2015–2016 AWARD WINNING IDEAS Website Content/260... · 3. Promote 2015-2016 programs to members and prospective members and create membership materials that align with our brand’s

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AWARD WINNING IDEASN A T I O N A L C L U B A C H I E V E M E N T C O M P E T I T I O N W I N N I N G E N T R I E S

COMMUNICATIONS

2015 - 2016

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OVERVIEW:

American Advertising Federation - Central MN (AAFCM) continually strives to sustain and further

improve our communication efforts from year to year, and 2015-2016 was no different. Over the last

12 months, our club used email, web, print and various forms of social media to communicate

information to our members, local universities and general community. We wanted to take our efforts

to the next level, so this year we invested time and dollars into new inbound marketing tools and

strategies, including HubSpot software, blogging, automated email workflows, and more.

We tasked ourselves with the following goals related to communications and marketing, as found in

our 2015-2016 strategic plan:

1. Promote and grow the AAFCM brand among members and general public across web, social

media platforms, email, printed communications, blogging, inbound marketing, etc.

2. Use multiple sources to promote programs, meetings, and events. Work with other agencies,

associations, individuals, scholarly, etc. to cross-promote applicable events, training, and

participation.

3. Promote 2015-2016 programs to members and prospective members and create membership

materials that align with our brand’s identity.

4. Implement HubSpot to expand online presence and further inbound marketing strategies.

We achieved these goals through the following activities…

WEBSITE

Our website - www.adfedcentral.com - has always been our primary communication tool for both

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members and non-members. We saw a need to take it to a new level, specifically the membership

section. Because we made several updates to our membership process and structure, we refreshed the

membership landing page and interior pages to ensure the changes were clear to current and

prospective members. We also added a blog to further extend our brand voice and reach – a bonus was

increasing our organic SEO by nearly doubling our website context in six months. Additionally, we

added contact forms throughout our site to help feed our HubSpot communication funnel.

Goals – AAFCM uses the website to: relay information about events, give agencies the ability to post

job/internship opportunities, encourage renewed/new memberships, promote our current members,

hold historical information (such as president lists, Silver Medal winners), share American Advertising

Awards information, and provide a way to get in touch with us. We’ve implemented a more effective

online system to make it simpler for users to register and pay for programs, memberships, etc. This

year, we debuted the AAFCM Blog, and began using HubSpot forms and landing pages.

Target Audience – Local college students and instructors, agencies, in-house marketing teams,

members (current and prospective), other community-oriented organizations, board members, and the

community.

Budget Recap – All hosting, software, and systems related to the website are hosted pro bono by a

board member and his employer’s development company. We had three local sponsors agree to help

our club purchase a one-year HubSpot license. The monthly fee of HubSpot is $300/month. With the

support from our sponsors, our club is left with a manageable $50/month payment and a significant

upgrade to our communication efforts. Creating and implementing the strategy, concept, copywriting,

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and proofing of the site and blog were completed entirely by our board members.

Distribution System – We make a point to include our website address on all marketing materials,

promoted via social media, and mentioned during the welcome address at all of our events. It’s our

Grand Central Station for all our communication.

Results Achieved – Our site is a great resource for members and non-members alike. Visits to our

website increased by over 37% from last year (measured from March 2015 - February 2016).

Additionally, pageviews increased by more than 28% and unique visitors increased by 46% when

comparing those same time periods. We reached a wider audience and increased new site visits and in

the last year 48% of website sessions were from new visitors.

E-MAIL COMMUNICATION

Goals – Our email communications are primarily used to promote upcoming events and share club or

industry news. One of our main goals for this year was to narrow down the amount of emails and make

the blasts more readable with more ‘nuggets’ of information and takeaways. We made it a goal to

include one CTA (call to action) in each email sent. This year we took a more strategic approach with

the timing of our emails in relation to events and based on the analytics of best time for optimal open

rates.

Target Audience - Local college students and instructors, agencies, in-house marketing teams,


community.

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Budget Recap - All copy, design, and administration related to our emails is provided by our board

members. As mentioned in website, we had three local sponsors cover 85 percent of our HubSpot

license fees.

Distribution System – HubSpot is used for our email and analytics.

Results Achieved – Emails were delivered to an average of 445 people, and had an average of open

rate of 32%, increasing from last year with an average of 21% click through rate. Emails were much

more targeted than last year and included a variety of styles, calls to action, and ‘next steps’,

Sample – Exhibit #

SOCIAL MEDIA

Goals – As an active AAF club, our group is naturally a social bunch, and we continue to find that it’s

a useful medium for interacting with our members, students and the general public. This year we

worked to increase the number of followers on all platforms focusing primarily on Facebook, Twitter,

and LinkedIn. We also found new ways of thanking local agencies for their sponsorships/participation,

promoting Facebook posts, sharing industry news and articles, and creating photo albums.



community.

Budget Recap - We’ve spent $150 of the $200 allocated to promote Facebook posts for luncheon

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events and the 2016 American Advertising Awards.

Distribution System - www.twitter.com/AAFCM, www.facebook.com/AAFCM,

www.linkedin.com/company/aaf-central-minnesota

Results Achieved – By having a dedicated ‘social media guru’ on our board, we have seen significant

gains in social media activity and interaction. In the last 12 months, our followers on Facebook have

grown by almost 7% (from 779 to 828), and our Twitter followers have grown by 296, resulting in a

gain of over 200%. We started posting on LinkedIn in 2015 as a tool to expand reach and our followers

have grown by nearly 100, which was a gain of nearly 220%.

Sample - Exhibit #

PRINTED COMMUNICATION

Goals – Print materials came in the forms of posters, post cards, and flyers for various AAFCM events.

We continued to design, print and distribute leave-behind ‘flyers’ at events that double as print pieces

to hang at local colleges, public venues, and agencies.



community.

Budget Recap – We increased our print budget to $500 at the beginning of the year. Thus far, we’ve

used $325 on print pieces. All event collateral design is done by our board or committee members. We

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have a couple local printers who support us through in-kind sponsorship, and we utilize an online print

vendor for last minute needs.

Distribution System - Includes postcards/leave-behinds, event posters, and a membership brochure.

Results Achieved – While ROI on printed collateral is hard to define, we’re a bit old fashioned in that

we like having residual brand recognition. We have printed pieces present at all events, dropped off at

local businesses and hung on bulletin boards throughout our area. Our student liaisons also bring them

along as leave-behind items when visiting local colleges. As long as our design and printing continues

to be donated, we believe this is a cost-effective, tangible means of communicating with our audiences.


AAFCM BLOG

Goals – As noted, implementing HubSpot and inbound marketing practices were a huge effort for our

club in the past year. This included starting our very own AAFCM blog. Our goal was to blog at least

one time in relation to each event, and hit an average of 25 views. We wanted to have a variety of our

board members act as blog authors, and generate more leads and contacts from our blog.



community.

Budget Recap – Our board members provide all copy, design, and administration for our blog. Local

sponsors featured at events throughout the year covered the majority of HubSpot license fees.

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Distribution System – Our blog is hosted on our website via HubSpot’s blogging integration. Blogs

were distributed on our site, sent out via email, and shared on social media.

Results Achieved – Our blog, which has been live since September 2015, has already gathered over

1,200 views averaging 38 views per post. Our most viewed post has 268 views alone. We have 3

differing authors of blogs to give fresh perspective. We have been able to provide pre-luncheon

interviews with upcoming speakers, full event recaps, and club news through our blog. Including calls

to action (typically event registration) in our blogs has resulted in 55 actions completed through our

blog alone. In February 2016 alone our blog views increased by 603% thanks to our American

Advertising Awards content and other annual event for students.


SELF PROMOTION

AAFCM has worked on unifying the overall look and feel of our self-promotion this year. We also

sought ways to make our board feel as though they were part of the team by creating an AAFCM

‘swag store’ for members to purchase clothing and promotional items with our logo. This year, our

club took new headshots of everyone who serves on our Board of Directors. Our big initiative for self-

promotion this year was the investment in HubSpot and inbound marketing efforts. Using a blog,

automated workflows, emails, and landing pages has helped us take club promotion to the next level.

Goals – Our communication goals were created around ways to illustrate the benefit of becoming a

member and/or participating in our rich programming events. We also aimed to unify our board and

create the sense that they are a great part of the effort to promote our club and make a difference in the

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advertising community. Taking steps toward newer trends in marketing showed our investment and

continual advancement and education in the world of marketing.



community at large.

Budget Recap – We budgeted a total of $1,400 toward our club’s communication efforts this year, a

30% increase from last year and more than the club has ever spent on self-promotion. We allocated

$600 for Hubspot ($50/mo.), $100 to purchase our exclusive BOD tee shirt for new board members,

$500 for printing collateral, and $200 for Facebook boosted/promoted posts and ads. The investment

has made a noticeable impact on our bottom line, but was a strategic investment for the long-term.

Distribution System – Our brand has been incorporated in all of our marketing pieces, including logo,

website, emails, blogs, landing pages, cards, social graphics, membership forms and takeaway flyers.

Results Achieved – Our new strategy for self-promotion is gaining attention of our members and the

community. Our membership format entices new members and gives satisfaction to those who are part

of our club. With consistency, our partnerships with local colleges are growing. We’ve seen increased

ADDY participation (this year alone we had 375 entries, almost 50 more than 2015), and we have

more students and professionals inquiring about our club and how they can stay in the loop. The

Central MN Chapter of AAF is alive, thriving, and growing!

EXHIBIT #1.1

WEBSITE: www.adfedcentral.com Home Page

EXHIBIT #1.1

WEBSITE: www.adfedcentral.com VAriety of website sliders (throughout the year)

Go to this reporthttp://www.adfedcentral.com http://w…www.adfedcentral.com

Feb 28, 2015 Feb 27, 2016Audience Overview

Language Sessions % Sessions

1. enus 11,032 90.51%

2. (not set) 669 5.49%

3. en 157 1.29%

4. ptbr 107 0.88%

5. engb 33 0.27%

6. itit 25 0.21%

7. ptpt 17 0.14%

8. c 15 0.12%

9. ru 13 0.11%

10. eses 12 0.10%

Overview

Sessions

April 2015 July 2015 October 2015 January 2016

200200

400400

Sessions

12,189Users

6,071Pageviews

32,267

Pages / Session

2.65Avg. Session Duration

00:02:04Bounce Rate

51.73%

% New Sessions

48.24%

Returning Visitor New Visitor

48.3%51.7%

© 2016 Google

All Users100.00% Sessions

EXHIBIT #1.1

WEBSITE: www.adfedcentral.com Google analytics audience overview, Feb 28, 2015 - Feb 27, 2016

Go to this reporthttp://www.adfedcentral.com http://w…www.adfedcentral.com

Feb 28, 2015 Feb 27, 2016Compare to: Feb 28, 2014 Feb 27, 2015

Audience Overview

Feb 28, 2015 Feb 27, 2016

Feb 28, 2014 Feb 27, 2015

% Change

Feb 28, 2015 Feb 27, 2016

Feb 28, 2014 Feb 27, 2015

% Change

Feb 28, 2015 Feb 27, 2016

Feb 28, 2014 Feb 27, 2015

% Change

Language Sessions % Sessions

1. enus

11,032 90.51%

8,205 93.23%

34.45% 2.92%

2. (not set)

669 5.49%

0 0.00%

100.00% 100.00%

3. en

157 1.29%

33 0.37%

375.76% 243.52%

4. ptbr

Overview

Feb 28, 2015 Feb 27, 2016

Feb 28, 2014 Feb 27, 2015

Feb 28, 2015 Feb 27, 2016: Sessions

Feb 28, 2014 Feb 27, 2015: Sessions

April 2015 July 2015 October 2015 January 2016

200200

400400

Sessions

38.50%12,189 vs 8,801

Users

47.21%6,071 vs 4,124

Pageviews

29.01%32,267 vs 25,011

Pages / Session

6.85%2.65 vs 2.84

Avg. Session Duration

5.14%00:02:04 vs 00:01:58

Bounce Rate

19.30%51.73% vs 43.36%

% New Sessions

9.14%48.24% vs 44.20%

Returning Visitor New Visitor

48.3%51.7%

44.2%

55.8%

All Users+0.00% Sessions

EXHIBIT #1.1

WEBSITE: www.adfedcentral.com Google analytics comparison over last year

EXHIBIT #1.2

WEBSITE: www.adfedcentral.com /addys2016/ American advertising awards site

EXHIBIT #1.2


EXHIBIT #1.2


EXHIBIT #2

email communication: EVENT promotion

EXHIBIT #2

email communication: EVENt promotion & club information

EXHIBIT #2

email communication: general programming promotion

EXHIBIT #2

email communication: EMAIL ANALYTICS & website visits via email info

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: Facebook stats

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: AAF - CEntral Minnesota facebook page

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: event promotion Facebook posts - GFDA

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: Facebook posts - ERICA hanna

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: Facebook posts & cover image - chris schermer

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: Facebook posts

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: Facebook photos

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: hubspot social analytics

EXHIBIT #3


EXHIBIT #3


EXHIBIT #3


EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: twitter homepage & posts

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: twitter posts

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: twitter postS

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: American advertising awards Twitter postS

SOcial media: linkedin analytics

EXHIBIT #3

EXHIBIT #3

SOcial media: Linkedin Analytics

SOcial media: Linkedin postS

EXHIBIT #3


EXHIBIT #3


EXHIBIT #3

printed communication: CMYK EVENT MATERIALS

EXHIBIT #4

EXHIBIT #4

printed communication: GFDA Poster and postcard

T U S C A N C E N T E R - 3 3 3 3 W D I V I S I O N S T R E E T # 1 1 6 , S T . C L O U D , M N 5 6 3 0 1

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GOODFUCKINGDESIGNADVICE

TICKETS ONLINE AT ADFEDCENTRAL.COM

Turn Big Dreamsinto Reality.The kick-in-the-rear you need to make it happen.

EXHIBIT #4

printed communication: october LUNCHEON postcard

Is Social Media Worth the Investment?Social media ROI is real and attainable. Discover tactics to help you measure if you’re getting your money’s worth.

This luncheon is FREE for AAFCM Members. // Lunch included in entry fee. Off-street and local city lot parking is available.

Pro Member

Pro Non-Member

Student Member

Student Non-Member

$20 $35 $20

octoberluncheon

20 15

oct. 22 11:30 -1 St. Cloud State Welcome Center 355 5th ave s, st. cloud, mn

Register Today: AdfedCentral.com

$10Free Free

EXHIBIT #4

printed communication: REGENCY creative club American advertising awards Call For entries

printed communication: REGENCY creative club AAA Winner’s book

EXHIBIT #4

EXHIBIT #4

printed communication: REGENCY creative club AAA invite (with customized golf tee)

EXHIBIT #5

BLOG: Blog posts and site

EXHIBIT #5

BLOG: Blog POSTS

EXHIBIT #5

BLOG: Blog POSTS

EXHIBIT #5

BLOG: Blog POSTS

EXHIBIT #6

Self promotion: Do awesome wherever you are t-shirts (for our BOD) and name tags

Today’s day and age demands connections and, we, the American Advertising Federation of Central Minnesota (AAFCM) exist to facilitate and celebrate that demand.

Whether you’re a marketer, designer, creative guru, account person, student, small business owner who’s the marketing manager by default or just someone who likes to associate with cool people, AAFCM is the place for you to build your personal brand as well as grow awareness of your company through smart (and fun) networking initiatives.

Our diverse line-up of programs will give you a well-rounded understanding of the crazy industry we dedicate a majority of our waking hours to and give you the opportunity to expand your skill set and your network in the process.

AAFCM membership spans all disciplines and ages and cuts across traditional as well as emerging mediums. We encourage professional excellence and integrity and work to develop the next generation of advertising, marketing and communications professionals.

By becoming a member of AAFCM, you’re positioning yourself with our industry’s crème de la crème at a local, regional and national level. Plus, you’re getting discounts, career advice from seasoned industry vets and most importantly, a network of connection-hungry individuals (just like you) who are ready to push their career forward. Let AAFCM bring you into the loop.

Join the Club

The Unifying Voice of Advertising

AdfedCentral.com | 8th District

Membership Brochure

8th District

EDUCATIONAL: While most people enjoy an excuse to ditch out of the office for an extended lunch hour or early happy hour, we want every attendee to leave with takeaways that can serve as key talking points at their respective office and be implemented within the workplace.

1. NETWORKING: Members represent the top marketers, agencies

and industry suppliers in Central Minnesota.

2. MONTHLY MEMBER EVENTS: Take advantage of a variety of

fun, professional development opportunities.

3. VALUE: Every 4th person to join within the same professional

organization is FREE.

4. PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: Conferences, workshops,

networking and other tools available to members only.

5. American Advertising Awards® Receive discounted submission

to participate in the worlds largest advertising competition.

6. JOB POSTINGS: Local advertising and marketing jobs are posted

on the AAFCM website.

7. NATIONAL ORGANIZATION: Gain access to 40,000+

communications professionals in the national AAF organization.

8. BUSINESS DISCOUNTS: Get discounts with national companies

like FedEx, Hertz and others.

9. ONLINE RESOURCES: Interact with members online, through

our website, Facebook page and other resources.

10. PUBLIC SERVICE: Benefit local non-profit organizations by

providing marketing, advertising & PR counsel and services.

Programming is the pulse of our organization. Year after year we seek out a diverse line-up of speakers to give talks that are idea-focused and cover a wide range of subjects. Regardless of who they are, what they do and where they do it – it’s their message that counts.

If you attend an AAFCM lecture, we can guarantee the lecture will be:

DELICIOUS: Typically we have our lectures over the lunch hour, so your entry into the event will include a catered meal ranging from traditional wraps and sandwiches to sushi or gourmet pizza. We promise it’s much better than the leftovers you usually eat.

MOTIVATING: As communicators, we’re busy. Very busy. We get tired. We get burned out. Sometimes coming to an AAFCM lecture is just what the doctor ordered to help reignite your creative juices and/or get you thinking about a problem differently.

ENTERTAINING: We’re not the boring, required biology class you had to take in college. We want your time spent at our event to be fun and engaging. What’s nice about AAFCM events is that everyone has one thing in common – their career. Don’t be shy - start a conversation!

AAFCM Benefits

• American Advertising Awards®

• 1x1 Art Gala

• Student Design Challenge

• Student Portfolio Reviews

• Agency Crawl & Panel Workshops

We also host other events throughout the year, including:

JOB BANK: The AAF Job Bank puts you directly in front of job seekers or employers in your industry.

FEDEX SHIPPING: Enjoy FedEx reliability and special savings on a variety of FedEx Services.

ADWEEK: Get a substantially discounted subscription price.

MUTUAL OF OMAHA: Disability, Life and Business Overhead Expense coverages are available.

HERTZ: AAF members save up to a 20% discount at participating US locations and around the world.

Additional Perks (Yes, there’s more!)

Visit AdfedCentral.com

to learn more about these great events.

*Register via the application enclosed or at

AdfedCentral.com/membership

Annual AAFCM RatesPro member- $125

Sole Proprietor/Freelancer- $75

Student Member- $3o

*Membership renewal is due every June

Today’s day and age demands connections and, we, the American

Advertising Federation of Central

Minnesota (AAFCM) exist to facilitate

and celebrate that demand. Whether you’re a marketer, designer,

creative guru, account person, student,

small business owner who’s the marketing

manager by default or just someone

who likes to associate with cool people,

AAFCM is the place for you to build

your personal brand as well as grow

awareness of your company through

smart (and fun) networking initiatives.

Our diverse line-up of programs will give you a well-rounded understanding of the crazy industry

we dedicate a majority of our waking

hours to and give you the opportunity

to expand your skill set and your

network in the process. AAFCM membership spans all disciplines and ages and cuts across

traditional as well as emerging mediums. We encourage professional

excellence and integrity and work

to develop the next generation of advertising, marketing and communications professionals.By becoming a member of AAFCM,

you’re positioning yourself with our

industry’s crème de la crème at a local, regional and national level. Plus, you’re getting discounts, career

advice from seasoned industry vets

and most importantly, a network of

connection-hungry individuals (just

like you) who are ready to push their

career forward. Let AAFCM bring you

into the loop.

Join the Club

The Unifying Voice of AdvertisingAdfedCentral.com | 8th District

Membership Brochure

8th District

EXHIBIT #6

Self promotion: Membership brochure

we're thankful!

You betcha...

AdfedCentral.com | 8th District

EXHIBIT #6

Self promotion: Thank you card

EXHIBIT #6

Self promotion: SWAG STORE

HEADQUARTERS 1101 VERMONT AVENUE NW, 5TH FLOOR, WASHINGTON DC 20005

P: (202) 898-0089 F: (202) 898-0159 WWW.AAF.ORG

Documents

2015–2016 AWARD WINNING IDEAS Website Content/260... · 3. Promote 2015-2016 programs to members and prospective members and create membership materials that align with our brand’s