North Country RIDE Intergrated Marketing

Communications Plan Book 2012

Table of Contents

21 Target Audience
23 Communications Objectives

5 Agency Overview
6 Company Overview
7 Executive Summary
9 - Integrated Marketing Communications
11 Situational Analysis
13 - Competitive Analysis

24 Communications Strategies
25 - Rebranding
30 Recommendations
30 - Website
32 - Promotional DVD Storyboard
34 - SEO
38 - Public Relation
40 - Apparel/Merchandise

15 Business Objectives
42 Budget Estimate
16 Key Messages
43 Measurment
17 Brand Character/Tone
44 Plan Implementation
18 Positioning
45 Bibliography
19 Market Segmentation

Prepared with the assistance from the UMD Center for Economic Development, the Labovitz
School of Business and Economic and
The School of Fine Arts
Under the guidance of:
John Kratz
Janice Kmetz
Special thanks to:
Steve Hinnenkamp
Linda Kilbane
& everyone at North Country Ride

Friday December 14th, 2012

Brad Thompson, Molly Hennessy, Paige Klingner, Joe Rancourt

Agency Overview
Here at Per4m Marketing we believe any job is possible, you just
need the right tools. We are a small agency that specializes in small
business marketing and branding tactics. Being a smaller agency, we
are able to focus our energy on fewer projects, which leads to better
results and stronger relationships with our clients. We pride ourselves
in our customer service and effort. Helping our clients and giving
them the best possible product is something we strongly believe in.
We look into every aspect of the business and market to find the most
beneficial and intriguing solutions that will help our clients succeed.

Company Overview

North Country RIDE

Since starting in 1982, North Country RIDE has provided equine facilitated activities for people with special needs and challenges throughout Northeastern Minnesota and Northwestern Wisconsin. In the beginning, there was no pasture, no arena,
and no building. Throughout the years, North Country RIDE has done nothing but
grow more and more into a larger and more equipped facility through the help of
volunteers and sponsors. Now, North Country RIDE has been able to expand their
property to include: 30 acres of fresh, green land for the horses, a fully equipped
arena, and a newly renovated office building. Most importantly, these amenities enable North Country RIDE to be able to offer services to over 100 clients per year.
Without the help of the community, North Country RIDE wouldnt be where it is
today. The members of the community are a testament to what the organization has
become. North Country RIDE is proof that by working together, working hard, and
believing in what you do; anything is possible.

Executive Summary

Meeting with North Country RIDE for the first time allowed us to
further understand what they were looking to get out of this project
and how we could help. Going into the meeting, we had the belief
that we would be targeting customers, but we during the meeting
realized that the need was for targeting volunteers and potential
donors/sponsors. Based on the information discussed in the meeting,
we decided on the following objectives for North Country RIDE, as
stated in our scope of work:

Business Objectives
Increase the number of volunteers at
North Country Ride

Communication Objectives
Create awareness among the community
about the need for volunteers and sponsors

Create a positive brand image

Educate and inform the community

about the organization

Increase the number of new sponsorships

Increase website activity and usability

Promotion Mix Deliverables

Website

Create a new logo and develop a slogan

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Public Relations

Promotional DVD- Storyboard

Target Market

Primary:
Adult Women
ages: 35 - 44 & 45 - 54

Secondary:
College Students
ages: 18 - 24
Donors

Budget:
$

500

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)

What is IMC and why is it important?

IMC is using:
1.

Social Networks

2.

Advertising

3.

Public Relations

4.

Sales Promotions

5.

Sales Promotions

6.

Direct Marketing

7.

Personal Selling

8.

Online Communications

What this means to you:

Being able to utilize your direct and indirect marking plans by

integrating them together to share and convey the same message of
who you are, what you do, and what you believe

Building a brand image for yourself

Getting the audience to know your mission statement without

having to read it

It is important to convey the same message throughout various

promotional tools, so the audience doesnt get confused about what
North Country RIDE is and what they believe in.
The audience should know exactly what to expect from the
organization based off their brand image

10

Situational Analysis
In order to fully understand what North Country RIDE was about, we
conducted an internal and external analysis by answering the following
questions:

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the product or service?

Does it have unique selling points?

What are its key benefits?

How does North Country RIDE currently promote and advertise?

Who buys our product or service?

What does the customer buy? What needs must be satisfied?

Internal Analysis
Strengths of North Country RIDE:

Unique therapeutic experience

No direct competitors in the area

They know how to help people

Able to maintain clientele

Great amount of land
Weaknesses of North Country RIDE:

Misperceived brand image

Not enough volunteers

Not enough sponsorships

Direct and indirect marketing is out of date

Not enough awareness
Location

11

Does it have unique selling points?

North Country RIDE provides a service to all sorts of people with
different challenges and they help them grow through therapeutic
horseback riding. They are the only equine therapy in the county and
surrounding counties. They are selling a unique therapeutic experience
different from any other form of therapy.
Key Benefits to Joining our team:

A chance to help

Work with horses

Work with people who have a variety of different challenges

Be a part of the community

Build relationships
How does North Country RIDE currently promote and advertise?

Social media (Facebook)

Fundraising events

Fall: Fall Fest

September: Play Day

December: Barns & Noble

March: Horse Fair

Local business nights
Website
Brochure

Booths at surrounding college fairs to gain volunteers

Sending out newsletters

Business-to-Business (B2B)

External Analysis

Who buys our product or service?

What does the customer buy? What needs must be satisfied?

People who buy North Country RIDEs services are people who are
looking to grow within themselves. They are looking for a way to develop without their challenges holding them back. They may be the parent
of a child with special needs, an adult with special needs, an individual
trying to grow through a mental or physical, permanent or temporary
disability.
The customer is buying an experience to develop through their challenges through a human-animal connection. They are acquiring a service that
no one else has to offer in the area. It is a way to heal yourself without
having to focus on your challenges but instead focusing on the moment
and the emotional connection with a beautiful animal.
For a Volunteer and Sponsor:
Individuals that are looking to volunteer and sponsor others do it for one
or more reasons:
1)
To help a good cause
2)
To give back to the community
3)
Makes themselves feel better
4)
They have to
5)
They enjoy the involvement
6)
They can relate

Many companies, organizations and individuals are willing and/or

having to spend so much of their time or money on helping others.
We need to be able to attract to these clients and get them to choose
North Country RIDE over any other opportunities available in the
surrounding communities. We need to be able to show them their
time and money is valuable and appreciated. People who want to
help others are doing it out of their spare time. We need to make the
opportunity cost of working with North Country RIDE larger than
anything else they could be spending their time and money towards.
Make it a place people want to be proud to be involved in.
-The need to make a difference in the community and in the lives of
those they are helping
-The need to express or strengthen a sense of personal identity
-The need to be a part of a something meaningful
-Who are our direct and indirect competitors?

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Direct Competitive Analysis:

When we began researching North Country RIDEs direct competition we first had to determine what organizations fit into the definition of direct competitors. Our first thought
was that the direct competition was other therapeutic equine organizations, but in actuality
the definition of direct competitor states that it is Those organizations with the same market
focus: they provide the same services / programs as your organization within the same geographic area, for the same types of customers.
Since we are focusing on volunteers and sponsors, we decided the ideal direct competition for
North Country RIDE is non-profit organizations that provide therapeutic services to people
with challenges. Having that unique of a direct competition criterion made it difficult to find
suitable candidates to evaluate because not many fit the description. Through further research
we found some organizations, but one stood out to us in particular; Courage Center.

What message and media strategies are competitors using? How are your clients competitors
communicating to your target audience?

Social Media:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Blogs

Email newsletters

What key benefits and positioning are used by our competitors?

Courage Center:

Variety of activities/programs offered to people with challenges

Multiple locations

11,000 patients yearly at locations

Provides a best match position for the volunteer
Emotional Benefit Positioning (Why volunteer? section on their website)
Large organization feel
What is our position relative to the competition?
In particular, North Country RIDE displays functional benefit positioning on their website; whereas Courage
Center uses an emotional benefit position strategy. Courage Centers website volunteer section provides emotional feeling by stating the impact the volunteer has on the client as well as the benefits it provides to the volunteers.
In comparison, North Country RIDEs website lists what specific opportunities are available to volunteer for,
while failing to engage any emotional connection to the volunteer to get them to sign up. North Country RIDE
uses other functional benefits such as being around horses in a country setting and not being in an urban setting.
The small local organization, rather than a corporate organization feel to the webpage expresses this position.

13

Indirect Competitive Analysis:

Indirect Competition: Those organizations that do not compete with you for customers, but do compete
for other resources: funding, board members, staff, etc.
Based on that definition, we determined North Country RIDEs indirect competitors are any organizations that use volunteers and donations/sponsors. Upon further research, we found there to be 111 organizations operating that way in the area.

Examples of North Country RIDEs indirect competitors:
Animal Allies

Volunteer to animals in need

Thank You video to volunteers

Use Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, and email lists
Local business

Endorsement for Science Diet that links to Science Diets website
YMCA

Volunteer to help the development of young people

Emphasis on supporting and giving back to the community
Large organization

News releases, media coverage, PSA videos, Facebook

14

Business Objectives

After the initial meeting with our client, we developed a list of business objectives that we believe
would be helpful based on the information they told us. These original business objectives listed on our scope of
work were:
Increase the number of volunteers at North Country RIDE
Increase the number of new sponsorships
Increase website activity and usability
All of these objectives intertwine with one another seamlessly and if implemented correctly, North Country RIDE will
be a thriving organization and uplifting influence to the community for years to come.

15

Key Messages
What do you want to communicate?
Since our objectives include increasing the number of volunteers and sponsors at North Country RIDE, the message
should communicate a powerful, emotional story that establishes a deep connection within potential volunteers and
sponsors minds. It is important to have such a message because emotion is the foundation of why people choose to
volunteer and sponsor. North Country RIDE has believed in helping people with challenges grow and develop since
1982. The most important message needs to express that being involved in North Country RIDE is unlike any other
experience you will have and in doing so you will have a part in making a difference in someones life whose situation is
less fortunate than your own. Researching the motivations and characteristics of volunteers and sponsors helped us in
the process of getting to the message strategy. Finding out that emotion drives the behavior of volunteers and
sponsors is the reason we believe our message is the best fit for North Country RIDEs objectives.

16

Brand Character / Tone

How is their brand perceived by customers?

At our initial meeting with North Country RIDE we learned that they
conducted a strategic plan in 2011 and discovered their reputation was
tarnished within the community. The community sees North Country
RIDE as a place only for mentally retarded children.
We believe North Country RIDE can overcome the communitys
negative perception of the organization and replace it with a positive
image that will stick with them and allow North Country RIDE to
become a place that people are proud to spread the word about. This
can be accomplished by implementing a rebranding strategy, which
we will discuss later in this plans book.

17

How do you want your client to be seen?

We want North Country RIDE to be seen as a place where everyone
with any type of challenge is welcome. Whether the clients challenge
is physical, emotional, cognitive, mental, etc., North Country RIDE
should be seen as a place where everyone is accepted and can come to
grow within themselves and overcome the obstacle theyre facing.

Positioning
What we want to do with our positioning
strategy is get people emotionally connected in
North Country RIDE. Emotion is the core of
consumer decision making and thats where we
want to be.
Simon Sinek is a popular author who came up
with the Golden Circle concept. The Golden
Circle concept states that People dont buy what
you do; they buy why you do it. We need to
make that idea the foundation of North Country
RIDEs position if we hope to effectively target
our audience.

Positioning is the third and final step in STP Marketing.

Positioning is the process by which marketers try to
create an image or identity in the minds of their target
market for its product, brand, or organization.

Simon Sineks Golden Circle

Why? North Country RIDE believes in helping people with challenges
grow within themselves through an unforgettably unique experience.
How? Through equine therapy.
What? Offer horse-facilitated activities for children and adults who have
a wide variety of challenges.

WHY
HOW
WHAT
18

Market Segmentation:

Demographics for typical volunteers in Minnesota

Based on studies conducted by National Bureau of Labor Statistics
from 2011 volunteers

The first step in STP marketing is market segmentation. Market segmentation is the process
of breaking down large, heterogeneous markets
into more homogeneous segments. Through our
research and talks with North Country RIDE,
we decided to focus on two different groups:
Volunteers and Donors/Sponsors. For the
volunteer group, we wanted to find the demographics of who the most likely volunteer candidate of the entire population is, but we wanted
to look at the characteristics of the college
student group as well. To begin this process, we
researched a number of books, journals, and national data involving the demographics and psychographics of volunteers and donors/sponsors
in the United States. Using that data enabled us
to have a greater understanding of what kind
of people volunteer and donate/sponsor, and
eventually led us to find our target audience.

19

Gender

Female
42% females volunteered in MN in 2011

Race

White
38.8% caucasian volunteered in MN in 2011

Age

35 - 54
41% of the ages between 35 and 54 volunteered in MN in 2011

Marital status

Married
Those that were married were more likely to
volunteer compared to singles.

Children

Children under 18
Families with children under the age of 18
volunteer than families with no children.

Employment

Employed
Those who are employed are found to volunteer more than those who are unemployed.
Part-time
Those who are employed part-time are more
likely to volunteer than full-time workers.

Education

College degree
Those who had college degrees were more
likely to volunteer compared to those with
just high school diplomas.

Psychographics and Lifestyles of

Volunteers
According to the book Volunteers: A Social Profile,
volunteers tend to have a high level of extroversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness; while
also exhibiting low levels of neuroticism. They
found that volunteers were more likely to express
the view that individuals can make a difference to
the quality of life in their community; whereas the
people who didnt volunteer didnt because they
lack faith in their ability to make much of a contribution.
The desire to express or strengthen a sense of
personal identity also furnishes a disposition to volunteer when this activity is appropriate. Indeed, for
some people, being a helper is their most salient
identity and naturally leads to their involvement in
volunteer work (Matsuba, Hart, & Atkins, 2007).
The feeling of empathic concern is also positively
associated with volunteering.
The link between lifestyle/activity characteristics
and volunteer activities data shows that Volunteer
Workers/Organizers have a high correlation with
these characteristics/activities: creative, D.I.Y./
Gardening, learning, art appreciation, socializing,
relaxing, and group activities.

Donors
Donations Given in 2011
U.S. Individuals

$217.79 billion

MN Individuals

$2.6 billion

St. Louis County $51.1 million

Carlton County

$7.4 million

Median Contribution
$2,564
$2,213
$1,848
$1,504

Minnesota households with an annual income of $50,000-$99,999 had

the largest percent of income given (4.9%), while Minnesota households
with annual income of $200,000+ had the largest median income given
($12,930).

College Students
A study looking at volunteerism in college students done by Volunteering in America found that:
26.1% (3.1 Million) of U.S. College students ages 16-24 volunteered
33.1% (132,186) of Minnesota College students ages 18-24 volunteer
each year

20

Target Market

The second step in STP Marketing is Targeting. Targeting involves using the data found from
the segmentation step and then selecting one or two of those segments to serve as the target
audience for your marketing efforts.
Examining the different data from our market segmentation, we decided to investigate a few
segments to find their market information within the geographic area North Country RIDE.
The segments we chose were:

Women 35-44 & 45-54 years old

College Students 18-24 years old
Donors
Primary Target Audience Profile:

Women: 35-44 & 45-54 years old

Geographics
Lives in St. Louis or Carlton County
Demographics
Age 35-44 & 45-54, this includes:
-Generation Y (Age 33-44)
-Young Boomers (Age 45-50)
-Some Middle Boomers (Age 51-57)
Female
White
Married
College Degree
Child/Children Under 18
Employed
Psychographics
Work-Life Balance
Technology Adept
Flexible
Embrace Change
Self-Sufficient
Embrace Change
High Homeownership Rates

21

Demographics of Women Age 35-44 in St.

Louis & Carlton County
Total # of Women: 12,535
Race:
White: 11,669
Marital Status:
Single, Never Married: 1,531
Married, Spouse Present: 8,896
Other: 2,845
Education Level
Less Than High School: 507
High School Graduate, No College:
2,182
Some College or Associates Degree: 5,965

Demographics of Women Age 45-54 in St.

Louis & Carlton County
Total # of Women: 17,815
Race
White: 16,822
Marital Status
Single, Never Married: 1,352
Married, Spouse Present: 12,836
Other: 4,701
Education Level (Age 45-64)
Less Than High School: 1,406
High School Graduate, No College: 10,157
Some College or Associates Degree: 13,921
Bachelors Degree or Higher: 8,424

Next, we wanted to find out how many volunteers were within those target audiences. Since
detailed volunteer data was not available for all the different categories of white, female St.
Louis & Carlton County residents, we used average percentages from the Minnesota and
National level for the selected categories.
Using the National percentage of women volunteers age 35-44 (36.1%) and age 45-54
(34.4%), we applied it to the data for St. Louis & Carlton County and calculated that there
are 4,525 women volunteers age 35-44 and 6,111 women volunteers age 45-54 in St. Louis &
Carlton County.
Age
National % of women that voluntee Total Number of Women Women Volunteers
35-44
36.1%

12,535
4,525
45-54
34.4%
17,815
6,111
Total
30,350

10,636

There are 15,756 College students age (18-24) in St. Louis/Carlton

County. Using Minnesotas college student volunteer rate (33.1%), we
can assume that there are 5,215 college students who go to school in St.
Louis/Carlton County who volunteer every year.
We examined Douglas County, WI as well and found that there are 1,856
students that go to school there. Taking Wisconsins college student volunteer rate (43.6%), we can assume there are 809 college students who
go to school in Douglas County, WI.

Secondary Target Audience:

College Students (Age 18-24

Geographics
Go to school in St. Louis, Carlton, or Douglas (WI)
County
Demographics
College Student
Age 18-24
Psychographics of Student Volunteers
Career consideration is a main motivation for college students to volunteer.
Helping others is the most cited reason for college
volunteers
To feel productive
To have a sense of identity
To have a place in the adult world
Build resume
Gain important skills and networks

Donors

Geographics
Live in St. Louis or Carlton County
Demographics
Households with an annual income above
$50,000
Key Characteristics
Committed to the mission of the organization
Long-term donor loyalty
Need regular personal cultivation
Influenced by other giving properties
Motivated by tax considerations when making
large gifts
Want to know who else is giving
Motivated by donor recognition
According to Philanthropy.com, taxpayers in St. Louis & Carlton County
with an income of $50,000 or more donated a total of $58.5 million in
2008. The largest percentage of annual income donated in St. Louis
County (4.0%) came from households with individuals making $50,000$90,000; equaling an average contribution of $1,606.

County # of College Students (18-24) College Student Volunteer % # of College Student Volunteers
St. Louis 15,756 33.1 5,215
Douglas 1,856 43.6 809
Total 17,612 6,024

22

Communication Objectives

Along with the business objectives we discussed earlier, we developed three communication
objectives after the initial meeting with our client that we believe would be beneficial to North
Country RIDE based on the information they told us. These communication objectives are:
Create awareness among the community about the need for volunteers and sponsors
Create a positive brand image
Educate and inform the community about the organization
These objectives can be obtained through various tactics we recommend North Country RIDE
implements into their organization. We will introduce and explain the recommendations later on
in this plans book.

23

Communication Strategy

AIDA Model

ACTION
INTEREST

A structured presentation aimed at capturing attentions, identifying features of interest, defining

desirable benefits and requesting action in the form of a purchase

When selling yourself to others using the AIDA model, you are aiming to attract
attention, gain interest, stimulate desire and have the end action be a purchase of your product
or service. Attention, interest and desired needs all need to be fulfilled for someone to want
to continue through the AIDA process. You gain attention through what is pleasing to the
eye. You gain interest through the unique information displayed for the service. You stimulate
the desire for the need by reaching out and connecting to them through emotion. Using this
model can help North Country RIDE effectively rebrand themself.

DESIRE
ATTENTION

24

Rebrand

Why and what this will do for you?

Creating a new image for North Country RIDE will allow the chance to
show others know the organization is really about. By starting fresh, we
are able to cleanse the unwanted messages that the community perceives
and express a new message of what the organization is and what they
believe in. The goal is to change how you are perceived, not what you do.
By creating a new image, we are able to position the organization any
way we wish.

How?
Redesign Name
New Logo
Tagline
Redesign Webpage
New Brochure

25

While making these changes, everything must flow together and

express a consistent message.

New Name
"North Country Ride"
First, we want to take out the periods in the word R.I.D.E. and change it to Ride. Currently,
R.I.D.E. is not stated anywhere for what it stands for. We believe that this is negative for the
organization because having the whole word capitalized may confuse the intended audience. It
gets them thinking more about what the name stands for than what the organization does. Also,
R.I.D.E. being used like that makes it more difficult to be found on social networking sites and
becomes a hassle when people have to type it out. Our mission in rebranding North Country
RIDE is to make the organization name be consistent throughout all mediums so that the
audience becomes more and more familiar with the organization.

New Tagline
"A Connection Like No Other"
Taglines are a great way to create awareness and get the audience to recognize a brand. North
Country RIDE currently does not have a tagline, which is why we believe developing a new
tagline to use was such an essential part of our rebranding strategy for them. Making the
tagline consistent with our overall message, which involves creating an emotional connection
between North Country RIDE and the audience, was the main objective we wanted the tagline
to accomplish.
We believe this tagline effectively expresses our overall message and establishes it within the
audiences mind as well as describing the experience North Country RIDE has to offer. The
bonds that are formed at the organization are unique and special; this speaks directly to our
value proposition. Using the word Connection enables us to not only appeal to our target
audience (volunteers and sponsors), but also with current and potential clients. This tagline
is meaningful; which allows it to stick within the audiences mind much longer than a cute
phrase or joke will.

26

New Logo

Option 1

Made by Molly Hennessy

North Country Ride

A Connection Like No Other.

NORTH COUNTRY RIDE

Option 2

Made by Joseph Rancourt

27

New Colors
You want to use colors to form your identity and to help keep consistency between all mediums.

Brown

Typography

Brown is the color of the earth and ultimately home. This color
brings feelings of stability and security. It is stablizing, comforting,
hardworking, and it brings us back to our roots; nature.

Futura Medium

Orange
The color pyschology of orange is optimistic, lifting, and rejuvinating.
Orange is also warm and inviting,

Peach
The color peach is a mixture of orange and pink. Peach is a color of
innocence. It's caring and alive. It is calming, and is one of the softest
colors. It brings the lifting feeling as orange, but the calming of pink.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
Bell MT Italic
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789

28

Digital
Used for Web, Powerpoint, electronic devices.

Brown
DS 321 - 3 C
R = 99
G = 47
B = 35

Burnt Orange
DS 54 - 2 C
R = 185
G = 94
B = 35

Peach
DS 56 - 5 C
R = 249
G = 169
B = 128

Peach tint
DS 56 - 5 C 50%
R = 249
G = 169
B = 128

Print
Use CMYK numbers when printing with Pantone isnt applicable.

Brown
PANTONE 4695 C
C = 60
M = 90
Y = 100
K = 30

29

Burnt Orange
PANTONE 7522 C
C = 15
M = 70
Y = 90
K = 15

Peach
PANTONE 488 C
C=0
M = 40
Y = 50
K=0

Peach tint
PANTONE 488 C 50%
C=0
M = 40
Y = 50
K=0

Website
We recommend updating the design of the North Country RIDE
website because the current website does not develop an emotional
connection with the visitor and has too much going on. This makes
it hard for visitors to keep an interest in the site and stay on it to find
out more information.

Why we recommend an updated website:

Professional look
Make information easier to find
Making information easier to find on the new website is very
important because according to the article Charities of Choice, 43%
people age 35-44 and 38% age 45-54 say that looking at a companys
website is their preferred method of research before donating. That
is our main target audience, so having easy to find information on the
site will allow for a greater number of potential volunteers and
sponsors/donors.
Create an emotional connection between the
visitor and North Country RIDE

30

How it will help with volunteers and sponsors/donors:

The new website needs to have content that is visually driven. Visitors
dont want to have to think when visiting a website, so using visuals
instead of large sections of words accomplishes that. A picture says a
thousand words and will create an emotional connection between the
visitor and North Country RIDE as well as keep their attention much
more effectively than the use of words.

Communication Objectives:
Updating the website design will allow North Country RIDE to educate and inform the community about the organization by making the
website easier to use and find information on.
It will also create a positive brand image for the organization by
having a professional look to the webpage and showcasing powerful,
emotional visuals that will allow visitors to see the good that North
Country RIDE provides people.

31

Promotional Video Storyboard

One of the things North Country RIDE emphasized to us during our initial meeting was the
need for a promotional video that they could use to show potential volunteers and sponsors/
donors. Since we were unable to make an actual video for them to use, we came up with a
storyboard they could use if they decide to make one.
Besides North Country RIDE mentioning wanting to make a video during our meeting, we
wanted to help with the idea because we think it goes with our theme of attracting volunteers
and sponsors to North Country RIDE by creating an emotional connection with them; and
thats just what a video story does.

People will forget what you tell them, but will never forget how you make them feel.
- Maya Angelou

People dont want to read through pages and pages of lengthy information, but most are
willing to watch a short video. The video can be posted on the organization website and other
social media platforms where viewers can then pass them along to friends and family or post
them on their own social media page(s).
A promotional video will help us with our communication objectives, which are: creating a
positive brand image for North Country RIDE, educate and inform the community about the
organization, and create awareness among the community about the need for volunteers and
sponsors

32

Storyboard

(Soft acoustic guitar playing in background)

-Fade in, wide angle panning shot of outside North Country RIDEs
property, sunny day, horses grazing
-Cut to inside of building, wide shot, session in progress, child riding
horse led by instructor and volunteer, parent of child is
visible on the far side of the shot watching the session
-Zoom to close-up of child riding horse, their face showing determination while attempting to do the activity
-Pan to medium shot, volunteer and instructor encouraging the child
to keep trying to finish the activity

-Cut to shot of parent in front of camera giving testimonial about

how North Country RIDE benefits their child and makes them feel
good because of it
-Medium shot, everyone congratulating the child on their accomplishment
-Cut to shot of volunteer in front of camera giving testimonial about
how North Country RIDE makes them feel better about themselves
because of the experience they help make possible for the client
-Close-up shot showing child still on horse, petting it, smiling and
happy
-Zoom-in on child, child then leans forward and embraces the horse

-Close-up shot of volunteer encouraging child

-Close-up shot of instructor encouraging child
-Close-up shot of child trying hard to complete activity, still showing
determination
-Medium shot, child completes the activity and the volunteer, instructor, and child all their raise arms in celebration
-Close-up shot of child raising arms, ecstatic look on their face, the
look shows relief and accomplishment from what theyve
just done
-Close-up shot of parent holding their hands together on their chest,
eyes begin to get moist, small subtle smile on face shows the pride and
love they feel for their child

33

-Freeze image of child embracing the horse and fade in logo and
slogan A Connection Unlike Any Other
-Fade-in website address and call to action text: Join us today and
help make a difference in someones life or Support us today and
help make a difference in someones life
-Fade out

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is a process whereby the volume and quality of traffic to a
website from search engines is improved.
We have come up with two cheap and effective search engines
optimization tools that will improve the website traffic of North
Country RIDE. This will also increase the opportunity to create
awareness amongst volunteers and sponsors and create overall
additional brand awareness.

Google AdWord

Keywords:

What is Google AdWord?

Why use it?

Its utilizing the capabilities of a Google

search to advertise your product or service
and create brand awareness.

Cheap!
Easy!
Effective!

Volunteer
Donate
Horse
Therapy
Words that best describe the intentions of
the Google search by potential customers
for North Country RIDE

How does it work?

You create your ads

You create ads and choose keywords, which
are words or phrases related to your business.

Your ads appear on Google

You attract customers

When people search on Google using one

of your keywords; your ad may appear next
to or above the search results. Now you're
advertising to an audience that's already
interested in you.

When someone clicks on your ad, they land

on your website where they can learn more
about your business or make a purchase.

34

Cost:
Pay only for results
With AdWords, you're charged only if someone clicks on your ad and
lands on your website, not when your ad is displayed. In other words,
you only pay when your advertising works.

Start with any budget

How much you invest is up to you. There are no minimum budget
requirements, no minimum terms and you can change your settings
online at any time.
Putting $100 dollars in your budget w/ a cost of $0.10 per click on
Ad= 1000 Views to your Website

Local Audience:
Carlton County
St. Louis County
Itasca County
Aitkin County
Pine County
Douglas County (Wisconsin)

-ORMN Audience Whole State

For Local Business:

Target your ads locally
Set your ads to appear only to people searching in a particular city,
region or country. Now it's easy to target online customers within 20
miles of your front door or across the world.

Show your address with your ads

Help potential customers find you by showing a business address or
phone number with your AdWords text ads. You can show your
location to people searching for local information on Google.com and
on Google Maps.

35

GoodSearch
What is GoodSearch?
Goodsearch is a search engine optimization
tool that donates money to organizations for
every time a user uses the search engine.

Free to use!
Free funding for North Country RIDE!
Easy!

How does it work?

Choose your cause

Search the Web

You have the power to PICK who YOU want

to HELP

Or raise money with goodshop or gooddining

(other related GoodSearch tools)

Where does the money come from?

How to get people to use Goodsearch?

Fifty percent of the revenue generated from

the sponsored search advertisements on
Yahoo is shared with the selected charity,
school, or nonprofit organization of your
choice.

Post it on the North Country RIDE

Facebook and webpage multiple times to
inform every one of its use

Yahoo donates to your cause

Yahoo donates when you search, shop online
or dine out using these specific search tools

The more AWARENESS = The more

USAGE = More MONEY raised for North
Country RIDE

Explain what it is and how it works

Ask the audience to make it their

preferred search engine

36

How much money could this generate for North Country RIDE?
Yahoo estimates that each user search generated from Goodsearch
generates approximately $0.01. In fiscal 2006, 2007 and 2008 (October
through September), each search actually earned 1.3 cents. Here's an
example of how much North County RIDE can earn:

Charity or School Size

Number of Supporters

Average Searchers Per Day

Estimated Revenue

Small

100

$730

Medium

1,000

$7,300

Large

10,000

$73,000

37

(Per Year)

Public Relation Section

Public relations is a great fit for the purpose of our campaign because
it ties in perfectly with our three communication objectives discussed
earlier and is a great option for an organization that doesnt have a big
marketing budget. Two specific recommendations for North Country
RIDEs public relations are a newspaper article about North Country
RIDE and sending an email to students.

Email to College Students

This recommendation directly reaches the suggested target market of

college students ages 18-24. As stated in earlier, St. Louis and Carlton
County potentially have 5,215 college student volunteers. Reaching even
a small percentage of these students would be a significant number in
terms of new volunteers at North Country RIDE.

Audience:

Cost:
$

By using this recommendation, North Country RIDE will accomplish

the communication objective educate and inform the community about
the organization and will directly increase the number of volunteers.

38

Newspaper Article:

Main Newspapers and Circulation in Carlton and St. Louis County

Having a local newspaper write an article that shows the great things
that North Country RIDE provides people will allow exposure to many
people and help build a positive brand image for the organization.

Audience:

Pine Journal:

5,111

Duluth Tribune: Weekday

40,636

According to a study by State of the Media,

regarding the demographics of newspaper readers, they found that
the higher the age, educational level, and income are the people most
likely to read a newspaper article. They also found that for race, white
people are most likely to read a newspaper.

Duluth Tribune: Sunday

63,762

We believe this recommendation will be effective because the audience

of newspapers matches up well with our target audience.

Duluth Budgeteer News

40,000

This does not include the statistics of online visitors to these newspaper websites, but we
believe the number of people being reached would be greatly increased because according to
the Minnesota Newspaper Association, local newspaper websites rank first among all local
media sources for trustworthiness, credibility and being most informative.

If done correctly, a newspaper article can accomplish all three of our communication objectives:

Create awareness among the community about the need for volunteers and sponsors

Create a positive brand image

Educate and inform the community about the organization

39

Cost:
$

Retail Merchandise

Why?

How?

By displaying the merchandise within North

Country RIDEs facility and making it
available for purchase in-store or on the
organization website.

Make a profit off sales

Create a new image of who you are as an organization
Free advertising
Create a community
Make people feel more involved

North Country RIDE is a community where people interact together

and are proud to be a part of. Creating retail merchandise for people
to purchase and wear allows everyone to feel more connected and
involved. Selling merchandise is also a great way to fundraise for the
organization. Many will be more willing to purchase a t-shirt knowing that it is for a good cause. The merchandise that is purchased and
worn can serve as a way to promote and create awareness for North
Country RIDE around the community. As North Country RIDE sells
more merchandise, they will be able to buy bulk quantities for cheaper
prices and expand their merchandise collection; leading to further
profit opportunities to help fund the organization.

Cost?
Quantity = 25 unisex basic T- Shirts
Small: 5
Medium: 10
Large: 5
X-Large: 5
Price= $9.48/ piece
Shipping= FREE
Total= $237.00
Sell= $15.00/ piece
Profit= Total Revenue- Total Cost
Profit: $375- $237= $138
If every shirt is sold at $15.00, North
Country RIDE would be making a profit of
$5.52 (58% profit) for every shirt sold.

40

Details
Brown t-shirt
2 color font (green, white)
1 color back (green or white)
Logo (front)
Tagline (front, beneath logo)

41

Budget Estimates
North Country RIDE gave us a budget of $500
with the possibility of getting a matched grant
for a new total of $1000.

Google Adword = $100.00

New Brochure = $129.99
Retail Merchandise = $237.00

Total Spending Leftover from $500 budget= $

33.01
Total Spending Leftover from $1,00 budget=
$533.01

GoodSearch
Internship
Public Relations
Rebrand
DVD Storyboard

FREE

42

Measurement
Website

Using Google Analytics to track the total

number of visitors since updating the website as well as the total number of unique
visitors
A 15% increase of unique visitors one
month after the recommendations are
implemented would be a successful rate
Google AdWords

How much of your advertising budget

is spent from total amount contributed

to the yearly budget

How fast the budget is being spent per

month will measure how frequently the

search is influencing traffic to potential

customers to website

Newspaper Article

Email to College Students

Retail Merchandise

How many shirts are sold per class sessions of 4-6 weeks
All of Recommendations will be measured by:

Comparing number of clientele from
previous years

Comparing number of donations from
previous years

Comparing number of sponsorships
from previous years

43

Have a call-to-action on the article telling the

audience to mention that they saw the article
A significant increase in the amount of volunteers and donations to the organization would
be indicators of a successful newspaper article

Open rate of email

Responses from college students about the
email
College students who volunteer and mention
they saw the email
Also, a general increase in the number of college students who volunteer could be deemed
acceptable

GoodSearch

Capital is raised per month will illustrate
how much the service tools is being utilized

Capital raised will represent the awareness
growth of the search tool

Plan Implementation

January 30th

Create Internship

Post Intership

Google adword

Update Website

Update Brochure

Buy Retail

Fill Internship

Story in paper

Sell Retail

2013

Update Goodsearch
Awarness

Film DVD

Summer Internship

Rebrand

June 1st

2013

Produce DVD

March 30th

44

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