The marketing plan and activities need to support the achievement of the objectives of the institution. The strategic direction and objectives will be set by the board of management and reviewed regularly.
Example: The institution strategy fixes for the next two years the objective to start consulting activities in sector x. Besides assuring that the qualified staff and the financial means will be available, the management needs to focus on how the institution’s activities will satisfy the identified need for consulting services in sector x and how it will gain a share in this market. In marketing terms the institution management will need to define the programme “consulting for sector x”, the pricing, the delivery of the programme and the promotion of the programme.
In classical marketing the 4 major areas of marketing (programme/product definition, pricing, delivery of programme and promotion) are referred to as the “4P’s”. In this chapter the guide will focus on the promotion of the institution and its activities. The programme definition including pricing and delivery is dealt with in the chapter on “Operational Planning & Activities ”.
Promotion deals with the questions:
· How will you raise public awareness?
· How will you inform your target group(s) about your products and services?
· How will you support the building of a good reputation of your institution?
Contrary to the expensive mass advertising campaigns of big consumer companies (TV, newspapers, posters, sponsoring, etc.), the support institution will need to focus its promotional activities on its very specific target group(s) and interested “communities” in order to use the available funds in the most efficient way. The more you focus on the benefits of the target group(s) and decision takers, the better the impact of your promotion activities.
What are the typical forms of promotion that support institutions can effectively use?
· Direct marketing
· Advocacy and networking
· Public Relations: press releases, events organisation and participation, Internet articles,…
· Brochures and other information material
· Internet Marketing
· Presentations and company visits (see “Sales ”)
The Marketing chapters refer to various tips and tricks from
Learndirect Business Factsheets: http://www.learndirect-business.co.uk/factsheets
Marketing with your Database – Director’s Briefing MA 6
Writing a Mailshot – Director’s Briefing MA 7
Advertising Strategy – Director’s Briefing MA 9
Writing an Advertisement – Director’s Briefing MA 10
Effective PR – Director’s Briefing MA 11
Marketing on the Internet – Director’s Briefing IT 18