socialworkplanbook copyright adzou

University of Missouri School of Social Work

2015 Communications Planbook

Table of contents

Executive Summary............................................................................ 1Situation Analysis...................................................................................2 Company Analysis.................................................................4 Category Analysis..................................................................5 Consumer and Competative Analysis....................6SWOT...............................................................................................................8 Strengths......................................................................................10 Weaknesses...............................................................................11 Opportunities............................................................................12 Threats...........................................................................................13Primary Research..................................................................................14 General Survey........................................................................18 Social Work Student Survey..........................................26 Student Interviews................................................................35 Faculty Interviews.................................................................36 Social Media Analysis.........................................................37 Website Analysis....................................................................40Creative Process....................................................................................46 Creative Brief............................................................................48 Target Audience.....................................................................50 Brand Strategy.........................................................................58 Big Idea.........................................................................................60Integrated Media Plan.......................................................................62 Digital Ads...................................................................................64 Social Media..............................................................................69 Public Relations......................................................................73

This document was produced by AdZou at the Missouri School of Journalism. The contents are the property of the University of Missouri School of Social Work. All information is confidential and proprietary and shall not be modified, reproduced, distributed or used for any purpose without prior written consent of the University of Missouri School of Social Work. © Vizrama; April 27th, 2015.

University of Missouri School of Social Work1

executive summary

The University of Missouri School of Social Work came to us looking for a way to rebrand and raise awareness for their degree programs. The main objectives of this campaign are to raise visibility of the school, develop a meaningful social media strategy, design a user-friendly website and convey a cohesive message to current and prospective students. This campaign is less about recruitment and more about giving the school a powerful brand message to use as a foundation for future expansion.

To execute this campaign we began by conducting primary and secondary research to understand our target audience and how they perceive the School of Social Work and social work profession. We then developed a specific target profile, along with tactics and ideas, to fuel our brand message. With that came the execution of our budget and a comprehensive media plan, outlining everything from press releases to an interactive advertising strategy. We hope that by providing these tools, the school can successfully implement them to show everyone in the Mizzou community, the field of social work and beyond, that they can Make Tomorrow’s Change Today!

Creative Executions.............................................................................76 Digital..............................................................................................78 Social...............................................................................................82 Public Relations.......................................................................92 Measurables..............................................................................................94 Awareness...................................................................................96 Interest...........................................................................................98 Action..............................................................................................100Budget...........................................................................................................102 Tier 1................................................................................................104 Tier 2................................................................................................106 Tier 3................................................................................................108 Spending Timeline................................................................110Meet the Team.........................................................................................112Appendix......................................................................................................120 General Survey Questions..............................................122 Social Work Survey Questions.....................................125 Student Interviews................................................................127 Faculty Interviews..................................................................128

Situation AnalysisSituation Analysis

4 University of Missouri School of Social Work5Situation Analysis

Company Analysis

Mission Statement: “The mission of the MU School of Social Work is to promote leadership for social and economic justice by preparing students for professional excellence and leadership in practice, research, and policy.”

Vision: To provide continuous education for all students interested in the field of social work

Business: Educating students in the field of social work, who in turn aid the greater community Category: Post-secondary education Competition: Other institutions offering post-secondary education for social work Competitive Advantage: Offers “hands on” training, relatively low cost of tuition and a flexible online degree program

Category Analysis

Category Health: The cost of post-secondary education is steadily increasing, leading to more cost sensitivity among prospective students.Official college program rankings (eg. US News and World Report) are becoming less important to potential students. There has been an overall decrease in general college enrollment in recent years, yet there has been a slight increase in enrollment for programs offering degrees in social work. Service and Promotion: The focus of every program is to promote their ability to successfully educate students in the field of social work. General promotion of the university as a whole does tend to trickle down to it’s individual schools, but there are many individual schools that do an excellent job of promoting themselves. External Factors: The general health of the social work industry, national economic trends, and the inherent seasonality of school admissions tend to affect the success of promotion for organizations within the category.

6 University of Missouri School of Social Work7Situation Analysis

Consumer Analysis

Primary Consumers: We defined our primary consumer as current college students interested in attending graduate school. Initial research into the group revealed that our consumer is becoming increasingly value conscious when searching for graduate programs. Prospective students are also relying more on campus visits and online research when selecting programs and leaning less heavily on third-party program rankings.

Competitive Analysis

Direct Competition: We view the direct competition to be any other university which offers a Bachelors or Masters program for social work. The programs most in competiton with the University of Missouri are geographically located in the midwest region, including Washington University in Saint Louis, the University of Michigan, and The Ohio State University. Indirect Competition: All other colleges within the University of Missouri System, especially programs in related fields (Sociology, Psychology, etc.) are viewed as indirect competition to the School of Social Work.

SWOT Analysis

10 University of Missouri School of Social Work11SWOT Analysis

strengths

Hands-on fieldwork experience: Students across all programs are afforded the opportunity to gain real world experience within their chosen social work field from the moment they enroll. Continuing Education: Potential students can receive their Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD from the same location, online and on-campus. Relative Value: Named number 24 in socialworkdegreeguide.com’s Top 25 Most Affordable Master’s in Social Work in 2014.

Interdisciplinary & Interprofessional: PhD students can customize their degree program, gaining valuable knowledge in other disciplines in addition to social work. Online Degree Program: Students have the ability to earn a Master’s of Social Work without ever having to enter a traditional classroom.

MedZou Health Clinic: Students are able to assist disadvantaged members of the community while developing clinical social work skills in a professional medical environment.

Community Impact: Hundreds of student volunteers give their time to different charities and non-profit organizations. The department partnered with United Way for community outreach in 2014 and continuously invites students to volunteer.

Weaknesses

Social Media & Web: There are few outlets for students to interact digitally with the School of Social Work. The web presence is lacking behind the presence of competitors.

Academic Ranking: The program was listed as #66 in the 2014 national social work program rankings.

Resources and Funding: Total resources are less than those of other schools within the University of Missouri system. The program relies heavily on grants and outside funding.

Lack of Promotion: Name recognition for the school is relatively low across campus.

12 University of Missouri School of Social Work13SWOT Analysis

opportunities

Expand Technology: The school has the potential to use more technology within each degree program since changes have been made to the Affordable Care Act.

Community Based Care: There is potential to better promote the free clinic, allowing the school to reach even more community members who are unable to find traditional health care. This works towards their commitment to enhancing human well-being.

Potential Partnerships: Non-profit organizations in the local area are available for partnerships which would aid in the effort to foster the community and positively impact the lives of those in it.

Scholarship, Events and Activities: Scholarships offered within the program can be better promoted to prospective and current students by leveraging multiple social media platforms and sponsoring on campus events.

threats

Aesthetics of Competitors’ Websites: Competitor’s websites are organized and promote a clear and succinct message. Internet research is the first stage of selecting a potential degree program for many potential students, and a cluttered website has the potential to misinform or steer them away from the program.

Competing Online MSW Programs: The school competes with several other universities, including The Ohio State University and the University of Southern California, who offer expansive online MSW programs for graduate students.

Washington University #2: A direct competitor sits only two hours away at Washington University in Saint Louis, the #2 ranked Masters in Social Work program in the nation. They also offer a combination law and masters degree to students.

Primary Research

16 University of Missouri School of Social Work17Primary Research

Objective

Our main goal was to gauge the general awareness level of the School of Social Work on campus and to discover any existing perceptions MU students had of the social work profession.

We were especially curious to understand why social work students chose to enroll in their respective programs and how they came to the decision to pursue their degree at the University of Missouri. We wanted to learn more about their experiences in the program thus far, their future plans and what they felt were various strengths and weaknesses of the program.

problem

After initial research into the presence of the program, we postulated that the MU School of Social Work lacked a consistent effort to promote its brand. Because of this, we theorized that current and prospective students were having a difficult time engaging with the school, which may have led to confusion and a low transition rate from the bachelors program to the masters program.

method

We began our research by conducting two surveys, one for the general student population and one for students currently enrolled in the BSW, MSW or PhD programs in the School of Social Work. Both surveys were conducted using Qualtrics software and ran for a period of 14 days. The general student survey was spread through various social media channels, while the School of Social Work survey was sent out across the listserv provided by the client.

We also conducted six in-depth interviews with current students in both the BSW and MSW programs to further inquire about their experiences with the program and discuss what steps they believe the MU School of Social Work could take to better spread awareness about the opportunities it offers.

We conducted an additional two interviews with members of the faculty to acquaint ourselves with their opinions about the relative strengths and weaknesses of the program as it stands.

We concluded our research by auditing the MU School of Social Work’s website and their social media presence, then compared their results to other competitors.

18Primary Research University of Missouri School of Social Work19

general student population survey

Overview: We received 108 responses from MU students in a variety of majors and programs. This survey was designed to find out what the average student knows about the University of Missouri School of Social Work, or social work in general, and how they found out about it. We also wanted to answer questions about their plans for furthering their education to get a sense of how many students are potential candidates for graduate school.

Student Body Awareness: Of the 108 students polled as part of our survey, 42% of respondents had never heard of the MU School of Social Work before taking the survey. Among graduating seniors, only 61% had been made aware of the existence of the program during their time at the University of Missouri.

Origins of Awareness: For the respondents who indicated that they were aware of the program, we asked them to explain how they came across the MU School of Social Work. The majority of students either had a friend in the program or had heard about it from another student, with only 6% of total respondents indicating that they had learned about the program through promotional materials (booths, flyers, etc.).

42%

22%

25%

6%5%


Level of Knowledge: We had each respondent indicate on a scale of zero to five, zero being less informed and five being more informed, where they would place their level of knowledge about the school. On average, student awareness and knowledge of the school was 1.04, which leans very heavily towards the less informed end of the spectrum. For students who had previously indicated they were aware of the University of Missouri School of Social Work, the average level of knowledge only bumped up to 1.48, still below an average awareness and knowledge of the program.


Interest in Attending Graduate Programs: We wanted to gain an idea of how interested the average student at the University of Missouri is in attending graduate school at some time in the near future. Of our respondents, 76% responded that they are considering graduate school. We further broke down the responses by class and discovered that seniors have a slightly lower interest, presumably because many seniors have already decided their post-college plans.

TotalSeniorJuniorSophomoreFreshman

General Survey:Are you interested inattending graduate school?

Interested in attending

No interest in attending

4 (7)

44 (64)

10 (13)

18 (20)

76 (104)


Perception of Social Work: We wanted to know what the general student population thought people in the social work field did on a daily basis. The survey question was open-ended, allowing respondents to write in whatever answer they saw fit. We compiled their answers into a Wordcloud, a type of graphic that compiles the words used in every answer and sizes them according to the frequency of use. From here, we can analyze what words people associate most with social work. The most prominent idea, then, was that social workers aimed to “help people, families, and children.”


School of social work survey

Overview: We received 83 responses from MU School of Social Work students in both undergraduate and graduate programs. This survey was designed to uncover the decision making process of these students to find out why they chose the University of Missouri, where they are coming from and their level of interest in furthering their social work education. We also wanted to hear about their opinions on a few key strengths, weaknesses and possible changes to be made in the School of Social Work.

Factors Leading to Enrollment: For this question, we wanted to define the key points students consider when choosing a BSW or MSW program. We had respondents rank the following factors from most influential to least influential, then calculated the average rank for each factor to determine the importance it played in the average social work student’s decision to attend the University of Missouri. We found that the location of the university was the most significant factor by a significant margin, followed by the relative price of tuition, then future job prospects and the academic ranking of the institution or program.


Interest in Attending Graduate School: As with the general student survey, we wanted to gauge the general interest of students currently enrolled in the BSW program in going on to pursue their masters of social work. Of the 34 undergraduates who responded, 24 said they were currently interested in attending a graduate school for social work, seven indicated that they were not interested at this time, and three have plans to attend a graduate program outside of the University of Missouri.

24

Yes No Yes, but notat Mizzou

7

3

Social Work Survey:Are you interested in attendinggraduate school?


Educational Background of Masters Students: With this question we wanted to see where current masters of social work students at the University of Missouri School of Social Work came from. We asked our respondents to indicate whether or not they had received their bachelors of social work from the University of Missouri, and if they answered no, to select from a few different scenarios. Of the 65 responses, 10 indicated that they had received their bachelors of social work from the University of Missouri. An additional 11 masters of social work students attended the University of Missouri but received a degree other than a bachelors. For students who did not attend the University of Missouri, 10 indicated that they received a bachelors of socal work elsewhere, while 34 attended a different university for a degree not in social work.

Yes No

Attended a different University for a BSW

Attended Mizzou, butnot the BSW program

Attended a differentuniversity for non-BSW

Social Work Survey:Did you recieve a BSW from the Universityof Missouri before enrolling in the MSW program?

10

34

11

10


Program Strengths: We then asked current school of social work students to identify what they believed to be three strengths of the program. We compiled the responses and narrowed them down to the top four strengths:

1. Class Size - Students enjoy the personal atmosphere attained by maintaining relatively small class sizes.

2. Faculty - Students enjoy many of the faculty members and feel that they are truly invested in the future of their students.

3. Opportunities - Students feel that the program offers a wide variety of opportunities to help them improve their learning experience.

4. Field Placement - Students believe that the program offers a very satisfactory selection of field placement opportunities for their various emphasis areas.

“They foster an environment where I really believe they want me to be successful and educated in this field. It’s not all about the research or money, I feel as though the priority really is the students.”

Program Weaknesses: Students then provided what they felt were three weaknesses of the program. Again, we compiled their responses and narrowed them down to the top four weaknesses they mentioned.

1. Communication - Students often feel that they are left out of the loop on events taking place in the school and would like to be more connected to the program as a whole.

2. Diversity in Staff and Students - Students feel that the pool of staff and students is relatively homogenous and would enjoy the chance to experience a wider variety of opinions.

3. Online Classes as a Requirement - Students really enjoy the faculty members and in-class experience, and on-campus students are disappointed when classes needed for them to graduate are only offered online.

4. Student Involvement - Relating back to the lack of communication mentioned earlier, students feel that they are very loosely connected to other students in the program and would like the opportunity for more interaction.

“There is a lack in communication between the students and the program. I feel that if we don’t constantly ask questions we will miss something important.”


Program Changes: We asked students for a few changes that they would like to see made by the program to help improve their overall experience. Their responses were compiled and narrowed down to provide their top three proposed changes.

1. More Class Options - Students want to see a wider variety of courses offered through the school.

2. Class Flexibility - Students often have a hard time trying to schedule classes they are interested in taking and would enjoy a wider variety of offerings for popular courses.

3. Community Feeling - Students feel that other programs offer more community cohesiveness between the students themselves and the students and the program, and want to be more connected to each other and the program as a whole.

“I would like to see greater school cohesiveness and a sense of community across students and degree programs.”

Student Interviews

We interviewed undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in the MU School of Social Work to share their experiences and thoughts with us. The following quotes are from those interviews:

“As a psychology undergrad, I knew very little information about the School of Social Work. Luckily, I got placed in a social work class and loved it. This made me want to continue to take social work classes.”

“You can literally work in any field you want as a social worker. They really need to promote that because I think most people have a very narrow mindset when it comes to social work.”

“We are a big school within the college. No one knows anything about us. If they could team up with Mizzou ASB with a social work trip, that would be really cool and people would get to know us.”

Through these interviews, we found that many master’s students came to the School of Social Work from other programs at MU such as psychology, sociology and human development and family studies. We also found that when asked, most students remembered hearing about the school of social work through a friend, a chance encounter with faculty or somehow stumbling upon the website. We heard frustration from the students about the lack of awareness of the school on campus and the lack of communication within the school itself.


faculty interviews

We interviewed School of Social Work faculty members to hear their opinions on the current state and activities of the school. We wanted to get the point of view of those working for the school along with those attending. The following quotes are from those interviews:

“With the online program, I think there are a lot of opportunities. Ones that we haven’t tapped into yet.”

“Our lack of physical space and cohesion. It speaks to our cohesion or lack there of in our department. The lack of cohesion is felt by the students.”

“I believe the changes we are making [in curriculum] will better prepare students with the skill sets needed to succeed in the social work field.”

Social Media presence Analysis

We took a look at how the MU School of Social Work’s social media presence stacks up against top social work schools in the Midwest. Below are data for the University of Missouri, the University of Michigan, The Ohio State University and Washington University in St. Louis. Facebook likes, Twitter follows, LinkedIn follows and Instagram follows are shown.

579

4,657

4,250

2,168

0

1,991

3,338

1,348

79

936

743

672

0

0

0

272


Social Listening

We noticed that students and members of the community were mentioning the MU School of Social Work on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter without directly interacting with the school. This ranged from pictures of excited acceptance letters, recognition of social work students for awards and features and events in the community involving the school. The School of Social Work does not currently have a Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn account. They do have a Facebook account, but very few students who posted on Facebook about the school tagged the official account.


Website analysis

There are some great features on the University of Missouri School of Social Work website. The sliding banner at the top of the webpage highlighted the school’s Passport to Giving section. The website also uses a good amount of images, which highlight current students enrolled in the program and some of the things they are working on. However, there are some issues when browsing the site.

One of the first things noticed upon visiting the MU School of Social Work’s website is the cluttered links, due to the site having multiple links to the same pages. On the homepage alone, there were 5 pathways to access the same student programs. This makes the website seem small and repetitive to users.

The second issue is the quick links box. The quick links do not feature all of the information relevant to a potential student. The website should be geared towards a potential applicant quickly and easily finding the information they require. There was no frequently asked questions (FAQ) section included, and info such as job and community boards were the top features.

A recurring issue was the homepage featuring information that was not pertinent to an incoming student browsing for key information about the school. Information such as job outlook and financial aid, while important, is not a key piece of information that majority of students are seeking. Therefore these things should be accessible but not on the homepage.

The first recommendation is to condense the website and properly segment the information. This will also reduce the need for the site map on the bottom of every page of the website.

The next general recommendation is to focus on highlighting key program information so that it is visible from the homepage without potential students having to scroll around.


Here are the websites for two of the school’s competitors who we consider to be effectively using the web to market their programs and some of the best practices they employ:

Ohio State University: The site features an oversized banner that highlights: what social work means, OSU’s learning in the field options, the campus environment, social work research at OSU, and alumni updates. directly underneath are tabs for their bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs respectively. This allows prospective students to quickly find the information they seek and not get lost in the website.

Washington University: This site uses a banner to display alumni features, program details, and the schools current expansion plans. Once again highlighting important information that potential applicants would be seeking out.


The University of Missouri School of Social Work website compares well with competitors. However, MU can use some of the competition’s tactics to help make the site look fresh. Both Ohio and Washington feature their Twitter feeds and large scale news updates on the front page. This allows the site to have an updated look for all visitors and will allow them to catch news or a campus event that they might have been unaware of. MU can also follow in condensing site materials. The rolling banner at the top of the website features 7 displays, while most competitors feature 4 or 5 displays. With student program tabs featured directly below, it may not be necessary to include them in the rotating banner. The final recommendation based on other sites is to utilize alumni features. Potential students want feel inspired and see where they could potentially end up in 4 years with a degree from the University of Missouri School of Social Work.

website analysis cont’d.

Creative Process

48 University of Missouri School of Social Work49Creative Process

creative briefObjectiveTo create a unified presence online and on campus in order to inform potential students about the benefits of the program and generate a greater sense of community among current students.

TargetMales and females 18-25 who are currently pursuing a degree in behavioral science, social science or a related field. They have a passion for helping people and are searching for a career that allows them to make a difference in their community. They are social media savvy and rely heavily on the internet for research.

TakeawayThe MU School of Social Work will prepare students to be influential leaders in the field and in their community.

TonalityInformational, Friendly, Inspirational

MandatoriesMU School of Social Work Logo, University of Missouri logo, official University of Missouri colors

Creative Brief

Target Audience

Brand Strategy


Creative Brief

Target Audience

Brand Strategy

Consumer Insight

“I’m at a point in my life where I know where my aspirations lie, but I’m unsure of the next steps to take in order to get there. I want to pursue a career in something that will allow me to help others. For me, the best part is knowing I have done something for someone other than myself. It isn’t about the lavish lifestyle or a career behind a desk. I have been researching graduate programs, but the price of tuition is weighing heavily on my decision making.”


COMMUNITYBUILDERS

The

introducing...target profileBasic Demographics

Age: 18-25Gender: AnyEducation: Current or recent undergraduate level student interested in attending a graduate program.Economic Status: Generally middle-class and price-concious when making large purchase decisions.

Unique Lifestyle and Psychographics

The Community Builder enjoys and often participates in service activities. They seek out organizations on campus and in the community that are committed to improving the lives of others. They are considered “team players” and don’t believe in helping others to gain personal recognition. Community Builders maintain large online communities through their various social media networks and regularly use them to keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues.


Influences and Aspirations

Community Builders aspire towards a career where they can focus on helping others to succeed. They are guided by their compassion, and truly want to make a difference in the lives of others. They feel most at home when they believe they are working towards something greater than themselves.

Barriers and Frustrations

Our target is very price conscious, especially with high-cost decisions, and always seeks to find the option which will provide them with the greatest value. They are spread across a large geographical area, and may prefer to stay closer to home. Many members of our target are not aware of social work as a possible career path and may need to be educated about the opportunities and careers available. Many are also not aware of the opportunities provided by the University of Missouri for social work education.

Target Profile and Insight Rationale

The basis of our target profile and insight comes from primary and secondary research. We found that our target relies heavily on the internet and social media to gather their information. Our research found that location and price are important factors when comparing schools. They are interested in working with others but may not have considered social work as a career path. We found that they are not only involved in the community but actively involved in their social circles. We think our insight is relatable to our target because they are sure of what they like but unsure about their next move.

Opportunities for the Brand

The School of Social Work has the opportunity to increase awareness and expand their presence digitally, off campus, on campus, and in the local social work community. This will be a platform for them to build on in the future. We hope that by giving them the tools to increase brand visibility, enrollment, and retention this will create a strong brand identity. By improving their brand identity, it will enhance both internal and external communication efforts. We can create a uniform presence to achieve cohesion.


a day in the life of a community builder

7:00am - Maria wakes up and begins her morning routine - which involves checking her Facebook and Twitter feeds to catch up on events from the night before, and to see what will be happening today.

8:10am - While walking to class, Maria listens to Spotify. She hears an ad for Starbucks and decides she should grab a cup of coffee.

1:55pm - After finishing her last class for the day, Maria starts walking home. She notices a flyer about an upcoming event on campus and makes a mental note to visit the website later.

5:55pm - Tired from reading for tomorrow’s discussion, Maria decides to check her Instagram to see what everyone else is doing. She notices her favorite store is having a surprise sale and decides to check it out.

8:15pm - Maria pulls up the website of the local newspaper and sees a feature story about a charity fundraiser at a local business. She shares the article with her friends on Facebook and encourages them to attend,

Meet Maria, a typical Community Builder, as we follow her through a normal day on campus.


brand strategy

Creative Brief

Target Audience

Brand Strategy

Strategy Statement

To educate Community Builders about the opportunities available through the MU School of Social Work and provide the resources and hands-on experience necessary to help them grow and succeed in the field.

Why it Works

Community Builders want to know that their program of choice understands their needs. They want to be reassured that the University of Missouri School of Social Work represents a sound investment of their time and money. They place a high value on the school’s ability to offer programs where they can help to make a difference, and they want to know that when they have finished their degree, their choice to attend the University of Missouri will have opened new and interesting doors in their career path.


Big

Idea

The big idea

The University of Missouri School of Social Work is a community where students begin their careers by learning from hands-on experience in the field. The school gives students the opportunity to make a change the moment they walk through the columns, and graduates leave equipped with the skills to flourish in their field. We believe the School of Social Work enables Community Builders to...

Integrated Media Plan

64 University of Missouri School of Social Work65Integrated Media Plan

Digital Media

Explanation: Most students visit school websites to research various programs in their decision-making process. Navigation and design updates to the SSW website will ensure an informative, user-friendly experience for prospective students looking to gain a better understanding of the program. After a revamping of their website, the website will be one of the strongest tools for the school to use. It will give students the most valuable information and help them gain a better understanding of what the program is about.

Support: Based on primary research, students conduct research online using school websites as a source for information on schools. It is important the website can give students this information and showcase the advantages of the School of Social Work relative to other programs.

Tactic: Website Redesign

Explanation: SEO gives students, parents and alumni more opportunities to utilize search tools to find the school via keywords and optimizing content on the current website will lift page ranking’s for relevant keywords and drive more traffic to the website. It is a more organic way for students to find the MU School of Social Work. SEO will give the school the opportunity to be higher in rankings on their specific keywords.

Support: SEO will help the school rank higher in search results when prospective students research various relevant keywords. From statistics, 70-80% of users focus on more organic search results rather than paid ads and 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.program. Many students use websites to gain a better understanding of a school and SEO will help more students see their website.

Tactic: SEO (Search Engine Optimization)


Explanation: This is an easy way to target our audience and create more awareness on the University of Missouri campus. These ads will be posted on MU’s websites such as mutigers.com or mizzou.edu homepage or pages with topics related to social work.

Support: From primary research, it was shown that many students on campus were not aware that the University of Missouri had a social work program. Digital ads on MU sites will increase awareness and help promote the program to students who might not otherwise know about the school.

Tactic: Digital Ads Tactic: Email Explanation: This is the easiest way to reach hundreds of students to inform them on opportunities, classes, on hands-on opportunities, course offerings, success stories, recently published articles or studies and more. The program’s existing e-mail database provides an easy way to access and connect with students in an ongoing format.

Support: The University of Missouri School of Social Work has a large network to reach by email. It is simple and straight-forward. This is their typical way to reach students so by capitalizing on their email opportunities they can add to their database and increase their connections.


social media

Explanation: Facebook is a platform where the University of Missouri School of Social Work can interact with prospective students, current students, parents, alumni and faculty. This channel can be used to post announcements, share student and alumni success stories, highlight research, profile faculty members and showcase the program’s unique hands-on environment. Facebook can also be a tool to reach the MU School of Social Work’s online program students who may be looking for a way to feel more connected to the MU School of Social Work community.

Support: Approximately 25% of U.S. Facebook users are between 18-25 years old, which means Facebook indexes highly among our target audience. FB also allows for paid posting that can be tailored to reach a more targeted audience based on location, interest and age and generate more qualified traffic (interested students) to the website.

Tactic: Facebook and Sponsored Posts

Explanation: PPC will put the University of Missouri School of Social Work’s website at the top of every search engine based on keywords that are paid for. PPC increases their visibility and engagement with parents, current students and potential students. PPC is an effective way to increase awareness for those outside MU’s campus. Keywords such as top schools in social work, missouri graduate program, schools of social work, affordable social work schools and missouri social work would be effective in leading students to the MU School of Social Work website.

Support: PPC produces applicable results and will help reach the school’s goal of increasing awareness, visibility and engagement. While some keywords can be expensive, it is an easy efficient way to attain the goals they have set. While some words are worth $.25, others can be worth $500.

Tactic: PPC


Explanation: Twitter posts allow the school the opportunities to have quick announcements, links to releases and research while also reaching out to students and building a stronger connection with them. On Twitter, the University of Missouri School of Social Work can use their hashtag and see how their branded hashtag is used with its followers.

Support: The school has not yet used Twitter as a platform and from our research, the school has been missing out on connecting with students and alumni who have tweeted about them. Twitter gives the school a voice where it is needed.

Tactic: Twitter Explanation: The University of Missouri School of Social Work can use Instagram to share photos of campus events, student activities and volunteer opportunities. It is a quick easy way to share with the campus, potential students and alumni what they are up to.

Support: From our research, numerous students announced their acceptance into the MU School of Social Work, however, the school had no way to respond. They have a need for Instagram and as one of the fastest growing social media platforms, it is important the program capitalizes on it.

Tactic: Instagram


Explanation: Spotify ads are a successful tactic to reach the desired target. Ads come in packages and benefit the client through numerous advertising platforms. Online radio (especially mobile radio) is a media source that indexes very highly among the school’s high school and college-aged target audience. Geo-targeted, paid placement on Spotify will generate awareness and drive click-through traffic to the SSW website among your target demographic. Through any device from mobile to computer, digital audio ads are more popular than generic radio ads.

Support: Our target audience are one of the biggest users of Spotify, so this is something the students would enjoy and identify with. Advertising via Spotify reaches the desired audience and is an easy way to communicate the message they can connect with. Users ages 18-20 used Spotify playlists for 58 percent of their streaming.

Tactic: Spotify

public relations

Explanation: Local and campus newspapers can write and publish feature stories on the activities of social work students and the work they are doing in the community. Each publication can publish articles on the school’s research and have the opportunity to interview the students and faculty involved in the study.

Support: The School of Social Work lacks a strong presence in the community and on campus. Through newspaper articles and feature stories, the school can create a stronger reputation in the area and on campus.

Tactic: Local Newspaper/Magazine Articles

Explanation: Brochures are an easy way to reach out to students and give them information on the School of Social Work. It is cost-effective for the school and easily given out at various career fairs and school events.

Support: The school has a template for a program brochure and all information on the school is in one form. This is a simple way for the school to connect with students and give them what they need in one form.

Tactic: Brochures


Explanation: The School of Social Work will be present at all campus career fairs and each summer welcome session with booths. This gives the school personal interaction with those interested in their school and personal connections with students. It will increase their presence on campus and make them more involved in campus events. Another idea would be to choose a football game and host a tailgate for students and alumni. To further promote the school on campus, students and faculty could participate in the University of Missouri Homecoming activities and participate in the MU Involvement Fair.

Support: Events will provide the school with the opportunity to gain more of a presence on campus and create interactions with students who might or might not know about the social work programs. They are a great way to connect with alumni and reach out to potential students.

Tactic: Events Explanation: Direct Mail is meant to raise awareness among prospective students for the possibility of social work as their profession. It is a simple, efficient and inexpensive way to reach outside the community to potential students and offer them more information about their opportunities in the social work program.

Support: Direct Mail is a proven tactic in reaching new and various audiences in an inexpensive way. With its straight-forward content and design, the letter can effectively communicate the objectives of the program.

Tactic: Direct Mail

Creative Executions

78 University of Missouri School of Social Work79Creative Executions

digital

Website: In addition to the suggestions from the Website Analysis, a new landing page would need to be created for any new campaigns. These pages help present the most relevant information to users who have been directed to the website for a specific purpose. For example, users who followed a link promising more information about the Master’s program would be presented with a page featuring the most frequently requested information on the program. We took the liberty of mocking up a page that would be a part of a general awareness campaign, where users were presented with a quiz to determine which emphasis most fits them, with the option to request more information about the program by entering their email at the end.

Take the Quiz!

Been thinking about a career in Social Work? Not sure which program would fit you best? Take our quiz and find out which on you belong in!


Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

Possible Keywords to Target: School of social work mizzou; school of social work; social work; graduate programs; top social work school; best social work program; social work undergrad; social work missouri; masters in social work; social work online degree, social work jobs, Columbia, Mo.

Effect: As shown aisde, a pay-per-click campaign will quickly move the University of Missouri School of Social work to the top of search engine results (actual ranking depends on potential spending.)


social media

Guidelines: When posting to various social media sites, posts should be driven by three key aspects: prompting student engagement, educating current and prospective students, and promoting the School of Social Work, along with its events and programs. However, not all business is serious, these things can be accomplished in fun and engaging posts.

One key thing to remember is to have a clear message presented across all social media platforms. One example of this can be seen when planning an event. First, announce it on Facebook, then remind followers on Twitter, and finally post images of the event to Instagram. This will allow students to hear about the event, and after it will prompt discussion of the event among followers. Another tip to remember when planning social media is experiment. Do not feel afraid to use new techniques and platforms when posting to followers. This will not only keep them engaged, it will also show them the innovative found at the School of Social Work. #MIZTCT: The official hashtag for our social media campaign is #MIZTCT.

This hashtag has low volume use on Twitter and Instagram, allowing the School of Social Work to brand it, making it a part of their identity. It connects the school to the University of Missouri and allows them to tie in the tagline of Make Tomorrow’s Change Today on social. The use of #MIZTCT promotes engagement on social media by allowing students, current and prospective, to show their work in the community and connect with the School of Social Work.


facebook sponsored post

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University of Missouri School of Social Work

Sponsored

Like Page

Interested in a career where you can make a difference in someone’s life?

Make Tomorrow’s Change Today

Students at the University of Missouri School of Social Work start impacting their community from the moment they step foot on campus. Click here to find out more information about specific program offerings and take the first step towards making a difference in your community.

facebook Mock post


spotify radio spot script

Spotify Spot: 30 seconds

Do you have a passion for helping others?

Thinking about a degree in SOCIAL WORK but don’t know where to start?

The SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK at the University of Missouri-Columbia offers Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degree programs in a variety of emphasis areas - with some offered completely online!

Programs specialize in offering students the opportunity to work in their field while completing their degree program.

So you won’t have to wait, MAKE TOMORROW’S CHANGE TODAY!

Click the banner to learn more and take our quiz to find out if you’re a good fit for social work.

spotify content

Sharing a playlist

Spotify Ad


Monday Tuesday

WEEK 1

Facebook: Welcome back Tigers!Facebook: Student/Alumni Feature (recurring)Twitter: Announcement - Fall 2015 ScholarshipInstagram: Campus Photo - Welcome back!

Facebook: Post current social work related articleTwitter: Announcement - SSW Open House Next Wed.Instagram: SSW students in the field

WEEK 2

Facebook: Student/Alumni Feature (recurring)Twitter: Announcement - new SSW minorInstagram: SSW Photo - Open House

Facebook: Reminder - SSW Open House Tomorrow!Twitter: Announcement - SSW Open House Tomorrow!

WEEK 3

Facebook: Student/Alumni Feature (recurring)Twitter: Retweet - social work field researchInstagram: Mizzou campus photo - Happy Monday! Twitter: Engagement - Best SSW class?

WEEK 4

Facebook: Student/Alumni Feature (recurring)Facebook: Announcement: SSW networking event tomorroTwitter: Retweet photo - SSW students volunteering Facebook: Announcement: SSW networking event today

Wednesday Thursday Friday

Twitter: Engagement - Favorite aspect of Social Work

Facebook: Announcement - scholarship/fellowshiTwitter: Introducing new weekly SSW playlist!Spotify: SSW Playlist 1 Facebook: Announcement - Open House next Wed!

Facebook: Announcement - SSW Open House Today!Twitter: Announcement - SSW Open House Today!

Facebook: News - article regarding social workInstagram: Open House photoTwitter: Announcement - New SSW playlist!Spotify: SSW Playlist 2

Twitter: Announcement - Outstanding Faculty Awards!Instagram: Congratulations - Outstanding Faculty Awards

Twitter: Retweet - article related to social workTwitter: Announcement - New SSW playlist!Spotify: SSW Playlist 3 Twitter: Engagement - Favorite place to volunteer?

Twitter: Engagement - Favorite place to volunteer?Twitter: Announcement - New SSW playlist!Spotify: SSW Playlist 4 Facebook: Announcement - Fall Poverty Simulation


public relations

Media List: This is a list of local publications that are likely to be interested in publishing stories related to the University of Missouri School of Social Work. Included is the contact information for the outlet, the estimated circulation, and relevant information about the contact.

pR email pitch


internship postingPr article mockup

Measurables

96 University of Missouri School of Social Work97Measurables

Awareness

Interest

Action

Awareness (top): Awareness is the first stage of the consumer’s purchasing process. A main priority for the MU School of Social Work is to increase an overall awareness for their programs. Increasing awareness will create conversation and opportunities to connect with more prospective students. Through strategies such as social media, SEO, direct mail and Spotify ads the school has the opportunity to expand their presence digitally, on campus, off campus and in the social work community. The following are tactics that are useful in increasing awareness:

Social Media• Increase likes on Facebook by 15% (1,000 -1,500) • Establish a solid base of followers on Instagram/Twitter (at least 500)

SEO, PPC • Increase website traffic• Increase engagement with both organic & paid searches

Direct mail• Introduce the program to prospective students through direct mail to

their homes.

Spotify, Digital ads• Increase exposure to radio and digital ads by tracking cookies and geo-

targeting


Awareness

Interest

Action

Interest (middle): After an awareness has been developed, the target connects with the brand and communication between the target and brand becomes interactive. The target engages with the brand by personal choice and is actively interested in exploring what the brand has to offer. We can then track and increase click through rate on sponsored social posts and online ads. We have the opportunity to increase interaction with the landing page/social work website through the awareness tactics such as social work quiz, sponsored ads and social media.

Website• Increase interaction with landing pages/social work website

SEO and PPC• Establish a competitive click through rate to increase traffic to the

website


Awareness

Interest

Action

Action (bottom): This is the final stage of the consumer process. In this stage, students are actively interested in pursuing the opportunities the MU School of Social Work has to offer them. These students are set on connecting with the MU School of Social Work and giving their information through platforms such as the landing page.

Users completing the action will be requesting more information about the program by providing their personal information, applying to the university after being influenced by advertising initiatives, with the end goal being full enrollment in the University of Missouri School of Social Work.

Budget

104 University of Missouri School of Social Work105Budget

Tier 1Digital MediaWebSEODigital AdsEmailPPC

Sponsored AdsFacebook

Social MediaFacebookTwitterInstagramSpotify

Earned MediaNewspaperMagazine

Misc.SignageBrochuresDirect Mail

Total

Monthly Cost$0.00$750.00$100.00$0.00$450.00

$400.00

$0.00$0.00$0.00$10.00

$0.00$0.00

$93.75$135.00$185.00

$2124.00

Total Cost$0.00$9000.00$1200.oo$0.00$5400.00

$4800.00

$0.00$0.00$0.00$120.00

$0.00$0.00

$1125.00$1620.00$2220.00

$25485.00

SEO$9,000

PPC $5,400

Facebook Ads$4,800

Direct Mail$2,200

Brochures$1620

Digital Ads$1200

Signage$1125

Spotify$120


Digital MediaWebSEODigital AdsEmailPPC

Sponsored AdsFacebook




Total

Monthly Cost$0.00$1000.00$200.00$0.00$800.00

$500.00

$0.00$0.00$0.00$10.00

$0.00$0.00

$93.75$135.00$431.66

$3171.00

Total Cost$0.00$12000.00$2400.oo$0.00$9600.00

$6000.00

$0.00$0.00$0.00$120.00

$0.00$0.00

$1125.00$1620.00$5180.00

$38045.00

tier 2

SEO$12,000

PPC $9,600

Facebook Ads$6,000

Direct Mail$5,180

Brochures$1620

Digital Ads$2400

Signage$1125

Spotify$120


Digital MediaWebSEODigital AdsEmailPPC

Sponsored AdsFacebookSpotify




Total

Monthly Cost$0.00$1000.00$100.00$0.00$900.00

$600.00$833.33

$0.00$0.00$0.00$10.00

$0.00$0.00

$93.75$135.00$493.33

$4165.00

Total Cost$0.00$12000.00$1200.oo$0.00$10800.00

$7200.00$10000.00

$0.00$0.00$0.00$120.00

$0.00$0.00

$1125.00$1620.00$5920.00

$49985.00

tier 3

SEO$12,000

PPC $10,800

Facebook Ads$7,200

Direct Mail$5,920

Brochures$1620

Digital Ads$1200 Signage

$1125

Spotify$10,120


media spending timeline

Meet the Team

114 University of Missouri School of Social Work115Meet the Team

Danielle filipponeaccount planner

Danielle is a sushi-enthusiast with a love for bulldog puppies from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. You can usually find her at a concert, watching Arrested Development or reading autobiographies of awesome women. Danielle plans on moving to Chicago after graduation and working in research or PR.

sarah harmeningaccount executive

Sarah is a fierce animal lover. She was born and raised in Chicago therefore she cried her eyes out when she was given the opportunity to hold a baby kangaroo. She is very aware of who she is as a person thanks to countless Buzzfeed quizzes; Rapunzel from Tangled, Cher from Clueless, Taylor Swift, Blair Waldorf, etc. You would never know Sarah was stressed unless you asked her. She really enjoys working under pressure and her passions lie in branding, social, strategy and account management. She looks forward to joining an advertising agency after graduation.


Karim howardinteractive specialist

Karim is the Interactive Specialist for AdZou’s VizRama, double majoring in Strategic Communication and Political Science. Born in Washington, D.C. he spends at least 10 minutes a day wondering how he ended up in Columbia, Mo. When not worrying about his future, Karim relaxes by reading the Game of Thrones series and Vice articles. The Midwest has grown on him, but he thinks he’ll continue on to the West Coast after graduation. California has great tacos.

sarah meistermedia planner

Sarah is the media planner for the School of Social Work brand project. In her free time Sarah loves going to concerts, hanging out with friends, and drinking her favorite wheat beers at Itap. She also plays D1 volleyball for the University of Missouri, where she studies Strategic Communications and will graduate in May 2015.She also happens to be horrible at singing, although that’s never stopped her from trying.


joshua sippcopywriting/design

Josh is the copywriter/designer for the University of Missouri School of Social Work AdZou group. When he’s not trying to figure out how to get columns to look right as a vector graphic, he enjoys marathoning old television series on Netflix and playing golf, where he’s pretty long off the tee, but his short game is lacking. If he could be anyone, he would want to be David Duchovney from X-Files, because seriously, who doesnt want to be David Duchovney?

devin wadleypublic relations

While living up to the child birth order stereotype as the type A, detail-oriented eldest child, Devin loves to keep her schedule packed and her planner organized. These skills have lead her to pursue a career in Public Relations and event planning. When not binge watching Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy or taking endless Buzzfeed quizzes, Devin tries to think like the PR guru she eventually wants to be. Straying from her typical “plan everything-everday attitude,” Devin had the idea to avoid reality and backpack through Europe for a few months after graduation. Eventually, she plans to combine her passion for PR and events in somewhere outside the Midwest.

Appendix

122 University of Missouri School of Social Work123Appendix

general survey questions


social work student survey


sample interview questions

With Students

1.)Why are you getting your MSW? 2.) Strengths/weaknesses of program?3.) What key components of the program should they continue? 4) What aspects of the program need to be promoted more 5) Why do students choose mizzou school of social work over others?6) What changes should be made to improve the awareness of the school of social work?7) What benefits does the mizzou program offer students that are unique/ sought after? 8) Are there any special components in either the undergrad program and/or masters program that we should know about?9) What is ITV?10) Anything to add?


With Faculty:

1) What programs are you involved in at the Mizzou School of Social Work and how long have you been working here?2) What are some strengths and weaknesses in these programs? Any key components of the program the school should continue to do?3) What aspects of the program need to be promoted more?4) What are some reasons students choose the Mizzou School of Social Work over others?5) What changes do you think should be made to improve the awareness of the school?6) What benefits does the Mizzou program offer students that are unique/ sought after? 7) Are there any special components in either the undergrad program and/ or masters program that we should know about8) A lot of students talked about ITV in a survey we created, can you explain what that is?9) Can you tell me a little bit about the field work the students have to complete?10) Why did you decide to come to Mizzou to teach?11) Do you collaborate with other programs? If so, how?

socialworkplanbook copyright adzou

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