Digital Marketing Plan for American Birding Association

HAYLEY BERK
LANDON ELLINGTON
ANDREW LIPSETT
KATHERINE WOOD
DANIEL FORSTER
ABA: Digital Marketing Plan
(Part A)
1

Table of Contents
● Executive Summary……………………………… pg. 3
● Market Research………………………………….. pg. 4-6
● Marketing Strategy………………………………. pg. 7-12
● Web Usability……………………………………….pg. 13-18
● SEO Optimization & Localization…………...pg. 19-24
● Appendix Materials……………………………….pg. 25+
2

Executive Summary
Key Issues
● Awareness of free resources
● Grow/retain/extend membership
● Increase value for sponsors/ads
● Main traffic driver (listings)
outdated
● Seasonality of industry
○ opportunity to feature
knowledge/provide value not
fully realized
● Competition with
listings/guides/identification
info/applications
● Inadequate on-page and off-page
SEO.
Main Recommendations
● Enhance web page to reflect
specialties
(guides/identification/mobile
friendly)
● experiment with ad groups while
increasing social media reach
● Deploy an strategic on-page and off-
page SEO campaign in order to
enhance the website’s ability to bring
in new search users.
● Address threat of apps and other
substitutes for products offered
● increase localization+seasonal
relevance of information/offers
provided
3

Market Research
● Birding, also known as bird watching, is the act of taking a trip one mile or
more from home for the primary purpose of observing birds and/or closely
observed or tried to identify birds around the home.
○ It’s important to note that those who just happen to notice a bird while doing daily
activities or those who observe birds in captivity, such as at a zoo, do not count as
birders.
● As of 2011 (the last time the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service analyzed the
birding industry), there were 47 million birders in the United States.1
○ 88%, or roughly 41 million birders, are “backyard birders” or those who bird watch
in close proximity to their home.
○ 38%, or 18 million birders, make up the more avid group of birders who also
travel for the purpose of bird watching.
● Thanks to the popularity and large number of birders in the U.S., the birding
industry is also a very profitable industry.
○ In 2011, birders spent a combined $41 billion, with $15 billion being spent on trips
to bird watch, while $26 billion was spent on bird watching equipment.
41https://www.fws.gov/southeast/economicImpact/pdf/2011-BirdingReport--FINAL.pdf

Market Research Cont.
● Birding is enjoyed by individuals of all ages, but the most active are those
individuals 45 years old or older.
• The average age of the birding population is 53 years old, while those birders who are
55+ make up 30% on the entire industry and those between the ages of 45-54 account
for 23% of the market.
• On the opposite end of the age spectrum, those birders who age is 25-34 account for
11% of the market and birders between the ages of 16-25 accounts for 6% of the
market.
○ Both men and women participate in birding, with women accounting
for 56% of the birding population and men accounting for the
remaining 44%.
○ Lastly, Birders tend to have higher levels of education and earn a
higher annual income.
• 20% of birders have completed some college, while 28% have graduated from college.
• 49% of birders earn over $50,000 per year
52https://www.fws.gov/southeast/economicImpact/pdf/2011-BirdingReport--FINAL.pdf (all info on slide)

Market Research Cont.
6
Competitor Info
● —Elist and other listing sources gaining popularity
○ Elist provides photos, sounds, maps, charts, and submission map, which has driven more
traffic to this and other sites over time (does use info from ABA list)
○ endangering already falling membership3
● —Apps for bird finding/identification guides (in last couple of years, some
exclusively on mobile)
○ Free (w/adds) or minimal fee
○ Audubon, Sibley eGuide , iBird
○ Other apps use more data (photos/sounds) to identify birds (Merlin Bird ID, Birdsnap,
BirdSongID)
○ Community science programs involve community with company to collect observable data on
birds, some species behavior specific
● —Other birding lifestyle sites
○ Audobon: competing magazine (younger enthusiastic birders)
3 "American Birding Association...A Failing Hive?" RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.
(http://www.birdchick.com/blog/2010/07/american-birding-association-a-failing-hive)

Overall Marketing Strategy
Current Strategy Points Review
● —Appeal to website users to become members or donate
○ Online versions of magazine
○ Events, trips, and camps to drive interest in membership
○ Social media presence to drive traffic to website
○ Books/guides as print advertising and brand enhancement
○ Optics and ecotourism: main ad categories
● —Differentiate using unique knowledge base of org.
○ Birding News (geographically based mailing lists)
○ Identification guides (currently limited)
○ Lists (promotes user competition/gamification, website traffic,
and provides data on sightings) 7

Overall Marketing Strategy Cont. (SWOT)
Strengths
● —Birding news website (mailing list)
● —Bird clubs (regional affiliations)
● —Some SMS geofencing
● —Email to existing customers (highest order
size, and above average CTR 8% compared to
3.58% average 5)
○ active membership
8
4 "SMS Click-through Rate: 36 Percent Average for Marketers." SMS Gateway Center Blog. N.p., 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
5 Best, By Jessica. "Email Marketing Metrics Benchmarks 2016 - Emarketingplatform.com." Emarketingplatformcom. N.p.,
2016. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
*Image: "How Can SMS Marketing Help to Grow a Business?" - Quora. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.
Weaknesses
● —No bird identification guides/help online
● —No auto-location specific pages/mobile pages
● —No branded app or mobile specific site for
applications (bird lists, guides, identification,
events, etc.)
● —PPC less than 0.3% conversion rate
● —SEO CTR of 8% and conversion of 2% (low organic
search results)
● —SMS geofencing CTR 12% (lower than average of
36%4), but nearly half (5%) convert to sale
● —Low social media CTR 1% with only a 0.1%
Conversion rate.
● —Expensive social media campaigns with low CTR

Overall Marketing Strategy Cont. (SWOT)
Opportunities
● —More location based services
● —App or page designed for mobile (cheaper)
● Guides, listings, species identification (most
associated with desired brand of knowledge
authority)
● —Increase usability of site to increase conversion
rates (especially a search bar).
● —Increase social media presence for promotion
of events and for reaching younger
demographics/current customers
● —Increase display advertisements
9
Threats
● —Apps for identification, listing, and information on birds (allows
use of phone GPS for location specific features)
○ Stealing market share and diminishing the perception that
ABA is main source of knowledge. Technology still
developing (using location, etc)
○ likely to take a noticeable chunk of hardcopy guide sales
(especially as younger people age into customers, or
become customers themselves)
● —Listing sites with more traffic due to more usability, and pages
with a clear purpose
● Customer/Member base has aged with company (new/younger
members needed for sustained future operations and growth)
● —Others have more social media following, which could be
focusing younger demographics.
○ Twitter: Audubon: 107k followers; ABA: 9.8k followers
○ Facebook page likes: Audubon (national site):960k
likes(more spread across regions/states); ABA: only 17k
○ Youtube subscribers/views: Audubon: 1,761/312k; AMA:
237/50k 6
6 From pertinent social media sites
*Image from https://birderapp.io/

Overall Marketing Strategy Cont.
10
Market Penetration
● —Create more membership value (access to tools, extra
info/events)
● —Currently giving prizes to members who get most new members
to join
● —Differentiate ads to those in rural vs metro cities
● Provide more location specific SMS/location based offers, etc.
Market Development
● —Discounts for younger demographics (reduce cost to sign up)
● —Increase connection with regional clubs with ABA branding
● —Promote travel packages to top 4 states visited by non-residents
(Hawaii, Alaska, Wyoming, Maine)
● —Aging membership: social media campaign improvement (SMS
also more popular than email with younger users)
○ Group birding in as an interesting way to learn about
nature, while being active; also increasing the scale and
reach of youth camps
● Make information more accessible for the unfamiliar
● Increase ecotourism ad reach towards younger, lower income
demographics
● —Focus on optics and hobbyist ad groups for the older
demographics with more disposable income
● —(SEO) Strengthen keywords by tracking specific adgroups to
hone in on most effective keywords (combined with improved
● More focus on keyword groups per regional
specific sighting/species/info
Product Development
● Update website (reduce ad. pollution, provide
search bar)
● Provide robust identification tools/guides available
online
● Develop similar data charts to eBird for exploring
data (http://ebird.org/ebird/explore)
● Guide/identification apps.
○ Provides additional space to upsell (current
customers most likely to convert per email
conversions)
○ Improves current selling point of
accumulated knowledge
● Increased location based sighting alerts/ offers
● Determine ads based on seasonality and regional
specifics as they relate to bird species/events to
underline knowledge base
Diversification
● Apps towards younger demographics
● Birdwatching as part of awareness for conservation

News/Magazines/Blogs [BU1]
● Build Selectively on More Attractive Items
● invest in those with most attractive ad. income
potential, and potential reach
● look to built up those that synergize with building
brand, driving traffic to site, and transactions
Listings/Guides/Identification Tools [BU2]
● Invest to Build/Solidify Position
● challenge the leadership of those introducing
applications for identification/guides/information
● strengthen listing services to maintain top position
Events/Trips/Camps [BU3]
● Manage Business for Revenue
● maintain existing programs/monitor for issues
● find particularly profitable segments/location/events
that have minimal risk to guide further investments
11
Merchandise/Membership [BU4]
● Manage for Profits
● maintain interest in product lines with innovative new
product offerings and membership benefits
● merchandise not main focus and investment in this
business should reflect this
○ Membership is important as it provides more
opportunities to touch customers, while
providing more information on what they are
interested in
*See Appendix for GE Matrix data

12
Strategy Proposal
● given insights from SWOT, research, various strategies, and what the GE Matrix suggests
● Largest threats against the desired brand perception as authority on birding knowledge in the form of applications
(guides/identification) and other listings rising in popularity, that can be perceived as more approachable.
○ weigh pros/cons of providing mobile friendly services vs standalone app to compete (app more costly but offline
and location based features serve the market better and provide more data and opportunities for data collection,
brand reinforcement and ad. revenue)
○ more market penetration and product development type strategies
○ An increase in mobile marketing is also needed
● Development of younger demographic customers through market development
○ increase adgroup options to include others than optics and ecotourism. More outdoor/active lifestyle in a way that
allows those in adjacent customer groups to discover birding. (applications or easy to use features to begin
learning/birding would enhance desired brand perception while increasing likelihood of membership)
○ Increase social media presence for 18-29yr olds (FB:87% of these adults, Twitter: 37%, Instagram: 53%7)
○ younger demographic cares more about cameras/apps/tech, whereas older generations care more about
binoculars/simplicity 8
● Take advantage of synergies of different segments where there are opportunities to interact and drive the customer to an
eventual conversion, while increasing positive brand awareness that ABA is an informational authority.
7 Duggan, Maeve, Nicole B. Ellison, Cliff Lampe, Amanda Lenhart, and Mary Madden. "Demographics of Key Social
Networking Platforms." Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
8http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/10/its-gadgets-vs-eyeballs-as-two-species-of-bird-watchers-clash/

Web Usability: Intro
The aba.org website and mobile site were evaluated by 8
people from differing demographics. While some are
marketing professionals, including graphic design, some
aren’t in the marketing field at all. The general consensus
from the group is that the main homepage is too cluttered to
navigate easily. As can be seen in the compiled feedback, the
overall basic functionality of the site is acceptable, while the
site scored much lower on the brand aspects and navigation.
13

Web Usability: Desktop Site Results
14

Sample of Comments
15
Does it have left hand and/or
horizontal navigation bars?
“No, all navigation is at the top of
the page. There is a blog on the left
hand side, which I don't feel adds
value to the site.”
Can you get to what you want
in 3 or less clicks?
“Mostly - but it is hard to find
what you want due to the
clutter.”
Text, font, background contrast-
readability
“Too much text on home page and
it's too small which causes it to get
lost in the background.”
Is the contact us information easy
to find and complete (with
hours/days of operation)?
“Extremely hard to find due to the
small text and location.”

Sample of Comments
16
“I give an overall rating of 8/10.
The website was very easy to navigate, but the front
page feels very cluttered. I really don't care for the
double column in the center of the page - I would
personally prefer things to be listed vertically in one
column with larger font. The website has a very nice
color scheme and good balance of text to images. I like
the "Quick Links" at the top of the main page, but do not
like that the format changes on other webpages - I
initially thought I was at a different site. Continuity in the
Quick Links header between pages would be better.
The mobile website is good. I was a little surprised the
mobile version is a full site rather than a simplified page.
A simplified page with the option for a full site could be
an improvement (I'm not a fan of pinching and clicking, I
prefer to scroll and click).”
“I give an overall rating of 7/10.
Cluttered front page. Ads are
distracting, yet relevant. No search
bar makes it harder to find what you
need as you have to figure out the
site hierarchy and where what you
are needing lives on the site. This
could be remedied with at least a
site map.”

Web Usability: Mobile Results
17
site is way too busy,
needs a focal point.
Would be great to have a
mobile version
Overall, the mobile site is very
good but due to the small text I
misclicked several times.
Reduction in clutter so text size can
increase, or perhaps a mobile version
of the site that makes the menu
interface much easier on small
screens.
Way too cluttered, especially since
there's no mobile specific site. had
to squint/search to find anything.

Web Usability: results/critique cont.
Recommendations:
● Reduction in the amount of columns as well as information in each column.
For example, reducing the amount of copy on the “Young Birders” section
and keeping the in depth information for those who click through the link.
● Add a search bar function to the top right of the site to enable searches from
homepage
● A dedicated mobile site to increase mobile traffic and a younger demographic
reach
● Addition of a site map for users to follow as they navigate the site
● Where possible, reduce the amount of ad-space that is made available.
● If needed, relocate some of the ads to other high traffic pages such as events
● Addition of an FAQ section accessible from the home page
18

SEO+Localization: current state
● American Birding Association (www.aba.org) is a relatively
large domain, and has over 600 pages indexed in google’s
database. 1
○ Most of the main landing pages display custom titles on the SERP. Almost
all of the pages at the second level and beyond display generic titles.
○ Almost all pages display generic meta descriptions (first 150 characters of
content)
○ There are no rich snippets available on SERPs.
○ Knowledge graph contains information about ABA which is being pulled
from wikipedia. This knowledge graph links to aba.org and a Facebook
and Twitter Page.
● Ahrefs.com estimates that this domain sees around 21,000
organic search traffic users per month.
○ The website organically ranks in 42,000 keywords, and ranks in PPC for
about 27 keywords.
● American Birding Association (www.aba.org) harnesses over
281,000 backlinks which are stemming from just over
3,360 referring domains.
○ Ahrefs ranks (www.aba.org) at 70,264 among the 200 million registered
domains in their database. The site’s Domain Rating is 59/100, while the
homepage’s URL Rating is 22/100
1 - (Google Search) site:www.aba.org
19

SEO+Localization: Detailed Analysis
On-Page SEO
● This site uses keywords effectively inside of their content and contains a
rich assortment of relevant keywords.
○ (aba.org) is ranking #1 in 258 long-tail keywords (bird watching lists, rare bird news, pink
footed goose sightings), etc.
○ (aba.org) also ranks well in many relevant short-tail keywords (aba, tweeter, bird pictures,
florida birds) etc.
● (aba.org) uses alt descriptions for some of their images, but many images
on the page are missing alt descriptions.
○ (aba.org) also frequently uses images with alt descriptions as h2 headings. While it hasn’t
been proven that this technique is punished by search engines, it has not proven to improve
SEO as compared to keyword rich h2’s.
● The homepage appears to be static HTML, but some other pages appear to
be wordpress based.
○ The events tab links to (events.aba.org) which is WP based. Using several platforms can
sometimes confuse crawling robots, and is generally not good for SEO.
● The site is frequently updated with blogs based around relevant industry
news. Updating a site frequently with relevant content is good for SEO.
20

SEO+Localization: Detailed Analysis Cont.
Off-Page SEO
● American Birding Association has citations with
backlinks listed on 32 different sites. Only 5 of these
sites are listed as a Top 50 citation site/aggregator.
○ ABA has citations on Facebook, Google Local, BBB,
Youtube, and Foursquare.
○ ABA’s Google My Business Listings are not verified or
branded, but contain street view pictures of locations.
● ABA has 281,000 backlinks from only 3,360
domains. This means that there is an average of over
83 URLs linking to aba.org from each domain.
○ Many of ABA’s backlinks are coming from unreputable
websites. For example, the website mentioned below is a
spam site which is currently listing 4,289 links to aba.org.
Search engines punish websites on either side of this
interaction with penalties.
21

SEO+Localization: Problem Areas
On-Page SEO
● There is no Sitemap on this website.
○ This is an incredibly important feature necessary on any site looking to achieve quality SEO.
Sitemaps allow search engine robots to easily crawl and index pages on your site.
● Most pages are missing custom titles and meta descriptions.
○ Generic meta descriptions and page titles are often viewed as unattractive and can greatly
reduce CTR.
● All images on the site should be enhanced with alt descriptions containing
targeted keywords.
○ Images are not helpful for SEO unless they have targeted descriptions attached.
Off-Page SEO
● This organization is seriously lacking in localization through citations on
reputable sites displaying an accurate NAP.
○ Citations stemming from top-50 authority sites are important and create “trust” between your
website and the search engines.
● This website has a high number of low quality (spammy) links coming from
non-reputable sites.
○ Google views this practice as black-hat SEO and often punishes both parties for participating.
22

SEO+Localization: Recommendations
On-Page SEO
1. A sitemap needs to be added to the homepage. Sitemaps can be generated by
a number of online tools for little to no cost.
1. All of the images on the site should be supplemented with alt descriptions
in order to provide a higher keyword density.
1. Custom page titles and meta descriptions should be added to all pages in
order provide a relevant option for search users and improve CTR.
1. Combining the site into one cohesive platform would improve search
engine robot readability and would also provide a better overall user
experience.
23

SEO+Localization: Recommendations
Off-Page SEO
1. An analysis of the website’s backlinks should be
conducted and checked for low quality domains. A list of
spammy domains should be compiled and disavowed
through webmaster tools on all major search engines.
1. A campaign of citations should be launched for all 50 of
the top-50 citation sites for both ABA locations. These
campaigns should contain correct Name, Address, and
Phone number (NAP) and will provide better trust
between the search engines and this website.
a. Brightlocal & Moz offer citation services and could carry out these
two campaigns in a matter of a few weeks.
b. Citations increase trust between search engines and also provide
very high quality links.
c. Citations should be verified and optimized with targeted content
descriptions.
24

HAYLEY BERK
LANDON ELLINGTON
ANDREW LIPSETT
KATHERINE WOOD
DANIEL FORSTER
ABA: Digital Marketing Plan
(Part B)
26

Table of Contents Part B
● PPC analysis and Recommendations……….. pg. 3-6
● Social Media Efforts/Recommendations….. pg. 7-13
● Mobile Efforts/Recommendations…………... pg. 14-19
● Testing and Metrics………………….……………. pg. 20-25
● Causal Forecast & ROP ………………………….. pg. 26-30
● Conclusion slide ……………………………………. pg. 31
27

PPC Analysis
Current Organic Rankings
Ahrefs estimates that aba.org has 2668 top-100
organic rankings (US) in many keywords including:
● “bird festivals” - 1
● “north american birds” - 3
● “kirder’s hawk” - 3
● “gray-headed swamphen” - 2
● “north american birds journal” - 1
● “brewsters warbler” - 1
● “kriders” - 3
● “mckay's bunting” - 1
● “empidonax flycatchers” - 3
● “crested auklet” - 4
While aba.org ranks in the top-100 in 2668
keywords organically, their biggest competitor,
audubon.org, ranks in over 143,000 keywords and
ranks in PPC for 993 keywords.
28
PPC Rankings
aba.org does not currently bid for any PPC
keywords and is therefore being outranked by many
competitors who are bidding on important
keywords.
Competing Domains
These competing domains include:
● allaboutbirds.org - Cornell Ornithology
Lab
● audubon.org - Wildlife Conservation
Organization
● whatbird.com - Forum and Informational
Site
● beautyofbirds.com - Forum and
Informational Site
audubon.org is their biggest competition in PPC
and will be analyzed during this project as market
reasearch.

Competitor PPC Analysis
Competitor Analysis
audubon.org has a search PPC text ad on all google
queries that include the words “bird watching” or
“bird.” This allows this site to be shown as the first
position for all of these qualified search users.
However, this ad contains information about
donating to the site and is not actually related to bird
watching information. While aba.org does not rank
very well in these search queries, they could run a
PPC campaign to outbid aubudon.org and provide an
ad which targets customers interested in bird
watching location information, news, or specific
species instead of making a donation.
291 https://www.fws.gov/southeast/economicImpact/pdf/2011-BirdingReport--FINAL.pdf
3 http://www.wordstream.com/average-ctr
Text Ad Opportunities
ABA is differentiated by their reputation as birding
experts. This could be a factor that is highly sought
after by bird watchers since birders tend to have high
levels of education and are primarily over the age of
55. This age group and education level often is
looking for a reputable source for information with
expert writers.1 Including information in their text
ads about their expert writers and exclusive content
and membership options could be a more attractive
alternative to audubon.org’s blanket Adwords text
ads. Keep in mind that average click-through rate for
adwords search ads is around 1.72%3

PPC Analysis: Keyword Recommendations
PPC Search Keyword Recommendations
Instead of focusing on all keywords with “bird” in them,
I felt that keywords that likely have a higher conversion
rate would be better keywords to target. With this in
mind, I chose to target bird watchers who are searching
for information about specific species’ or expert
insights into bird watching techniques and locations.
Median Conversion Rate for these types of sites is
4.61%4 while top-10% of landing pages can perform 3 to
5 times higher if the ads effectively target the correct
traffic and the landing pages funnel users effectively
and provide a good incentive.
PPC Search Keyword List
I’ve compiled a list of 834 keywords2 which have a high
chance of conversion because of their specific nature.
These keywords would need to be monitored for their
conversion rate and impressions. These keywords
include specific locations and/or species of birds which
are more likely to be searched by avid bird watchers
looking to engage with bird watching information.
302 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/166JFfGgYa-N7oeQdrkx_ckiTsK8XxNLLURzzSqKpLr4/edit?usp=sharing
4 http://searchengineland.com/7-conversion-rate-truths-will-change-landing-page-optimization-strategy-191083
Location Based Text Ads
Using ads which are specific to the metroplexes where the user is searching
from could help to improve click-through rate because of their higher level
of relevance.

PPC Analysis: Ad Network
31
Campaign can be split into 3 ad groups
1. Regional Targeting - These ads can be designed and displayed in each targeted region in order to provide
a higher sense of relevance for the search user and deliver them to a state field guide page.
2. Specific Species Information Targeting - These ads can be designed and displayed to provide
relevance for users seeking information on specific species of birds and should link to a species landing
page.
3. Specific Blog/Forum Question - These ads are designed to answer questions or provide an answer to a
question about a bird watching related question. This could link to a blog, forum, or FAQ page.
1.
2.
3.
Projected Metrics
● Adwords estimates a maximum of 19,000 impressions per day.
● 1.72% CTR Based on industry averages.
● 0.79%% Conversion Rate Based on Industry Avg.
Proj Outcomes:
- 396,395 impressions
- 6818 clicks
- 3132 Sales
- Expected cost-per-click
of $0.88 based on ind
avg.

Social Media: Facebook
ABA on Facebook:
17,040 followers
A glimpse into other birding organizations’ following:
● North American Birding: 10,453
● Birds and Blooms Magazine: 855,653
● American Bird Conservancy: 697,845
● National Audubon Society: 995,454
● eBird: 52,656
● Cornell Lab of Ornithology: 683,693
Type of Content:
● Promotion of ABA blog posts
● Linking to free birding resources
● Young Birder posts/spotlights
● Giveaways
● Birding news
● Photo quizzes
● Videos
● Member recruiting contests
Posts occur frequently - almost daily; some multiple
times a day
32
● Facebook still reigns as the most popular social media
platform.
● 76% of users report visiting the site once or more per day
● A growing number of older adults are joining the platform:
○ 62% of online adults ages 65+ use Facebook (up from
48% in 2015)
● Women also use at higher rates than men:
○ 83% female internet users vs. 75% male adopt the
platform
● Facebook is the most accessible social media platform for
ABA’s target demographic
● Facebook tends to be a starting platform for most users
○ 88% of Facebook users indicate it is the only platform
they use
○ More reciprocity with users who use other social media
platforms - many who use
Instagram/Twitter/Pinterest/etc. also use Facebook
● Advantages of Facebook:
○ Easy interaction with customers
○ Wide reach into varying demographics
○ A number of platform marketing tools
○ can cross-post content from other platforms relatively
easily
● Disadvantages of Facebook:
○ Pay-to-play network that can be costly
○ Subject to a complex news feed algorithm
http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/11/11/social-media-update-2016-methodology/

Social Media: Instagram
33
ABA on Instagram:
825 followers
22 posts
Member since 2016
Type of Content:
● Product promotion (Song Bird Coffee, apparel,
field guides)
● Event photos
● Young birder camp photos
● Cultural references (Pokemon Go)
● Member spotlights
● Bird photos
ABA has only been active on Instagram for less than
one year (30 weeks). Posts occur much more
infrequently than Facebook.
● 32% of online adults report using Instagram in 2016
● Use is especially high among young adults
○ Ages 18-29: 59%
○ Ages 30-49: 33%
○ Ages 65+: 8%
● Females (38%) more likely to use than men (26%)
● 95 million photos and videos posted daily
● Advantages of Instagram:
○ Platform complements highly visual content
○ Can drive content via custom hashtags
○ Allows 1 minute videos
○ Quickly growing platform
○ High engagement compared to other platforms
○ Allows for promoted content
○ Allows cross-posting to other platforms
○ Can embed image feed on websites
○ Can curate user-generated content
○ Provides some analytics
● Disadvantages of Instagram:
○ New post-sorting algorithm did away with
chronological sorting in followers’ feeds
○ Visually demanding content creation - must be aware
of image composition, content, etc.; must be able to
capture user attention quickly
○ Free analytics are only available week-over-week and
in-app only

Social Media: Twitter
34
ABA on Twitter:
10,300 followers
1,761 Tweets
Member since 2011
Type of Content:
● Promotion of blog posts
● A lot of cross-posted content with Facebook
● Retweets of photos (birding locations, bird
photos, bird songs, events, news, posts from
fellow birding associations)
● News
Regular posting frequency - almost daily, sometimes
multiple times a day.
● As of April 2016 - 310M active users
● 24% of online adults used; roughly unchanged from 2015
● Younger Americans more likely to use the platform
○ Ages 18-29: 36%
○ Ages 30-49: 23%
○ Ages 50-64: 21%
○ Ages 65+: 10%
● More popular among highly educated - 29% of users
have college degrees
○ Birders tend to be more educated, with 20%
having some college education and 28% holding a
degree
● Advantages of Twitter:
○ Interactive culture of following
○ No complicated posting algorithms like Facebook
and Instagram
○ Easy to track data
○ Automatically shortens links to save characters
○ Can automate post sharing process
● Disadvantages of Twitter:
○ Many users follow a large number of accounts -
can oversaturate feed
○ Involves a higher time investment due to the
interactive nature between business/followers

Social Media: Strategy
Facebook
KPI: increase likes from 17k to 30k in 2017
○ Continuation of frequent posts and maintain their current content strategy
○ Recommend implementing a process for responding to visitor posts. This is a great opportunity to engage
current followers in further interaction. Currently, there are posts or tags by various people and groups every
few days. Responding and interacting will help boost ABA’s visibility.
○ Recommend investing in a series of sponsored posts targeted towards the current demographic
Instagram
KPI: increase followers from 832 to 3,000 in 2017
○ Content strategy- move towards more visually dynamic and engaging content: photos and videos of birds and
nature shots in a more “Instagram” style
○ Increase use of hashtags on posts. Recommend using a couple of a few generic hashtags to draw in the nature
crowd that may not be aware of the ABA otherwise. #birding (466k posts) #birdsofinstagram (1.6mil posts)
#naturephotography (8.1 mil posts) as well as integrating their own designated hashtag on every post
#americanbirdingassociation has been used 188 times, but not by the actual account. Increase usage of this
hashtag to track engagement and boost its usage.
Pinterest
No KPI beyond owning the brand on the platform
○ No account currently. Recommend setting up a quick basic account with about 5 boards to take advantage of
those pinning the ABA website and to establish basic presence and brand identity
○ Paid posts or daily monitoring not necessary for this platform.
35

Social Media: Strategy Cont.
Twitter
KPI: increase followers from 10.4k to 15k in 2017
○ Increase the number of pages the ABA page follows. Currently following only 600 which is a small fraction of
the number of followers they have. Recommend following anyone they retweet, tweets with them, and any
related pages or high impact users in the birding industry.
○ Continue current content strategy and retweeting efforts. Seek to increase the number of videos posted which
get higher impressions. Also, increase the number of articles of interest posted from reputable industry
sources
○ Increase usage of industry hashtag references- mainly the #americanbirdingassociation that is being used by
other users. Recommend two hashtags per post
LinkedIn
○ Recommend taking ownership of the page and making any free adjustments available to brand the page
including a profile logo and basic company description.
○ No need for any paid job postings or advertising on this platform
YouTube
○ Recommend consolidating the two current pages and keeping the page with the higher following (237
subscribers) to combine traffic
○ Cross posting with Twitter to increase video content on both pages
36

Social Media Content Curation
37
Recommend the use of the Hootsuite free dashboard for organizing content posts,
scheduling, tracking, and monitoring engagement. With this free account you can get:
● 3 social accounts linked (for ABA use: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)
● 10 content suggestions each week
● Scheduling to organize when posts are cross posted and time/date to post for planned future postings
● Analytics to track growth and KPI’s
● Free social media courses to increase knowledge base and keep current on trends
● RSS feed integration to integrate blog posts automatically
Focus Twitter posts on:
● News (ABA Blog, reposting of other
associations’ content)
● Birding Resources (birding guides and
other ABA resources)
Instagram Focus:
● Nature photos/videos
● Young Birders activities
Cross-post content:
● Unusual stories
● Products/Services
● Entertainment (Photos, video,
contests, etc.)

Mobile
38
Current Efforts
● Minimal current efforts in the Mobile space
○ Only occasional boosted FB posts
● Publication advertisements, but don’t drive directly
to website
● Limited Adwords campaign
Why is Mobile important to ABA?
● Mobile/Tablet has just recently surpassed desktop in
terms of # pageviews 4 (and top image)
● Next billion new internet users will get their internet
through mobile first (better infrastructure for taking
advantage of internet provided by drones/balloons)
○ Mobile users are increasing across all
segments(millennials mostly use mobile, and need
to be in front of them to offset aging membership)
4(and bottom image)
○ Most users are multiplatform, which makes it
imperative to serve all platforms in a way that
points back to main site/goal
● Competitors threatening expert position with list apps,
and info/stats that are much easier to access
3http://qz.com/825014/mobile-website-views-surpassed-desktop-views-for-the-first-time-ever-in-october-2016/
4http://www.smartinsights.com/mobile-marketing/mobile-marketing-analytics/mobile-marketing-statistics/

Mobile: SEO/Mobile Site
39
Current State
● No mobile site currently implemented
○ Small text/cluttered main page
○ General difficulty finding what is desired
○ Lists pages navigation is poor
○ No bird identification other than
publications/limited photographic
representation of species
○ Competition already has more mobile
friendly sites and better information
presentation
Recommendations for Mobile Site
● Integrate site search bar on main page
○ Useful for both mobile/desktop
● Create unique landing page/mobile site that users see
when accessing the website from a mobile device
● Clear call to action at top of mobile site for becoming
a member that promotes some of the membership
benefits
● Optimize for 3 second load time to decrease bounce
rate
● Design needs to be adaptable to various sizes of
screens/devices with a focus on making all text fields
and buttons easily usable without having to
manipulate the page6
● Hidden menu easily accessible and gets users to what they want
that promotes the orgs market position of quality info.
○ Easy access to birding list, improved navigation,
comparison to others in your area for added gamification
promoting use of the mobile site, which should drive
awareness/membership
○ Birds users can expect to see around them within an
adjustable radius (further promotes desired market
positions as experts)
○ Infographics and map overlays of various bird
sightings/migration data, etc.
○ Nearby events section with call to action for people to get
involved with the company to identify with natural
preservation/respect/informational authority
○ Ability to go to desktop site, for main information not
included on mobile site
5https://www.experiencedynamics.com/blog/2015/03/30-ux-statistics-you-should-not-ignore-infographic (images)
6http://thenextweb.com/dd/2015/10/19/10-rules-of-best-practice-for-responsive-design/

Mobile: Application
40
Recommendations for App
● Start small/manage development costs
○ Identify/search based on observed attributes
○ Offline access to lists w/ comparison to others per
area, for gamification draw
○ Provide ad space for products to mitigate
development cost and fund future expansions of app
○ Platform to provide ads to upsell merchandising and
now can make branded merchandise for mobile users
(touch sensitive gloves, solar chargers, etc)
○ Minimal charge for app enforces perception as
experts with quality info.
Existing Competition5
● Paid, free, and free versions of paid apps
○ Identification Assistance (Guide)
○ Active Identification
■ Recordings/photos/observations to help
identify species
○ Allow sharing of bird counts to add value to
observations and allow tracking of these
observations (eBird Citizen Science Project)
○ Some just help you learn bird calls
● Allows offline interaction
● still relatively new, and functionality of these are still
being perfected
● Integrate smarter features over time (monitoring status of
competition to not fall too far behind)
○ Audio/visual recognition of user provided
information (integrating location)
■ Accuracy/speed/usability will drive user
acceptance
○ Location/seasonality based information
■ Alerts for recently sighted or rare birds nearby
■ Community program listings available
■ Map overlays of hotspots
○ Various infographics (similar to mobile site)0
Images from Merlin Bird ID app (merlin.allaboutbirds.org) and iBird Pro app (google play store)
7http://www.audubon.org/news/the-best-birding-apps-and-field-guides

Mobile: Site vs App.
41
Mobile Site7&8
Pros:
● Educational
extension/enhancement
● Cheaper (responsiveness
easier to achieve/no app
stores to deal with)
● Easily upgraded/updated
● More easily shared/accessed
● Better reach due to
availability/responsiveness
across platforms
Cons:
● Requires an internet
connection (can be an issue
for those that travel out of
service range to bird)
● Does not allow unique
features using
Application7&8
Pros:
● Educational extension/enhancement
to tours/reduces barrier to entry to
birding (more engagement)
● Potentially useful hardware
integration for added value
(location/microphone/camera)
● Good for specific tasks
(lists/identification)
● Possible in app messaging
○ no opt in/+10% retention
Cons:
● Expensive ($$/+Time). Usually
10k+ for a basic one (multiple
platform development/ongoing
support)
● More difficult/costly to update
● Limited reach dependent on
responsiveness
● Must maintain engagement to be
kept on device
● 23% abandonment after first use7
● 38% retention after 11 uses7
Recommendations for ABA
Apps are for more existing customers who are
using the features regularly, but doesn’t have the
reach a mobile site does, which is potential to
increase membership/use of site. As ABA has a
fledgling mobile presence, the low cost/high
reach solution of the mobile site is recommended.
This allows ABA to quickly increase reach in
largely younger demographics, while allowing
them to develop a mobile site that is basically
practice for what an application would be in the
future, while validating the necessity of one by
researching how many people would need offline
content and monitoring the competition. (See
previous slides for details)http://marketingland.com/morgan-stanley-no-apps-arent-winning-the-mobile-browser-is-144303 (image)
7http://info.localytics.com/blog/23-of-users-abandon-an-app-after-one-use
8http://www.trekksoft.com/en/blog/why-you-should-encourage-the-use-of-apps-during-your-birding-tour
9https://www.hswsolutions.com/services/mobile-web-development/mobile-website-vs-apps/

Mobile: SMS/Push Opportunities
Challenges
● Monitor frequency and opt out rate of users to tailor campaigns
● Will require opting in
○ likely most popular with existing members
○ make separate from membership as SMS may be a more
approachable start to a brand relationship
● Proper permissions must be established/regulations followed
● Setting up short codes can be complicated
● Network failures disrupt delivery
42
Opportunities
● More popular with younger demographics.
● 98% read rate (6xCTR) vs. 28% for email10
● US smartphone penetration 57%12
● Uses for contests, raffles for merchandise, etc
can increase engagement
● Drive traffic to specific landing page or
pertinent info on mobile site
● MMS can include visual/audio representation of
recent sightings/prompt to find a species
nearby and add to list (gamification)
● Can be location based to integrate up to the
minute sighting updates, and information on
local ABA events (70% say location based is
valuable)11
● Not dependent on connection speeds
● Immediate roll out of messages/info/promos
● Easily measuredRecommendation
● Locate a vendor with existing relationships with carrier to help push messages
● Provide updates to those in a certain range of interesting birds at times when people are likely to be out or not at work, at
an unobtrusive interval (measure opt out feedback)
○ Membership can provide access to settings on what type of notifications you can get and allows user to receive
discounts on merchandise (to increase membership and engagement of those customers reached by other mobile
efforts) [membership promotions]
● Available push notifications for members only with more detailed information on local birding opportunities/sighting
10http://www.business2community.com/infographics/text-marketing-vs-email-marketing-one-packs-bigger-punch-infographic-01249186#QDDjU9dfXYals5c8.97
http://smsmarketingnow.com/sms-marketing-statistics-infographic/ (image)
11http://mobilemarketingengine.com/23-mobile-marketing-stats/
12http://thehub.smsglobal.com/smartphone-ownership-usage-and-penetration

Mobile: Display Ads
Challenges/Opportunities
● Currently no mobile display ads being used
● Opportunity to reach increasingly mobile customer
base
● Ad blocking up 41% in 201513
● 54% dont click/dont trust banner ads13
● Retargeting: 70% more likely conversion
● 32% would share native ads13
● Native ads viewed 53% more than banner ads13
● Native ads can add up to 82% brand lift14 (needed as
competition is looking more like the expert with the
way the present/organize their information)
43
Recommendations
● Focus on native vs banner ads
○ In line with search results
○ Brief commercials before videos
○ Inline with social feeds [Facebook]
○ Used to convince customers they need the
knowledge found on ABA website
• “Find out what birds are making that
noise in your backyard”
• “Want to identify birds without having
to sift through a book?”
● Sponsored ads to promote newly developed site
that makes it easier to access lists, identification
tools, etc
○ Mobile+browser site landing pages
○ Use respected birding blogs, merchandise
partners. social media, and outdoor
lifestyle/naturalist websites
● Mobile/Social Network presence will naturally reach
a younger demographic, but native ads should be
in line with the activities/ideas this demographic
enjoys, that has crossover with birding (camping,
travelling, staying active, getting away from hustle
and bustle, etc.)
13http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/horrifying-display-advertising-stats#sm.00018cfrgyrhwfrcu1t13keddy1ms
14https://blog.shareaholic.com/native-advertising-outperforms/
https://e27.co/mobile-native-ads-can-get-57-higher-click-through-rate-vserv-20150121/ (image)

Mobile: Final Recommendations
A greater mobile presence is definitely needed, if ABA wants to stay competitive in
the advertisement space, and will lend itself to reaching a younger demographic to
offset the aging membership populations. It is recommended that this be
accomplished using the following methods:
● Develop mobile site that makes lists more accessible and provides more comparisons using gamification to promote
more people to use these lists. Develop basic bird identification pages based on audio/visual data. This includes
adding a search bar to both mobile and desktop sites. Use mobile site to promote membership. Using the mobile site
for cheaper development, and using feedback to change features, it will be the groundwork for future app
development that will take advantage of the device hardware to give local bird information, while identifying birds by
recorded sound and pictures.
● Use user location to give specific information on birds in the area, or events happening nearby. Allows a prompt to
gain new user info (email), and provide another venue for users to be able to become members on the go.
● Increase display ad presence with a focus on native ads to convince customers that the new mobile site features, and
general website features/information are needed in their lives. Use some sponsored ads to promote the new mobile
site and list/graphs/ other informatics added to the website. This is to increase brand awareness as the experts in the
field. One could even promote the use of communal data provided by members, while using this as a call to action to
get more people to contribute data, and eventually become members.
44https://www.lifewire.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-mobile-marketing-2373124

Testing and Metrics
There are 3 main objectives we wish to accomplish by implementing our recommendations
of a new mobile site and an enhanced social media presence/campaign:
1. Influence membership activity.
1. Increase awareness about the ABA’s many free resources for all birders,
and encourage non-members to support the ABA (preferably by
becoming a member or donating).
1. Increase use of site to create more value for our online advertisers and
sponsors.
Within each objective, there are a number of goals and metrics that we can track, analyze,
and test to see if we are on the right track towards achieving our objectives.
To track and analyze these metrics, we recommend using Google Analytics
and/or other tools such as Webtrends.
45

Testing and Metrics Cont.
Objective 1: Influence Membership Activity
Goals
1. Increase the number of new members
2. Retain/Renew existing memberships
3. Extend/Upgrade current membership levels
Metrics to Analyze
1. What is the % of new members?
2. What is the % of members who renew their membership?
3. What is the % of renewing members who upgrade their membership level?
46

Objective 2: Increase awareness about the ABA’s many free resources for all
birders, and encourage non-members to support the ABA
Goals
1. Increase the use of the “Birder’s Guide,” both current and past issues.
2. Increase the number of visitors to the blog pages.
3. Increase the number of readers of the “Birding News” sections.
Metrics to Analyze
1. % of members (users who are logged in) and non-members reading/downloading the
“Birder’s Guide.”
2. % of members and non-members reading the ABA Blogs.
3. % of members and non-members reading articles within the “Birding News” tab.
47

Objective 3: Increase use of the site and new mobile site to create more
value for our online advertisers and sponsors.
Goals
1. Increase both paid and organic traffic to the website and mobile site through PPC
and social media presence.
2. Increase the number of unique visitors, both new and returning.
3. Reduce Page Exit Ratio & Bounce Rate
Metrics to Analyze
1. What is the % increase in number of website visitors?
2. What is the % of new visitors? % of returning visitors?
3. What is the average time visitors spend on the site?
4. Analyze the click path of visitors.
5. What % of visitors click on ads?
48

49
Social Media Campaign
There are a variety of different variables we can test on social media, and fortunately, we can test similar posts across all 3 of
the main social media platforms we are heavily engaged in (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
Since we aren’t testing websites or landing pages here, we can’t really implement an A/B test or Multivariate test, but instead
will test various types/styles of posts that promote the most engagement/interaction with our followers. As mentioned in the
social media section, we will use Hootsuite’s free dashboard to help us analyze these test results.
Types of Posts
1. Direct Questions
2. Shared Links
3. Requests to take action
4. Posts to generate engagement
5. Pictures vs Videos
Success Metrics
- Which posts receive the most likes, shares, retweets, etc?
- Which posts generate the most interaction between the followers and the ABA social media page?
- Which posts lead to an increase in the number of followers? Reduction of followers?
- Which posts direct the most traffic to the website and/or mobile site?
- What kind of links have the highest click through rate?

50
Mobile Site Campaign
First, we will use Google Analytics software to test the usability of our new Mobile Site. These tests will determine if our
mobile site is optimized for use on mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablets. Some of the components that will be
changed/enhanced on the website to prepare it for mobile use include the following:
1. A new landing page,
2. A clear call to action,
3. Optimized landing page load speed
4. Design/content that is easily adaptable to various devices/screen sizes.
Once the site up optimized for mobile use, we can then start running various tests in order to maximize performance. To start,
we will run A/B tests, changing just one variable at a time and analyze how these changes impact performance of the site.
Variables that we will test will include landing page colors, headlines, pictures, location of links, etc.
Success Metrics
1. % increase in number of visits
2. Click path within visits
3. Increase in the length of visits
4. % of visitors who become Members

Allowable Calculation
52
Assumptions
1. Selling price of $55 is assumption
based on the average $ amount of
memberships
2. Average Order COG of $24.75is
based on professor’s suggestion
in template.
3. Shipping costs are assumed to be
zero since there is no hard
product
4. Processing & Billing costs are
estimates

Conclusion
56
Given our Causal Forecast and Return on Promotion analysis, we recommend
proceeding with all three campaigns.
Using a Marketing Campaign budget of $24,500, we have calculated a 1,084
breakeven point, while our forecasted projections yield 5,322 new “order” or
memberships.
This should ultimately result in an increase of $293,234 in revenue.

Digital Marketing Plan for American Birding Association

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