TARGETED ADVERTISING:GETTING THE BEST FOR YOUR BUCK

Steve Burton, CEOSheila Moran, Director of Communication & Marketing

What We Want You to Learn: •The importance of a marketable program•The importance of marketing your marketable program!•How to create more public awareness about your program•How to make your phone ring more•The basics of traditional media design and buying•How Social Media is changing the advertising game

Who Are We? • First Choice Health Systems, Inc, established

in 1995 as a statewide network of behavioral health providers, manages various state contracts

• Answered RFP in December 1999 to design and implement a statewide gamblers help program

• Provided comprehensive treatment program for gamblers in WV for over 12 years

A Little On Our Program

Client follow-up

Counselor sent information

Referral made

Data collected

Conversational intake completed

Crisis intervention

Telephone answered by trained clinician

Just A Little More On Our Program…..All callers (including loved ones) offered a free two-hour

consult with one of our network counselors

Scheduled while on the line

Appointments are local/Often within 1-3 days

Referred to support services and information mailed

Immediate & long term follow-up and care management

Up to 20 sessions funded by us for qualified callers

A Little About West Virginia•We are one of the least populated states•Much of our area is rural•We have A LOT of gambling•Our annual budget is about 1.6 million•We spend nearly a third of our budget on advertising and marketing!

The Best $25.00 We Ever Spent

We Surveyed PG Programs:

None, 18.2%

Less than 10%, 63.6%

11%-20%, 18.2%

What percentage of your budget goes towards advertising/marketing?

Eleven Years Of Our Referral Data

A Few Things We Have Discovered•Always ask about referral source(Survey says most of you do)•Sometimes folks get their own referral source wrong•Novelty doesn’t equal success!•Advertising is crucial-there is a clear positive correlation between the amount we spend on ads and how many clients we help!

Conferences

• Increased public awareness• Overlap with prevention

efforts• Major source of indirect

referrals for us• Sometimes free or discounted

for non-profits

Earned Media•How the media “find” stories•The power of using real stories•Basics of a good press release•Pictures are great!•There must be a hook•Timing is everything

Looking in Your Own Back Yard

(and encouraging everyone else to check their own yard!)

• Problem gamblers are often already in the “system” for other issues

• This is one of our biggest source of referrals• Make it EASY and ADVANTAGEOUS for the

clinician to use your service

The Yellow Pages•Many big cities have several brands of Yellow Pages to choose from (Yellow Pages, Yellow Book, Superpages, Verizon,etc…)•Just in WV we have over 70 directories•Our survey showed that 78% of respondent PG programs still use YP Ads•Most industry sponsored research indicates that usage has remained relatively stable •Why this is controversial •http://www.atcmag.com/v3n1/article2.asp

When Is The Last Time You Used The Yellow Pages?

•Our Yellow Pages referrals have decreased from 12% in 2002 to 3% in 2011•Placement can be expensive and time consuming

•Using YP placement agencies•If you opt out of the printed Yellow Pages, make sure you are listed in the White Pages (only automatic if your phone service is with the utility who publishes them)

Online Yellow Pages

• You can get a FREE online Yellow Pages listing• YP online now has many competitors that also

offer free listings (Ask.com, DexKnows, Yelp, general google searches)

Billboards-Our biggest Paid Referral Source

Billboard Purchasing

• Product material• Placement• Free or reduced rate boards• Length of campaign

Billboard Design-The Good, The Bad….And The Awkward

• Readable• Attention getting• Message, not detailhttp://adceterainc.wordpress.com/2010/05/29/billboard-advertising/

The Good

http://www.inspirefirst.com/2011/06/17/creative-billboard-ads/

http://www.saynotocrack.com/index.php/2007/01/15/top-10-billboard-advertisements/

The Bad

http://72.47.194.167/

http://stevejencks.wordpress.com/2008/07/31/most-billboard-designs-are-bad-even-at-70-mph/

The Awkward

Television Commercials

• PSAs• Design• Production• Scheduling• Cable vs. Network• Target Audience• Reach and Frequency

Your Website

• Our survey says almost all of you have one!• Content management systems vs. outsourcing• Analytics• Clear path to help

Search Engine Optimization

• Paid– Search engine ads (Google Adwords)– Paid ads on other sites (Newspapers, etc..)

• Organic– Linking– Keywords– Registration

• Do-it-yourself vs. outsourcing

http://www.businessinsider.com/10-basic-seo-tips-everyone-should-know-2010-1?op=1

Facebook• Free!• 57% of our survey respondents have a FB page• Around 750 million people use it• Great free insights• Confidentiality issues• Gaming neutrality issueshttp://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/

Facebook Advertising-The Basics• Website vs. FB page promotion• Creative ideas• New ad vs. “friend” story• Audience targeting• Objective (click vs. like)• “Reach” + “People Talking About”• Budgeting (pay per click vs. pay per impression)

• Scheduling

Facebook Advertising-Advantages

• Comparatively inexpensive• Extreme audience targeting• Ability to ad test• Midcourse correction

Facebook Advertising-Disadvantages

• Believe it or not, there are some people who don’t use Facebook!

• Some major ad sponsors have pulled out, citing lack of return on investment

• Since many of the people who view the ad are already using the internet, it may be more likely that they will click your site rather than call for help

Should You Hire An Agency?

• Advantages-experience, knowledge of industry, buying power

• Cost considerations–Retainers, creative fees, administrative fees,

markups

How Involved Should the Gaming Industry Be With Your Advertising?

The Take Away

• If you’re not advertising effectively, your program may not reach its potential

• There are many free/low cost ways to bring attention to your program

• Your funding and your program’s future may be directly tied to the results from your advertising