How to Promote and Market Your Student Newspaper or Creating a Public Relations and Marketing Strategy Presented by Dr. Kay L. Colley Assistant Professor and Student Media Director Texas Wesleyan University

What do you currently do to market your student publications? Advertise within your publications Cross-promote with other student publications Host events or contests Foster word-of-mouth marketing Subscribe to social media Collaborate with other campus organizations Attend recruiting events Attend job fairs on campus

Advertise within your publications

Cross-promote with other student publications

Host events or contests

Foster word-of-mouth marketing

Subscribe to social media

Collaborate with other campus organizations

Attend recruiting events

Attend job fairs on campus

How do you determine which of these or other choices will work for you? The Big Question:

How to create “The plan” Use the public relations campaign strategy of ROPE Create an integrated marketing communication campaign Combine the tools from public relations and marketing Ultimate goal: To increase awareness or visibility of your student media in the campus community

Use the public relations campaign strategy of ROPE

Create an integrated marketing communication campaign

Combine the tools from public relations and marketing

Ultimate goal: To increase awareness or visibility of your student media in the campus community

What is ROPE? R esearch O bjectives P rogramming Evaluation

SWOT Analysis Research tools Primary Secondary Qualitative Quantitative How do I choose? Research

SWOT Analysis

Research tools

Primary

Secondary

Qualitative

Quantitative

How do I choose?

Research—what we have Rambler focus group findings from Spring 2009 (qualitative, primary/secondary) nGenera focus group findings from Fall 2009 (qualitative, secondary) Institutional research report on student demographics (qualitative/quantitative, secondary)

Research—what we have

Rambler focus group findings from Spring 2009 (qualitative, primary/secondary)

nGenera focus group findings from Fall 2009 (qualitative, secondary)

Institutional research report on student demographics (qualitative/quantitative, secondary)

Research—what we want Rambler e-mail survey of students (quantitative, primary) Content analysis of Fall 2009 newspapers (qualitative, primary) Content analysis of website (qualitative, primary) Focus groups—student, faculty, staff—website (qualitative, primary)

Research—what we want

Rambler e-mail survey of students (quantitative, primary)

Content analysis of Fall 2009 newspapers (qualitative, primary)

Content analysis of website (qualitative, primary)

Focus groups—student, faculty, staff—website (qualitative, primary)

Why do research? Gives us a benchmark Tells us what people think, in their own words Tells us why people think what they think Gives us ideas of how we can improve Lets us know which programming tactics should work

Gives us a benchmark

Tells us what people think, in their own words

Tells us why people think what they think

Gives us ideas of how we can improve

Lets us know which programming tactics should work

Analyzing the Research Where do you start? Remember, every research project is undertaken to get specific information. If you haven’t made that clear from the beginning, you’ll have a hard time making sense of the research.

Where do you start?

Remember, every research project is undertaken to get specific information. If you haven’t made that clear from the beginning, you’ll have a hard time making sense of the research.

Objectives Specific and quantifiable for measurement/evaluation Support your overall goal Can be impact and output objectives Should be no more than 8 objectives

Specific and quantifiable for measurement/evaluation

Support your overall goal

Can be impact and output objectives

Should be no more than 8 objectives

Objectives--Impact To improve newspaper perception as a credible source by 20% by May 2010 To increase page views on therambler.org by 5% per month To increase readership by 20% in 2009-2010 To increase number of fans to 1000 by Jan. 31, 2010

Objectives--Impact

To improve newspaper perception as a credible source by 20% by May 2010

To increase page views on therambler.org by 5% per month

To increase readership by 20% in 2009-2010

To increase number of fans to 1000 by Jan. 31, 2010

Objectives--Output To provide source feedback survey to each source after the story appears To sign-up 10 people per week for e-mailed updates To deliver papers to individual classes each issue as requested To invite 10 new people to become fans per week

Objectives--Output

To provide source feedback survey to each source after the story appears

To sign-up 10 people per week for e-mailed updates

To deliver papers to individual classes each issue as requested

To invite 10 new people to become fans per week

Programming Start with a list of everything you could do Narrow and focus based on your objectives and budget Make sure your programming supports your objectives

Start with a list of everything you could do

Narrow and focus based on your objectives and budget

Make sure your programming supports your objectives

Programming--Done Joined student media associations Redesigned paper (summer) Revised job descriptions, pay and hiring processes Began training prior to classes and continued throughout semester, bringing in outside experts to supplement knowledge

Programming--Done

Joined student media associations

Redesigned paper (summer)

Revised job descriptions, pay and hiring processes

Began training prior to classes and continued throughout semester, bringing in outside experts to supplement knowledge

Programming--Done Returned to beat system of coverage and announced beat reporter via email to departments Redesigned rate card and invoices and had professionally printed Launched new website Launched social media sites Launched video log, using students throughout campus as hosts

Returned to beat system of coverage and announced beat reporter via email to departments

Redesigned rate card and invoices and had professionally printed

Launched new website

Launched social media sites

Launched video log, using students throughout campus as hosts

Programming--Done Met with President’s Office to have newspapers sent to Board of Trustees Met with offices across campus to collaborate on coverage Met with faculty members in developmental English to provide newspapers directly to class Advertised website every issue

Programming--Done

Met with President’s Office to have newspapers sent to Board of Trustees

Met with offices across campus to collaborate on coverage

Met with faculty members in developmental English to provide newspapers directly to class

Advertised website every issue

Programming—In Process Signage—for new location and racks Racks—purchase of new racks that are branded Source survey—sent to every person who is a source to help understand veracity and credibility Contests—focused on Facebook to increase student involvement Cross promotions—Music department, theatre department, athletics

Programming—In Process

Signage—for new location and racks

Racks—purchase of new racks that are branded

Source survey—sent to every person who is a source to help understand veracity and credibility

Contests—focused on Facebook to increase student involvement

Cross promotions—Music department, theatre department, athletics

Evaluation The other side of the research coin Focused on results of objectives Should be undertaken throughout the campaign Can take many forms, depending on your programming and objectives

The other side of the research coin

Focused on results of objectives

Should be undertaken throughout the campaign

Can take many forms, depending on your programming and objectives

Evaluation Objective To improve newspaper perception as a credible source by 20% by May 2010 Evaluation Campus-wide, benchmark survey administered at end of Fall; mid-Spring; May 2010 Conduct focus group in early Spring to determine actions

Evaluation

Objective

To improve newspaper perception as a credible source by 20% by May 2010

Evaluation

Campus-wide, benchmark survey administered at end of Fall; mid-Spring; May 2010

Conduct focus group in early Spring to determine actions

Evaluation Objective To increase page views on therambler.org by 5% per month Evaluation Review page view counts on a weekly basis

Evaluation

Objective

To increase page views on therambler.org by 5% per month

Evaluation

Review page view counts on a weekly basis

Evaluation Source survey—how would you evaluate this? What about those focus groups and surveys that you did in the research phase? What about the content analysis of the newspaper? How would you evaluate that, or would you?

Source survey—how would you evaluate this?

What about those focus groups and surveys that you did in the research phase?

What about the content analysis of the newspaper? How would you evaluate that, or would you?

What can you take home with you? Marketing and public relations campaigns allow you to gain more credibility on campus, more funding from advertisers, and more good students as recruits Taking the time to plan and put on paper a marketing and public relations strategy will give you the strategic direction you need to succeed

Marketing and public relations campaigns allow you to gain more credibility on campus, more funding from advertisers, and more good students as recruits

Taking the time to plan and put on paper a marketing and public relations strategy will give you the strategic direction you need to succeed

Feel free to contact me at: Dr. Kay L. Colley [email_address] 817-531-6525 Twitter: @kaycolley Blog: http://kaycolley.blogspot.com Website: www.kaycolley.com Student Media Director for