Breakout Session 1C. Marketing Trails & Developing Your Trail...
Transcript of Breakout Session 1C. Marketing Trails & Developing Your Trail...
Brianna TaylorAccount Supervisor Devine + [email protected](215) 568-2525
Mary O’ConnorRails-to-Trails ConservancyVice President of [email protected](202) 974-5126
Breakout Session 1C.Marketing Trails & Developing Your Trail Brand
Section I:What is a brand?
At it’s core a brand is a
promise
Delaware & Lehigh
Washington & Old Dominion
The High Line
Brand Examples: Individual Trail Brands
• Great Alleghany Passage
• The Circuit Trails
Brand Examples: Multi-Trail Brands
Amenity Necessity
Trails are nice to have
I use trails for fun
I need trails in my
neighborhood
I demand trails for my community
The Relationship Evolution
Non-Profit Brands
• Website• Social platforms• Swag• Direct mail pieces• Online fundraising/Digital
communications• Magazine/Print collateral• Organizations voice• Events• Signage• Staff: what they say and how
they say it
Elements of Your Trail Brand
• Unified message
• Increase brand recognition• Individual trails
• Trail networks
• Motivate trail use & engagement
• Create excitement & advocacy for continued trail development• Among trail users
• Decision makers
Goals of Brand Building
Section II:How to Develop (or Refine) Your Trail BrandWhat is a brand?
STEP 1: Define your target audience
• Who are you trying to reach?• Casual trail users
• Avid cyclists
• Commuters
• Potential trail users
• Prioritize & be specific
• Locals
• Visitors
• History buffs
• Nature lovers
Primary: local resident end users of the trails – bicyclists, runners, hikers, pedestrians, nature enthusiasts, fishers and other visitors to the trail
Secondary: Visiting tourists, Circuit Coalition organizations, government, funders, volunteers, businesses
STEP 2: Create a brand mission statement
• Purpose of existing
• What are your goals for creating or redefining your trail brand?
• Logo, tagline, visuals, messaging all support this mission
Create a Circuit brand that reinforces that the Circuit offers users what they want (exercise activity in nature), while increasing awareness about the makeup and diversity of the trail system and it’s many uses.
STEP 3: Find your trail’s value
• Elevate, not differentiate
• What makes your trail special?
D&L – Nature, history, recreation; PA’s longest rail trail
Schuylkill River Trail – Connecting the urban to the suburban to the rural
Size: One of the largest trail networks in the country
Connections: Connects communities; people to green
space/waterways
Proximity: 79% of the region’s population will live within 2 miles
Use: Multi-use; Endless opportunities for recreation; commuting
STEP 4: Create a visual brand for your trail• Visual representation of your brand promise
• Official logo, font, and colors are all part of a unique identity system
• As brand strengthens, the logo alone will invoke the brand promise
STEP 4: Create a visual brand for you trail
STEP 5: Establish your voice• Brand voice should fit your brand purpose
• Opportunity to let your trail’s unique personality shine through
• Playful, professional, conversational, quirky
• Be consistent
Semi-informal, engaging to end-users, conversational
So whether you bike it, walk it, or run it, the point is – just
enjoy it.
Discover 100s of miles of happy
STEP 6: Define your key messages
• Who you are? – PA’s longest rail trail (D&L)
• What you offer? Access to nature, history, recreation (D&L)
• Why people should care? Access to green space, health and wellness, economic development
• Create an easy to deliver elevator pitch – 1-2 sentences
One of America’s largest trail networks is in your backyard.
The Circuit Trails is a vast regional network of hundreds of
miles of multi-use trails that is growing in size each year. The
Circuit connects our local communities, providing endless
opportunities for recreation and commuting.
STEP 7: Be consistent
• Your brand should be ever-present
• Across all aspects of your work – website, T-shirts, events, collateral
• Remember – everything communicates!
STEP 7: Be consistent
Section III:Developing Your Marketing Plan
1. Goals
2. Audience
3. Messages
4. Channels
5. Resources
6. Metrics
Elements of a marketing plan
• What are your top organizational goals?
More people on the trailInfluence decision makers
Raise more moneyConnect with the community
Engage youthGrow volunteer baseBuild public profile
Establish a new trail vision
ELEMENT 1: Goals
• As we discussed before- who are you communicating with?
• Be specific with how you communicate
ELEMENT 2: Audience
• What is your call to action?• What will you ask people to do?
• What do you want them to say about your trail?
ELEMENT 3: Messages
ELEMENT 4: Channels
Best channel for the
audience
Best call to action for the audience
and channel
Best audience
Carry messages across channels
Owned Content
WebsiteBlog
Annual ReportNewsletters
Email SignaturesSignageEventsFlags
Marketing Materials
Direct Mail
Earned Content
BroadcastOnline StoriesPrint Stories
Op-Eds & Commentaries
Shared Content
FacebookTwitter
InstagramEtc.
Paid Content
Traditional AdsDigital Ads
Boosted Posts
ELEMENT 5: Resources
• Budget• How much can you spend?
• What will you invest in to promote your brand?
• Staff time• Do you have staff with time budgeted to support your marketing efforts?
• Expertise• Do you have the expertise you need on staff? Do you need training,
consultants or new team members?
ELEMENT 6: Metrics
• Identify top level goals
• Keep consistent records
• Prioritize measuring your efforts
Measure what you want to achieve-It seems simple but it is not!
Section IV:Implementation Tips & Tricks
Partnerships – Give & Get
• Partnerships can help amplify your message
• Engage with partners and they will engage with you
• Meet with CVBs, important local businesses, town leaders• Make it clear how you can help them
• Be specific about what you need from them
Scalability
• Picking your channels• Be choosy
• Be smart
• Don’t use every social option• Choose the platforms (or platform) that you can do well and where your
audience can be found
• Be specific in prioritizing your audience
Resources• Brianna Taylor: [email protected], 215.568.2525
• Mary O’Connor: [email protected], 202.974.5126
• Blogs we like:• Beth’s Blog, Beth Kanter: www.bethkanter.org
• Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog: www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog
• John Haydon Social Media Marketing: www.johnhaydon.com
• Books we like:
Brianna TaylorAccount Supervisor Devine + [email protected](215) 568-2525
Mary O’ConnorRails-to-Trails ConservancyVice President of [email protected](202) 974-5126
Breakout Session 1C.Marketing Trails & Developing Your Trail Brand