Marketing Tools for Chapter Client Acquisition

2013 National Leadership Conference

Cathy Christopher, SCORE Southern UtahKate Stoodley, SCORE Portland, ME

Session Agenda

• Introduction of SCORE Presenters• Increasing Awareness through Local

PSAs & PR• Building Relationships in the

Community• Email Marketing for Your Chapter• Online Marketing is the new Word-of-

Mouth

Cathy Christopher• Chair, Southern Utah SCORE• Joined SCORE in 2011• 35-years in Communications

industry with leadership positions in Human Resources, Customer Service, Professional Services, Product Management and Marketing

• Instrumental in the start-up phase of several subsidiaries involving the deployment of leading-edge technologies and business practices

Kate Stoodley• Workshop Presenter, Portland

Maine SCORE & SCORE client• Joined SCORE in XXXX• Social Media Marketing

Specialist who is launching her own firm

• Worked in advertising for Entrepreneur Magazine and Entrepreneur.com

• Former VP and Social Media Director for a Bay Area nonprofit

Your SCORE Presenters

Increasing Awareness through Local PSAs & PR

Public relations is a long-term process, sending messages to the public, designed to build and develop the reputation of a brand over a period of time

Good PR = telling a good story

Goal: • Increase awareness of your SCORE chapter’s

efforts and earn the public’s acceptance• Get the word out about SCORE services to those

who could potentially “buy” from you.

Examples of successful PR campaigns:• Harry Potter series• PlayStation• The Body Shop

Pros ConsRelatively low cost Less control over message delivery

and placementLarge audience reach Potential for media to find little

value in storyHighly credible form of promotion Possibility of getting “bumped” for

more critical news story

Increasing Awareness through Local PSAs & PR

Marketing Cookbook: Chapter 6

Step-by-step instructions for starting and improving your chapter’s PR efforts1. Form a Pro Bono Alliance with a PR Agency2. Build Media Relationships3. Get SCORE PSAs on the Air4. Draft Press Releases5. Distribute Your Release6. Place ASK SCORE Columns in Newspapers7. Expertise on the Air: Broadcast Ask SCORE Business

Segments

Download the entire Cookbook from the Volunteer Center Marketing Resources page at

http://volunteer.score.org/vc/marketing-resources

Best Practice ExamplesArticle placements in local papers (Southern Utah)

• Figure out an angle the reporter is interested in• “Do you want to do a story about SCORE?” does not work• 3 new in-business clients after story ran that week

PSA Placements (March – June)• 20,035 TV Airings with $2.7 Million Value• 34,513 Radio Airings with $2.1 Million Value• 191,537,600 Impressions

Ask SCORE columns• Regular columns for many chapters including Naples,

Lancaster, Annapolis, York, etc.• Form a relationship with the paper’s editor

– Present the value for their paper (not for SCORE)

How Do I Get Started with Public Relations?• Media Talking Points• SCORE Fact Sheet• Ask SCORE Columns• Press Release Templates• PSA Distribution toolkit• Success Story Template (Form 30)• Model Release Form (Pictures & Video)

See these resources and more on the Volunteer Center PR Resources page at http://volunteer.score.org/vc/pr-resources

PR Tools Available to Help You in the Volunteer Center

SAO Working to Support Your PR Efforts

FY12 Media Audience Reach: 8.566 billion (+4%)*Approximately 5 stories/week

• Email media@score.org with any PR questions• Sign up to be a Media Mentor -media@score.org • Share Your Success Stories with our office

• Email to media@score.org• Fill out the form online at www.score.org• Fax the form to 703-487-3066

Building Relationships in the Community

Referral Building focuses on forming alliances with key business community organizations by tailoring SCORE services to meet their needs.

Goal: Community alliances recommend SCORE as the preferred source of small business mentoring.

• Based on best practices from chapters such as Fairfield County, CT, Naples, FL & Lancaster PA.

• Doubled client success rate by increasing Follow-on Rate from 45% to 70%.

Rationale for Referral Building

• Copies the “for-profit business” marketing

reality.

• Uses best practices from our benchmark

chapters’ experience.

• Emphasizes SCORE’s unique capacity to

recruit, a strength that no other small

business mentoring organization can match.

Marketing Cookbook: Chapter 3

Step-by-step instructions for building a referral outreach program for your chapter1. Build a Community Outreach Committee2. Identify Potential Partners3. Establish Referral Building Alliances4. Locate Potential Sponsors5. Draft a Memo of Understanding6. Offer Tailored Seminars7. Host Business Roundtables8. Promote SCORE Through Partners9. Recognize and Thank Partners and Sponsors

Download the entire Cookbook from the Volunteer Center Marketing Resources page at http://volunteer.score.org/vc/marketing-resources

Best Practice Examples

South Palm Beach• Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce:

Partnership for Young Entrepreneurs Academy• Lynn University: 5th Annual Business

Conference with 285 attendees

Ventura County• Constant Contact Regional Development

Director –constantcontact.com/local-learning/index.jsp

• Free Business Seminars: 300-400 attendees, 3 times a year

How Do I Get Started with Referral Building?• Referral Building Process Guide, Webinar & PPT• Build Your Referral Team Resources• Databases for Local Leads• Alliance Planning Worksheets• Memo of Understanding Template• Best Practice Examples• Tailored Seminars and Roundtables Guidelines• Talking Points and PPTs for Partner Meetings

See these resources and more on the Volunteer Center Referral Building page at http://volunteer.score.org/vc/referral-building-community-outreach

Referral Building Tools Available to Help You in the Volunteer Center

SAO Working to Support Your Referral Building Efforts

FY12 Web Visits from Referral Partners: 32%

• Email marketing@score.org with any Referral Building questions

• Assign or Become a Marketing Rep for your chapter-marketing@score.org

• Sign up to receive the Marketing Monthly emails – marketing@score.org

Email Marketing for Your Chapter

Email marketing is a low-cost & effective approach for promoting activities and services to prospects, clients and mentors via action-oriented, targeted messages.

Goal: Attract new clients and retain existing clients as mentoring clients and workshop attendees

• Email's ROI in 2011 was $40.56 for every dollar spent on it. - DMA (2011)

• 54% of respondents in a consumer survey said they had a more favorable opinion of the companies that send them email. - Epsilon (Oct 2008)

Rationale for Email MarketingEmail marketing, of all promotional activities, is the:

• fastest, • cheapest, • highest return on investment.

It provides a fast “go to market” strategy for attracting new clients to your chapter, and keeping existing clients engaged.

Each chapter has a free Constant Contact account.• SCORE-branded templates provide an easy start• Manage event registration with Constant Contact• Up to 10,000 free contacts; 100 free events/month

Marketing Cookbook: Chapters 4 & 5

Step-by-step instructions for building a comprehensive email marketing program1. Grow Your Chapter with Email Marketing2. Create a Chapter Newsletter3. Increase Your Email Subscriber List4. Invite Prospects/Clients to Mentoring5. Convert Workshop/Event Attendees to Mentoring Clients6. Encourage Clients to Return for Follow-On Sessions7. Promote New Expertise to Existing Clients8. Promote Mentor Expertise and Success9. Highlight Local Client Successes

Download the entire Cookbook from the Volunteer Center Marketing Resources page at http://volunteer.score.org/vc/marketing-resources

Best Practice Examples

Portland, ME• Monthly Workshop Email Invites and

Follow Up• Subscriber List: 1,100+• Open Rate: 19.2%• YTD Workshop Attendees: 1,300

How Do I Get Started with Email Marketing?• Constant Contact Account Assistance• Email Marketing Process, Overview and Best

Practices• How to Upload Contacts• Constant Contact Representative List• Email Marketing SCORE volunteer expert list• SCORE branded templates automatically in each

account

See these resources and more on the Volunteer Center Referral Building page at http://volunteer.score.org/vc/online-marketing-resources

Email Marketing Tools Available to Help You in the Volunteer Center

SAO Working to Support Your Email Marketing Efforts

200,000+ Newsletter SubscribersFocus: Filling Funnel for Mentoring Requests

• Email marketing@score.org with any Email Marketing questions

• Assign or Become a Marketing Rep for your chapter- marketing@score.org

• Contact your Constant Contact Rep for assistance –constantcontact.com/local-learning/index.jsp

Online Marketing is the New Word-of-Mouth

Online Marketing - especially Social Media - is electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content.

Goal: Engage new clients and retain existing clients, listening to them and providing them with relevant content in a place they feel comfortable receiving the info

• Increases your visibility with local entrepreneurs.• Gets the word out about local workshops & counseling events.• Lets you share local resources & generate interest.• Allows you to recognize client & volunteer success stories.• Allows you to communicate timely small business /

entrepreneur news and tips.

Rationale for Online MarketingMillions Share Conversations & Information Online Each Day

• Be where your clients are.• Increase your local brand awareness.• Connect your chapter to local small

businesses.• Focus your marketing time by reaching more

of an interested audience.

Monthly active Facebook users now total 85 million.There are 175 million Tweets sent every day.There are now 200 million LinkedIn Users.

Marketing Cookbook: Chapter 4

Step-by-step instructions for building a comprehensive social media marketing program1. Enhance Your Chapter Website2. Engage Clients on Facebook3. Keep Connected Through LinkedIn4. Use Twitter to Stay Top-of-Mind5. Create a Local Blog6. Attract New Clients with Local Search Directories7. SEO and Other Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Site

Download the entire Cookbook from the Volunteer Center Marketing Resources page at

http://volunteer.score.org/vc/marketing-resources

Best Practice Examples

Orange County, CA• 1,845 Twitter Followers; 2-3 Tweets/Day• 1,250 Facebook Likes; 50 engagements

weekly

Portland, ME• 121 Twitter Followers; 1-3 Tweets/Day• 176 Facebook Likes; 10 engagements

weekly

• How Do I Get Started with Online Marketing?• Download the SCORE Social Media Guide• Download social profile and thumbnail images in

the Social Media Image Kit• Download the SCORE SEO Guide• Download the SCORE SEO Best Practices• Click here for ways to improve your chapter's

SEO today!• Get a list of Chapters Using Social Media

See these resources and more on the Volunteer Center Referral Building page at http://volunteer.score.org/vc/online-marketing-resources

Online Marketing Tools Available to Help You in the Volunteer Center

SAO Working to Support Your Online Marketing Efforts

16,000+ Facebook Likes; 200,000+ Impressions Monthly16,000 Twitter Followers; 7,000,000 Audience Reach Monthly

7,000 LinkedIn Members

Don’t know what to post? Start by sharing/retweeting content from the SCORE National social media accounts:

• Facebook - www.facebook.com/SCOREFans• Twitter - www.twitter.com/SCOREMentors• YouTube -  www.youtube.com/SCORESmallBusiness• LinkedIn - 

www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=59189• Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/scorementors/

Questions?

THANK YOU

Email marketing@score.orgCall (800)634-0245