ANALYSIS
The analysis highlights research from various journals and articles that support the ideas of successfully designing free giveaway items by appealing to the right audiences, how to develop in-person advertising by pairing with incentivized referrals, as well as establishing a stronger Twitter presence by creating a sense of community on that social media platform.
Recommendation #1: Design free items to give away while at tabling events
Our team researched how to market successfully through pleasing the right audience. We did this by examining other organizations’ marketing ideas and their success in giving away free items.
Through surveying our respondents in our local study, of which can be further examined in Appendix D, it resulted in IUPUI students appealing to things that are free. Chris Pentago, author of Packaging Can Make or Break Your Marketing Strategy, states that, “While designing your product packaging, it is essential to know the needs of your customers” (Pentago, n.d., p. 2). Not only will free advertising help increase awareness for the Women4Change organization, it will also attract their eyes visually. If the free items are packaged correctly, they will have an effect that makes students really want these items, and not just because they are free. Pleasing this audience would be critical to increasing participation at Women4Change and civically engaging its members.
Successful Marketing Comes from Pleasing the Right Audience Through Free Items
Our team found that focusing on the right audience can be essential to expanding a club or organization.
Through experts like Noah Kagan, author of Tips for Successful College Marketing, it is recommended that organizations focus on a target audience by doing a variety of things. Knowing what the audience wants can then help you determine how to lure them in. In this case, it is important to try and appeal to college students as much as possible, and one thing college students love is free items. Making these items uniquely appealing is important. In Kagan’s article, he states that “if they've seen it before, there's no point in paying attention” (Kagan, n.d., p. 1). He urges that making unique and original efforts can be beneficial, especially in the design. Pentago stresses that visual design combined with the needs of who you are advertising or marketing to is influential. Therefore, advertising Women4Change can better capture college students’ attention if the free items are visually appealing. This might include bringing out colors, slogans, or items that truly represent the organization in a creative way.
Furthermore, our team noticed that using simple words can even spark attention from the audience. Kagan states, “Free is the one word that can grab any college students attention, no matter what the context” (Kagan, n.d., p. 1). If you are offering items that are free, use the word to your advantage. Another expert, Emma Rensch, who wrote an article called, How to Get People Interested in Joining a Club, has similar marketing ideas as Kagan. She states, “Plan activities and events for your group to host that will appeal to your target [audience]” (Rensch, n.d., p. 3) She also would agree with Kagan’s findings because she goes on to mention that you might appeal more to college students by bringing a “boom box and [playing] music while tabling to give your club a fun and festive vibe” (Rensch, n.d., p. 1). Both Rensch and Kagan suggest different but ideal, fun ways to advertise, especially when it comes to giving out free items and their design.
Figure 1 represents the top three choices from the survey that college students would like to receive as ‘freebies’ when an organization is tabling or marketing.
In Figure 1, it was concluded that, based on IUPUI student responses, T-shirts, water bottles, and stickers are among the most beloved of the free items that can be offered. With that being said, it can be suggested that Women4Change look into designing and handing out these types of items to boost their name recognition, which can also boost their event attendance if more individuals know and see things about the Women4Change organization on campus.
Our team concluded that by pleasing the right audience, Women4Change could potentially get students wanting to be a part of Women4Change and wanting to participate in the events they host, which can be encouraged by giving out free items.
Recommendation #2: Develop in-person advertising at Women4Change and Other Organizations' Meetings
Our team of students headed a survey to help understand how in person advertising has influenced students on campus and how they responded to the advertising. Results from the survey are presented in Figure 2 and show that most other organizations have had guest speakers about 1-2 times during the semester. The data also showed that about 28% of those guest speakers were able to draw in new students but the students then only attended 1-2 events afterwards, which is shown in Figure 3. One positive note from the data was that out of a 5 point rating, recommending Women4Change to a friend received a 3.46 rating, which can be examined more in Appendix D.
Figure 2 shows the varied answers to the question: if other organizations have had quest speakers with the highest scored answer that guest speakers visited 1-2 times a semester
Based on information gathered from an interview with a Women4Change representative, the organization’s only advertising was tabling in the Campus Center and through word of mouth. They have never sent anyone to another organization to help advertise or talk about their cause. As a team, we feel that by doing this, the organization could reach more people and having someone in person can help answer potential members’ questions and persuade people to visit the Women4Change organization.
Figure 3 shows the varied answers to the question: if students attended other organization’s meeting/events after having a guest speaker
Turning to Other Organizations for Solutions
Looking for ideas within other organizations is a great way to find advertising ideas. An author by the name of Kathie Pugaczewski suggests that organizations do just that. Pugaczewski, also the vice president of Communications and Technology, wrote an article called, 9 Marketing Ideas For Your Organization. Pugaczewski simply asks small organizations to “Think BIG” (Pugaczewski, n.d., p. 1) She enforces the idea that by “[watching] what other "big" companies are doing and seeing if some of their practices can fit your company,” (Pugaczewski, n.d., p. 1) organizations can observe quality examples of successful marketing strategies. David Morrison, the author of, “Marketing To The Campus Crowd,” mentions various unique ways that organizations can make students eager to participate in college campus events. In his article, he states, "Success is built on relationships" (Morrison, n.d., p. 2) Building relationships with other organizations, such as larger ones as Pugaczewski suggests, is a great way to advertise.
Speaking In Person at Other Organizations’ Meetings Can Help Increase Attention
Some college students are not aware of just how many organizations their college offers and that they may develop a strong passion for a cause but have not yet because they do not know the organization exists on their campus. From going and speaking in person at other events/organizations, it can help bring awareness to students who have never heard of it.
In an article written by Al Lautenslager, a NuWire Investor and marketing consultant, he approves of the idea when he says, “This way, you not only reach out to a new audience, but you can begin to establish yourself as an expert in your field, which can attract more customer loyalty” (Lautenslager, 2010). Once the members of that organization see how much you care about your cause and trust your knowledge, it can increase the likelihood that they look into it and now are interested in learning more by coming to meetings. This will also allow for more connections with organizations, which means more prospects and more guest speaking opportunities. If you make these moments memorable, members will continue to talk about it and help spread the word. It is a simple game of telephone.
In Person Advertising Paired With Incentivized Referrals
An example from an article written by a vice president of developmental research says that word of mouth should be more actively encouraged by using a referral incentive. For example, one incentive could be advertised by saying, “if you come to the next meeting and bring 2 people with you, you get a $25 gift card”. This way, people are more likely to tell their friends about the organization. Which in turn can cause those new friends to bring more friends, who bring more friends, and so on. Rewarding people for speaking about the organization and suggesting people come to their events, is an effective way to gain members. The more people hear about an organization, the more likely they are to be interested and show up. With the data from the survey showing that most people would suggest Women4Change to a friend, a referral method would be a great way to reward them for their efforts.
Recommendation #3: Establish a Stronger Twitter Presence for Event Information Distribution
Our team sought to determine how enhancing Women4Change’s Twitter presence could benefit the organization’s event attendance. The team researched how to utilize social media for marketing and what platforms seem to be most popular among students in college.
Figure 4 illustrates the top 3 responses regarding what social media platforms students use most often, a question from the local study survey. These platforms included Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Figure 4 shows the distribution of responses when asked the question, “What forms of social media do you most often use?”
While Instagram and Snapchat rank slightly above Twitter, according to the local study survey conducted and presented in Figure 4, based on previous conversations with Isra Haider, Women4Change already has an active Instagram account and did not foresee Snapchat as a feasible medium. As a team, we feel that Twitter has many benefits and can prove to be a promising platform to pursue.
Using Twitter as a Way of Developing a Community for Women4Change Active and Potential Members on Social Media
The idea of belonging to a community is, what some say, drives the desire to use social media platforms, such as Twitter. According to an article written about the effectiveness of online advertising, “Research proves that the main motivators for using these web pages are driven by consumer’s need to build and nurture social relationships” (Pikas & Sorrentino, 2014, p. 71).
In a study on the resurgence of a beloved department store, it was discussed that because of the instantaneous nature of Twitter, a sense of community is developed among an account or organization and its followers. The study states, “Twitter offers such engagement, to promote a company’s brand, relevancy to pop culture, and immediate interaction with a community of over 300 million active users around the world” (Mahfouz, Joonas, Williams, Jia & Arevalo, 2017, p. 185).
It can be found, then, that with the cultivation of a Twitter community, an influx of followers may result. With that, more followers correlates to a more widespread dispersal of information, such as event invitations and flyers, therefore increasing the chances of attaining high numbers of event attendance. Along with further reach, Twitter offers a quick form of communication. For students, emails can sometimes become saturated with unrelated content, so utilizing Twitter’s quick, concise, and focused nature, that oversaturation issue can be overcome.
Using Twitter can be Helpful When Communicating and Interacting with College Aged Students
For many college students, portions of their social lives reside and rely on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. These forms of social media, Twitter especially, are seen as “trendy” ways to interact with peers, as well as organizations students might be involved in on campus.
According to a study conducted at a university in the Northeastern United States, 66 students reported their experiences with using Twitter and five themes emerged from the responses. Of those themes, their perception of the app being “trendy and cool” was at the forefront of the conclusions. Along with that, the study states that, “According to the participants, Twitter represents a relative new social media channel (especially compared to Facebook) to connect and interact with their social relations, and the usage of this particular social media platform signals their belongingness to their social groups” (Chen, 2015, p. 214). With that being said, reaching out to students in a way that is relatable, easily accessible, and not as formal allows for credibility for the organization among students. It will also allow information to be dispersed widely and quickly as it has the ability to circulate through many peoples’ feeds the Women4Change account begins to post more.
Figure 5 represents a figure presented in the study by H. Chen in their research on how college aged students interpret Twitter and the marketing information seen on Twitter. The figure shows the five themes discussed, with Twitter being “trendy and cool” at the top of the list.
Using Twitter Successfully to Drive Event Outreach and Participation
With a tool such as Twitter, consistency is key in order to keep the Women4Change tweets circulating. Based on research from a journal that discusses the relationship between Twitter and marketing, a Twitter account is only successful if there is consistent interaction between the account and its followers. The journal states that their results, “reinforce the need for strategic consistency in developing Twitter practice.” (Burton, 2011, p. 491). As of now, there is an active Twitter account for the IUPUI Women4Change chapter, however the tweets seem to be disjointed, meaning it is only tweeting out every couple weeks. Managing a consistent social media page can feel daunting, however, these responsibilities can be relayed to a potentially new position of “Social Media Officer.” This officer would be in charge of keeping up with the social media accounts and distributing any information needed for the organization.
Maintaining a regular schedule for Twitter posts can boost the follower count and follower response, thereby promoting knowledge, and potentially attendance, of the Women4Change events, because the more people that know about the event, the more likely they are to attend.
Using Testimonials to Increase Participation and Attract Consumers/Followers
Our team found research that supported the idea of posting personal testimonials on social media by members as it can be linked to increasing participation and attracting followers and consumers for organizations.
Many times, testimonials can create emotional appeal to the audience, which creates inspiration to get involved. Experts in utilizing testimonials in advertising continually place importance on “attributes of the product” and “the motivation and the inferences,” which are key factors in determining how to improve marketing strategies and improve participation. In a report from Business Time’s, The Testimonial Advertising Way To a Consumer’s Heart, author Siew Li Kang states, “The approach is taken because they seem to add credibility and genuineness to the advertising” (Kang, 1997, p.17). Kang declares that with the inclusion of testimonials in advertising, one must know the audience to which the company or organization is trying to attract and that the product or event must have attributes that the consumer will benefit from.
Through identifying marketing strategies and the patterns that are created, Women4Change can influence their marketing to appeal to their consumers through relational benefits or commonalities. Hearing stories or someone’s reason as to how Women4Change changed their life will help attract more members because they will then think how the organization can impact their own life.
With an already fairly active Instagram account for the IUPUI Women4Change, our team believes that tackling the Twitter platform next can only benefit the organization as it can cultivate a sense of community between its members and potential future members by using strategies such as posting member testimonials, for example. With consistency, the account could see immense success and an increase in event participation, which is the ultimate goal for this incredible and empowering organization.
With this research, our team has constructed a list of affordable and plausible recommendations for the IUPUI chapter of Women4Change to implement so that they may see a boost in event attendance and overall organization participation.
