Applications Now Being Taken for Signage Mini-Grants

All K-State Research and Extension offices should have received information via mail regarding a mini-grant program to update outdoor signage.

A minimum of 10 grants, worth $200 each, will be awarded. Priority will be given to offices that currently have outdoor signage that pre-dates the 1996 merger, but all county, district and area offices are encouraged to apply. The primary intent is to help all local offices obtain updated outdoor signage.

The deadline to apply is May 1, 2008. Grants will be awarded by the Department of Communications no later than June 1.

Information on the program was mailed to county, district and area offices late last week. Information also is available online at www.communications.ksu.edu/marketing . Please direct additional questions to Pat Melgares at melgares@ksu.edu.

Applications Now Being Taken for Signage Mini-Grants

Keep your e-newsletter out of the junk mail folder

Email is an essential communication tool, allowing for quick, cheap and easy distribution of information to many people with the click of a mouse. But, unfortunately, it has become tainted by unsavory junk mail. There are things you can do, as the sender of an e-newsletter, to encourage the recipient to open your email and to prevent that email from being dumped in a junk-mail folders.

1. Provide an easy way to subscribe or unsubscribe and an easy way to contact you. We want our clients to have a positive experience, whether they receive the information in person, by phone, online, or via email.
2. Watch your subject line. Some words, such as “don’t delete,” “hot,” and “FREE” will trigger spamblockers to junk an email.
3. Avoid all caps. It gives the impression that you are yelling.
4. Avoid HTML email whenever possible. Email systems are less likely to junk text-only emails.
5. Test the email. A spam checker, like http://www.ezinecheck.com/, will analyze your email and show you what could trigger the spam blocker on email systems. You can then make some minor adjustments and improve the delivery rate of your e-newsletter.
6. If you are sending to more than 20 addresses, the message is more likely to get blocked as spam. Instead of entering the addresses individually, consider creating a listserv or create a short distribution list. Our staff in IET (785-532-6270) can help you with this.

If you need more information, please contact Linda Sleichter at 785-532-5804, or email lsleicht@ksu.edu. If you’d like to comment on this or any Marketing Minute discussion, we encourage you to visit our Marketing Minute blog at http://ksremarketingminute.blogspot.com/.

Keep your e-newsletter out of the junk mail folder

Viral Marketing

Its name may not sound appealing, but viral marketing is a great way to expand your client base. Also called “referral marketing,” this concept was originally defined by venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, as “network-enhanced word of mouth.” Viral marketing runs on the idea that word-of-mouth is the best way to attract new customers. In our case, we would provide materials (an email, brochure, postcard, etc.) to current clients and/or volunteers, then ask the clients and volunteers to share those materials with people they know who are unfamiliar with K-State Research and Extension.

As part of the five-year marketing plan, we plan on implementing a viral marketing strategy in targeted areas. If you would like assistance with a viral marketing campaign of your own, or have questions related to this or any other marketing topic, please contact Linda Sleichter at 785-532-5804, or email lsleicht@ksu.edu. If you’d like to comment on this or any Marketing Minute discussion, we encourage you to visit our Marketing Minute blog at http://ksremarketingminute.blogspot.com/.

Viral Marketing

Internet Usage

The common assumption is that Internet usage continues to increase, but does the research support that? The short answer is, yes. In 1996, 17 percent of those surveyed had been on the Internet in the past month. In 2000, that number increased dramatically to 56 percent. Our 2007 data shows 76.1 percent of those surveyed have been on the Internet in the past month. A majority (55.8 percent) of those who had been on the Web said they go there daily. Based on those results, the Web is an effective way to reach three-fourths of Kansans.

However, the flipside is that 23.6 percent of those surveyed had not been on the Internet in the past month. In addition, 20.5 percent had not been on a computer for any purpose in the past month. In order to reach all Kansans, there is a continued need for face-to-face contact and phone access to information, because not everyone is online.

If you need more information, please contact Pat Melgares at 785-532-5804, or e-mail melgares@ksu.edu .

--Linda Sleichter lsleicht@ksu.edu

Internet Usage

Return of Marketing Minute

We've had a lull in the publishing of our marketing minute segments, but we have not been sitting on our laurels. Since our last post (August 2007), we have conducted a series of focus groups in five urban Kansas counties and continued to analyze data from the statewide telephone survey. In the near future, we'll be rolling out a marketing campaign targeting young adults (24-44) and metro audiences. Starting today, we will post a weekly Marketing Minute in The Tuesday Letter and on our blog. But, enough about us. Let's talk about you.

What type of information would you like us to cover? What marketing-related questions do you have? Please let us know and we'll do our best to find the answers.

Please contact us by phone, via e-mail, or by posting comments below. Thanks!

Return of Marketing Minute

Target Audiences of Metro Audiences and Young Adults

The saying goes, “You can’t be all things to all people,” but for the past 10 years, K-State Research and Extension’s marketing effort has tried to be just that.

Since 1996, we’ve focused on reaching all Kansans statewide, and that effort has shown some success. Awareness of our program statewide has improved, with 70 percent of Kansans familiar with “Extension.” Also, our usage numbers are high in the western half of the state. We want to continue to sustain our efforts statewide, to reach all audiences.

However, with our new five year marketing plan, we are establishing some target audiences. Clearly defining target audiences helps promote the aspects of K-State Research and Extension that are most relevant to each group. We don’t change our programming; we just change how and what we highlight about our programming.

For us, the greatest opportunity for growth lies in the metro areas. These are the areas with the lowest percentage of its residents aware of and/or using K-State Research and Extension. These areas also have the highest population density and are experiencing the most population growth. Thus, if we aren’t reaching as many of the current residents as we could and the number of current residents continues to increase, then we are missing the opportunity to reach new clientele in the metro areas.

Another reason to focus on the metro areas relates to legislative influence. The Wichita and Kansas City metro areas alone house 19 state legislators and cover at least part of all four congressional districts in Kansas. Shawnee County, too, provides significant opportunities to reach the Kansas legislative bodies. If constituents in these key areas use our services and see how beneficial they are, then they could become our advocates, and we will stand a better chance of maintaining or even increasing our funding support.

In a similar way, young adults also provide us an opportunity to grow. According to the Census Bureau, approximately 29 percent of Kansans are 24-44 years old. That’s about 769,000 Kansans. Of our current clientele, only 13 percent of our current users are in this age bracket. Also, we have information and programs that interest this age bracket, with materials relating to health and nutrition and environmental preservation topping their list. We have an opportunity to reach out to the young adults and, not only gain current users but, hopefully, future users, as well.

These two audiences are our primary targets for marketing K-State Research and Extension in 2008. How we will reach them is still to be determined. We are working on and testing a marketing campaign, as well as some new features for the K-State Research and Extension homepage. We are not ignoring our current users; we are just trying to reach out to some untapped audiences.

If you need more information, please contact Pat Melgares at melgares@ksu.edu or Linda Sleichter at lsleicht@ksu.edu . If you’d like to comment on this or any Marketing Minute discussion, we encourage you to visit our Marketing Minute blog at http://ksremarketingminute.blogspot.com/ .

Target Audiences of Metro Audiences and Young Adults

Demographics of our Users

Last week we looked at the demographics for all Kansans. This week we are comparing that information with the results of our recent statewide telephone survey. Nearly 30 percent of the survey participants were clients or users of K-State Research and Extension. That is the group which we will be looking at first.

Location. According to the 2007 survey, most of our users are rural, with 44.1 percent of users consider themselves to live in a rural area. Urban areas accounted for 27 percent of the users, and 28.9 percent considered their home to be a suburban area.

Age. According to that same survey, our users tend to be older than the general population. The age classification breaks down as follows:
2.73 percent – 19-23 years old
12.93 percent - 24-44 years old
21.77 percent - 45-54 years old
29.25 percent - 55-64 years old
33.33 percent - 65 and older


Ethnicity: According to our research, 99.3 percent of our users classify themselves as white, non-Hispanic. The remaining 0.7 percent of survey participants refused the question. We realize that, in fact, not all of our users are white, non-Hispanic. If we look at the demographics of all participants in the survey (the 70.3 percent who have never used K-State Research and Extension), they classify themselves as 93.2 percent white, non-Hispanic; 3.1 percent black or African American; 1.4 percent Hispanic or Latino; 1.0 percent Asian; 0.6 percent American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.2 percent two or more races, and 0.6 percent refused the question.

By comparing the U.S. Census data on all Kansans to the data we have about our users, there are a few glaring trends. Our users skew more rural, older, and less diverse than Kansas as a whole. That is why our five year marketing plan for K-State Research and Extension will be targeting residents of urban areas, young adults age 24 to 44, and ethnic minorities.

Demographics of our Users