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

3. Have Fun, Doing Cool Things that Help People.
Know Your Team
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. Why is Your Image Important?
So you can communicate your team’s identity.
Marketing Within the FIRST Community
Marketing Outside the FIRST Community

5. Marketing is… … anything you create or share to tell your story
… about turning strangers into friends
… messages/actions that cause messages/actions.

6. Marketing to the FIRST Audience
Marketing to Judges
Binders
Team Information sheet
Judge Whispering
Pit Design
Presentation boards, pictures, and print materials
Marketing to Teams
Pit Design
Giveaways
Overall Image
The FIRST Community at large
Outreach

7. Branding your Identity
Resources available to your team
Software
Talents
Maintain control of your image
Know the Elements
Pantone Colors, RGB and vector
Fonts
Print and Merchandise
Taglines

8. Logos

9. Lessons Learned About Shirts
Hats

10. Branding Your Team Have your KIDS create a logo Be consistent
Be memorable
Be unique
Bright Colors
Lego Accessories
Fewer Colors are Cheaper
Dress Code

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

12. 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?

13. 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?

14. Tips for Binders/Boards/Posters
Bring recommended materials
Keep them neat & clean
Only include the most important information
Make sure it is readable to the audience
Theme it to be more memorable
Include Pictures

15. Pit Identity

16. Judge Whispering
Make sure everyone is prepared, so they feel confident
Practice Q & A for robot, core values, project
Games: Jeopardy, trivia, kahoot
Practice all presentations
Practice, Practice, Practice

17. Marketing to Other Teams
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)
Mentoring other year around
Pins/Buttons

18. Pins and Buttons
Sean
Here are some examples

19. We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do!19

20. Can they hear you coming?20

21. Embracing your Image!

22. The FIRST Community
FIRST Outreach – professional conferences and events

23. 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

24. Benefits Fundraising Member Recruitment Sponsor Demos School Demos
Professional Conferences
Local Businesses
Associations, Clubs and Chamber of Commerce
Member Recruitment
School Demos
Science Programs
Summer Camps
Community Outreach

25. Outreach and Community25

26. 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.

27. Engage in the Conversation

28. Social Media Strategy Opportunity to learn a new skill
Target Your Audiences
Select your channels
List your Goals and Objectives for each
Identify key persons responsible for managing sites and creating content

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
Invite people to come to events
Employ numerous admins to share the responsibility
Watch for up and coming channels
Experiment to see what works best for you

31. Getting the Word Out

32. Sponsors Unique Market Your Team Sponsors on Shirts
Grants (Rookies and Veterans)
Voluntary
Matching
Personal Connections

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

34. Keep Your Sponsors Informed
Upcoming Events
Newsletters/ s
Use pictures

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

36. Gracious Professionalism

37. 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
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