Marketing Assistant
Supervisor: David Gaskins; Graduate Assistant TBA
Job Description:
Responsibilities of a Marketing Intern include but are not limited to: Researching, developing, and implementing new marketing mediums: developing promotional campaigns and strategies to for various programs and events; development, maintenance, and utilization of appropriate email listservs, providing timely customer response and follow-up for emails through the campus recreation email account, coordinating and assisting in implementation of tabling events and special events, solicitation of donations in support of Campus Recreation & Wellness programs, scheduling, coordinating and conducting outreach presentations to designated campus groups, Assist in coordination of marketing events such as Intramural Championships, Open House, SRC Showcase, etc., Entry of Resource 25 web page material, student announce postings, banner posting and rotation, maintenance and continued development of the CRW Facebook fan page including appropriate utilization of site features to market upcoming events and services.
Marketing Mediums Utilized
A large number of different marketing techniques were employed during the one-year period covered in this report. Listed below is each of these items in some detail. The section is divided into two basic sections which will describe typical marketing mediums that have been standard in the past and then new initiatives that have been launched more recently.
Marketing Requests – Many different mediums were represented through marketing requests. Most commonly visual graphics were used for signs, web page, posters, electronic flyers, etc. The previously noted “Marketing Tracker” was used to monitor the progress of these requests. A total of 155 requests were completed in 2009-2010 and we are on pace for about 190 in 2010-2011.
Freshmen Orientation Sessions & Organization Fairs – Stacy Andrews and David Gaskins shared the responsibility for coordinating each of the freshmen orientation sessions and organization fairs for Summer 2010. Seven separate orientation dates were provided during the summer. CRW did presentations of each of these dates. Participating freshmen had a variety of options for presentations that they could attend and CRW was one of these options. Attendance ranged from 20 to 62 for each of these presentations. Presentations were 40-45 minutes in length and included the CRW departmental video as well as a powerpoint presentation. CRW also set up a table at the organization fairs and staffed it with a full-time staff member and student/intern. A large number of students visited our table and collected information or gained answers to questions.
Campus Rec Email account – The recserv@ecu.edu email account continues to receive general inquiries on a wide variety of topics. A marketing assistant was responsible for checking this account on a regular basis and responding promptly to questions. They answer most of these questions or refer to the appropriate individual in the department if it involves something that is not basic.
Resource 25 – The R25 listing appears on the right side of the web site and is the main program used for listing campus events. Occasional updates are done during the semester if event details change or new activities are added.
Dynasign and Campus TVs – The dynasign is the Campus TV located in the rotunda or the SRC. CRW has the capability of placing image and video files into the SRC TV and can regulate how long the ad runs, the order in which they appear, and what files are included through a web-based program. A variety of TV ads have been developed by the graphic artists and placed into the ad rotation. These ads were then sent to Brad Ritchie who placed them into the rotation of ads in other LCD TVs on the ECU campus.
Movie Ads – Display ads used in the dynasign and campus TVs are converted to powerpoint slides and sent to a representative from the Student Activities area to be shown prior to the movies that are held at the Mendenhall Student Center. Our office takes the display ad from the TVs and converts them and then decides which ones to send. We also include “run” dates for the ads so that current information is provided.
A large number of different marketing techniques were employed during the one-year period covered in this report. Listed below is each of these items in some detail. The section is divided into two basic sections which will describe typical marketing mediums that have been standard in the past and then new initiatives that have been launched more recently.
Marketing Requests – Many different mediums were represented through marketing requests. Most commonly visual graphics were used for signs, web page, posters, electronic flyers, etc. The previously noted “Marketing Tracker” was used to monitor the progress of these requests. A total of 155 requests were completed in 2009-2010 and we are on pace for about 190 in 2010-2011.
Freshmen Orientation Sessions & Organization Fairs – Stacy Andrews and David Gaskins shared the responsibility for coordinating each of the freshmen orientation sessions and organization fairs for Summer 2010. Seven separate orientation dates were provided during the summer. CRW did presentations of each of these dates. Participating freshmen had a variety of options for presentations that they could attend and CRW was one of these options. Attendance ranged from 20 to 62 for each of these presentations. Presentations were 40-45 minutes in length and included the CRW departmental video as well as a powerpoint presentation. CRW also set up a table at the organization fairs and staffed it with a full-time staff member and student/intern. A large number of students visited our table and collected information or gained answers to questions.
Campus Rec Email account – The recserv@ecu.edu email account continues to receive general inquiries on a wide variety of topics. A marketing assistant was responsible for checking this account on a regular basis and responding promptly to questions. They answer most of these questions or refer to the appropriate individual in the department if it involves something that is not basic.
Resource 25 – The R25 listing appears on the right side of the web site and is the main program used for listing campus events. Occasional updates are done during the semester if event details change or new activities are added.
Dynasign and Campus TVs – The dynasign is the Campus TV located in the rotunda or the SRC. CRW has the capability of placing image and video files into the SRC TV and can regulate how long the ad runs, the order in which they appear, and what files are included through a web-based program. A variety of TV ads have been developed by the graphic artists and placed into the ad rotation. These ads were then sent to Brad Ritchie who placed them into the rotation of ads in other LCD TVs on the ECU campus.
Movie Ads – Display ads used in the dynasign and campus TVs are converted to powerpoint slides and sent to a representative from the Student Activities area to be shown prior to the movies that are held at the Mendenhall Student Center. Our office takes the display ad from the TVs and converts them and then decides which ones to send. We also include “run” dates for the ads so that current information is provided.
Pirate Connections – Early in the semester Austin Robey provides CRW with an excel spreadsheet of names of freshmen students who had indicated various levels of interest in Campus Recreation & Wellness offerings. The spreadsheet was divided into lists for general interest and then within specific program areas. The marketing area sent an email to each of these lists providing some basic information and the web site address. Each program area was then asked to follow up specifically with the lists for their respective programs areas. These lists continue to be used to promote a variety of programs on a periodic basis.
Table Tents – CRW receives one panel on four-sided table tents that are placed in all the dining halls and eating areas on campus. The table tents are changed every several weeks with new information. A schedule of ads was developed by the Graduate Assistant & Associate Director to identify specific programs that will be listed on each table tent. The listing of ads is generally designed to provide advertising opportunities for each of the program areas at some point during the semester. The table tent file was submitted to Lynn Caverly.
RH Coordinator presentations – CRW receives about 5-10 minutes at some of the Residence Hall Coordinator meetings. These meetings occur every Monday at 1:00 pm in Jones Hall. Waz Miller identified specific dates (usually every two weeks) for CRW to present information regarding upcoming programs and services.
Custom Program Requests – The web based form currently listed under the CRW web site “Quick Links” has been popular with Resident Advisors who are responsible for developing programs for their residents. A current listing of available programs was updated and can be accessed on the web site to provide options from which to choose. The majority of programming options are within the Campus Wellness domain so the form is set to email requests to several staff members.
Student Announce – We have tweaked our approach somewhat over the course of the semester. Within the office we attempt to develop the text for our announcements for an entire month at a time. These announcements can only be submitted one month ahead of time.
Bulletin Boards/Duratran – CRW marketing manages eight bulletin boards in the Student Recreation Center, Jones Fitness Pointe, and Minges Coliseum. Previously these boards were updated monthly. In an effort to be more efficient with printing costs, we have been able reduce this amount somewhat according to the amount of activity at a given time frame. CRW marketing also manages the backlighted Duratran calendar which is displayed in the SRC Rotunda. The number of duratran calendars was reduced to two during Fall, two in the Spring, and one for the Summer.
Student Announce – We have tweaked our approach somewhat over the course of the semester. Within the office we attempt to develop the text for our announcements for an entire month at a time. These announcements can only be submitted one month ahead of time.
Bulletin Boards/Duratran – CRW marketing manages eight bulletin boards in the Student Recreation Center, Jones Fitness Pointe, and Minges Coliseum. Previously these boards were updated monthly. In an effort to be more efficient with printing costs, we have been able reduce this amount somewhat according to the amount of activity at a given time frame. CRW marketing also manages the backlighted Duratran calendar which is displayed in the SRC Rotunda. The number of duratran calendars was reduced to two during Fall, two in the Spring, and one for the Summer.
Web Site – The current web site operates using the Common Spot content management system. Many of the CRW staff have received training and have access to change their information. For the past several years, various staff members have been responsible for managing their own content. While some elements of this process are still in place CRW marketing is gradually transitioning to a point where we will assume much more responsibility for the web site. Megan and David received updated Common Spot training and have made some changes to content/information. More details on the web site are included under the “new initiatives” section which will discuss the web site conversion and the role of Katie Richardson as the department’s student web person.
Fall/Spring Calendar – Departmental tri-fold publication listing program and facility information.
Program Area brochures – Tri-fold brochures for individual program areas.
Photography – The approach utilized was to gather photography for high visibility events but also to develop and update our photo files in all program areas. CRW establishes a regular schedule of photography and makes a concerted attempt to gather images from across the department.
Press releases – This medium has been primarily used for larger-scale events and a few other items. Chris Stansbury in Marketing & Communications also wrote press releases for a number of special events including Adapted Sports Day and Polar Bear Plunge. At this time we typically will run off-campus press releases through Stansbury’s office. The writing of press releases has also included Club Sports, staff accomplishments, and other departmental items.
Faculty/Staff Announce – Over 1,500 people are currently subscribing to the ANNOUNCE list so this is a very effective medium to reach ECU faculty/staff. Generally speaking this medium is used to promote special events and programs that tend to cater more to this population (i.e. Mind/Body/Dance, Youth & Family, Fitness, Special Events, etc.).
Fall/Spring Calendar – Departmental tri-fold publication listing program and facility information.
Program Area brochures – Tri-fold brochures for individual program areas.
Photography – The approach utilized was to gather photography for high visibility events but also to develop and update our photo files in all program areas. CRW establishes a regular schedule of photography and makes a concerted attempt to gather images from across the department.
Press releases – This medium has been primarily used for larger-scale events and a few other items. Chris Stansbury in Marketing & Communications also wrote press releases for a number of special events including Adapted Sports Day and Polar Bear Plunge. At this time we typically will run off-campus press releases through Stansbury’s office. The writing of press releases has also included Club Sports, staff accomplishments, and other departmental items.
Faculty/Staff Announce – Over 1,500 people are currently subscribing to the ANNOUNCE list so this is a very effective medium to reach ECU faculty/staff. Generally speaking this medium is used to promote special events and programs that tend to cater more to this population (i.e. Mind/Body/Dance, Youth & Family, Fitness, Special Events, etc.).
The East Carolinian – CRW marketing regularly corresponds with the East Carolinian editor regarding story ideas and events of interest. We have been sending over basic event information in an effort to be included in the upcoming events section. We experienced some success with coverage for a number of stories and will continue this effort into the upcoming year. This year we have initiated an effort to keep an electronic record of news articles pertaining to CRW by depositing electronic copies of the article onto the CRW Sharepoint.
Bus Ads – This medium was used only once to promote Mind/Body/Dance programs in the past but is used on a limited basis.
Bus Ads – This medium was used only once to promote Mind/Body/Dance programs in the past but is used on a limited basis.
Music playlists – Due to the large number of events at CRW which employ background music a decision was made to create several music playlists on the computer that could be periodically updated and modified. The previous practice was to use some departmental CDs that had become stale and outdated. Three college playlists (about 20 songs per list) and two youth playlists for youth & family events and Project YEAH were developed. These playlists are updated periodically.
Presentations – In an attempt to reach out directly to the campus population the decision was made to facilitate CRW presentations to several different audiences. A prime target audience during the Fall semester is COAD classes. CRW marketing obtains a list of all COAD instructors and contacts them in an attempt to get in front of their class members. Presentation content and material is adjusted based upon time allotment and instructor needs.
Tabling – A schedule for consistent and periodic tabling is established early in the year to correspond with registrations for various programs and activities. The tabling schedule is set up so that a variety of different things could be actively promoted during each date.
Facebook Fan Page – An “ECU Campus Recreation & Wellness” Fan Page was established in June 2009. A variety of recruitment methods (signage, mentioned at Freshmen orientations, Pirate Connections emails, and the posting of event photos) have been used to encourage people to join the page. Frequent updating has included a large number of photo albums, CRW videos, and “status updates” almost daily. Status updates allow CRW to mention upcoming events, activities, etc. without something such as an “update” or “event invitation” popping up on a viewer’s page. We have also posted all of the CRW calendar events on the page. Invitations are sent to a selected number of events to provide a further promotional tool.
Twitter account – An account is set up and linked it to the Facebook Fan Page.
YouTube Channel – A fairly large library of videos had been developed over the years at CRW and most were on VHS or DVDs that rested in cabinets of staff members. In an effort to provide a visual display of CRW activities and make them available to the general public, the YouTube channel was developed to house these videos in one convenient location. Assembled together on this channel are a variety of videos including many done by Campus Living 31 under Heather Wilkinson’s direction, several in-house videos done during Todd King’s tenure, and a couple of other projects from a variety of sources. At the present time about 25 videos are available on the channel.
Web site conversion – A new web site was launched in Fall 2010 and has continued to be upgraded.
Daily Reflector – Contact was re-established with representatives at the Daily Reflector and a number of programs that are available to community members (Youth & Family, Mind/Body/Dance, Leadership & Team Training, Summer Camps, etc.) were submitted for the SportsWeek section of the newspaper. Jim Gentry is the current contact for this material and has been very helpful in including our programs.
Videos (CRW projects through SA marketing, in house projects)- Several video projects are planned with SA Marketing for the future including a new departmental video and several for specific programs/areas.
Mixer – Through Chris Stansbury’s initiative we have been sending over selected programs for listing in the Daily Reflector’s Mixer magazine. Once again this material involves programs that are available to community members since this publication is widely circulated off campus. The GA has been coordinating the material and submission to the Marketing & Communications office.
Viewsonic NMP-550 Digital Sign Player – The new product was purchased in the Spring 2010 semester to allow continual playing of videos in one of the lower TVs in the SRC Rotunda. A student employee programmed the machines with most of the videos currently available on the YouTube channel and these played continuously. The device provides a great visual tool to increase interest and awareness.
Email Listserv – Several marketing listservs have been set up through the IT department and are used for various targeted lists of participants.
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CRW Newsletter – An electronic newsletter was initiated in Spring 2010. The newsletter displayed as a one-page document but contained numerous active links to relevant places on the CRW web site or documents that had been linked to the web site such as press releases related to department programs or accomplishments.
Secret Shopper – This program was launched in Fall 2010 and volunteers are serving as the primary “secret shoppers.” The Secret Shoppers conduct an independent evaluation of various aspects of CRW programs and facilities and write a report of their findings that are they anonymously shared with relevant staff members.
Coming soon!
Text messaging
Web Site Poll Questions
Four Square
Revised Sponsorship packages
Intramural Sports Championships “Memorable Moments” events