2. Table of Contents Know Who You Are Marketing to the FIRST Audience
Brand Your Identity (handouts)
Why is Your Image Important
Marketing to the FIRST Audience
Marketing Outside of FIRST
Outreach and Community
Engaging in the Conversation
FIRST Branding
Updating or Re-Branding
Finding your Niche

3. Have Fun, Doing Cool Things that Help People.
Know Who You Are
Start with a Mission Statement
Discuss what you want to do
Include values, inspiration, strengths
Be real and specific.
Be Short, sweet and to the point….
Our Mission Statement
Have Fun, Doing Cool Things that Help People.

4. Branding your Identity
Resources available to your team
Software
Talents
Maintain control of your image
Logo Guidelines
Pantone Colors, RGB and vector
Fonts
Print and Merchandise
Taglines

5. Lessons Learned
Everyday Shirts
Friday Shirts ???
Thursday Shirts

6. Can you pick us out of a crowd?

7. Why is Your Image Important?
Know who you are so others will know who you are.
This becomes evident when you are:
Marketing Within the FIRST Community
Marketing Outside the FIRST Community

8. Marketing is…
Marketing is anything you create or share that tells your story. Ann Handley
Marketing is the ongoing process of engagement whereby strangers are nurtured into advocates. Trey Pennington
Marketing is the messages and/or actions that cause messages and/or actions. Jay Baer

9. Marketing to the FIRST Audience
Marketing to Judges
Judges Packet
Judge Whispering
Pit Design
Presentation boards, pictures, and print materials
Marketing to Teams
Pit Design
Giveaways
Overall Image
The FIRST Community at large
Chief Delphi, Reddit
Off Seasons
Outreach

10. Some Possible Judge Packet Material
Business Plan
Marketing Packet
Community Outreach Information
Press Releases and Articles
Flyers & Marketing Materials
Thank you letters
Digital Media Award Submission
Team Handbook
Brochure
Chairman’s Submission

11. Engineering Design Manual & Robot Cards

12. Judge Whispering
Pit Test
Practice Sessions
Games: Jeopardy, trivia, kahoot
Presenting Chairman’s to your Team
Practice, Practice, Practice

13. Pit Identity
Nice Pit, Flash!
Nice Pit, ????!
Nice Pit, Bacon!

14. Marketing to Other Teams
Robot Cards
Giveaways (clappers, pens, balls, bandanas, aliens)
Peer Awards
Use your strengths to help other teams
Developing relationships with other teams
Workshops and Seminars (like this)
Off-Seasons
Mentoring year around (FRC, FTC or FLL)
Trading Shirts
Pins/Buttons

15. Pins and Buttons

16. We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do!16

17. Can they hear you coming?17

18. Mascots

19. Embracing your Image!

20. The FIRST Community Chief Delphi Reddit Off Seasons
FIRST Outreach – professional conferences and events

21. Marketing Outside FIRST
Community Outreach
Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts
Libraries
Science Centers
Schools
Farmer’s Markets
Professional Conferences
Business Organizations
Local Media
Press Releases
Social Media
Sponsors
Newsletters
Thank You’s

22. BRANDING YOUR BOT! 22

23. Benefits Fundraising Member Recruitment Sponsor Demos FLL Tournaments
Professional Conferences
Local Businesses
Associations, Clubs and Chamber of Commerce
Member Recruitment
FLL Tournaments
School Demos
Science Programs
Summer Camps
Community Outreach
Sarah
Marketing outside of FIRST helps you fundraise and gain new members

24. Outreach and Community24

25. Benefits of Outreach
Outreach is more than getting out the word about your team, FIRST and STEM though.
An invaluable tool to become better communicators.
Learn how to talk to new people, potential sponsors, new members and inspire future FIRST members.
An opportunity to gain confidence.
A chance for students to realize what they have been a part of and it changes them moving forward.

26. Exploding Science & Summer Camp26

27. Engage in the Conversation

28. Social Media Strategy Target Your Audiences Select your channels
List your Goals and Objectives for each
Identify key persons responsible for managing sites and creating content
Review the FIRST Digital Media Submission rubric

29. Engage your audience Content: create, engage and be relevant
Produce the content for your audience
Communicate with your audience, not to your audience
Use good video and pictures
Spelling and grammar MATTER
Keep a casual tone when writing for social media
Post about build season, outreach, sponsors, FIRST and STEM news
Schedule release of posts to maximize message impact
Consistent Image and Branding of your team

30. In addition… Educate your team Private and Public Facebook Channels
Share - Retweet
Message
Private and Public Facebook Channels
Employ numerous admins to share the responsibility
Watch for up and coming channels
Experiment to see what works best for you

31. Use Video!
Build/Competition Season Vlogs are a nice way to keep supporters updated
YouTube and Facebook are both valid options for distribution
Schedule video releases for consistent message impact
Videos are shared 12x more on Facebook
Get video releases signed, if needed

32. Print Media Brochures Flyers Business Cards Marketing Packets
Sponsor Thank You’s
Even, PowerPoint Presentations

33. Getting the Word Out

34. Marketing to Potential Sponsors
Unique
Marketing Packet
Business Plan
Budget
Presentations
Activity Book
Sponsor Levels

35. Sponsor Levels
10K and above – Wilbur’s Inner Circle Company name or Logo (Large) on T-shirt and Robot Company name on promotional
materials Link on team website Logo displayed in pit
5K-10K - Power Pig Company name or Logo (Medium)
on T-shirt and Robot Company name on promotional
materials Link on team website Logo displayed in Pit
1K-5K - Big Bacon Company name of Logo (Small)
on T-shirt and Robot Company name on marketing
materials Link on team website
500-1K – Squealer Company name on T-shirt
Company name on marketing
0-500 – Piglet Listed on website
Our un-dying love and gratitude

36. Thank your sponsors often
Sing Your Praises!
Thank your sponsors often

37. Keep Your Sponsors Informed
Sponsor Dinner
Newsletters/ s
Use pictures

38. So Should we Re-Brand or Update?

39. Rebranding or Updating Your Team
Evaluate Pros and Cons
Are you re-branding or updating your branding?
Is your current or new branding a more accurate representation of team?
Is your team confused with others or not clearly identified?
Ask for outside input

40. FIRST Re-Branding & Guidelines
FIRST Branding Guidelines (
New Logos
New Branding efforts

41. Take it up a notch! So you want to leave your mark?
Conduct a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats)
Engage the whole team students, mentors, parents, sponsors – and have them brainstorm.
Re-organize into categories

42. Find your Niche Look at your community Schools Sponsors Organizations
Students
Parents
Governments
Other connections

43. Find your Niche Considering all those possible groups… Local identity
What opportunities do you have with them?
What programs they already supporting?
Can you engage them to help you with your goals?

44. Find your Niche More possible considerations
What are the programs you have already started?
Is their potential for existing programs to grow?
What is the make up of your team members?
Cater to your team’s existing identity
What are the interests of your team members?

45. Benefits of Good Imagery
More Memorable
Leave a Good Impression
Press/Media
Fundraising
Member Recruitment

46. Gracious Professionalism

47. Please visit explodingbacon.com and scroll down to click on
Survey
Please visit explodingbacon.com and scroll down to click on
Big Bacon Survey
and tell us what you found helpful with this workshop or where we can improve to help you better.
Thank you
#OinkOinkBoom