Ø Explain the company's policy and philosophy on working with nonprofits to help promote activities and events.
Ø 4 ways
· Free – We partner on an event as the exclusive media sponsor – you select us as your radio partner and we promote via live chat, recorded announcements, using our web site … all in return for connecting with the people at your event and print/tv/web collateral.
· Buy one – Get one ….. or more for your investment.
· Bringing on a non-competitive 3rd party sponsor – who underwrites your messages on our station and can connect with people on site at your event (Climb UAlbany- American Lung Association).
· Standard old fashioned recorded psa’s – not as commonly used as once was.
Ø What is one piece of advice you would give before contacting your company looking for marketing support?
· Line up what is in it for the station – what are your assets?
· The station will want to put banners up, and perhaps place table tents, ticket giveaways, inclusion in the program notes, guest MC, van’s outside, connection to your email list, your direct mail list, letters of thanks and plaques afterwards – what about the naming rights?
· Identify / offer relationships that may be strong third party connections to help fund some of the messages.
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Ø How can nonprofits best utilize what your organization has to offer?
· Interviews – Having a CEO on with Paul Vandenburgh or other morning personalities can go a long way.
· Music station’s have access to up and coming celebrities – perhaps a performance for free in return for naming rights – Aids council does Dining out for life and the local partnering radio station secured a fairly big up and coming act to perform.
· The station’s go out all over the place – have them bring your info for distribution – or join them on location every so often –Better!
Ø How has media policies changed in terms of pro bono marketing assistance to non-profits in the past few years, and what changes do you see coming down the road?
5 years ago when I was VP Marketing at ABC I had no problem sitting at my desk and writing orders for PSA’s 30 a week over six radio stations --no problem many psa’s on the radio. That is a thing of the past.
While each is/was important messages, increased competition – ipods, internet, made the industry scrutinize every message (outside of the music or entertainment). It forced all of us to get better and many organizations (realizing the impact/value of radio) allocated budgets, found third party sponsors and have seen a bigger return than ever before.
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