Why does good communication and marketing matter?
Young people need quality youth services more than ever, so telling them about what you do and what it means for them is really important. Equally, resources are scarce and the market is competitive, so ensuring you promote your work and organisation to partners, funders or commissioners is vital.
How do you create a marketing plan?
Just as you have a business plan, you also need a communication and marketing plan. It should be part of your planning process right from the start. Whether it is your organisation’s key messages for the next six months or for a one-off project, know what you are trying to achieve, what you want to say and who you want to say it to. If you are not clear about this, then you won’t succeed and will waste valuable resources.
Who are you talking to?
Know your audience. Whether it is young people, corporate organisations, commissioners or local press, you need to do your homework. Spend some time researching how they communicate and their style and language. This then helps you to position your approach to them.
If marketing to young people, remember they are not a single group, so target your approach. Promote what your ?project or work means to them – can they improve their skills, meet friends, or gain a qualification?
Get young people on board and involve them in its promotion – peer influence is a very strong communication tool. Increasingly, youth organisations are working with corporate partners. This is all about relationship building and knowing their interests and values – do you have a good match with them? Communications is resource-intensive so be sure you know who you are communicating with.
Which approach is best?
Once you know your audience you can tailor your approach but need to balance this with the capacity of your organisation to deliver. Social media is here to stay, so embrace it but take small steps if this is a new approach. Young people use Facebook but they are also engaging with Twitter.
Using social media with young people does come with some risks but you can limit these. Some youth clubs and projects get young people involved in moderating and creating copy for their club Facebook page. There is nothing worse than inactive social media. If you don’t have the resources to use it effectively, then don’t use it. If you are using Twitter, make sure your tweets count. Do they engage people or ask them to respond in some way?
Resources such as websites, annual reviews, and impact reports are still important but think creatively about how you use these. Good websites draw people in. Think about your images, and use of film to really capture your work. There are some quick and easy ways to make good films, even using mobile phones. Printed materials still have their place, but make sure these are targeted. Instead of sending a funder your standard annual review, send them something personal, highlighting the difference their funding has made or perhaps think about a film from young people telling them about their experiences.
Has your communication and marketing approach worked?
The most important part of knowing whether your marketing has worked is to have had clear objectives from the start. What were you trying to achieve and what measures help you to know whether it was a success? Use Google analytics to track traffic on your website. Ask those you communicated with what they thought about it.
Regularly reflect on your communication approaches as there are always further developments that may help your organisation.
Julia Hargreaves is head of policy and communications at Ambition (formerly Clubs for Young People)
Top tips
- Have a communication plan
- Know your audience
- Ensure your material is well targeted
- Get young people involved
- Start small if the approach is new to you
- Embrace social media but make sure you can manage it effectively
