TARGETED ADVERTISING:
GETTING THE BEST
YOUR BUCK
FOR
Steve Burton, CEO
Sheila 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
Telephone answered by trained clinician
Crisis intervention
Conversational intake completed
Data collected
Referral made
Counselor sent information
Client follow-up
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:
What percentage of your budget goes
towards advertising/marketing?
11%-20%,
18.2%
None,
18.2%
Less than
10%,
63.6%
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 detail
http://adceterainc.wordpress.com/2010/05/29/billboard-advertising/
The Good
http://www.inspirefirst.com/2011/06/17/creat
ive-billboard-ads/
http://www.saynotocrack.com/index.php/200
7/01/15/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-70mph/
The Awkward
Television Commercials
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•
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•
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•
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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
http://www.businessinsider.com/10-basic-seotips-everyone-should-know-2010-1?op=1
• Do-it-yourself vs. outsourcing
Facebook
• Free!
• 57% of our survey respondents have a FB page
• Around 750 million people use it
• Great free insights
• Confidentiality issues
• Gaming neutrality issues
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/
Facebook Advertising-The Basics
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•
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•
•
•
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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