Walk National Conference Marketing on a Shoestring Budget From the 2008 Walk Conference

Walk National Conference

Marketing on a Shoestring Budget

From the 2008 Walk Conference


What is Marketing?

• Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.”– American Marketing Association


How Does Marketing Help Walk?

• Why is Walk the signature fundraising event?

• Nobody will Walk or raise funds if they do not know about Walk or the Alzheimer’s Association


Why Should I Focus on Marketing?• Steps to Success– Engage More People• How do you recruit teams and walkers?


Steps to Success• Build the Brand– What is Branding?• A traditional advertising method used to create a

response from a target audience based on cumulative impressions and positive reinforcement. The ads are aimed at increased product or company name awareness leading to lifelong customer purchasing.

• Consistency throughout the experience and at each Walk site


Our Successes are What Will Power our Mission

• Our cause is ending Alzheimer’s not raising funds. The funds we raise is the means to achieve the mission

• Recruit Media Sponsors


Marketing’s Impact on Revenue

• What ways do we raise funds for Walk?


Sponsorship

• Why do companies sponsor fundraising events?


Recruiting Sponsors

• Sell the Walk and the Association• Corporate Sponsorship Proposals


Participant Revenue

• How Do You Recruit Past Walkers?• How Do You Recruit New Walkers? New

Teams?


Participant Revenue

• Once registered, do not stop communicating with your Walkers. – Ensure the brand stays consistent– Include information about the mission and the

need for funding– Giving clubs, incentive levels/prizes, team

banners, etc.


How to Budget for Marketing

• Dedicate a small percentage of your budget to marketing and marketing materials

• For example, 8% of our expenses and 2% of our gross revenue

• Where to spend on marketing?– Paid distribution of brochures– Media partnerships- design costs– Printed materials- brochures, posters, flyers– Billboards, signs, banners


Ways You Can Market for Free

• TIME- Make sure to budget the appropriate amount of Time

• Ways to Market for Free?


Creative Ways to Market

• Brochures– Paid distribution• Saturate a market

– Brochure distribution by committee– Brochure distribution success stories


Forget Me Not Flowers• Raises Awareness & Funds• Create partnership with local companies• Provide all marketing materials to each

company• Boscov’s, Assisted Living Facilities, local

restaurants


Targeted Mailings

• Do you do a mailing? • Who do you mail to?


Team Recruitment Visits

• Ask for more than a team• They can help market the Walk– Company newsletters– Display brochures and posters– Information on the check stub– Link on their website– Email to their employees


Team Recruitment Success Stories

• Kelly & Associates Insurance Group• Social Security Administration• How can committee members and volunteers

help?


Community Partnerships• Examples of Community Partners in our

Chapter• Pizza Hut• Boscov’s• Talbots

• Other examples?


Media Sponsorships

• TV, radio, print ads in exchange for their logo in our marketing materials and at the Walk

• How do you secure a media sponsor?• Cost of Media Sponsors– PR Consultant and Ad Designer if necessary


Media Sponsorship Continued

• Ask walkers for their stories• Suggest that walkers reach out to their local

papers• Committee members are perfect to highlight

in local stories and to reach out to the media


Community Events• Professional sports games• Table at lunchtime summer concerts• Partner with Science Center or local museum

during an exhibit that pertains to Alzheimer’s or the brain.

• Fairs, festivals, weekend activities and community gatherings

• Where to find the events: local newspapers, Google, etc.


Email and Newsletters

• Use template emails• Announce upcoming events, important dates,

and information• Encourage registration and fundraising• Keep the brand in mind and stay consistent


Creating Your Marketing Plan

• Steps to create Marketing Plan– Select areas to set aside funds – Determine Audiences– Determine best way to reach each audience

• Make a communication plan, who needs to be reached out to on a regular basis, who is in charge of reaching out, timeline for all communication.

Documents

Walk National Conference Marketing on a Shoestring Budget From the 2008 Walk Conference