MEET THE PR TEAM GRADUATE MEMPHIS Graduate Memphis

MEET THE PR TEAM

GRADUATE MEMPHIS Graduate Memphis is a free, nonprofit organization committed to helping adult learners start, or complete a college degree or technical program. They provide resources such as information on obtaining financial aid, career counseling, and can work around any busy schedule. As an organization, they believe in taking the first step. Education is a journey and Graduate Memphis will be there every step of the way.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Our campaign book, It’s Not Too Late, Graduate will benefit Graduate Memphis, based on research we’ve conducted about the public. This plan will also seek to help the public gain a better understanding of who Graduate Memphis is, their mission and the resources they offer. This strategy will lead to an increased awareness about Graduate Memphis and an overall increase in the number of people utilizing Graduate Memphis’ resources. This is a 6 -month campaign planned to run from January to June 2019. We’ve provided a tentative timeline, but the dates can be easily modified to best fit Graduate Memphis’ needs. However, we recommend the campaign be executed as presented to capitalize on New Year’s resolutions and new beginnings.

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS Facebook: As of November 11, 2018: Twitter: As of November 11, 2018: ‣ 990 Likes ‣ Followed by 1, 341 followers ‣ Posts are an average of once every ‣ Following 1, 663 accounts ‣ 4, 783 tweets ‣ Tweet an average of once every five days. ‣ 1 -3 likes per post/ 0 shares ‣ 0 -1 favorite per tweet/ 0 retweets

PRIMARY RESEARCH SURVEY RESULTS: The first portion of our primary research was a survey. The purpose of the survey was two-fold. First, we wanted to gauge the level of awareness in the Memphis area about Graduate Memphis. And we wanted to see if respondents felt that adults in the service area felt confident about returning to school to receive a post -secondary degree. This data not only allows us to gauge how well Graduate Memphis is getting their name and mission out to the public, but it also helps us learn what obstacles adults face when they consider returning to college or a technical school. The survey was fielded April 3 -6, 2018, was distributed by all members of our team via Facebook. The survey contained 15 questions which included a mix of open and closed-ended questions, semantic, and agreement scales. KEY INSIGHTS: ▸ A total of 76 respondents. The majority of respondents were from Memphis and the surrounding areas. ▸ 75 out of 76 respondents had never heard of Graduate Memphis. We also asked a series of questions in order to find out some of the obstacles adults face when deciding to seek post-secondary education. ▸ 88 percent of respondents feel that returning to school as an adult is an attainable goal. ▸ 56 percent of respondents expressed that time constraint including their job, kids, and busy schedules are the biggest obstacles they face when deciding to return to school.

In conclusion with the overall results from this survey, Graduate Memphis should craft some of their messaging to be geared toward reassuring adults with hectic schedules that obtaining a degree is possible, and that Graduate Memphis is willing to help them make the process as stress-free as possible.

FOCUS GROUP RESULTS: There were two focus groups held in April of 2018. The purpose of these focus groups was to gauge the level of awareness about Graduate Memphis’ resources, and their overall perception of Graduate Memphis’ digital presence. We asked them a series of questions which included open-ended questions and yes or no format questions. The demographics of our focus group included 5 females and 4 males, ranging in age from 25 to 49 years old, which is within our target audience. Four participants had some college experience, with two of those four having an associate’s degree. The other participants had never enrolled in post-secondary education. Five participants have children, and three are married. All participants work full-time with an income of less than $35, 000 a year. KEY INSIGHTS: ‣ Seven out of 9 participants had not heard of Graduate Memphis.

WHEN ASKED “DO YOU FEEL LIKE GRADUATE MEMPHIS DOES A GOOD JOB EXPLAINING TO THE PUBLIC WHAT THEY DO? WHY OR WHY NOT? ” ONE RESPONDENT WHO HAS NEVER ATTENDED COLLEGE STATED, “I AM JUST NOW HEARING ABOUT THIS PROGRAM. I AM UNSURE WHAT ALL SERVICES THEY DO PROVIDE. ” These results give insight about Graduate Memphis’ efforts to effectively promote their organization and the resources they offer. 99 percent of survey respondents had never heard of Graduate Memphis, and this was mirrored by the fact that 80 percent of our focus group participants were unaware of the organization. This leads us to conclude that increasing awareness of the organization, its mission and the resources it provides should be a priority.

PUBLIC & KEY MESSAGE Target Audience: ‣ Adults ages 25 -50 ‣ Living in Mid-South area ‣ Currently in the workforce ‣ Haven’t started a college program or started one but never finished. These people might be working an hourly job and want the opportunity to earn more income, or maybe they view this as a personal goal to achieve. Maybe they are hesitant to seek post-secondary education for financial reasons or feel as if they’re too old. We want to encourage them with the understanding that Graduate Memphis can work around any circumstance including financial obstacles, busy schedules, and everything in between.

“IT’S NOT TOO LATE, GRADUATE!” In the event that you are hoping to come back to school or another technical program, you have come to the right place. At Graduate Memphis, we offer free resources to both working and out-regarding work adults, nontraditional students, guardians with hectic schedules and of you out there who have made the fearless advance to further your training! We have partnered with numerous nearby institutions and associations with the end goal to locate the best program for you. We understand that there can be roadblocks ahead with work and events in your life that can prevent you from school, but we are here to help! No case is excessively in- tense! Graduate Memphis offers free, thorough help to help adults in the Mid-South complete their advanced educations. What’s imperative is that each Memphian has a chance to seek after their dreams and have the chance to plan through a higher education. Graduate Memphis offers help with managing defaulted student loans, grant assets, and career counseling to match which career is the right one for you. Try not to delay to start the procedure! Your goal of being a future alumni starts now!

EVALUATING SUCCESS This campaign’s level of success will be measured through surveys, focus groups, digital analytics, and individual feedback to gauge the level of understanding and awareness about Graduate Memphis and the resources they offer. To measure the level of awareness with adults, we will conduct a pre survey before each of the events. After the events, we will send them a post-survey via email to see if they had gained a better understanding of Graduate Memphis. For social media posts, we will measure the level of success through Facebook analytics and measurements of engagement. After the campaign, we will evaluate these numbers again to determine if our campaign was a success. To measure the increase in enrollment, we will count how many people are enrolled in the program. After the campaign, we will see how many enrolled during the campaign to see if the number increased.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

BUDGET

CONCLUSION To become top-of-mind with adults desiring to begin or complete a post-secondary education in the Mid-South, Graduate Memphis needs to change the way that they communicate about their mission and the free resources that are available. Our team believes that this campaign plan will accomplish just that, and will help people become more aware about the resources they offer to seek a postsecondary education.