Using Social Marketing to Achieve SMART About Water Goals

Exercise: Introduction to Social Marketing Pair up in groups of 2 Find something that you and your partner like to do that not everyone else might like to do (hiking, sky diving, cooking, etc.) Think about how you would convince the following people to join you in this activity: –The Pope –Your mom –Your taxicab driver

Exercise Discussion Share your activity and your three approaches: –How were they different for each audience? How were they the same? –Was it easy or difficult to adjust your approach for each audience? Congratulations! You’re on your way to becoming social marketers!

What is Social Marketing? The application of commercial marketing techniques + To influence a key target audience + To voluntarily change a behavior = For the good of society

Key Point Social marketing is about being strategic. Pick a crucial issue and a key audience. Then, think about the issue from the perspective of your target audience. Pretend that their perspective is all that matters. Because it is.

The 4Ps of Social Marketing Marketing is more than communications: Product – The action/behavior you are interested in influencing Price – What is costs (not just $) Place – Where it happens (convenience) Promotion – How people learn about it

Why Social Marketing is Effective Social marketing recognizes that information alone does not change behaviors Social marketing focuses on target audiences, including their needs, wants, and motivators Social marketing focuses on making behaviors easy, fun, and popular!

Social Marketing is Strategic We don’t have unlimited time, resources, or personnel Social marketing makes us focus on: –The most important messages –The most important people Everything else can wait until later

Social Marketing is Audience Focused Audiences are the beginning and end of social marketing Think of your audience continuously: –Are they interested in your issue? –Do they care about your issue? –What are they passionate about? –What do they need to know about your issue? –How do they want to find out? Whenever possible, select audiences who can help you reach your goals and who are motivated to act

Social Marketing Segments Audiences Not all people are the same, so not all people can be treated the same Break your audiences into similar groups based on things such as: –Interest level –Wants and needs –Motivators –Access points

Social Marketing is Outcome Focused If they believe you and they aren’t doing it, it doesn’t matter! If they understand you and they aren’t doing it, it doesn’t matter! If they like you and they aren’t doing it, it doesn’t matter! AND, if they ARE doing it, we don’t care why!

Social Marketing Relies on Exchange Recognize that we are asking for a tradeoff Acknowledge competing behaviors State clearly what you are offering and know what you are asking: –You get = Safer water, peace of mind –You pay = Time, higher water bills

Social Marketing Addresses Barriers Barriers are real but often downplayed or ignored. This is a huge mistake! –Barriers can be physical, emotional, social, monetary, or time-oriented –Barriers can be subconscious Social marketing is about finding effective bridges to overcome these barriers

Social Marketing and Stages of Change People go through a series of five stages in changing behaviors (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance/advocacy) It takes time to change behaviors, and change is not linear (people regress) Messages/interactions should be targeted to each stage

1. Pre-contemplation Definition: No awareness of need to modify behavior, and no intention to do so (lack of personal relevance) Messaging: Start helping people to understand the issue – focus on awareness, not persuasion

2. Contemplation Definition: Know that the issue exists and audience members are considering action Messaging: Build on initial understanding; messages can start attempting to influence behavior change

3. Preparation Definition: Preparing to take action, but not yet engaged in behavior; might be learning about behavior Messaging: Address barriers to change and encourage behavioral “trials” to sample intended behaviors or preparations such as learning where to buy needed tools, etc.

4. Action Definition: Actually engaging in behavioral change Messaging: Support, encourage, and reinforce change

5. Maintenance/Advocacy Definition: Change has occurred and is being sustained Messaging: Reinforce change and encourage audience to spread the word; people in this stage often can influence others [these people are sometimes called spark plugs or opinion leaders]

Stages and Appropriate Requests Stage of change influences what we ask of audiences (and how we ask it) Asking too much of an audience may lead to them “tuning out” or ignoring the request Tip: Request actions that are consistent with stage of change; make your requests reasonable for your audience

Discussion: What’s Different? Based on this overview, how is social marketing different from traditional outreach? What is the biggest change you see between your typical approaches and social marketing? How have you already been doing social marketing?

How SMART is using Social Marketing SMART is a social marketing initiative: –It is focused on a key issue (wastewater as a critical and overlooked threat) –It is focused on a key objective (get small communities to engage in source water protection and planning) –It is focused on reaching key audiences with messages that work (audience-focus)

Understanding SMART Audiences SMART recognizes that it cannot (and should not) try to reach everyone It wants to reach the most critical audiences with the most critical messages –The national planning workshop identified eight key audiences for this effort

Know Your Audience To successfully engage in social marketing, you have to know your audience: –What do they know? –What stage of change are they in? –What do they like? What interests them? –What motivates them? –What are their barriers to change?

8 Identified SMART Audiences First priority audiences: –Local/elected officials –Operators –Homeowners/landowners –Watershed groups/associations Second priority audiences: –Homeowner associations, septic professionals, civic groups, NCWS See detailed information on each audience

Local/Elected Officials Who: Many levels of leadership, often not a full-time job as a leader Knowledge: Ins and outs of local community Motivators: Serving community, reduced complaints, saving money Barriers: Lack of time and financial cost to address issue

Community Water System Operators Who: In charge of many things, not just water system Knowledge: About doing their job, but less about community outreach/policy change Motivators: Do the right thing, save time, less monitoring Barriers: Don’t have authority, little time

Homeowners and Landowners Who: Individuals with on-site septic systems living in small communities Knowledge: Know about on-site systems Motivators: Protect water, save money, protect property values Barriers: Source of problem may be outside jurisdiction, limited interest until “crisis” occurs

Watershed Groups and Associations Who: Groups with a specific water focus Knowledge: Lots about water in general, not as much about septic/drinking water Motivators: Doing the right thing, making a difference, activism Barriers: Distrusts industry, dislikes compromise

Homeowner Associations Who: Groups of homeowners living in clustered communities Knowledge: Varies greatly, some will know more than others about this issue Motivators: Protecting drinking water, saving money Barriers: Issue is complex and potentially expensive to deal with

Septic Installers and Service Providers Who: Mostly small business people who interact with customers Knowledge: Lots about septic, less about source water protection Motivators: Business-oriented, making money Barriers: Lack of time

Civic/Special Interest Groups Who: Involved individuals within a community Knowledge: How to get things done in their community Motivators: Doing the right thing, positive publicity Barriers: Competing with other issues

Non-Community Water Systems Who: Mostly part-time operators Knowledge: Often understand both drinking water and wastewater Motivators: Technical assistance, ability to be involved in community Barriers: Lack of time, not adept at communications with others

Similarities Across all Groups Time is limited Prefer short messages Agreement that issue is important, but understanding is limited/incomplete Few resources (financial or time) to readily devote to this issue Other competing priorities

Differences Across Groups Initial interest in this topic Willingness to work on this topic Level of authority to solve problem or address issue Level of comfort in working with others in community to solve problems Communication styles and preferences

5 Stages of Social Marketing Define Problem: Know what you want to do and why (your expertise is key) Market Research: Understand your audience: barriers, motivators, etc. Planning: Determine best way to reach audiences and to achieve goals Implementation: Make it happen Evaluation: Define and measure successes

1. Define Problem Formally and specifically identified in the SMART grant: –Source water protection for small and very small systems (most in need of assistance) –Addressing wastewater issues (key threat) –Training in 245 communities –Hands-on assistance in communities

2. Market Research Learn about your target audience and their needs, wants, and desires: –Eight key audiences were identified at the national workshop –Audience profiles for each audience were developed –You will gather additional information about each audience in the field via audience listening techniques

Audience Listening The simplest, cheapest, easiest form of market research is audience listening (and it is surprisingly effective) Go, ask, listen. No judgment allowed. Use open-ended questions: –What are you concerned about in your community? Who do you work with to get things done? Do you ever think about your drinking water? Why or why not?

3. Planning Within each community, determine the key audiences (they will vary from place to place). Identify: –What you need the audience to do, what you need them to know, and the specific exchange you are asking of them (product) –Any barriers they face and what they see as benefits (price) –Where to get them information/interact with them (place) –How and where to communicate best with them and to motivate them (promotion)

Planning: Learn and Prioritize Learn as much as you can: –Who are the potential audiences? –Who is affected by this issue? –Who can make a difference on the issue? –Who are the people who already care? –Who is most likely to be critical to reach within this community? Why?

Exercise: Prioritizing Audiences As a large group, generate a set of questions to ask yourself when deciding which audiences to work with in any community. Be as specific as possible. Remember, the audience you select to interact with first will vary from community to community.

Planning: Recruit an Audience Once you have identified audiences to work with, you need to determine how to meet with and engage them: –What motivates each audience in general? –What is motivating about this issue? –What are the barriers with this issue? –Where are you likely to encounter audience members?

Exercise: Recruit an Audience Break into four groups (2-3 people per group) Each group takes one of the top four target audiences (officials, operators, homeowners, watershed groups) and identifies potential ways to recruit that audience Start by making clear what the specific exchange for the audience is, as well as the motivators and barriers for the audience Develop a short “pitch” for that audience Use the form on the next slide to get started

Recruiting Audience: _________________ Exchange: _________________ Motivators: _________________ Barriers: _________________ Recruiting/involvement “pitch”: _____ _______________________________ _______________________________

Planning: Thinking of the Interaction Once people have agreed to work with us, our audience focus continues Remain aware of audience needs and wants: –How do people like to get information? How often? –When and where can they meet? –How will they interact with others?

Exercise: Work with Your Audience Break into two groups (4-5 people per group) Each group takes one of the top two audiences (officials, operators) and identifies potential ways to work with that audience Make a plan to describe (see next page): –When and where interactions will occur? –How long they will last? –Barriers you might encounter and how to overcome them

Audience Interactions Audience: _________________ Place to interact: _________________ How often: _________________ How long: _________________ Specific barriers: _________________ How to overcome: _________________

4. Implementation Take into consideration what you already know about each audience Make adjustments as needed based on audience listening Use social marketing techniques with every audience whenever possible

5. Evaluation Evaluation is being conducted as a separate part of the grant. Evaluation will focus on: –Stages of change for various target audience members –Evaluation of technical assistance calls –Publications/publicity about the program

Sample Additional Resources Social Marketing Lite: Ideas for folks with small budgets and big problems Social-Marketing-Lite-1st-ed.pdf Social-Marketing-Lite-1st-ed.pdf The Basics of Social Marketing es/pdfs/social_market/smc_basics.pdf es/pdfs/social_market/smc_basics.pdf Additional resources are in your binders