Almabase Brand Strategy - OLD DOC

Stage 1: Brand Awareness

Objective: 

Brand Awareness - To get potential prospects to be aware about ‘Almabase’

Key Results

  • Higher open rates for marketing emails (because the emails are bound to provide value and not be salesy) - Target: 15%
  • Higher participation (likes & comments) from ICPs on our social media posts via Almabase Official Page (we have never measured this so I don’t yet know what target to set here)
  • Higher subscribers
  • Higher content downloads
  • Ad clicks/impressions
  • Brand mentions across the web (Google Alerts)
  • Backlink growth
  • EXPERIMENTAL: Questionnaires/survey responses on website(widgets), social media, emails
  • Higher email open rates when the SDRs reach out to anybody who has been nurtured by marketing - FOR LATER


Initiatives

1. Influencer Marketing

We’ve seen how influencers/leaders have helped us expand our social media presence in the past few months. Here’s what we can do:

  • Produce high-quality lists (blogs like Black Alumni Leaders) featuring influencers. 2 per month → 6 per quarter
  • Get those featured to endorse these posts. Currently the process is not happening the way it should be. Build a checklist with a marketing plan for each and every listicle.
  • Email the influencers right after the post is published. Just informing that they’ve been featured and ask if they’d like to share the post on their LinkedIn. Give them a template (make it easier).
  • Follow-up email: Tie in an incentive for them to post on social media/for those who have already posted, ask if they would want to share this with their mailing list?
  • Research the people who are a part of the Alumni Relations Professionals group on Fb & LinkedIn. Encourage these influencers to post on these groups. (Experimental: Also get them to post on CASE Communities)
  • Get them on our podcasts & roundtables - spread the word post that with their email list & social media
  • Testimonials? (Getting customers who are CASE Speakers like Joycelyn Blizzard & Ellie Barker to endorse us/our product directly)

2. Retargeting Ads - #1

Experiment with different kind of messaging for rest of database
  • Branding - #1 Alumni Management Software on G2 Crowd, The Most Alumni-Centric Solution For Your School/College/University
  • Lead Gen/Educational - Content Downloads (Eg: Want ideas to grow your annual fund? Download this quick guide)
  • Target pain points of specific buyers (Is outdated data leading to low alumni engagement? Here’s how Almabase helps) - Role based targeting - VP of Advancement, Director of Alumni Relations, Director of Annual Fund - a person who is charged with taking the call
  • Fundraising Director, Events Coordinator, Development Director, etc. (after the awareness stage)
  • A testimonial campaign. See example below:

For ABM Leads
  • Personalized messaging ads for different segments (K-12, liberal arts, public universities)
  • Personalized messaging targeting pain points for job roles (Alumni relations director, database development, fundraising, career services) ~ (Challenge: Can we get relevant data for this?)
  • Testimonial campaign (like above but catered to the type of organization/job role. Eg: An events coordinator saying - Almabase made transitioning to a Virtual Homecoming for us smooth!)

3. Email Marketing 7-8 step drip campaign?

Here’s where we need to absolutely come across as thought leaders ~ Alumni Centricity
  • Webinar, podcast, roundtable, spotlights information. (webinars - we’re doing a good job, the rest aren’t figured out yet)
  • Emails that target pain points of ICPs
  • Testimonial from influencers (Jocelyn Blizzard, Ellie Barker - frequent case speakers - how they love Almabase)