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Marketing Services GuideUnderstanding how to market services under the NDIS

24 June 2016

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Understanding how to market services under the NDISMarketing Services Guide | 24 June 2016

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Contents

1 Understanding how to market services to clients under NDIS..........................................................3

2 What is your marketing objective?....................................................................................................5

3 Completing your marketing checklist.................................................................................................6

Step 1: Understanding your value proposition.............................................................................................7

Step 2: Understanding your client groups and their perceptions...............................................................10

Step 2a: Defining your client groups................................................................................................10

Step 2b: Understanding your client’s characteristics and perceptions............................................13

Step 3: Understanding your market opportunity.......................................................................................15

Step 4: Positioning your brand...................................................................................................................18

Step 4a: Developing your brand.......................................................................................................18

Step 4b: Positioning your brand.......................................................................................................21

Step 5: Communicating your value proposition.........................................................................................23

Step 6: Developing a marketing plan..........................................................................................................26

4 Implementing and evaluating a marketing plan..............................................................................29

Appendix A Glossary.................................................................................................................................30

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1 Understanding how to market services to clients under NDIS

What is marketing and why is it important?

What is the output of this tool?

How do I use this tool?

Marketing is about creating, communicating, and delivering value to current and prospective clients through services that meet their needs. The NDIS will make the disability sector increasingly competitive. To succeed in this environment, providers will require a plan to communicate the benefits of their services to keep current customers and attract new ones.

• After using the tool you will have a marketing plan which details your key marketing messages and how you will communicate these.

• The tool takes you through a 6 step process to developing a marketing plan. • This document provides you with guidance on completing each step. • The attached template document provides you with editable templates to use.

Overview of resource

What is marketing and why is it important?Marketing is about creating, communicating, and delivering value to current and prospective clients through services that meet their needs. To be able to market services effectively, you need to know your customers, what they want, and what your organisation does best. Marketing is broader than just promotion. Marketing also includes service design, pricing, and channels of interaction with existing and potential clients, including: website, apps, emails and letters, word of mouth from clients and social media, as well as advertising through mediums such as online, newspapers, flyers and brochures.

Participants in the NDIS will choose who provides their service, and how and when it is delivered. This means that the market for disability services will be increasingly competitive. Participants will have greater flexibility to purchase new services and will be exploring their options for new services. To be successful in this environment, disability services will have to effectively market their services to maintain existing clients and attract new clients.

What is the output of this tool?This tool will assist you in developing a marketing plan. A marketing plan defines how you will articulate your value proposition1 to NDIS participants.

This tool provides guidance and templates on each step of the process. After using the tool you will have:

A better understanding of:

your value proposition

your client groups

the market opportunity for your organisation

1 A value proposition is the benefit you provide to your clients, and how you do it uniquely well.

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the brand positioning of your organisation

the channels to communicate your value proposition

A marketing plan which details the key strengths of your business and the ways in which you will communicate these to NDIS participants

A Gantt chart to assist you in executing your marketing plan

An understanding of how to implement the marketing plan and evaluate its outcomes.

How do I use the tool?The tool takes you through five steps to develop and implement a marketing plan. The steps you will undertake are detailed below in Figure 1. In each step guidance is provided to assist you.

Figure 1: Steps to develop a marketing plan

Defining your objectives

Understanding your value

proposition

Understanding your client

groups

Understanding your market opportunity

Positioning your brand

Developing a marketing plan

Implementing and evaluating

a marketing plan

Pre-work Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 6 Post-work

Communicating your value

proposition

Step 5

Attached to this tool is a set of complementary templates for you to use. Where relevant, a step of the tool will refer you to an attached template.

Attached to the tool is also a glossary of key terms. If you are unsure what a term means, refer to the glossary for guidance.

When do I use the tool?Planning your marketing should be an ongoing activity. As your organisation and the disability market changes in response to the NDIS, you will need to update and revise your marketing planning. Refer to your marketing plan regularly and ask if it is still up-to-date. If it needs updating review your marketing plan using the steps in this tool.

What do I need to know before using this tool?This tool is appropriate for people and organisations regardless of their level of experience with marketing. It doesn’t assume experience in marketing and provides guidance throughout.

Before using the tool, think about the following:

Your organisation’s strategic goals: Before using the tool you should have a strong understanding of your businesses service offering and strategic direction. If you are unsure what your strategic direction is, refer to Tool 1 and the NDS guidance document on strategic planning

Gather existing information on client perceptions: You will also need to understand your clients’ perceptions of your services – this can be from formal engagement with clients (using Tool 2), existing surveys, feedback or informal conversations between service delivery staff and clients.

Research and collaborate with others: You will likely need to do some external research to complete the tool. You will also need to collaborate with others – consider colleagues, key stakeholders and contacts that can make valuable contributions.

Take your time and review: Don’t plan on completing the tool in one go. Work through the tool at your own pace. Set aside a few hours to first go through the tool (including reviewing the key terms in the glossary attached) and then revisit the tool later and revise what you have done.

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http://www.nds.org.au/asset/view_document/979318268


2 What is your marketing objective?Before you develop your marketing plan, it is important to reflect on the objective of marketing for your organisation. Considering your overall objective will ensure that your marketing aligns with the other activities of your organisation.

In defining your objectives, consider the strategic direction of your organisation (which may be defined in a strategic plan or from Tool 1).

The service lifecycle defines the stages of generating, introducing and modifying services. Reflect on the below table to consider what stage in this lifecycle your organisation is currently at. This should then inform your thinking in filling out the tool.

Table 1: Service lifecycle

When in the service lifecycle are you marketing your services?

We have developed new ideas for services to effectively meet current and future clients’ needs.

We have a number of new services or existing services. We want to select which services will best meet client's needs.

We have modified an existing service. We want to market the modified service to clients.

We have partnered with another organisation to deliver a service. We want to market this service.

We want to market our services to client groups we don’t currently work with.

We have introduced a new service. We want to market this new service.

Service generation Service selection

Service modification:

Existing services

Service modification:

Partnering

Service introduction:

New client groups

Service introduction:New services

= Not applicable

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3 Completing your marketing checklistThe checklist below guides you through the process for marketing your services effectively. Clicking the steps in the orange boxes will navigate you to the relevant step in this tool. Checking the boxes on the right-hand side of the checklist will help you to keep track of your progress.

Step 1: Understanding your value proposition

We understand how customers perceive us and what this means to how we are different to others.

Step 2: Understanding your client groups and their perceptions

We know who our customers might be and understand their defining characteristics.

We understand what customers most value in their services. Step 3: Understanding your market opportunity

We understand how we compare to other services in our market. Step 4: Positioning your brand

We have a brand that puts our value proposition in the context of our broader market.

We understand our brand’s position relative to other service providers. Step 5: Communicating your value proposition

We understand the best messages and channels to communicate our value proposition to current and future clients.

Step 6: Developing a marketing plan

We have a plan to coordinate and sequence our marketing efforts. We are ready to execute our marketing plan.

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Step 1: Understanding your value propositionStep 1 focuses on understanding and defining the benefits you present to existing and potential clients. You will be working with the following templates in the corresponding pack:

Template A – Analysis of value proposition.

Why is this step important?

What information do I need?

What is the output?

• Attracting clients in a competitive NDIS environment will require a strong and unique value proposition.

• A value proposition is the benefit you provide to your clients, and how you do it uniquely well.

• You will need information on your clients perceptions. This could include existing surveys of clients and feedback your staff have received from clients.

• At the end of this step you will have identified your organisation’s value proposition.

Step 1 Overview

Ensuring that your services are attractive to NDIS participants requires having an attractive ‘brand’. Your brand is what people know you offer, including the benefits of the services you provide. An attractive brand will be one that is different to competitors and has a strong value proposition.

There can be confusion between how an organisation’s brand and value proposition differ. A helpful way to look at this is that:

Your value proposition is the benefits you provide to your clients and how you do it uniquely well.

Your brand is how you position this value proposition within the market, including your current and prospective clients, competitors and partners. It is the whole cluster of benefits that your organisation provides, supported by things that the market can see, hear and feel (e.g. name, slogan, logo, website design, staff uniforms).

For example, Volvo’s central value proposition is ‘safety.’ Volvo has built a brand around this core promise of the organisation, looking for aspects of its product that fit with the promise and differentiate it from other cars in the market. Speed and fashion don’t fit comfortably with safety, so would not work to position the Volvo correctly in the eyes of prospective buyers Instead, Volvo builds its brand out by extending its value proposition of safety with aligned characteristics, such as the promise of a long-lasting car and a longer warranty period.

Under the NDIS, participants will have flexibility to purchase the services they choose. Participants will increasingly seek out the services that deliver the central value proposition and make their choice by seeking out the brand that deliver the most value to them. That brand is what you will seek to communicate through your marketing efforts. This section of the guide will support you in defining the central value proposition of your organisation, providing the foundation for your other marketing activities.

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Output of this stepIn this step you will complete a series of questions that will assist you in defining your value proposition. The table below is provided in the attached templates. In each column of Template A (attached separately), think about the questions in grey and then fill in each column in the attached templates.

Sources of informationYou should consider drawing on:

the views of your colleagues including service delivery staff

existing information on client perceptions (including client surveys, feedback you have received)

the outputs from Tool 2 of this series.

Things to think aboutHow is our organisation generally perceived? Think about the common themes you hear from clients. Also consider what potential clients may have heard about your organisation. These are the most dominant or widespread views about your organisation as it is today.

What services do we provide? Include all the major services you offer. If you offer a large number of services, only include those services that make up more than 10% of your work (in terms of hours of service or revenue).

What are our areas of specialisation? Specialisation may involve a service that requires particular qualifications (e.g. physiotherapy), a service that is dedicated to a particular client group (e.g. people with disability who experience mental illness) or a service that requires specialist infrastructure or facilities (e.g. hoisting equipment). Your organisation may only offer specialist services or you may offer a combination of specialist and generic services.

What do our clients say about these services? Look at the feedback you have received from clients. What are the common themes in the feedback on this service? Common themes will be those things that are frequently mentioned by clients. In thinking about common themes, you may like to use the 7Ps of Services as a checklist.2 The 7Ps of Services, shown in Table 2, are the key features that make up a service. In reflecting on what clients say about your services, think about each of the 7Ps.

Table 2: 7Ps of Services

Description

Product The service/s delivered to clients.

Pricing The price of the services that are delivered.

Place The locations in which the services are delivered including the region (e.g. Gold Coast) and the physical location of service (e.g. in-home).

Promotion The way in which your organisation promotes your services and the key messages you communicate.

People The people delivering the service, particularly the qualifications and skills of staff.

Process The process used to deliver the service. This can include the timing, flexibility and tailoring of the service.

Physical evidence Services are generally intangible. However, there are often physical elements to service delivery. For example, a service may have a building with a waiting room that clients use.

2 Winer, R. 2007. Marketing Management. Prentice Hall Publishers, p. 24

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What is our value proposition? You should define the benefits you provide to your clients and how you do it uniquely well. In other words, you should seek to define your value proposition. It should go to the core of why customers buy your service. It should summarise your organisation as a whole, highlighting the organisation’s areas of specialisation and leveraging positive client perceptions. Summarising your value proposition may be challenging – make sure you collaborate with colleagues to test your value proposition.

Table 2 below provides a template to help you develop the value proposition for your organisation. The template is also provided in editable form in the attached template document.

Table 3: Value proposition template

How is our organisation generally perceived?

What services do we provide?

What are our areas of specialisation?

What do our clients say about these services?

Our value proposition is…

When clients think about your organisation, what is front of mind?

When other stakeholders (e.g. other service providers) think about your organisation what is front of mind?

Service 1

Do you have specialist skills in delivering this service? Do you have specialist skills in delivering services to this client group? Do you have specialist infrastructure or facilities?

What are the things that clients say about this service? What are the strengths of this service? What are the weaknesses of this service?

Our organisation is known for providing… We are unique in that we provide…. and our clients receive….

Service 2 As above, for Service 2 As above, for Service 2

Service 3 As above, for Service 3 As above, for Service 3

You now have a statement of your organisation’s value proposition, which will serve as the core of your brand. To build the brand out around it, we have to take a closer look at how this value proposition sits in the context of our broader market. This is achieved by understanding our clients and their perceptions (Step 2) and understanding our market opportunity (Step 3).

What will I do with this information?You will use the information as the foundation on which to build out your brand in Step 4.

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Click to return to checklist


Step 2: Understanding your client groups and their perceptionsStep 2 focuses on understanding your client, defining the different client groups and where to focus your marketing efforts. You will be working with the following templates in the corresponding pack:

Template B – Definition of client groups.

Template C – Evaluation of client groups.

Template D – Analysis of client groups.



What is the output?

• Successful marketing meets and satisfies the needs and wants of customers. To do this, you will need to fully understand who your customers are.

• You will need information of your client groups and their perceptions. Your clients’ perceptions can be drawn from, for example, client databases, client surveys and client feedback.

• At the end of this step you will have a summary of your key client groups and their perceptions.

Step 2 Overview

The purpose of this step is to gather information about your client groups and what they are seeking from a service provider. This will provide you with the inputs to build a brand that supports your value proposition by reflecting the needs and preferences of those to who you provide (or are seeking to provide) services.

Having a strong understanding of your different clients also allows you to target your communications and marketing efforts. Segmenting clients into groups recognises the unique characteristics and specific needs of each client group, ensuring that you can effectively tailor your services and marketing to key groups.

This step is split into two parts:

Step 2a: Defining your client groups

Step 2b: Understanding client characteristics and perceptions.

Step 2a: Defining your client groups

OutputIn this step you will divide NDIS participants into key groups based on a range of demographic and service factors. After completing this step, you will have a summary of your key client groups.

This will help you understand who you are seeking to communicate with and it will be an input into the marketing plan you develop in Step 5.

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Sources of informationYou can use your databases of client details, and outputs from client demographics surveys you have conducted.

Things to think aboutDefining the market: At the outset, it is important to define the market your organisation is interested in. When considering your market, remember to consider all NDIS participants – including existing clients and NDIS participants you don’t currently deliver services to. Remember that the NDIS presents an opportunity for your organisation to work with new clients that you don’t currently service. Defining the market involves broad identification of all existing and potential clients who have a need for, and are eligible to access your services.

How we think about our client groupings: All clients are individuals - you will have to work with each client to identify their unique needs and how you can best meet them. However, to effectively understand and communicate with a large number of clients at once, we need to think about dividing clients into groups. This process is known as market segmentation, and involves dividing the market into groups based on shared characteristics. The bases for segmentation may include disability type, behavioural, demographic and geographic factors. A list of potential bases for segmentation is presented in the table below.

Table 4: Potential bases of segmentation

Disability type Service requirements Demographic Geographic

Physical disability Intellectual

disability Sensory disability Psychiatric

disability Multiple

disabilities

Service type sought

Service status (i.e. first time user of service or long-term user)

Usage rate: daily, weekly, monthly

Age Sex Language/culture Family Income

Metro Regional Rural Remote

The below table is provides an example of segmentation bases that are relevant to a NDIS service provider and is provided in the attached template. Complete the table considering the above guidance and the notes provided in grey.

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A focus on language and culture: Think about if you have clients that are from culturally and linguistically diverse groups. If there are particular groups that you often work with (e.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities etc.), you may want to include segments from these groups separately.


Table 5: Client groups template

Client group Age Disability type Geography Service types Usage rate

[Choose a name for the target customer group]

For example:Young child with disability

School aged child with a disability

Adult with disability

Family and other stakeholders

For example:Physical disability

Intellectual disability

Sensory disability

Psychiatric disability

Multiple disabilities

Metro

Regional

Rural

Remote

[Type of services that this client purchases]

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Evaluation of client groups: Once you have identified the different client groups within the market, it is beneficial to determine which groups which will be the focus of your marketing efforts. A common approach for determining the attractiveness of groups is to answer the following questions:

Identifiability: Can we easily identify the client group?

Size: Is the size of this client group sufficient to justify marketing efforts?

Accessibility: Will we be able to access this client group through communication channels?

Responsiveness: Will this client group respond to our marketing efforts?

Number of focus client groups: Based on the different client groups within your market, we want to select a manageable number for focussing our marketing efforts. The number of focus client groups you pursue will depend on the number of services you provide, the diversity of your client base and the size of your organisation. Try to keep the number of focus client groups to a manageable number (approximately 5).

The below table can be used to evaluate the client groups and is provided in the attached template. Complete the table considering the above guidance and the notes provided in grey.

Table 6: Evaluation of client groups

Client group Identifiability Size Accessibility Responsiveness Will this group be a focus client group?

[Choose a name for the target customer group]

[How easy or difficult will it be to identify clients who fall into this group through our interactions with them?]

What is the size of this client group?Is the size of this client group sufficient to justify marketing efforts?

How easy or difficult will it be to reach these customers through communication channels?]

Will this client group respond to our marketing efforts?

Y/N

What will I do with this information?The focus client groups you defined in the above table will be used in Step 2b to understand the characteristics and perceptions of your clients.

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Step 2b: Understanding your client’s characteristics and perceptions

OutputIn this step you will use the focus client groups you defined in Step 2a and try to identify their key characteristics and perceptions. This will help you better understand each group and how you can tailor marketing messages so they are targeted and most relevant to your clients.

Sources of informationYou can use information gathered in Tool 2 on client perceptions. Alternatively, you can use existing sources of information on client perceptions that you may already have. For example, surveys you have previously carried out with clients and feedback received by service delivery staff.

Things to considerThe networks that support clients: You should also think about families and other stakeholders that are involved in your clients’ purchasing decisions. Some of your clients will have strong support networks who are involved in their decision making. Therefore, it is also important to consider how those networks might perceive your services.

Relative socio-economic advantage: People with disabilities are twice as likely to live in poverty compared to the general population.3 Therefore, the level of socio-economic advantage will likely generally be low amongst your clients. Consider the level of socio-economic advantage of your clients relative to each other. Group your clients under the following:

High relative advantage: clients with disposable income who can comfortably meet their essential living expenses (e.g. food, housing and clothing)

Medium relative advantage: clients with limited disposable income who can meet their essential living expenses

Low relative advantage: clients with no disposable income who struggle to meet their essential living expenses.

Psychographic characteristics: Your clients are not just their demographics. Psychographics uses psychology and demographics to better understand clients. Psychographic groups are used by market research firms such as Roy Morgan4 and large companies such as Lend Lease5. We have included four psychographic groupings you can use to segment clients.6 These are detailed below. Later in the tool we will consider how these characteristics impact on the messages you communication to clients.

Table 7: Psychographic characteristics

Group Characteristics Service preferences Marketing messages

Believers Conservative, conventional and traditional.

Favour familiar products and established brands.

Promote the history of your organisation and the depth of experience of your staff.

3 Australian Council of Social Services, 2014. ACOSS Poverty in Australia Report 2014. Available at: http://www.acoss.org.au/media/release/2.5_million_people_living_in_poverty_in_australia_new_report

4 Roy Morgan, 2014. Roy Morgan, 2014. Value segments. Available at: http://www.roymorgan.com/products/values-segments5 Marketability, 2014. Lend Lease. Available at: http://marketability.com.au/lend-lease-psychographic-market-segmentation/6 Katler, P 2003. Marketing Management, Pearson Education International, p. 193.

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Group Characteristics Service preferences Marketing messages

StriversUncertain, insecure, approval-seeking and resource constrained.

Favour products that emulate the purchase of those with greater wealth.

Promote the high quality and/or premium nature of the service.

MakersPractical, self-sufficient, traditional and family-orientated.

Favour only products with a practical or functional purpose.

Promote the practical impact your services will have on their lives.

Strugglers Passive, concerned and resource constrained.

Cautious consumers who are generally brand loyal.

Promote the value-for-money of your products.

Client needs: In identifying what clients’ needs are, think about what they are generally are seeking from your service and what goal you are helping them meet. For example, are clients seeking to build their independence or meet an essential need such as the administration of medication?

Client perceptions: Draw on your existing information on client perceptions such as, client surveys and feedback. You may also wish to draw on the knowledge of your colleagues, particularly service delivery staff. Ensure you consider how client perceptions may be changing and evolving with the introduction of the NDIS – will these clients be expecting more or something different in the future?

Table 8 is provided in the attached templates. Complete the table considering the above guidance and the notes provided in grey.

Table 8: Client characteristics and perceptions template

Client group Networks of support

Relative socio-economic advantage

Psychographic characteristics Client need Client

perceptions

[Insert name of client group from Step 2a]

A strong network of family and friends

A network of family and friends

Limited network of family and friends

High relative socio-economic advantage

Medium relative socio-economic advantage

Low relative socio-economic advantage

Believers

Strives

Makers

Strugglers

What are the needs that these clients have that we help them meet?

What do these clients think of our services?What would they say the things are they like?What would they like to see changed or improved?

What will I do with this information?You will use this information to build out a brand to support your value proposition in Step 4 and choose an appropriate channel through which to communicate it in Step 5

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Step 3: Understanding your market opportunityStep 3 focuses on understanding your local area market and its implications for your market opportunities. You will be working with the following templates in the corresponding pack:

Template E – Analysis of market opportunity.



What is the output?

• In a competitive disability market, some organisations will be potential partners for service delivery and other organisations will be competitors. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses relative to others will be important to developing a compelling value proposition.

• You will need to identify other relevant organisations (using the attached spreadsheet and your knowledge) and find information on these organisations.

• At the end of this step you will have a summary of other services and how you compare to them.

Step 3 Overview

The purpose of this step is to gather information about your market opportunity. This will allow you the inputs to build a brand that supports your value proposition by differentiating your organisation from others providing similar services or seeking to achieve similar outcomes.

With the introduction of the NDIS, clients will have more flexibility to purchase the disability supports they need, and the marketplace for your organisation will shift considerably. In this market, other organisations will be potential partners (those organisations that provide services your clients purchase in addition to your service) and some organisations will be competitors (those organisations that are providing similar or substitute services to yours).

Understanding these other organisations is essential to understanding the market opportunity for your organisation. Understanding other organisations’ strengths and weaknesses will help you identify when an organisation is a competitor and when they are a potential partner. It will also help you identify what you do uniquely well and how to communicate this unique value proposition in your marketing.

OutputFilling in the questions and statements in Template E (attached) will assist you in identifying potential partners and competitors, and identifying their relative strengths and weaknesses. The table is provided in the attached templates.

After completing the table you will have a summary of other services and how you compare to them. This will assist you in effectively positioning your brand in Step 4.

Sources of informationIdentifying your partners and competitors: Attached is a tool which you can use to search for providers of similar services in your area (also used as part of Tool 1). You can also identify potential partners and competitors by putting yourself in a client’s shoes and searching online using the terms they would use to find your service – the service providers that come up will likely be a competitor of your organisation.

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Finding information on partners and competitors: Looking at competitors’ websites will be your primary source of information on the services they offer and their strategic direction. Specifically, look at service lists, annual reports, strategic plans and pages where they describe their organisation. Your colleagues and contacts at other service providers may also be able to assist you in identifying competitors and finding out about them.

Things to think aboutNumber of organisations: It is unlikely that you will be able to conduct research on all the disability organisations in your area. Therefore, you should select a representative sample of approximately five organisations. Ensure you select organisations that:

range in size (include small, medium and large providers)

provide a range of services, including:

organisations that provide a very similar range of services to your organisation

organisations that provide a wider range of services

organisations that specialise is some of the services you offer

are within a similar geographic area (e.g. located within your Local Government Area or are close enough to your clients that they could use the organisation).

Strengths and weaknesses: In identifying the strengths and weaknesses of other organisations you will likely have to rely on informal sources and anecdote. Make sure you speak to a number of your colleagues, including service delivery staff who may have heard feedback on other organisations from clients. In identifying strengths, you may also like to look at the organisations website and see what they consider themselves to be good at. The 7Ps of services (detailed in Step 1) can provide a useful checklist for considering strengths and weaknesses. Think about what are the strengths and weaknesses of other organisations in terms of products, pricing, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence.

Type of organisations: It is important to think about if an organisation is a potential partner or a competitor. Table 9 summarises different types of partners and competitors.

Table 9: Types of partners and competitors

Description

Direct competitor Organisations that provide the same product as you do. For example, you provide accommodation support services and so does this organisation.

Indirect competitorsOrganisations that provide a similar services which can be a substitute for your services. For example, you provide sport recreation services and your competitor provides social recreation services.

Competitors through replacement

Organisations that provide a different type of service which a client may choose to purchase instead of your service (e.g. a client may choose to purchase employment training instead of recreation support services).

Potential partner Organisations that provide services that your clients may purchase in addition to your service.

Table 10: Market opportunity template

Organisation Services Strategy Strengths Weaknesses How do we compare?

Competitor or partner?

Name of What services Fill in the Fill in the Fill in the Direct

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Organisation Services Strategy Strengths Weaknesses How do we compare?

Competitor or partner?

organisation do they provide?

following:

This organisation is a [small / medium / large] provider that services clients with [disability type]. They provide [types of services] through [high volume and generic / highly tailored] services.

following:

When I hear about this organisation, people say they are good at… (Across the following categories:ProductsPricePlacePromotionPeopleProcessPhysical evidence)

following:

When I hear about this organisation, people say they are not good at…(Across the following categories:ProductsPricePlacePromotionPeopleProcessPhysical evidence)

Fill in the following:

We offer [similar/different] services to [insert name of organisation] to [similar/different] client groups. We are [strong/weak] in their areas of strength and we are [strong/weak] in their areas of weakness

competitor

Indirect competitor

Competitor through replacement

Potential partner

What will I do with this information?The information you completed on market opportunities and competitor organisations will be used to build out a brand to support your value proposition in Step 4 and choose an appropriate channel.

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Step 4: Positioning your brandStep 4 focuses on developing a compelling brand for your organisation and positioning it against other organisations within the market under NDIS. You will be working with the following templates in the corresponding pack:

Template F – Brand wheel.

Template G – Brand positioning matrix.



What is the output?

• To be competitive under the NDIS, you will need to ensure that your brand is positioned effectively against other service providers.

• You will need to draw on the information you have compiled in the previous steps.

• You will have a brand position map showing your position relative to other service providers.

Step 4 Overview

The intent of this step is support you in brand development and position. Brand development is the process of supporting your value proposition by demonstrating how it is unique and favourable within the broader market. Brand positioning involves identifying how your organisation’s brand separates you from others in the view of clients. It minimises the threat of competition by ensuring that you are in a strong position relative to other organisations.

This step is split into two parts:

Step 4a: Developing your brand

Step 4b: Positioning your brand.

Step 4a: Developing your brand

OutputYou will build a brand wheel, extending your value proposition statement to highlight how it impacts the lives of your clients and identifying the tangible aspects that represent it.

Sources of informationYou will bring together the analysis of your value proposition (from Step 1), client perceptions (from Step 2) and market opportunity (from Step 3).

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Things to think aboutHow do we support our value proposition with the right brand?

You have a statement of your organisation’s value proposition, a one liner that describes what your services and organisation means to your clients and what your employees believes in. Building a brand to support the value proposition means extending this statement by thinking about what it means to the market, including your current and prospective clients, competitors and partners. This means answering questions that are rooted in their perspective, such as:

As a client, how does the service provided by this organisation make me feel?

As a client, how does accessing these services make me look?

If the organisation was a person, how would I describe them?

What are the key symbols and facts I associate with the organisation?

A clear understanding of these elements will inform your marketing efforts and define how you conduct, communicate and interact with current and future clients.

Organisations will often look to summarise its brand in a brand wheel. A brand wheel puts the organisation’s value proposition in the centre and builds on by considering six key issues:

Facts and Symbols – What do I know or see that gives me certainty the organisation delivers in its promises?

Brand Personality – If the organisation was a person, how would I describe them?

How does the brand make me feel – What emotion does this brand inspire in me?

How the brand makes me look – How does associating with this brand make me feel to others?

Figure 1 presents a brand wheel for the Qantas brand. The layers illustrate the components that help Qantas deliver on ’The Spirit of Australia’ core promise.

Figure 2: Brand wheel example for Qantas

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The below figure provides you a space to build out your organisation’s brand wheel and is also provided in the attached template. Complete the table considering the above guidance and the notes in grey.

Table 11: Client groups template

Facts & symbols:[INSERT SYMBOL 1][INSERT SYMBOL 2][INSERT SYMBOL 3]

Brand personality:[INSERT ASPECT 1][INSERT ASPECT 2][INSERT ASPECT 3]

Value proposition:

[INSERT VALUE PROPOSITION]

What the service does for me:

[INSERT ITEM 1][INSERT ITEM 2][INSERT ITEM 3]

How the brand makes me look:


How I would describe the service:


How the brand makes me feel:


What will I do with this information?The focus client groups you defined in the above table will be used in Step 4b to help you position your brand within the broader market relative to other organisations.

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How do I build ‘one brand’ when I am known for different things?: Some service providers offer a diverse range of services that meet the needs of different client groups. This can create pressure on a single brand. Organisations generally respond to this by deciding if they will promote themselves as a ‘branded house’ or a ‘house of brands’.

A ‘branded house’ is an organisation with one single brand that covers all of the products and services it offers. An example of a leading ‘branded house’ is Virgin; who offer a range of different products under a single brand, including flights, music, financial services and mobiles.

On the other hand, a ‘house of brands’ is an organisation that houses a number of distinct brands. An example of a ‘house of brands’ is consumer goods giant Unilever, who market products through district brands such as Dove (beauty products), Lipton (tea), and Omo (laundry detergent).


Step 4b: Positioning your brand

OutputYou will map your organisation against the other organisations you analysed in Step 3 and the brand identity developed in Step 4 to identify how you are currently positioned. The map focuses on four categories. You will place your own organisation into one category and then place each of the other organisations into a category.

Sources of informationYou will draw on the knowledge gained through previous steps and your own judgement. You may also want to work with your colleagues and other stakeholders to work together to map your brand against others.

Things to think aboutMaps for different types of organisations: If you analysed a significant number of organisations in Step 3, you may want to do a map for each category of other organisation; one map for direct competitors, one for indirect competitors, one for competitors through replacement and one for potential partners.

Client perceptions of quality: In analysing the level of quality, ensure that you are thinking about quality from a client perspective. For some services, for example, quality from a client perspective may be about the skills of staff and the client’s relationship with the staff member (e.g. physiotherapy services). For other services, quality may be less about the staff delivering the service and more about the flexibility of the timing of the service (e.g. home assistance that a client wants to determine the time on a weekly basis). Ensure that you consider the extent to which the service is tailored to the clients’ perceptions of quality.

Points of parity and differentiation: In any competitive environment, there are certain things that organisations must do to be able to have a chance at attracting customers. These are known as ‘points of parity’. Consider Australian banks. Around ten years ago debit cards were introduced by a handful of innovative banks to provide customers easier access to money when overseas and shopping online. Today, providing debit card accessibility is a ‘must’ for all banks competing in the transaction account market. On the other hand, there are product and service features that organisations can introduce to differentiate themselves against competitors. As a service provider, a point of differentiation may involve adding extra services to exiting supports, such as creating pathways for clients to employment opportunities in businesses in the community who employ people with disabilities. Understanding the points of parity within your provider category, as well as how you will differentiate, are important in determining your brand positioning.

Extent of targeting to client group: Ensure you think about all the client groups that a service may be specific to. A service may specialise in a certain disability type (e.g. people with vision impairment), a certain demographic group (e.g. people from culturally and linguistically diverse groups) or a certain age group (e.g. children with disability). Assess if your service and other organisations service a particular client group or work with multiple client groups.

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Position relative to other organisations: You may be the only organisation in a particular quadrant or you may have a significant number of competitors within your quadrant. There is no one position good or bad to be in, as detailed below.

If you are the only organisation in a quadrant, this could be because you have a unique and attractive service offering. It could also be because other organisations are providing a more tailored and high quality experience to you. Think about why no other organisations are in the same quadrant as you.

If there are a significant number of organisations in the same quadrant as you, this could be because there are a significant number of clients looking for that type of service and it is a large market. Or it could be because your service isn’t that different to other organisations. Again, think about why there are a significant number of organisations in the same quadrant as you.

Figure 3: Brand positioning map

Highly tailored to client perceptions of quality

Low level of tailoring to client perceptions of quality

Specific to client groupsFor multiple client groups

Services that are provided to different client groups (e.g. different disability types) and that are tailored to client perceptions of quality (e.g. services are very flexible in delivery time).

Services that are provided to specific client groups (e.g. people with cerebral palsy) and that are tailored to client perceptions of quality (e.g. services are very flexible in delivery time).

Services that are provided to specific client groups (e.g. people with cerebral palsy) and that are not highly tailored to client perceptions of quality (e.g. services do not provide flexibility in delivery time).

Services that are provided to different client groups (e.g. different disability types) and that are not highly tailored to client perceptions of quality (e.g. services do not provide flexibility in delivery time).

What will I do with this information?This brand positioning map will be used to inform the marketing plan you develop in Step 5.

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Step 5: Communicating your value propositionStep 5 focuses on deciding how to communicate your value proposition to current and prospective clients. The outputs of this section will feed into Step 6: Developing a marketing plan.

NDIS participants will have a wide array of choice over their service providers. To compete effectively, it will be important to communicate why they should choose your organisation over other options. Traditional elements of the communications mix include advertising, sponsorships, brochures, flyers, events, letters and emails. Communications now extends into non-traditional channels such as social media, internet advertising, text messaging, and interactive mobile apps.

OutputThis step brings together all elements of previous steps; communicating our value proposition (Step 1) to your focus client groups (Step 2) to maximise our market opportunities (Step 3) and best position your brand within the market (Step 4). By the end of this section, you will have identified the most effective message, and the optimal channels for communicating your value proposition.

Sources of informationYou will draw on the knowledge gained through previous steps and concepts of marketing communications theory. You may also want to work with your colleagues and other stakeholders to work together to develop new and innovative ideas for communications.

Things to think aboutMessage design: Message design involves determining how best to convey the value proposition to your focus client groups. In an ideal world, the message you send should gain attention, hold interest, signal satisfaction of a need, and elicit action.

Your message should seek to convey your organisation’s value proposition through a rational or emotional appeal. A rationally focussed message would focus on the immediate benefits of the service, such as value for money or superior service quality or facilities. An emotional message focuses on the higher level benefits that relate to the value proposition; such as love, comfort or joy.

When designing your message, consider what will best convey your value proposition. An effective communication may emphasise your state-of-the art facilities (rational), while on the other hand you

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may choose to focus on the fact clients will feel relaxed and loved through accessing your services (emotional). The following considerations will assist in the development of a message:

The client group (from Step 2) you are targeting and what will be the most effective message to tailor to this client group?

What your strengths are relative to other organisations (from Step 3 and 4)?

What is unique about your organisation and how you are differentiated from other organisations (from Step 3 and 4)?

What your existing clients like about you (from Step 2 or Tool 2)?

What benefits do you deliver to clients and what client needs are you meeting (from Step 2 or Tool 2)?

Is the message clear and will it be easily understood by the target client group?

Communication channel: Once the message has been designed, we can determine the mix of channels to communicate it to our client groups. Communications should be delivered across a range of channels in the mix.

The best channel to use to communicate will vary based on your organisation size, number of services offered, and the number of clients in your target groups. Some channels are more effective for communicating with existing clients (i.e. social media and direct marketing), while other channels are more appropriate for prospective clients (i.e. Google advertisements or posters at GP offices). The metrics to evaluate which channel to select include the number of target clients reached, cost per client reached, and quality of the engagement with the client. These elements are explored across a range of communication channels in the table below.

Table 12: Elements of communication channels

Channel Reach Cost per client reached Quality

Posters, brochures

Moderate reach that can be targeted, i.e. placed at other disability services, GP offices, libraries, councils etc.

Low cost

Moderate quality engagement, relies on clients noticing and consuming the information

Directories – i.e. Yellow Pages

Reach is limited to people searching through the directory Low cost

Low quality engagement, however generally leads to a phone call for more information

Direct marketing – i.e. email, text, phone call or visits

Low reach, but is highly targeted to specific individuals through visits, phone calls, emails or text messages

Moderate cost, however takes significant time to contact individuals

High quality engagement, personal interaction

Television ad

Very wide reach, however not targeted. Ad may be seen by many people, but not potential clients and their families

High cost

High quality engagement, can send an in-depth message to communicate your value proposition

Advertisements in disability websites or newsletters

Moderate reach that can be highly targeted, i.e. placed on websites with high traffic from potential clients and their families

Moderate cost

Moderate quality engagement, relies on clients noticing and consuming the information

Advertisements in Very wide reach, however not High cost Moderate quality

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Channel Reach Cost per client reached Quality

newspaperstargeted. Ad may be seen by many people, but not potential clients and their families

engagement, relies on clients noticing and consuming the information

Paid Google ads

Highly targeted reach that will reach people who search relevant keywords specific to the service type and region

Moderate cost, with potential to set low budgets High quality engagement

when user is redirected to website

Website

Accessible by everyone, however will only be reached through other channels such as social media or online ads

High cost to develop and maintain High quality engagement,

can access high volumes of information

Social media

Accessible by everyone, but must be ‘liked’ or ‘followed’ to communicate with the individual. Reach is based on quality of social media content provided.

Low cost, however takes time to manage/respond to clients

Very high quality engagement with potential for personal interaction

The pros and cons of social media: Social media has emerged as a powerful tool for two-way communication flows between organisations and their customers. In the context of disability services, the most appropriate social media channels are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. When used effectively, social media marketing can be powerful in enacting brand awareness, driving brand loyalty, and getting real-time feedback from customers. At the same time, the open nature of social media presents significant risks, as outlined in the table below:

Table 13: Common social media risks and mitigation strategies

Risk Detail Mitigation strategies

Lack of customer participation

In growing a social media presence, it is important to develop two-way information flows between the provider and clients. An initial lack of participation on social media channels (including a low ‘like’ or ‘follower’ count) can deter potential customers, who see it as a negative reflection on the provider’s reputation.

It takes time to grow a community. Social media use should seek to build customer interaction over time, through relevant, insightful and engaging content and conversations.

Customer ‘hijacking’

Social media campaigns often fall victim to customer ‘hijacking’, where a customer’s negative input can become the main focus and draw negative attention to the brand.

Campaigns are well considered, and potential negative customer reactions are brainstormed and assessed for likelihood.

Negative customer experiences go ‘viral’

If a customer has a negative interaction with the organisation or a staff member, they can share the negative experience and it can draw wide media attention.

A filter on customer posts is applied, so that negative feedback can be addressed privately and not in the public domain.

A client is ignored

Customers often use social media to ask organisations about products and services. Given the high volume of customer interactions that can occur via social media, customer queries can be missed, leaving the client feeling ignored.

A specific ‘support’ or ‘ask questions’ social media channel is determined. Many organisations use Twitter for this purpose, and clearly state that ‘all questions should be directed to our live Twitter support page’.

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Step 6: Developing a marketing planStep 5 focuses on developing a marketing plan to facilitate you bringing your organisation’s services to market under NDIS. You will be working with the following templates in the corresponding pack:

Template H – Marketing plan.

Template I – GANTT chart.



What is the output?

• A marketing plan will bring a structured approach to your efforts to stand out from others and will bring together your communication efforts in a systematic way.

• You will need to draw on the information you have compiled in the previous steps.

• At the end of this step you will have a marketing plan your organisation can use on an ongoing basis. You will also have a detailed gantt chart to assist you in executing your marketing plan.

Step 5 Overview

Having a marketing plan will bring a structured approach to your efforts to stand out from other services and attract and retain clients. It will also bring together all your communication efforts in a systematic way and help ensure your marketing efforts are effective.

A marketing plan is a structured document that contains the guidelines for your organisation’s marketing program. It is important to document your marketing plan – this will allow you to refer your colleagues to the document and to revisit the document yourself. You should revisit your marketing plan on an ongoing basis and, when necessary, revise your marketing plan.

A Gantt chart is a project management tool that details the key steps to be undertaken, assigns responsibility for each step, and sets the associated timeframes. A Gantt chart will help you execute your marketing plan.

OutputIn this step you will bring together the information you have gathered on your value proposition (Step 1), your clients (Step 2), your competitors (Step 3), your brand position (Step 4), and your communications (Step 5). You will be guided through filling in a marketing plan template. You will also be provided with a Gantt chart template to assist you in planning, in detail, the execution of your marketing plan.

Sources of informationYou will draw on the knowledge gained through previous steps and your own judgement. You may also want to collaborate with your colleagues to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the development of the marketing plan.

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Things to think aboutTarget client groups: Consider which client groups (from Step 2) you are trying to target with your marketing efforts. Are you speaking to new or existing clients? Are you targeting people with particular disability types? Are you targeting a particular demographic group (e.g. people living in a certain geographic area, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people etc.)? Are you targeting particular psychographic groups?

Number of clients: Consider how many clients are in the group you are going to target. If you are targeting a large number of clients, this will impact the format of communication you choose as well as the size of the budget you allocate.

Success indicators: It is important to consider success indicators so that you can track the outcomes of your marketing effort. Success indicators are outcomes measures that will show whether we have achieved our goals. Success indicators are defined beforehand and are often numerical.

Think about the data that you already gather and can use to measure success. Also think about new data you may want to collect to measure success. Indicators could include:

Number of new clients

Retention of existing clients

Number of existing clients who purchase additional services

Total service hours purchased.

The table below provides a framework for developing a marketing plan. Section 8 of this document provides further guidance on evaluating a marketing plan.

Table 14: Marketing plan template

Message Target client group

Number of clients

Format of communication

Success indicator Budget

What are your unique strengths that will appeal to customers?

Which client groups are you trying to target with this message?

How many clients are in this group?

What is the most effective format of communication for this client group?

How will you know you have been successful? Indicators may include number of new customers.

How much will you spend on communicating this message to this group?

Defining tasks and timeframes: In developing your Gantt chart, consider the tasks you will need to complete to implement your marketing plan. For example, drafting the text of your marketing materials, having colleagues review the marketing material and printing the marketing materials. Also consider what a realistic timeframe is for the given task.

Assigning responsibility: Ensure that responsibility is clearly assigned for each task in the Gantt chart. The person with responsibility for each task should project manage that phase and work with those responsible for the sub-tasks.

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Table 15: Gantt chart template

What will I do with this information?You will use this marketing plan to structure your marketing efforts and you will use the Gantt chart to plan in detail your marketing. Refer to the following section for further guidance on how to implement your marketing plan.

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4 Implementing and evaluating a marketing planA marketing plan is only useful when it is implemented and lessons are learnt on the effectiveness of the marketing plan through evaluation. The following section provides guidance on implementing and evaluating a marketing plan.

Implementing a marketing planMarketing implementation is the process that turns a marketing plan into action and ensures that the plan is executed in a manner that meets the goals of the marketing plan. Below is some guidance on key questions to consider when implementing your marketing plan:

Are you tracking progress against your Gantt chart and regularly updating your Gantt chart? Your Gantt chart should be a ‘live’ document that you regularly refer to and update. All those responsible for activities in the Gantt chart should use the document to track their progress, and if required, update the tasks and timeframes.

Are your colleagues aware of the plan? Marketing isn’t just about advertising. It covers all communications with your clients including conversations with clients. Your colleagues should be aware of the key messages regarding your unique selling points and include them in their communications with clients.

Do your communication efforts all align with the plan? All your communications should align with the marketing plan. Ensure that your newsletters, flyers, website and emails all reinforce the key messages.

Do you need to engage an external provider? There may be elements of your marketing that require engaging an external provider, for example, developing a website. In engaging an external provider, ensure that you get quotes from multiple providers, understand what the quote includes and excludes and request examples of their previous work.

Are you tracking data on success? Your marketing plan includes indicators of success. Ensure that you are collecting data to measure success and monitoring it over time.

Evaluating a marketing planOnce your marketing plan has been implemented, you should evaluate the outcomes achieved. This evaluation should focus on the success indicators you included in your marketing plan. Below is some guidance on key considerations for evaluating your marketing plan.

Have you achieved your goals? In the marketing plan you set out success indicators – have you met these goals? If not, what could you do differently next time to improve?

Did you use your funds effectively? Does your organisation consider the money put towards marketing well spent?

Were some messages more effective than others? Were there particular messages that resonated with clients? Were there other messages that clients were less responsive to?

Were there distribution channels that were more successful than others? Did you find that you reached more clients through particular channels?

What have you learnt and what would you do differently next time?

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Appendix A GlossaryTerm Definition

BrandYour brand is what people know you offer, including the benefits and quality of the services you provide. An attractive brand will be one that is differentiated from competitors and has a strong value proposition.

Brand positioning

Brand positioning refers to the unique impression in the client’s mind about your organisation. Brand positioning involves identifying what are the unique selling points for your organisation that separate you from others in the view of participants.

ClientsClients are the people your organisation provides services to. Your clients will likely include people who will be NDIS participants as well as people who will not be NDIS participants.

Client groupsClient groups are groups of people who use your services. These groups are determined on the basis of similar characteristics, for example, similar age or goals in life.

Marketing

Marketing is how we communicate with clients and potential clients regarding how our services will meet their needs. Marketing is broader than just advertising. It includes advertising through mediums such as newspapers, flyers and brochures. Marketing also includes your website, emails and letters to your clients, word of mouth from clients and social media.

Marketing Plan A marketing plan defines how you will communicate your value proposition to retain existing clients and attract new clients.

Market Segmentation Dividing a market into distinct groups based on shared characteristics.

Success indicatorsSuccess indicators are outcomes measures that will show whether we have achieved our goals. Success indicators are defined beforehand and are often numerical.

Value proposition A value proposition is the benefit you provide to your clients, and how you do it uniquely well.

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