GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS
Marketing
Before launching into the 'how to' of marketing, it is important to examine exactly what is involved and your role or more importantly, your perception of your role.
Return for a moment to the concept of 'behaviour change'. Ultimately this is your goal. That is, introducing a concept to another person in a way that they will be willing to adapt their current behaviour and adopt your ideas. In this case, the behaviour is adopting alternative choices of transport instead the car.
TravelSmart offers a great variety of tools and supporting information. Introducing the tools and information alone will increase the knowledge of those you speak to. It won't necessarily entice them to take on your ideas.
You are selling ideas. How well they are received depends strongly on the packaging and how confident you are with that packaging. The words 'selling'/ 'sales' will be perceived differently according to your experiences.
Describe your role
Examine your own acceptance / resistance to these terms. The secret to successful delivery often lies in your own comfort with how you perceive your role Think of words to describe the delivery of ideas:
I am .......
Selling .......
Marketing .......
Promoting .......
Presenting opportunities to be involved in .....TravelSmart
Adopt the ones that best suit the image you feel is consistent with your own beliefs. Communication is a two way process and both parties must be comfortable for ideas sharing to take place. Resistance from either side can prevent acceptance.
Tailoring the TravelSmart Message
Tailoring your messages to a given audience is just another way of checking that the selected strategy you are delivering fits and suits those who you are talking to. This requires you to identify their needs. Tailoring actively recognizes the target audience in the change process (Kreufer et al, 2000).
Individualised content
Meeting Client Needs Requires the ability to:
- Identify individual expectations
- Assess the needs within a given industry
- Identify signs of problems in relation to meeting needs and expectations
- Advise on alternative strategies
- Refer to the most appropriate person in the organization
- Discuss options and negotiate (Dwyer, 1997)
It is the identification of these needs that will help in any negotiations further down the track. Tailoring is a type of assessment. Assessment is usually a term referred to when dealing with community settings and individuals (Kreufer et al. 2000). However, it can also apply to organizations.
Tailoring: ....any combination of information and behaviour change strategies intended to reach one specific person, based on the characteristics that are unique to that person.... (Kreufer et al 2000)
So if the key messages are tailored we can expect to increase our chances of meeting the needs and wants of that particular audience. In an organization, this may mean the layering of strategies to meet the needs of given groups within the structure of that organization.
Example:
Potential TravelSmart Key messages to select from:
'1 day makes a difference'
'Not all or Nothing '
'Ownership and Responsibility' - Employer drives the plan,
'You are not locked into this exact plan, it can develop with you'
'We are here to work with you to develop ideas'
Choose appropriate tools - promotion of public transport plans and incentives, walking and cycling, car pooling, telecommuting
A competitive sales environment:
| Corporate Interest |
Ability to meet targets and deadlines |
|---|---|
| Value |
Strength, stamina and fitness in the team |
| Staff Attitude |
Competitive, high achievers |
| Target Strategy |
Health and Fitness = Walking, Cycling |
| Promotion |
Corporate Cycling Teams - compete in one off or regular events |
| Action |
Incentive to train, encourages riding to work, |
| Employer Commitment |
Installation of bike racks, facilities to store clothing/showers Provide hats, riding gear with corporate logos |
| Employer Benefit |
Fitter work force, free promotion of company, corporate identity linked with health and fitness |
| Desired Result |
Behaviour change on their terms. Company support of alternative travel modes |
If you know their needs you can sell according to what they will like best.