Global Conference: Marketing Communications

• Work with the Executive Director (who manages all CSEA communications) to create a Marketing Plan to help promote the conference to members and non-members. The plan will be located in Smartsheet for ongoing access. Each item within the plan should include a distribution date and a committee member who is assigned as the "owner." The ED should be informed when the plan is complete or when changes are made. The plan should include:
  • Regular emails. The Marketing Committee develops the promotional email collateral and sends it to the Executive Director for editing and distribution. Communications should be targeted toward both schools and employers, with individual, targeted emails created for each group when appropriate (for example, when promoting the programming). Emails should include information about the value-add for different subsets of the membership (i.e. directors, specialized masters programs, employers, etc.). 
    Tips to maximize the impact of emails:
    1. Include pictures whenever possible.
    2. Ensure content is as succinct as possible. As a general rule, emails should be no longer than 200 words total, with paragraphs of no more than 2 - 3 sentences each.
    3. Include no more than two topics in the same email (e.g. keynote and plenary sessions, breakout session highlights, networking activities, etc.)
    4. Make the subject lines short and informative, focusing on the essence of the email and the call to action.
    5. Use a casual voice. Think about the verbiage that would be most impactful to you and your colleagues.
    6. Use bullet points to separate thoughts or pieces of the email.
    7. Proofread the draft before submitting.
  • Specific information targeted at prospective employer members. All members of the conference committee will be asked to promote the conference to their employer base, to help expand our reach. The Marketing Committee should develop employer-specific content with language that appeals to this audience. Employer members of the committee can be utilized for this task. The ED can also provide the organization-wide marketing materials used for employers as an example.
  • Social media - Most of the social media activity should be distributed in advance of the early bird deadline in order to maximize impact on attendance. All conference committee members (not just the Marketing Committee) will be asked to share through their channels. The ED will add calendar invites to the committee and board member calendars with some of the key messages, to make it easier for them to distribute the message. The committee utilizes Canva or another tool to create images and brief text to include:
    1. Programming announcements for the larger sessions (keynotes, plenary speakers, panels) with speakers tagged as appropriate. Note that staff manages the breakout session announcements due to the volume of breakout sessions and time commitment needed.
    2. Quotes from committee members and past conference attendees about their experience
    3. Pictures, videos and other information to promote the local area
    4. Other items as needed
• Provide promotional text for the main landing page on the conference web site.