforce Development
According to Gallup’s recent poll, 57% of registered voters say the economy will be extremely important to their vote for Congress this year, making it the top issue in the 2010 elections. Healthcare, unemployment, and the federal budget deficit rank behind the economy in importance, with the environment the least important of the seven issues.
Now is the time to engage locally elected officials (LEOs) in the mission of workforce development. Briefings with local data on market demands, training requirements and gaps, and funding issues should be a “no-brainer” during this time when LEOs are looking for ways to shine in the public. Staging special events with LEOs staff can also prove to be a winning strategy.
San Mateo County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and Peninsula Works partnered with Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-District 12) to host their second Job Hunters Boot Camp this year. This unique partnership leveraged staff and volunteers to create a resource event for regional job seekers. Peninsula Works hosted a Tools Tent for 1-1 interviewing and resume assistance, and Speier’s office invited high level keynotes and businesses to participate.
See the full story at http://bit.ly/BOOTCAMP
Marketing Training: Webinars, Conferences, Training Events
Webinar Series: Social Media for Non-Profits
In this time of economic downturn, community re-building issues are “front and center” with the news media. As a non-profit or government organization, how do you leverage these trends to capture the support of the news media and build community awareness and interest in your important mission? This Webinar series covers innovative strategies and processes in effectively positioning your important mission and using the news media effectively through Web-based tools, cause partnerships, social media, campaigns, stories, and events. This three-part series includes a Non-Profit Communications Toolkit.
Sign up now by clicking here.
Partnerships with the News Media: Elevating the Mission of Workforce Development
Celina Shands Gradijan – Full Capacity Marketing, Inc.
This master session covers innovative strategies, processes, and successful workforce case studies in using the news media effectively through Web-based tools, cause partnerships, social media, campaigns, stories, and events. Participants receive a step-by-step roadmap to work collaboratively among One-stop staff, partners and community-based organizations in building highly effective partnerships with the news media.
California Workforce Association
Meeting of the Minds – Monterey, CA
For more information, click here.
What do you use when measuring social media ROI?
Mashable reports that 84% of social media programs don’t measure return on investment (ROI). The comments in that post indicated that a lot of individuals and businesses want to be able to measure the ROI of their social media strategies and campaigns, but they don’t know where to start.
How do you measure your online outreach efforts through your Website and social media tools? Take our survey and we’ll post the results in the next edition of EleVate.
Click here to take our survey on social media ROI measurement.
Success Story Parameter
Q: "How do we even begin to write a social media policy?" A: When developing a social media policy for your organization, first take the time to brainstorm with executives around their fears and concerns of using social media tools and what might go wrong. We often find the list of concerns include content control and staff time.
There are multiple sources for writing a social media policy that can allow executives in your company to relax and enjoy the ride. Mashable lists ten “must-have’s” for the policy and is a good place to start.
Once you complete the first draft, go back to the same list of executives that had the concerns originally and review it in detail. Educating your executives on social media tools and the potential benefits is critical to your overall online success.
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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