Category: Marketing

Workshops for Sooke region non-profits

4/12/2015

Need help with communications and promotion?

Saseenos Communications is partnering with the Sooke Region Volunteer Centre (SRVC) to present workshops for Sooke-area non-profit groups and small business on marketing, promotion and communications at no cost to SRVC member groups and $10 for non-members*.

Effective promotion and communications help build awareness of your organization or event to attract new members and attendees, it can help you raise revenue through donations or grants and it can keep you in touch with your members and customers.

To learn more, register for the Sooke Region Non-profit Marketing and Communications Workshops.

Here’s what you will get:

Saturday, May 9th, 9:30-noon:
-introduce your communications challenges.
-learn how marketing, promotion and communications can benefit your organization in today's rapidly changing communications environment.
-hands-on help in developing a marketing or communications strategy for your organization.

Saturday, May 16th, 9:30-noon:
-feedback and discussion.
-getting the message out to your key audience, proactive public relations, and news releases that get covered.
-media channels and social media.
-low-cost and no-cost techniques, and how to get best value when you need to buy advertising or services.

In addition to the hands-on workshop, you will take away resources including handouts, templates and further reading list. You can discuss your challenges and work on your own communications product and will be able to sign up for one-on-one structured feedback at a later date to polish your final product.

For more information and to register, contact sookeregionvolunteers@gmail.com or leave message at 250-642-6364 Ext. 235.

Bonus! All the templates provided for the workshops will be made available here for future use and for those who were unable to attend.

*The small admission of $10 for non-SRVC members will help cover the volunteer centre cover costs for materials and refreshments. Saseenos Communications receives no fee for providing this service.

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A treat for small businesses

11/1/2014

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Every Halloween Sooke businesses are visited by young trick or treaters. Small business owners and staff put a lot of time and work into decorating the office or store and buying treats to give out.

It’s heartwarming to see the generosity of Sooke businesses as they greet a constant parade of children arriving at their door. It’s not done as a marketing tactic but as a way to participate in the community. I know a lot of business people who enjoy doing it and families that very much appreciate it.

As a thank you to Sooke’s generous business community, here are some ideas on the topic of free samples as a savvy marketing practice that is employed by some of the most profitable corporations. One of the most well-known providers of free samples is Costco. A recent article in the Atlantic discusses how it is used and why it works.

One of the biggest reasons free samples work is a psychological factor called reciprocity. A behavioral economist is quoted as saying that reciprocity is a very strong instinct – humans feel a strong obligation to do something back for someone who does something for them.

For Costco, free samples work to provide a short-term lift in sales for a particular product and in building long term loyalty to the store and brands. One of the biggest reasons it works in the long term is because providing free samples creates an experience where Costco is seen as a fun place to be. Many people have been known to graze the Costco samples for a free lunch.

When businesses create a fun experience the good vibes and karma resonate with their customers. The Sooke trick or treaters and their parents will remember the businesses that were the most fun to visit and they just might come back to shop.

Thanks again for your generosity and hopefully you have succeeded in creating or maintaining a very positive association with your business and brand.

For the full article in the Atlantic, please see the following link: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/the-psychology-behind-costcos-free-samples/380969/

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Five ways where it pays to bring in a professional

9/24/2014

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You can figure out how to do a lot on your own these days if you have the time and the energy to learn about it.

There are free online universities, a wealth of training videos on YouTube and other sites and helpful tools and tips on most topics.

Learning a new skill and accomplishing something is rewarding and satisfying. Many of us grew up in a do-it-yourself culture where we tinkered with our cars and did our own household repairs and it’s natural to try to do most things on our own.

When our weed eater broke last spring the first thing we did was go to YouTube to learn how to fix it. My husband looked up user manuals and watched videos and, as painful as it was for him to admit he couldn’t do it, he realized that in this case he would need a professional. A few months later, our washing machine broke down. Not only could we not fix it ourselves but we learned we would be better off buying a brand new one.

It’s good to know that when we need help it’s there. In both of these cases, consulting a professional paid off in the long run. For a $30 investment the weedeater will last at least another year (if not longer). The new washing machine uses less water and less energy and the clothes are cleaner.

There are many free communication tools and channels available and you can learn a lot if you have the time and motivation. One of the main reasons for this site is to give you the tools for effective communications about your organization or business. With a few tips and tools, small organizations are able to do a decent job of basic day to day communications without the need to pay for the services of a professional.

Communications can be very complex and there are times when bringing in a professional will add value to your work, save you time and money and prevent or correct misunderstandings. We are in an information age where channels and media are continually evolving and changing rapidly. Expertise in communications is vital when information about your organization – both positive and negative – can go viral and beyond your control quickly.

Think of it like managing your day to day health on your own most of the time. When you need more information there are online sources like HealthLinkBC or WebMD but there are times when you need to see a doctor.

Here are five common experiences where a communications or marketing professional can help:

1. When your job involves doing communications off the side of your desk. You were hired because of your expertise in your field but a part of your job involves communications. You may have taken a few courses to learn effective ways to communicate, have a Twitter account and maybe even a blog. You recognize the value of communications and understand your need to keep pumping out messages. If things are working well that’s great. But if you ever find you need to spend time explaining yourself or working to correct misinformation about your organization, a communications professional would help. You most likely do not need a full-time communications staff person. Consider bringing in a consultant to do a communications audit of your organization and provide recommendations and a strategic plan. A good plan will map out where you need to go and how you can get there and a good consultant can do this in as little time as a few days, depending on the size and complexity of your organization.

2. When you are creating or updating a website. Many organizations recognize the need for a website to help promote their work and ensure the public receives information. A common first step in web creation is to seek out an IT professional. Consider what your website does – it is a channel for communicating just like a front counter, telephone, meeting or rack of brochures. Websites are strengthened by good content and IT professionals are not content experts. If you have launched a website and have heard comments about how good it looks yet how difficult it is to find information, your staff or volunteers may be spending extra time to help people find information or deal with complaints. You may need to go back and re-do some of it to ensure the information you need to communicate is there and easy to access. A good website should meet your organization’s communications and engagement objectives and a communications professional could be consulted to work with the IT team at the outset. But wait, your organization doesn’t have any communications or engagement objectives you say?

3. When you want to develop or meet communication and engagement objectives. If an important part of your organization’s function and mission involves getting information to the public or your market, a marketing and/or communications strategy is essential. A marketing strategy helps you learn about what your public needs to be aware of and how to best reach them. It can help you get the best value for your advertising and marketing budget, increase your market and create more effective and better relationships between your organization and your audience, partners and stakeholders. It can increase morale among your staff because they can be included in the communications and feel a stronger connection to the organization. It’s a vital investment that will pay off in huge dividends including time savings, more effective and efficient operations and even profit. Once you have developed a marketing strategy you can keep it fresh by checking in from time to time (about once a year or so is often enough) to ensure it continues to meet your objectives. Many organizations fear the cost of a marketing strategy imagining glitzy ad campaigns, yet often the best strategy need not cost a lot. There are economical ways to develop and implement an effective strategy for your organization’s budget.

4. When you have something new or different to communicate or announce. If your organization makes a change, has a new plan, service or product, or has important new information to communicate, consider a communications strategy as an important component of your new initiative. Many organizations invest in strategic planning or visioning, or in the development of a new product or service. If that investment does not include marketing or communications of your new initiative then the implementation will not be as effective. Ensure a portion of your development and implementation budget includes what you will need for marketing and communications.

5. When you need to hear from your audience. If your organization relies on input from your audience a marketing and communications professional can help ensure you are employing the most effective and economical engagement tactics. Engagement is more than communicating out. It’s about developing and maintaining a relationship with your audience or market to ensure your product or service continues to meet their needs.

Large organizations employ full time communications and marketing staff for a good reason. In a smaller organization you can manage well by consulting a marketing or communications professional from time to time.

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What's the difference between marketing, public relations and promotion?

8/1/2014

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A young man and woman are on a date having dinner. He talks about how wonderful he is, how intelligent he is and how he has been so successful recently by his many accomplishments. That's promotion.

A friend of his drops by the table and tells the woman how wonderful the man is, how intelligent he finds him and how impressed he has been with the man's recent accomplishments. That's public relations.

If the young many asks the woman about her opinions and interests, shows how interested he is in her conversation, and says how intelligent he finds her and how impressed he has been with her recent accomplishments, that's marketing.

Marketing is a process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies your customers needs and desires so your business profits. It involves planning and implementing the idea, pricing, promotion and distribution of goods and services. It includes an exchange that satisfies customer and organizational goals. A marketing strategy is driven by customer desires and is directed to the customer. Marketers ask: Who are our customers? What do they think, believe and want? What has value to them, and how do we deliver that value? The goal of marketing is to respond to the customer and meet their needs.

Public relations is a function that helps an organization manage its reputation. The public relations function provides strategic advice on how an organization should communicate. It may develop, or simply approve, anything that goes out to the public in order to ensure consistency and compliance with the overall corporate objectives. They don’t develop the polices or services, but they help ensure that customers understand what the organization has to offer and what it does for the community. It not only puts out fires, it provides counsel to help an organization avoid those fires. A public relations strategy is driven by organizational desires and is directed at a number of publics, often through the media. PR practitioners want to know: How does the public feel about us? How do we look and what do they think of us? How do we want them to see us? The goal of public relations is to promote a positive image about an organization.

Promotion is getting the word out about your product or service. It may involve any number of channels (such as web, email, word of mouth, or social media). The goal of promotion is to raise awareness.

Often, particularly in smaller organizations, all of these functions are the responsibility of one person, and that person may have other responsibilities as well.

A marketing strategy will include elements of public relations and promotion. It is crucial to successful and sustained delivery of your product or service.

Sources: JimMintz.ca; American Marketing Association; Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Links: http://www.jimmintz.ca/2008/06/05/marketing-versus-communications/

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It was such a great idea, why didn't they love it?

8/1/2014

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One of the most satisfying and fun things that happens in a volunteer organization is when you get in an idea flow.

Someone says “ we should … (do something)”, another person says “yes, that’s a great idea! We can do that and …”

The creativity is on a roll, the poor person taking minutes can’t keep up, and everyone is enthused with the creation of a great idea.

The next step is usually putting the idea into action. Volunteers are mobilized, an event is booked, partners are contacted, promotional material is developed (often at a cost), and the word goes out.

If you end up with a huge turnout and a smashing success, you are in tune with your market.

But, what if it didn’t turn out like you thought it would?

Generating ideas for action is a great way to tap into the creativity and expertise of the people around your board table. You are the experts who know the most about your organization’s business, so any idea you generate should be an immediate success right?

Unfortunately, many of these great ideas don’t get the response we expected. Sometimes our event or activity gets little notice, sometimes we find people are critical, with suggestions to do things differently. Worst of all is when everything is misunderstood and goes sideways with a completely unexpected negative response.

We are all in this to help, so we wonder why our ideas and efforts aren’t appreciated.

In the marketing world, actions are called tactics. The mantra is never, never put tactics before strategy.

To be most effective, come up with a strategy before launching into ideas for actions.

Define the issue or problem that you want to address. Talk to your audience, members or customers about how to do that. Find out what they want, what their attitudes and beliefs are. Maybe what they feel isn’t the same as what the experts around your board table think is the best thing to do.

Being in touch with your customers, whether they are your members, or others, is the best thing you can do to come up with the strategy.

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Workshops for Sooke region non-profits

A treat for small businesses

Five ways where it pays to bring in a professional

What's the difference between marketing, public relations and promotion?

It was such a great idea, why didn't they love it?

Saseenos Communications

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