Situation Analysis
The Situation Analysis section of the Integrated Marketing Communications plan provides the foundation from which the marketing strategy can be built. We will look into how the industry as a whole is doing, how WMRA stacks up against its competitors, and identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) that WMRA faces. By properly understanding where WMRA currently stands, an appropriate plan can be created to move WMRA forward.
Industry Overview
WMRA is classified in the Radio Broadcasting industry. According to IBIS World Industry Report, this industry is struggling to remain relevant, in large part because of the advances in
technology. As consumers move away from radio and toward other digital media platforms, advertisers begin to follow. This causes a problem for the radio industry as a considerable amount of its revenues come from advertising. As advertising budgets create more diverse plans, including a larger online presence, radio will need to adapt to an increasingly digital market to remain relevant.
There are three key factors affecting how the radio industry performs. The most important is the economy. When the economy begins to decline, the radio portion of the advertising budget is one of the first to be cut as it is often seen as the least important piece of the marketing plan for larger corporations. However, as the economy has begun to grow, we are seeing a return to radio advertising according to IBIS World Industry Reports. The next factor is the amount of disposable income in the average household. As the amount of disposable income increases, the more people are willing to spend. Radio ads are seen as productive in influencing the decisions of consumers who are more open to the idea of spending money. Finally, an increase in total vehicle miles lead to increased listenership for radio stations. The increase in
listenership allows radio stations to charge a higher price for commercial slots as they reach a larger audience.
Due to the recent recession, however, radio is struggling. Falling profits forced radio stations nationwide to consolidate resources and restructure their stations to avoid bankruptcy. Not all is bad for the radio industry. Although the Internet is becoming an increasing competitor, currently it is estimated that 93% of the population still tunes into radio on a weekly basis.
The outlook for radio appears to be bleak. It is anticipated that the Internet will continue to become a stronger competitor to radio; as younger generations continue to increase their consumption of internet related offerings. Consolidation will be a necessary evil to ensure radio can remain relevant. It is likely that only the large radio companies will be able to stay in
business as radio companies compete for the continually decreasing money allotted for radio advertising. Satellite radio is expected to come out ahead of standard radio because it has two streams of revenue: subscriptions and advertising. They also offer premium content, and offer commercial free programming for a price, allowing them to better compete against the
internet.
Company History
WMRA has been a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate more than a decade. In the past WMRA received federal funding due to the fact that it was classified as a rural radio station and thus did not have the available listeners to properly fund themselves. However, the Harrisonburg area has been steadily growing. As a result, WMRA is no longer classified as a rural radio station; and has lost all State funding, causing it to lose money rapidly. Historically, WMRA was the dominate talk radio station of the Charlottesville area, but has been taken out by a Roanoke based radio station WVTF and their sister station Radio IQ.
Offering
As an NPR affiliate, WMRA is in the business of providing news to its listeners. They cover international, national, and local news. The international and national news is received from NPR and passed onto the customers. The local news is gathered from within WMRAs staff. Because WMRA is in the business of providing people with news, they directly compete with other radio stations that provide, which locally is mainly WVTW, as well as newspapers, television, and internet. WMRA is located on several frequencies depending on the area, and can be found in the Shenandoah Valley, Charlottesville, Lexington, Winchester, and Farmville. WMRA can also be found online via internet streaming, or through mobile application; both of which can be received anywhere internet can be accessed.
There is little to no difference between the content of WMRA and of their competitor WVTF. This makes it difficult for customers to distinguish WMRA from the competition.. The few differences that do exist are minor, such as who the host happens to be on either channel, or what local stories get covered.
Current Customer Base
According to a survey conducted by WMRA, we can derive several key factors of listeners. ● Age: 73.6% between 45 and 74 years
● Ethnicity: 95% identify as white
● Education: 88.48% have a bachelor’s degree or higher ● Income: 61% earn between $50,001 and $150,000 ● Work: 50% have full time jobs, 26.85% are retired
● Children: 81.84% of households do not have children present at home.
It’s clear based on the above numbers that listenership is driven by the education level of the listener. The higher the education level, the more likely it is that an individual will listen to public radio such as WMRA. The second largest indicator is the age of the listener. As younger people continue to adjust to the new technologies available to them, it would appear as though the older generations prefer to get their news from sources such as radio or the newspaper. While WMRA does attract the older audiences, they are also dying at a faster rate, leading to a decrease in customers over time.
Competition Direct Competition
Many public radio stations exist throughout the Shenandoah Valley area. These various public radio stations serve as the direct competition for WMRA. The following public radio stations are those of which are competing with WMRA around the Shenandoah Valley area:
WVTF
The main competition that WMRA faces is with WVTF, which has been stealing listenership and market share, specifically in the Charlottesville area. WVTF is also affiliated with NPR
broadcasting and reports similar information. In total, it is heard on 30 broadcast streams and three web streams throughout southern and southwest Virginia.
Location
The main broadcast center is located in Roanoke, Virginia which houses 11 studios. WVTF also has a satellite studio and offices in Charlottesville’s downtown mall. WVTF presents the biggest threat in the Charlottesville area.
Dial Position
At the Charlottesville location, they are located in the traditional radio dial position for NPR news at 89.7, making their station more easily found by non-loyal listeners.
WEHC
WEHC brings public radio broadcasting to Southwest Virginia. This station is owned and
operated by Emory & Henry College. WEHC broadcast’s student created programming from its studios in Emory. The station also retransmits programming from Radio IQ at night and in the late afternoon hours. WEHC will also air Radio IQ when Emory & Henry is not in session.
Location
WEHC’s station is located at Emory & Henry College in Southwest Virginia. Dial Position
WEHC is located on the radio dial at 90.7. WTJU
WTJU is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to the Rector and Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia. WTJU is a public radio station, yet it is not part of the NPR system. The station utilizes volunteer DJs that play nearly anything they choose, as long as it does not violate FCC rules. All of the volunteer DJs are UVA students, staff, alumni, or other members of the community with no other affiliation to UVA. The station mainly competes with WMRA through its daily news and public affairs program called Soundboard, which airs weekdays from 9-10am.
Location
WTJU is based and operated in Charlottesville, Virginia. Dial Position
WTJU is located on the dial at 91.1 in Charlottesville. Recently, the station has began simulcasting it’s programming on WHAN at the dial position of 102.9 in Richmond. WTJU will operate the WHAN station as part of a three year local marketing agreement. The station will have the option to buy WHAN in the future.
Other Competition
WMRA faces indirect competition with all other media sources in the Shenandoah Valley area that provide local and national news. This area covers Charlottesville, Lexington, Winchester, Farmville, and Harrisonburg. These media sources include newspaper and television as well as other radio broadcasts. WMRA’s indirect competition includes:
Charlottesville
● Charlottesville’s Own TV 10 - City run news and information
● C-ville Weekly - Weekly newspaper featuring City news, arts and entertainment ● Daily Progress - Charlottesville’s daily newspaper
● Richmond Times Dispatch - A Richmond newspaper that covers local and state news ● The Hook - Weekly newspaper featuring City news, arts and entertainment
● WCHV - 1260 AM - Charlottesville’s News-Talk and Information Radio Station ● WINA - 1070 AM - Charlottesville’s AM News and Talk Radio Station
● WVIR - TV - Charlotteville’s local NBC affiliate
Lexington
● The News-Gazette - Weekly newspaper featuring local and national news
● The Rockbridge Advocate - Monthly local news magazine that emphasizes local news and events and draws inspiration from the Rockbridge County
● WDBJ - TV - provides news, weather, and sports coverage ● WSLS - TV - provides news, weather, and sports coverage ● WLUR - public radio licensed by Washington and Lee University
Winchester
● The Winchester Daily-Monitor - digital newspaper that covers local news in Winchester ● Winchester Star - daily newspaper
● WINC - AM radio station that provides coverage of news and talk
Farmville
● The Farmville Herald - biweekly newspaper that covers local news and classifieds ● WMLU - public radio licensed by Longwood University
● WREL- radio station that provides news, talk, and sports
● Harrisonburg
● Daily News-Record - daily newspaper that provides news, weather, and sports coverage ● Rocktown Weekly - Harrisonburg’s alternative newspaper
● WHSV - TV - provides local news coverage
Current Marketing
WMRA is currently involved in utilizing four various marketing tools: website, social media, mobile applications, email, and membership cards. They are described below.
Website: On WMRAs website, the consumer can locate the local news stories that WMRA has featured during its radio broadcasts. This allows the consumer time to read in the own time about the news happening in their area without having the pressure of potentially missing it when it plays on air. From the website consumers can also access online streaming of the broadcasts, as well as find out all of the dial locations of WMRA organized by geographic areas. The website also allows for the consumer to find the necessary information for contacting the station. For example, the website provides directions on how to volunteer with WMRA, including an online form that can be submitted to the station.
Mobile Application: WMRAs’ mobile application is simple and easy to use. The user has three options; listen to WMRA, listen to WMRA’s sister station WEMC, or donate. Although there is the option to donate from the application, it does not allow the user to donate directly from the application. The user is taken to the internet where they fill out a simple online form to donate. This opportunity to donate is the only interaction the application currently offers. Social Media: Facebook is the only social media platform that is currently being utilized by WMRA. The page acts as a secondary website for the station as they share stories from their website. When someone clicks on the story they are taken to the original story posted on the WMRA website. There appears to be little customer interaction with the Facebook group. Email: WMRA’s most successful email campaign recently has been their fundraiser. Through email, WMRA emphasized to James Madison University staff the importance of keeping the news on the air and avoiding interrupting regular programming with the need for fundraising. WMRA also sent emails to the rest of their email list, emphasizing the ground breaking
fundraising method of not interrupting regularly scheduled programming. WMRA was able to raise the full amount of $200,000 without interruptions to programming, as their goal stated. WMRA also released a brief overview of their newsletter via email that listed the top three stories they wanted to highlight in the issue, as well as a brief description of what each one was. The link for the newsletter was not functional when it was attempted to be accessed on April 15, 2015. It was also unavailable when seared on the WMRA website.
WMRA Member Card: WMRA has implemented a member benefits and rewards program centered on a Member Card that provides members with money saving opportunities. These reward cards provide members with one monthly savings offer, along with another 355 one time benefits that include discounts at restaurants and various other businesses.
Constraints
Due to the fact that WMRA has been running in the red for some time, it is ideal that no money be spent on a marketing campaign. Additionally, WMRA has limited resources when it comes to upgrades they can make and staff they can use. There is no option to create a stronger signal for the Charlottesville area. The staff already does multiple jobs for the company, so it is
important that the marketing plan be easy to implement and require as little time to manage as possible.
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)
A SWOT Analysis shows a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to determine where it stands in the marketplace and what changes to make. The chart on the following page depicts WRMA’s SWOT Analysis:
Strengths
Weaknesses
● Better morning host than competition in Bob Leweke
● Popular NPR affiliate shows (Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me)
● located on largest range of dial positions when compared to competition
● located within expected dial position in Harrisonburg, Lexington, Winchester, and Farmville
● Provides local news
● Experienced Management from Al Bartholet
● Easy to use mobile application ● Surrounded by 7 higher institutes of
learning (JMU, UVA, EMU, VMI, Bridgewater College, Blue Ridge
Community College, Washington and Lee)
● Poor Signal in Charlottesville area ● Running in the red monetarily ● Poor location on dial in Charlottesville
(103.5)
● Only 11 employees ● Lack of marketing program
● Newsletter not easily located from website
Opportunities
Threats
● Capture listenership in area north of Harrisonburg
● Regain listeners in Charlottesville ● Gain new segments of listeners (College
students)
● Grow connection with James Madison University
● Exploit vast range of radio frequencies (turn weakness into potential strength)
● Use experienced management in communications
● Use popular radio hosts in communications
● WVTF and IQ Radio (sister station to WVTF) ● Bankruptcy
● Decline of overall radio listenership ● Rapid decline of listeners
○ older listeners are dying at a faster rate than younger listeners that are beginning to listen
SWOT Analysis
As noted by the figure above, WMRA has a series of strengths that it can use to its advantage. These are the internal components of WMRA that can be used to push the company forward. These will provide the basis for key messages that will be developed later in the plan.
In contrast, the weaknesses are the internal problems that WMRA currently faces. The largest concern for WMRA is the fact that currently there is a deficit in the cash flow, as well as the fact that there is poor signal strength in the Charlottesville area. While there is little we can do in the immediate future about the reality of these weaknesses, we can address other weaknesses through our marketing communications and turn them into strengths. For example, we can communicate that WMRA can be found on the largest range of frequencies due to the fact that WMRA is located so high on the dial in Charlottesville. Again, these will be discussed later in the plan.
The opportunities section represent the areas that WMRA could take advantage of, but currently is not doing so. This is the most intriguing section to us. Here we are able to see analyze what opportunities WMRA currently has that will align with the goals that will be developed in the next section of the plan.
Finally, we have outside situations that pose a threat to WMRA. While our financial problems are a growing concern, a longer term concern we recognize is the fact that WMRA has an older average audience. This means that there is a chance that older members will die off faster than new listeners can be attracted. How to neutralize this threat will be developed later in the goals section of the plan as previously discussed.
Goals and Audiences
After analyzing WMRAs current situation, our next step is to clearly define the goals of our integrated marketing communications plan. The goals will accurately define the outcome we desire to achieve after the implementation of the plan in a way that is both simple and easy to measure in order to determine its success. After goals have been established, we will determine who we want to reach as a target audience. This will provide the foundation for our strategies and tactics that will bring the plan to life.
Marketing Goals and Marketing Communications goals
Marketing goals are objectives to accomplish through your marketing efforts. Although they are important, we will not place much focus on our marketing goals as this plan is for achieving marketing communications goals. Attaining the marketing communications goals through our proposed strategies and tactics (located later in this plan) will simultaneously help to achieve the overall marketing goals. The overall marketing goals are as follows:
1. Increase Donations
2. Increase overall market share
Marketing communications goals are the objectives we create to ensure we communicate your key messages to the intended audiences. By emphasizing the importance of creating a
consistent message with marketing communications goals, we also impact the overall marketing goals. The marketing communications goals are as follows:
1. Reposition the brand to image of local, professional, educational and available 2. Increase number of new listeners by increasing awareness in broadcast area 3. Maintain listener base
Segmented Audiences
Segmenting audiences involves taking the entire group of existing and potential customers and breaking them up into subgroups (segments) of individuals who have similar needs to each other. Each segment of customer will listen to WMRA to fulfill a different need they have. By splitting up the segments, you are able to better understand how different sets of customers will react to marketing stimuli. This leads to the creation of positioning and key messages that can be communicated to the segments based around their needs rather than the needs of the entire population.
As discovered in the Situation Analysis, education was the driving factor whether or not people listen to public radio. With this in mind, we have decided to segment educated consumers into more specific groups to better understand the different audiences WMRA can reach.
Current Audiences
Educated Elderly: These individuals have an above average intelligence level, having achieved at least a bachelor's degree. They also represent Generation X and Baby Boomers. These people are 45 years of age or older and have a desire for continued learning.
Example: Beatrice, a beloved mother and grandmother, lives in Winchester. She has a master’s degree in political science but has recently retired. She will tune into WMRA to expand her overall knowledge and continuously learn about events taking place around the world.
College and High School Staff: These are people who teach within the WMRA area of reach. They encompass all staff from James Madison University, University of Virginia, Blue Ridge Community College, and all of the surrounding high schools. They are typically college educated and have a desire for continued learning.
Example: Charlie, a history professor at JMU, is required to stay informed on current events in order to provide his class with the most up-to-the-minute and accurate information. He will tune into WMRA to catch breaking news reports and keep a fresh perspective on what is happening throughout the world and in the local community.
News Hounds: These are individuals that receive their news regularly from newspapers. This can include printed versions as well as online. By investing in newspapers, these individuals demonstrate an interest in current events both locally and globally. They may be interested in listening to an NPR station to gain either a different perspective of the news they are already consuming, or to broaden the scope of news they are exposed to each day.
Example: Russell, an avid Washington Post reader, receives a majority of his news exposure from this medium. He will tune into WMRA to fill potential gaps in the news that he is receiving or to receive a different perspective on similar reports.
Concerned Commuters: These individuals commute to and from work on a daily basis. Their extensive amount of time spent in the car exposes them to above average levels of radio. They would be interested in current events and continuously be pursuing higher level of education.
Example: Steven, a Clementine’s chef, commutes to and from Harrisonburg from his home in Staunton every day. His long commute causes his to sacrifice the time he would otherwise use to read a newspaper or sit and watch the news. He will tune into WMRA to fulfill his news needs and keep up to date on current events.
Untapped Potential Audiences
Student Activists: These are individuals who attend any of the mentioned institutes of learning. They are involved with and are passionate about something they believe to be bigger than them. This can include but is not limited to clubs or organizations that support government organization, social or environmental causes, or thoroughly enjoy learning about the world in which they live.
Example: Jessica, a UVA student, is involved in an Equal Rights club. She will engage with WMRA to start a conversation about what she believes needs to be done to solve current equal rights problems. WMRA, in turn, will facilitate a conversation with others in the community to get her message out.
Community Supporters: These individuals reside year round in their respective communities. Whether in Harrisonburg, Lexington, or Charlottesville; these people love their hometowns, and are interested about hearing local Shenandoah Valley specific news.
Example: Deborah is a local mom who is about to vote in local elections. The major news networks do not have information about the local candidates for public office, so she tunes into WMRA to learn about who is running.
College Hopefuls: These are middle and high school students who aspire to one day attend a College or University. They may be interested in becoming educated about local, national, and international news to ensure they can have educated conversations and create good first impressions with both potential employers as well as with admissions personnel.
Example: Jack is a high school Junior. He is attempting to gain admission into James Madison University, as well as land an internship at a local Charlottesville establishment. He tunes into WMRA frequently to pick up talking points about what is happening in the local community to potentially bring up in conversations with people he may come in contact with while pursuing these goals.
Position and Key Messages
Now that we have analyzed WMRAs situation and defined the goals and audience to move WMRA forward, the next step in the process is to define a position that you can own.
Positioning is the perception, offered by the company that resides in the mind of the consumer regarding the nature of the company, its products, and or its brand relative to the competition. This position is reinforced by key messages which are the core ideas we as a company wish to communicate to the audiences we’ve previously established. These are the elements that should be placed in any and all marketing communications presented to the public.
Positioning Statement:
Considering what we’ve learned in the previous two sections, the following positioning statement has been developed and is recommended for use in all marketing communication activities going forward:
With experienced leadership, talent personalities, and strong local reporting, WMRA is a community-supported radio station that educates listeners about local and global news via the most radio frequencies in the Shenandoah Valley.
Key messages:
Key messages are derived from the positioning statement and form the foundation of all marketing communication. First we provide a list of the key messages, followed by a summary of what each message is meant to convey and an example of how it may be communicated to the target audiences recently identified. Examples are included on the following page.
1. Experienced management 2. On-air talent 3. Local focus 4. Community-supported 5. Educational 6. Easily found
Examples:
Experienced Management
Al Bartholet has been in the public radio business for over 35 years. Based on the book Outliers, it takes roughly 10,000 hours, which is the equivalent to approximately ten years to become an expert in any given field.
Al Bartholet successfully implemented a unique fundraising campaign that allowed him to reach their donation goals without having to interrupt regularly scheduled programming, a technique that had not yet been seen in public radio in the Shenandoah Valley area.
On-air talent
Bob Leweke is an experienced communications professional working in newspaper journalism before joining public radio in 2003. With a doctorate from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bob continues to educate the youth by teaching at Blue Ridge Community College.
Local focus
From staffing local college graduates, providing relevant local news, to pursuing teaching careers outside of the station, WMRA staff is dedicated to improving the community in which their listeners live through local programming in the station and community involvement outside the station.
Community-supported
WMRA is dependent on listener donations to fund the station. When asked to provide funds before the typical spring fundraising drive, WMRA listeners banded together and donating prior to the drive to avoid having regularly scheduled programming interrupted. Listeners responded by meeting the goal ahead of schedule, proving that the community values what WMRA
provides them.
Educational
WMRA offers an array of educational programming that not only includes national and global news, but also has elements that focus on the local Shenandoah Valley area. This allows listeners the opportunity to become informed on events and news that only pertain to them specifically. Its programming is specialized for listeners in their natural setting.
Easily found
WMRA can be found on the largest range of frequencies, in the most locations across the Shenandoah Valley; from Winchester to Farmville Virginia, covering over 200 miles of highway space
Strategies and Tactics
In the strategies and tactics section of the plan, we expand on the goals we created earlier to explain how we could go about accomplishing our goals. Goals are what give the plan direction when developing strategies and tactics. The strategies are then the vehicle we use to drive the goals. Finally, the tactics are what we use to move the plan forward to reach the goal we have defined.
Identification Key G= Goal __ S= Strategy __ T= Tactic __
*specific strategies and tactics can be used to support multiple goals, therefore, will be given the same identification number throughout the plan.
G1: Reposition the brand to image of local, professional, educational and available. S1: Develop positioning that can be implemented throughout all marketing communications activities.
T1: Create key messages to be used consistently in all marketing communications messaging.
T2: Introduce new position through all marketing communications tools, including website, advertisements, social media, and personal marketing.
T3: Create new tagline to support new messages. Option A The local source for Shenandoah Valley news
Option B Your community,
Your stories, Your radio station.
G2: Increase number of new listeners by increasing awareness in broadcast area S2: Leverage on-air talent as spokespeople for the organization.
T4: Identify College and high school student organization and events that fit with new position.
T5: Secure speaking opportunities for on-air talent at previously identified opportunities.
T6: Pitch story ideas to local and regional media in order to secure third-party stories featuring on-air talent.
S3: Leverage outdoor advertising to reach audience who are not currently listening.
T7: Develop billboards that feature on-air talent and emphasize the key message that they are easily found. T8: Develop mallboards that feature on-air talent and emphasize the key message that they are locally focused.
T9: Develop buswrap that feature on-air talent and emphasize the key message that they are locally focused.
T10: Develop posterboards that feature on-air talent and emphasize the key message that they are locally focused.
T11: Develop slide still in movie theaters that feature on-air talent and emphasize the key message that they are locally focused.
*T12: Purchase space to run billboard, mallboard, busboard, posterboard, and slide still advertisements for tactics 7 through 11. T13: Develop billboards that feature popular NPR programming such as Car Talk or Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and emphasize the key message that they are easily found.
T14: Develop mallboards that feature NPR programming such as Car Talk or Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and emphasize the key
message that they are community supported.
T15: Develop buswrap that feature NPR programming such as Car Talk or Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and emphasize the key message that they are community supported.
T16: Develop postersboards that feature NPR
programming such as Car Talk or Wait Wait Don’t Tell
T17: Develop slide still in movie theaters that feature NPR programming such as Car Talk or Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and emphasize the key message that they are community supported.
*T18: Purchase space to run billboard, mallboard, busboard, posterboard, and slide still advertisements for tactics 14 through 17.
*Note: tactics 7-11 are for campaign 1 and 13-17 are for campaign 2
S4: Leverage broadcast ads via multiple outlets
T19: Develop a 30-second broadcast quality advertisement and/or public service announcement (PSA).
T20: Deliver PSA to for-profit TV stations for airing during chosen periods to fulfill their FCC requirements.
T21: Purchase ad space at cinemas to run PSA prior to movies and/or during showing of trailers that feature on-air talent and key messages.
S5: Leverage website communications to feature on-air talent on homepage and subsequent feature pages.
T22: Redesign homepage to include prominent display of drive-time hosts.
T23: Develop pages dedicated to each of the primary drive-time hosts that can be easily accessed from the homepage.
T24: Develop programming that adapts listing order of radio frequencies to highlight “hometown” frequency of website visitor.
T25: Reorder of radio frequencies to be in numerical order.
T26: Create web page dedicated to membership benefits that is easily found on the homepage of the website.
T27: Create web page dedicated to newsletter that can be easily located from the homepage of the website.
S6: Leverage event marketing to emphasize the key messages
T28: Broadcast live from farmers markets on Saturday mornings in the following locations on a rotating basis: Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Winchester, and Lexington.
T29: Identify local events in Shenandoah Valley that target market will attend (ex: “First Fridays Downtown” in Harrisonburg)
T30: Have a booth presence at events such as “First Fridays Downtown” in Harrisonburg to emphasize local focus of WMRA.
T31: Pass out WMRA promotional materials (ie: t-shirts, pens, magnets) to encourage interaction.
G3: Maintain listener base
S7: Engage listeners through social media T32: Update Facebook to emphasize key messages and newly developed tagline. T33: Create Twitter account and have it centered on key messages.
T34: Set up individual WMRA Twitter accounts for drive time hosts Bob Leweke and Matt Bingay.
T35: Complete one post per day from the drive time hosts Bob Leweke and Matt Bingay, and one post on the top local story of the day.
T36: Post weekly questions concerning local issues to allow local individuals the opportunity to voice their opinions.
T37: Post monthly on Facebook and Twitter promoting membership card and its monthly benefits.
T38: Post monthly on Facebook and Twitter requesting for how WMRA can be improved. Respond to feedback.
T39: Post at least one tweet per day from the drive time hosts Bob Leweke and Matt Bingay, and one tweet on the top local story of the day.
S6: Leverage event marketing to emphasize the key messages
T28: Broadcast live from farmers markets on Saturday mornings in the following locations on a rotating basis: Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Farmville, Winchester, and Lexington
T29: Identify local events in Shenandoah Valley that target market will attend (ex: “First Fridays Downtown” in Harrisonburg)
T30: Have a booth presence at events such as “First Fridays Downtown” in Harrisonburg to emphasize local focus of WMRA.
T31: Pass out WMRA promotional materials (ie: t-shirts, pens, magnets) to encourage interaction.
G4: Maintain member base
S7: Engage listeners through social media
T32: Update Facebook to emphasize key messages and newly developed tagline. T33: Create Twitter account and have it centered on key messages
T34: Set up individual WMRA Twitter accounts for drive time hosts Bob Leweke and Matt Bingay.
T35: Complete one post per day from the drive time hosts Bob Leweke and Matt Bingay, and one post on the top local story of the day.
T36: Post weekly questions concerning local issues to allow local individuals the opportunity to voice their opinions.
T37: Post monthly on Facebook and Twitter promoting membership card and its monthly benefits.
T38: Post monthly on Facebook and Twitter requesting for how WMRA can be improved. Respond to feedback.
T39: Post at least one tweet per day from the drive time hosts Bob Leweke and Matt Bingay, and one tweet on the top local story of the day.
S8: Leverage website to create more intimate experience for members
T40: Allow members to create personal log in. Once member is inside the website, create personalize greeting to make them feel welcomed.
T41: Create space for members only log in, allowing them access to behind the scenes stories on their favorite on-air personalities.
T42: Create page dedicated to feedback specifically from members. Respond to this feedback with a personalized response thanking them for their concerns for WMRA.
S9: Leverage promotions to encourage members to engage with WMRA T43: Send donors WMRA membership card after donation with membership identification number to allow entry into member only contests both on-line and at events.
T44: Purchase promotional items to have as prizes to hand out at events (ex: pens, magnets, t-shirts, etc).
T45: Members only “Wheel of Fortune” spinning wheel for WMRA prizes at attended events.
Measurement and Evaluation:
To ensure that the tactics we have described are productive in furthering the goals established, we will be constantly measuring and evaluating them throughout the duration of the plan. This will allow us to make corrections while implementing the plan to ensure that every dollar spent is being used in the most productive way. We recognize that WMRA has a limited budget. To compensate for this, we have broken down the budget into three sections; the small, medium, and large budget. The budgets are as follows:
Small Budget: $3,500 ($292 per month)
The small budget contains the pieces of the plan least costly to implement while having the largest impact on the success of your marketing campaign. The graph is explained below.
Website Construction: $1,000
We have budgeted $1,000 for website construction because professional work on a website can be a costly expenditure; however, $1,000 will not buy the most expensive upgrades on the market. It is possible to maximize the efficiency of this budget of this by advertising for students who know how to program the website with the features you are looking for. Students with these skills typically bill $10 an hour.
Promotional Items: $2,000
This is the budget directed towards purchasing items such as t-shirts, pens, magnets, or other promotional items for you to give away when you are attending events indicated in the previous section.
Social Media and Events: $500
Due to the nature of social media, running the various accounts will cost practically no money; however, it will cost you time. Likewise, organizing speaking events and other public
appearances will also cost your company time. We have estimated this to be worth roughly $500 annually.
Medium Budget: $8,500 ($709 per month)
The medium budget includes all the elements previously discussed in the small budget, along with additional tools to implement. The additional items in the graph are explained below.
Website Construction: $2,000
We have included an additional $1,000 in the medium budget into the website construction in order to allow more flexibility with who you hire to do the work. A student may be cheaper, but with a professional you can be certain you will get quality work that works the way you intend it to.
Broadcasting: $4,000
The $4,000 is distributed between the creation of the advertisement as described in the previous section, as well as buying the advertisement space in cinemas. This is the only additional cost featured in the medium sized budget.
Large Budget: $25,000 ($2,084 per month)
The large budget features all elements of the budgets previously discussed, plus an additional tool that can be implemented. The additional feature is described below the graph.
Outdoor Advertising: $16,500
Outdoor advertising is by far the most expensive marketing communication tool we
recommend you invest in. This large cost involves the creation of the various advertisements, as well as paying for the space to run the advertisement. Reminder that this includes all billboards, poster boards, mallboards, and bus wraps that you implement. This element of the plan has the largest reach; therefore, also has the largest cost associated with it.
Measurement
G1: Reposition the brand to image of local, professional, educational and available. S1: Develop positioning that can be implemented throughout all marketing communications activities.
Qualitative:
● Utilize focus groups to determine listeners’ attitude toward new taglines ● Review feedback, both in person and online, about whether listeners feel the
new position is consistent throughout all media platforms Quantitative:
● Develop and implement a poll for listeners to vote on which tagline they prefer
G2: Increase number of new listeners by increasing awareness in broadcast area S2: Leverage on-air talent as spokespeople for the organization.
Qualitative:
● Survey students to determine their thoughts and opinions on the presentation and speaker (example survey included at conclusion of section)
● Survey facilitator/teachers to determine their thoughts and opinions on the presentation and speaker
Quantitative:
S3: Leverage outdoor advertising to reach audience who are not currently listening. Qualitative:
● Use recall testing to determine the effectiveness of brand recall Quantitative:
● Determine the reach of each outdoor advertising ● Determine the frequency of each outdoor advertising
● Determine the opportunities-to-see for each outdoor advertisement ● Tracking the increase of listeners during the time period that the various
advertisements are used
S4: Leverage broadcast ads via multiple outlets Qualitative:
● Use theater testing to measure persuasion and evaluate responses to brand messages
Quantitative:
● Use Nielsen ratings to determine the effectiveness of the Public Service Announcement that is being aired via TV
S5: Leverage website communications to feature on-air talent on homepage and subsequent feature pages.
Qualitative:
● Digital survey to determine listeners’ attitudes toward the website changes ● Utilize focus groups to determine attitudes toward the concepts that will be
implemented in website changes Quantitative:
● Media evaluation to determine the number of hits, page views, and click through rates
S6: Leverage event marketing to emphasize the key messages Qualitative:
● Survey individuals about their attitudes toward the designs of promotional materials (example survey included at conclusion of section)
Quantitative:
● Track foot traffic at event booths
G3: Maintain listener base
S7: Engage listeners through social media Qualitative:
● Read and analyze comments and mentions on all social media platforms to gain knowledge about audience’s opinion
● Utilize focus groups to determine which social media platforms are being used the most by listeners
● Utilize focus groups to determine the types of messages that listeners’ are interested in receiving via social media
Quantitative:
● Keep a log of how many people are engaging with WMRA on social media on a daily basis
● Keep a log of which types of posts (informational, local news stories, thought provoking questions, etc.) are receiving the most interaction via the multiple platforms
● Keep a log of how many likes and comments each Facebook post receives ● Keep a log of how many retweets and favorites each tweet receives
S6: Leverage event marketing to emphasize the key messages Qualitative:
● Survey individuals about their attitudes toward the designs of promotional materials
Quantitative:
G4: Maintain member base
S7: Engage listeners through social media Qualitative:
● Read and analyze comments and mentions on all social media platforms to gain knowledge about audience’s opinion
● Utilize focus groups to determine which social media platforms are being used the most by listeners
● Utilize focus groups to determine the types of messages that listeners’ are interested in receiving via social media
Quantitative:
● Keep a log of how many people are engaging with WMRA on social media on a daily basis
● Keep a log of which types of posts (informational, local news stories, thought provoking questions, etc.) are receiving the most interaction via the multiple platforms
● Keep a log of how many likes and comments each Facebook post receives ● Keep a log of how many retweets and favorites each tweet receives
S8: Leverage website to create more intimate experience for members Qualitative:
● Utilize focus groups to determine members’ attitudes toward the individualized content
Quantitative:
● Track the increase of individuals that become members
● Track the number of members that are giving feedback through the member specific panel
S9: Leverage promotions to encourage members to engage with WMRA Qualitative:
● Survey individuals about their attitudes toward the designs of promotional materials (example survey included at conclusion of section)
Quantitative:
● Track the foot traffic at event booths
● Track the increase in listeners’ that become members
Example Surveys:
Timing of Implementation of the Tactics
Below is the schedule we recommend for implementing each tactic from the previous section. Certain tactics (such as social media use) will be a year round endeavor, whereas others may only be needed during seasonal times of the year (such as emphasizing local politics during election periods). As the plan covers the span of one year from June 2015 to June 2016, the charts have been broken up by month. The full schedules can be found below:
