If you have limited resources to invest in communications, you will want to be thoughtful in your choices and be prepared to pre-test and evaluate the effectiveness of each outreach pathway. A marketing firm will help you think about the best pathways for your audiences, campaign themes and budget. In the meantime, here are some suggestions.
Broadcast Media (High cost, but has the potential to have high impact)
- Use to reach all audiences.
- Using television will require an incisive strategy to take advantage of audience research, sympathetic outlets and new programming to connect with target audiences.
- There may be an opportunity to air Public Service Announcements for relatively low costs; a social interest-based marketing firm could help determine if this is feasible.
- National Public Radio would be an appropriate venue for the target audiences; the task will be to create earned media events to get on the air.
- Community and campus radio has a smaller reach, but a loyal following. This would be a venue for getting no-cost air-time with PSAs, but the message might just disappear among all the other information. An earned media campaign could get you on the air for a longer period of time; examples include current affairs programs, environmental programs or community-based programs to talk about upcoming events. Again, a marketing firm could help determine if this would be the best strategy for your target audience.
- On commercial radio, talking about a community event on the morning show is an excellent way to reach a wide audience.
News Media (Low cost, yet high impact with some audiences)
- Use to reach all audiences, especially Elected Officials and Decision-Makers.
- Eco-literacy stories, framed around the values and concerns message, will help audiences understand basic watershed concepts, threats to the River and proposed solutions.
- Take the time to cultivate relationships with media personnel. Identify reporters, and editors and writers who are interested in environmental issues and sympathetic with your message. Ask them what kinds of stories they are interested in, their interview formats and honor their deadlines.
- Although you can’t control a news story, you can and must be disciplined about how you tell your story. Stay on message and help the reporter find the people, quotes and images they need to reinforce it. You will have success when reporters tell your story, your way.
Paid Advertising (Cost and impact varies)
- Use to reach Mississippi Mavens, Distant Connecteds and You-First Neighbors and other public audiences.
- Radio spots and even television can be surprisingly inexpensive in small and medium-sized markets.
- Paid advertising can provide exceptional exposure to specific targeted audiences, and you have control over the message and content.
- Do a careful cost-benefit analysis if paid advertising will reach your target audience. Web ads or radio ads may be a more appropriate pathway.
Lifestyle and Recreational Media (Cost varies, with potentially high impact)
- Use to reach all audiences.
- Think about the lifestyle section in newspapers, vacation planners, tourism “weeklies,” garden guides, etc.; e.g. the places where people get information about how to enjoy life.
- This is a natural placement for “quality-of-life” and sense-of-place stories.
- This venue may also be a good way to reach policy and decision-makers when they are relaxed.
Electronic Media — Web sites & e-mail (Low cost and can have high impact)
- Use to reach members of your organizations, Mississippi Mavens, Distant Connecteds and Elected Officials and Decision-Makers.
- As a source of instant information and two-way communications, there is no more powerful and cost-effective medium
- Target audiences can sign up for “action-alerts” or other outreach e-mail.
- Using automated software, e-mail communications can be linked from a campaign website; these messages can be personalized and target subscriber interests and provide instant citizen action on timely issues.
Partner and Allies Newsletters (Low cost and can have a high impact)
- Use to reach members of your organizations, Mississippi Mavens and You-First Neighbors.
- This is a natural pathway to reach engaged and committed audiences. Incorporate Mississippi River restoration messages into newsletters, emails and donor letters. Write a series about restoration efforts.
- Make it easy for your target audience – tell the story in a compelling way. Provide examples of editorials, letters to the editor or letters to policy makers.
- Make sure key message points are conveyed in both your story and your sample letters.
Public Signs and Point-of-Experience Products (Cost and impact varies)
- Use to reach Mississippi Mavens, Distant Connecteds and You-First Neighbors and other public audiences.
- Environmental education partners can play a significant role, especially agencies and institutions that provide interpretative and other public services in or near recreational destinations
- Local, provincial and national parks are natural places for displays, brochures, signs and even posters in the campground shower rooms.
- Other “point of experience” places include marinas and boat launches, fish cleaning stations in parks, “welcome” and visitor centers, nature centers, public and private campgrounds, beaches, boardwalks, waterfront parks and picnic areas.
- Retailers, outfitters, resorts and others who contribute to the “Mississippi River experience” could also play a role.
- Displays, restaurant place mats, checklists (e.g. “10 Things You Can Do for the Mississippi River”), etc., are all venues for making a stronger connection between experience and responsibility. Creative placement of messages at local businesses, such as through beer coasters, table tents and placemats in riverside restaurants or bait shops, might appeal to people who live in the area and make regular visits to the River.
- Partnering with local businesses or the Chamber of Commerce in campaigns or as messengers may also add more credibility for messages about the economic value of protecting the River.
Public Events (Cost varies, but it does have high impact with some audiences)
- Use to reach all audience—public, political and media.
- Inspirational celebrations, field trips and volunteer opportunities will help build commitment and activate target audiences.
- This is a good pathway to distribute factsheets with your message.
- One possibility would be to link local events up along the River. You could coordinate the event with a policy initiative to get signatures on a petition or write letters to public officials.
- Beach party cleanups, bird counts or restoration programs can highlight threats and solutions. Invite the media and plan for photo ops. Citizen science monitoring projects, such as invasive species counts, water quality data collection or bioblitzes for counting native species are additional opportunities to raise awareness about the River.
- Photo contests and story contests are a good way to engage people while collecting images and stories about the River.
Novelty Items and Unexpected Pathways (Low cost, but impact varies)
- Use to reach Mississippi Mavens, Distant Connecteds and You-First Neighbors and other public audiences.
- Bumper stickers, key chains and people in fish suits all fall under this category. In some cases these are relatively traditional pathways, like bumper stickers, t-shirts, coffee mugs and key chains. But, in other cases, they are rather unusual, like bar coasters, skywriting and stickers.
- Good design, the appropriate tone and a reasonable distribution plan can make a simple “penny item” really standout. As environmental groups, however, we should be especially vigilant about NOT creating more waste.
Places Where People Gather (Low cost and the impact varies)
- Use to reach Mississippi Mavens, Distant Connecteds and You-First Neighbors, and other public audiences.
- Church study groups to school programs, book clubs, block parties and even shopping mall displays all have the opportunity to place messages in social conversations in the region.
- Places of civic engagement will offer numerous opportunities to reach the engaged frequent voters. These include posters at specific events (neighborhood meetings, Rotary dinners, PTA meetings), information or a special event at a central location (Chamber of Commerce, community center, senior center) or articles in newsletters of various civic organizations.