Overview

• Know Who You Are

• Marketing to the FIRST Audience

• Marketing Outside of FIRST

• Engaging in the Conversation

• Benefits of Good Imagery

Know Who You Are

Start with a Mission Statement Discuss what you want to do Include values, inspiration, strengths Be real and specific. Be short, sweet and to the point….

Our Mission StatementOur mission is to inspire youth using 4-H principles along with the tenets of gracious professionalism to explore science and technology through a mentor based program, which develops leadership and life skills and encourages innovative, creative solutions to engineering and technical challenges.

Business Plan

• Team Direction– Organization Structure– Future Plans– Goals– Sustainability– SWOT/Risk Analysis– Budget

• Useful for – Entrepreneurship Award– Sponsors– Grants

Rookie Teams

Choose a •Team name

– School – Area– Random Name Generator

•Colors•Logo•Shirts

Branding your Identity

• Resources available to your team– Software– Talents

• Maintain control of your image– Digital, Print and Merchandise– Taglines

• Logo Guidelines– Pantone Colors and versions in RGB and vector– Fonts

• 1902 Imagery & Branding Recommendations– http://www.explodingbacon.com/image-and-branding/

• FIRST Branding Guidelines(www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/marketing-tools/brand)

Why is Your Image Important?

Know who you are,so others will know who you are.

This becomes evident when you are:• Marketing Within the FIRST Community• Marketing Outside the FIRST Community

What is Marketing?

Marketing is anything you create or share

that tells your story. Ann Handley

Marketing to the FIRST Audience

• Marketing to Judges

• Marketing to Teams

• The FIRST Community at large

Communicating with Judges

• Know your message– Judge’s Packet– Supporting documentation

• Robot cards or design manual• Outreach documents

– Students talking to the judges• Gracious Professionalism on and off the

field – judges are everywhere

Judges Packet

• Business Plan• Marketing Packet• Community Outreach Information

– Press Releases and Articles– Flyers & Marketing Materials– Thank you letters

• Digital Media Award Submission• Team Handbook• Brochure• Chairman’s Submission

Judge Whispering

Prepare your students to talk about all aspects of your team:•Pit Test•Practice Sessions•Games, like jeopardy•Presenting Chairman’s to your Team•Make sure they know what awards your team is pursuing

Marketing to Other Teams

• Robot Cards• Giveaways (clappers, pens, bandanas, aliens)• Peer Awards• Use your strengths to help other teams • Developing relationships with other teams• Workshops and Seminars (like this)• Off-Seasons• Mentoring year around (FRC, FTC or FLL)• Trading Shirts• Pins/Buttons• Team Cheers

Pit Identity

BRANDING YOUR BOT!

Shirts/Uniform

Pins and Buttons

Mascots

We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do!

Giveaways

The FIRST Community

• Chief Delphi• Reddit• Off-Seasons• FIRST Outreach – professional

conferences and events• Behind the Lines and GameSense

Marketing is the ongoing process of engagement

whereby strangers are nurtured into advocates. Trey Pennington

Marketing Outside FIRST

Marketing Outside FIRST

• Sponsors• Potential Students and Mentors• Community Outreach

– Girl Scouts/Boy Scouts– Libraries– Science Centers– Schools– Farmer’s Markets– Professional Conferences

• Local Media

Outreach and Sponsors

• Know FIRST– What FIRST stands for– What FIRST is about

• Know your team– Story– Budget, mission and goals– Organizational structure– Are you a 501c3

Outreach and Sponsors

• Show the benefits of your team to your audience

• Practice elevator speeches with one another

• Knowledge will show through with confidence

Fundraising Best Practices

• Fundraising Toolkit– http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/

first-fundraising-toolkit• Understand the restrictions you work

within.• Research • Document your submission materials for

future grants

Fundraising Examples

• Corporate Sponsors• Local Small Business• Parent Contacts• Restaurants/Spirit Nights• Crowd Funding• Summer Camps/Science Nights• FLL/FTC Tournaments & sell concessions• Catalog and traditional fundraising sales• Activity Book• Car washes, storefront solicitations, FIRST lightbulb sales,

etc…

Marketing to Potential Sponsors

• Unique Image• Marketing Packet

– Business Plan– Budget

• Presentations and demos• Sponsor Levels• Show how sponsoring you, benefits them

1K-5K - Big Bacon Company name of Logo (Small) on T-shirt and Robot Company name on marketing materials Link on team website

500-1K – Squealer Company name on T-shirt Company name on marketing materials Link on team website

0-500 – Piglet Listed on website Our un-dying love and gratitude

10K and above - Boss Hog Company name or Logo (Large) on T-shirt and Robot Company name on promotional materials Link on team website Logo displayed in pit

5K-10K - Power Pig Company name or Logo (Medium) on T-shirt and Robot Company name on promotional materials Link on team website Logo displayed in Pit

Sponsor Levels

Sponsor Retention

Sponsor Dinner

Newsletters/Emails

Invitations to events

Support their outreach

Marketing is the messages and/or actions

that cause messages and/or actions. Jay Baer

Engage in the Conversation

Social Media Strategy

• Target Your Audiences • Select your channels• List your Goals and Objectives for each• Identify key persons responsible for

managing sites and creating content• Review the FIRST Digital Media

Submission rubric

Engage your audience

• Content: create, engage and be relevant – Produce the content for your audience– Communicate with your audience, not to your audience

• Use good video and pictures• Spelling and grammar MATTER• Keep a casual tone when writing for social media• Post about build season, outreach, sponsors, FIRST and

STEM news • Schedule release of posts to maximize message impact• Consistent Image and Branding of your team

In addition…

• Educate your team– Share - Retweet– Message

• Private and Public Facebook Channels• Employ numerous admins to share the

responsibility• Watch for up and coming channels• Experiment to see what works best for

you

Use Video!

• Build/Competition Season Vlogs • YouTube and Facebook • Schedule video releases for consistent

message impact• Videos are shared 12x more on Facebook• Get video releases signed, if needed

Print Media

• Brochures• Flyers• Business Cards• Marketing Packets• Sponsor Thank You’s• PowerPoint

Presentations• Press Releases

Benefits of Good Imagery

• More Memorable• Leave a Good Impression• Press• Fundraising• Member Recruitment

Gracious Professionalism