This document summarizes a presentation about implementing a long-term social marketing campaign to encourage rural landowners to protect their woodlands through conservation easements and estate planning. The campaign used research including surveys and focus groups to understand barriers and motivations. Key strategies included direct mail, information sessions with experts, and developing peer relationships. The multi-year campaign resulted in over 10,000 acres being represented through landowner meetings. Evaluation found landowners were highly satisfied and likely to recommend the program and take further action to plan for their land's future. Trust, multiple touchpoints, and social support were emphasized as important for engaging rural audiences on conservation.

1. Working with rural landowners
to protect their woodlands:
How to implement a long-term, multi-step social
marketing campaign
Kelley Dennings, American Forest Foundation
24th Annual Social Marketing Conference
June 17, 2016
K Rossbow
1

2. Disclosure
• I, or an immediate family member,
including spouse or partner, have no
financial relationships relevant to the
content of this CME activity.
2

3. Learner Objectives
• Using research to make marketing
decisions
• Working with a rural audience
• Use of the marketing mix
3

4. American Forest Foundation
4

5. • Who owns most U.S. forests?
• Where are most U.S. forests
located?
Overview
5

6. Goal
Courtesy of Joshua’s Trust, Skagit Land Trust, Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation
6

7. Parcelized & Fragmented
Courtesy of Center for Land Education and Research, University of CT
7

8. Target Population
Norcross Wildlife
Sanctuary
Yale Forest & Natchaug
State Forest
Goodwin Forest
Focusing
on 10 towns within
38-town MassConn
region
Courtesy of MassConn Sustainable Forest Partnership
8

9. Actions Pathway
1.Aware
2.Under-
stand
3.Prep
4.Act/
Adopt
5.Own/
Maintain
• Step 1: Get more information about easements
and estate planning; Meet land trust & estate
planner
• Step 2: Join a current use tax program
• Step 3: Write an estate plan; Talk with family
• Step 4: Conserve land
9

10. Research
10

11. Understanding the rural audience
• Prior Research (2009 AFF Focus Groups,
National Woodland Owner Survey)
• Conservation Awareness Index (2013)
• Conservation and Management Focus Group
(January 2014)
• Barriers & Benefits survey (March 2014)
• Message Testing (February 2015)
• Legacy Planning Focus Group (October 2015)
11

12. Survey – Baseline Actions
Action %
Currently have an easement
Are in a “current use” tax program
Regularly walk their woods to assess health
12
50%
63%
14%
Topactivity– Maintaininghabitatforwildlife

13. Barriers and Benefits
Barrier
Limits
future use
for heirs
Limits
future use
for me
Difficult to
set up
Allow
public
access
Benefit
Limits
develop-
ment
Conserves
natural
resources
Controls
future use
Importance
13

14. Message Testing
Top performing headlines:
• Ensure that future generations …
• How-To ….
• Favorite pictures to right
• Most disliked picture: ATV
• “…private woodlands have incredible
value in supporting the wildlife you
love…”
14

15. Legacy Planning Focus Group
15
Our family is not
aligned about
the land. They
are not involved
and we don’t
have the hard
conversations.

16. Legacy Planning Focus Group
16
Our land is
special and
unique and
we want to
care for it.

17. Legacy Planning Focus Group
17
I have
uncertainty
and anxiety
from lack of
information. I
am afraid of
making a
mistake.

18. Legacy Planning Focus Group
I’m struggling
to accept that I
am getting
older.
18

19. Marketing Mix
19

20. Positioning Statement
Want woodland owners to know the benefits of
conservation.
Want them to believe these strategies keep land
intact for future generations and wildlife to enjoy.
Want woodland owners to get a conservation
easement or donate their land to continue to
enjoy it forever as woods.
20

21. Product
21
• Core =
Charm &
Peace of
Mind
• Actual=
easement
• Augmented=
Information
or expert
visit
Courtesy of Opacum Land Trust

22. Price
• Time
– To meet with an expert
• Money
– To write an estate plan
– For legal & transaction costs
– Lost from potential future uses
• Other
– Limiting future use
22

23. Place
23
Courtesy of Opacum Land Trust

24. Promotion
• Strategies – Printed material, Direct mail,
Personal visits, Website, Tips email,
Landowner forums and walks,
Advertising, Word of mouth, Promo
items like bookmarks and window clings
• Messages – Easy, Flexible, Keep as woods
• Messengers – Land trusts, Estate
planners, Peer landowners
24

25. Samples
25

26. 26

27. Samples
27

28. Samples
28

29. Results
29

30. Who are our landowners?
- 55% have “some college” & 25%
have a Bachelor’s+
- 66% have <39 acres
30
- 67% read
- 6% mail order user
- 45% in home for 20+ years

31. Target Audience Responds
2400 in original landowner list
244 responded to offer
of info or visit
81 took
additional step
18 met with
land trust
31

32. 32
Where are they?
Green = Fall 2014 - info
Orange = Spring 2015 - info
Purple = Fall 2015 - info
Red = All campaigns – experts
10K acres represented

33. How satisfied are they with us?
• Site visit evaluations
– Extremely likely to recommend visit to a
neighbor
– Expert understood their needs
– They are now more prepared to talk to others
about their wishes
– 20% already did recommendations, 80% will
do at least one recommendation in next 12
months
33

34. Future of Project
• Using Norms/ Peer
Modeling:
– Peer woodland
ambassadors
– Demo Sites
– Neighbor op-eds
– Community events
34

35. Take home tips for rural audiences
• Trust is key
• Use multiple channels and touches
• Build a supportive social system
• Direct mail is not dead
• Tie into pride of place
35

36. • For more information contact:
– Kelley Dennings
– American Forest Foundation
– kdennings@forestfoundation.org
Courtesy of Allowyourlife.coml
36