This document provides strategies for effective marketing and outreach on a limited budget. It discusses creating clear and accessible materials for newcomers, using social media to promote services, building partnerships with other organizations, and how volunteers can help with community outreach. Specific tips include writing promotional materials in clear language tailored to the audience, designing eye-catching flyers, using newsletters and social media like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to engage clients and partners, and developing volunteer roles to strengthen community connections. The goal is to share low-cost ideas for getting information to those who need it through creative and collaborative promotion.

1. Marketing Outside the Box
Getting the Word Out
on a Shoestring
Melissa Pedersen and Mike Doutre
OCASI 2012

2. Objective:
To share strategies
for marketing on a Shoestring
• Creating materials for newcomers
• Using Social Media to market
• Partnership building
• How volunteers can help
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3. Opening Activity: Facing Reality
Discussion:
• What are your challenges?
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4. A Good Ad or Flyer
• Speaks in “Clear Writing”
• Talks about benefits
• Has the “right” amount of information
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5. Clear Writing
• Presents information so it is easy
for everyone to read
• Speaks the “language of the
reader”
• Thinks about looks
• Avoids jargon and technical
words
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6. Clear Writing asks…
• Who is my audience?
• What are their abilities?
• What are their needs?
• What do I want to tell my
reader?
Discussion to answer questions 6

7. Principles of Clear Writing for
Newcomers
• Write directly to your
readers…”you”
• Speak in verbs
• Use active voice
• Consider their language level and
write at that level
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8. • Avoid busy backgrounds
that make reading difficult
• Stop using overly
complicated language or
jargon
• Don’t create large
paragraphs of text, they
are hard to follow and are
not memorable
• Avoid any font size smaller
that 11pt.
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9. Purpose of a Flyer
• To match what you offer to a need
• To make the reader curious about
what you offer
• To entice the reader to connect with
you for more information
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10. Creating a Flyer
• Remember the Principles of Clear
Writing
• Be a minimalist
• Think of how the flyer will be used
• Think of who will read it
• Have easy to find contact information
• Remember funder required wording
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11. Activity: Create the “Perfect Flyer!”
You are presenting a group information session on
Banking in Canada to some of your clients.
Using the information in your handout for Activity 1,
create a flyer to promote this event.
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12. Calendar vs. Flyers
• How are you using your promo?
• Where will it be posted?
• What information do you need to give?
• Who will be reading it?
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13. Newsletters: Top of Mind Marketing
• Remind clients of services they had, can get and
can tell others about
• Inform community partners about services and
events they can tell their clients about
• Inform clients and community partners about
expertise they can associate with your
organization
• Draw on talent and knowledge you have in your
organization
• Are an inexpensive, creative way to communicate
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14. Who is Social Networking?
• Everyone!

15. Get Started
• Create an account
• Build your presence
• Join the conversation

16. Create an Account
• Visit LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter
o Watch how other organizations build profiles
and post information
o Get a feel for how each website is used
o Create a basic profile for your organization
o Take your time – you’re better off not posting
something than posting something you’ll regret
• Remember – these programs can help
your outreach NOT replace it
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17. Build your Presence
• All sites ask you to describe yourself
– Think of your “elevator pitch”
• Consider the medium, your audience and your
goal

18. Activity: Create an “Elevator Pitch”
for your Organization
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19. Join the Conversation
• Join the conversation
• Stay authentic and professional

20. Tips for Interacting
• Groups vs. page, private vs. public
• Don’t abuse your network
• Google yourself
• Corporate policy, privacy and security
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21. Partnership Building
• What networking really is
o Making better connections
o Improving networks with each other
o Improving networks with other community
organizations
• Partnering for better marketing
o Inreaching and outreaching
o CIC Partnership model
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22. Volunteers and Community Outreach
• Volunteers can be doorways into the community
• Hosting Placement/Co=op Students can be win-
win
• Work Plans help
o What are your needs?
o What are their skills?
o What are your objectives/outcomes?
o How can they help achieve them?
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23. Activity: Sharing Best Outreach
Practices
Discussion:
• What’s working for you and how can it be
better?
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24. Q and A
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