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2018 PR/Marketing
Strategy
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Table of Contents

Contact Information for First Friday 3

Market Survey Research from 2017 3–4
2018 Public Relations Plan 5–7
Downtown Business Association Events 7
Marketing Research Goals 2018 8
Appendix A: Health Dept. Food handling 9
Appendix B: Social Media Tutorials 11
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Contact Information for First Friday:

E-mail: adrianff2016@gmail.com
Facebook: Adrian First Friday
● Private Group for Downtown Businesses- please join to quickly share info
and ask questions
Google Forms: Posted in the “about” section of the Facebook page each month and e-
mailed

Mission of First Friday:

Promote Downtown Adrian businesses and increase traffic to Downtown Adrian by
having businesses come together and promote sales, open houses and specials the
first Friday of every month.

History of First Friday:

Almost six years ago, two community leaders - Jackie Koch and Eric Gable - came to
City Hall with an idea to host more events in Downtown Adrian that would support
downtown businesses and provide an opportunity for the community to come together.
Their proposal was to host a series of events to be known as First Fridays, that would
feature art and music, would have a changing theme, and focus on downtown
businesses. A committee was formed, commitments from downtown businesses were
secured; artists and creatives from the community were engaged, and on March 2,
2012, the first First Friday took place.

Audience:
A spring 2017 Survey Monkey poll of First Friday participants show the current
demographic breakdown is as follows:
*small sample 114 responses

Age:

● 18.25% of respondents were 35-44, 45-54, and 65-74

● 24.09% of respondents were 55-64
● 7.3% of respondents were 18-24

Education:
● 21.48% of respondents had some college education
● 22.96% of respondents had a bachelor’s degree
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● The rest of respondents were mostly above a bachelor’s degree with a

statistically insignificant number only having a high school diploma
Race:
● 85.93% of respondents were Caucasian

Social Media Use:

● 99.21% of respondents of all ages use Facebook
○ Out of 114 responses 105 noted they use Facebook more than any other
social media
● 51.97% of respondents use YouTube
○ YouTube ranked the second highest social media platform
● 40.16% of respondents use Instagram

Perceptions about First Friday:

Survey respondents were asked what they would like to see included in First Friday:
(Open ended survey question- most common responses)
● Children and family events
● Other activities besides shopping and eating
○ Performances
○ Games
○ New food to try
○
How often did survey respondents attend First Friday?
● 44.96% of respondents said they attend First Friday no more than 4x a year
● 22.48% of respondents attend every 1-2 months
● 17.83% of respondents attend only during the summer

Suggestions from survey participants:

(Open ended question)
● More family friendly events
● Need more things to than just eat and shop
● Hard to guess the theme of the month unless you are in the stores more
“welcoming” items on streets
● Streets seem bare—more outdoor things to show what is going on
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First Friday Business Promotion Ideas 2018

1. WLEN First Friday Ad Spots

a. Sponsored by TLC Credit Union
b. Focus on themes for each month
c. Examples of ad spots Jan-March:
January- First Frost
Beware! Cabin fever is highly contagious this time of year.
Come to downtown Adrian from 5 to 8 p.m. January 5 th for First Friday
It may be frosty outside but the downtown shops, restaurants and businesses
have plenty to do!
Choose to go out to eat, grab a drink, or stop into one of the boutiques
For event info visit adrianfirstfridays on Facebook

February- Sweethearts and Chocolate

Hate the crowds on Valentine’s Day?
Celebrate early and come out on First Friday February 2nd!
Reserve a table at a downtown Adrian restaurant or shop for that special
someone and get them something truly unique.
For event info visit adrianfirstfridays on Facebook

March – Theme Wine about Winter

We know you’re sick of winter
So come wine (emphasize word) about it at First Friday March 2nd!
Wine tastings at downtown Adrian businesses and specials at restaurants.
Forget about the weather for a few hours and have some fun!
For event info visit adrianfridays on Facebook
i.
2. Choose only a few months and invest money into bringing in entertainment or a
special event for your business that month
a. Coordinate with other downtown businesses so ideas don’t overlap
b. The same event or special each month for 12 months will not consistently
draw people in
c. Make sure the First Friday e-mail is in your address book!
d. adrianff2016@gmail.com
i. Otherwise it might go to spam
e. Participant survey e-mailed beginning of each month for the map
3. Look over Health Department Food Handling Guidelines (see appendix A) for
events
4. Tag First Friday & Downtown Adrian Facebook Pages
a. By cross-promoting posts when you are talking about First Friday for your
business you reach 3,500 people through both pages followers
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b. Cross promotion is essential for successful social media marketing

5. Themes for 2018
a. January - First Frost
b. February - Sweethearts & Chocolate
c. March - Wine about Winter/March 2nd
d. April - Tap into Spring/April 6th
e. May- Night at the Movies/May 4th
f. June - Hot Wheels/June 1st
g. July- Christmas in July/July 6th
h. August- Dog Days of Summer/August 3rd
i. September- Art & Soul/Sept. 7th
j. October- Buy Near By/ Oct. 5th
k. November - Give Thanks/Nov. 2nd
l. December - Holiday Wonderland/ Dec. 7th

Monthly Events Planned on First Fridays for 2018

1. Nova’s Car Show May-September
a. Hula Hoop Contest each month
b. The Hot Dog Lady each month
c. A featured band
i. Some bands on already scheduled are:
1. Kevine Bordine Band (local)
2. The Rusty Nail (Monroe, Mich)
3. The What Abouts (Garden City)- Sept.
4. Hopefully Elvis and Johnny Cash Impersonators as well
d. July’s Christmas Theme will feature Rat Rods Car participating in
decorating their cars
e. September's car show will be the second annual Bummies Cruise-in
2. May First Friday
a. UpStart! Adrian Winner Contest Winner Announced
b. Movie theme allows places to feature movie trivia/decorations/film in
background
i. Tie in with First Adrian International Film Festival that will be May
18-19th
3. June
a. Maggard Razors Wet Shave Meet June 2nd
i. Day after First Friday/tie in with sidewalk sales
ii. A lot of people in town for the event
4. July
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a. Christmas in July
i. Summer Clearance or left over Christmas/winter items for sidewalk
ii. Christmas treats (frozen hot chocolate, mint ice cream, spin on
winter)
Monthly Downtown Business Association Events
1. Plan marketing accordingly to have mid-month events also be promoted and
used as a way to draw people back in monthly for First Friday

Mar. First Friday Fri. Mar. 2 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Wine about Winter Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
Spring Ladies Night Thurs March 22 5pm-8pm – Put balloons out if you are participating!
Art, Fashion, Food and Gifts
Apr. First Friday Fri. Apr. 6 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Tap into Spring Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
May First Friday Fri. May 4 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Night at the Movies Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
June First Friday Fri. June 1 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Hot Wheels Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
Maggard Razors Event Sat. June 2 4th Annual Wet Shaving meet
Tentative Good Time to do a sidewalk sale!
Hubfest – Bike Event Saturday June This was held in June 2017 – Think it is being planned again
9? Good Time to do a sidewalk sale!
July First Friday Fri. July 6 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Christmas in July Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
Aug. First Friday Fri. Aug. 3 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Dog Days of Summer Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
Student Welcome Sat. Aug.? 5pm-8pm – Siena Heights, Adrian and Jackson college students

Sept. First Friday Fri. Sept 7 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Art & Soul Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
Art-A-Licious Fri. Sept 21 4pm-10pm
Sat. Sept 22 10am-6pm
Oct. First Friday Fri. Oct. 5 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Buy Nearby Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
Blues & Brews Fall 4pm – 10pm
Fall Ladies Night Thurs. Oct. 25 5pm-8pm- Put balloons out if you are participating!
Thursday before Halloween
Nov. First Friday Fri. Nov. 2 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Give Thanks Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
Holiday Open House Fri, Nov 9 Fri 10-8 – Put balloons out If you are participating!
Sat. Nov 10 Sat 10-6 – Put balloons out if you are participating!
Small Business Sat. Sat. Nov 24 Sat 10-6

Dec. First Friday Fri. Dec. 7 Fill out the Google Form to let them know you are participating –
Theme: Holiday Wonderland Tag First Friday or Downtown Adrian when you post
Desperate Dudes Thurs. Dec 20 5pm – 8pm – Put balloons out if you are participating!
For boyfriends, partners, husbands to do last min. shopping –
have customers do wish list for them to use when they come in
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Marketing Research Goal for 2018

● Replicate the 2017 Downtown Shopping Survey
○ Focus on Social Media Usage Trends
○ Focus on First Friday Participation
○ Shopping patterns of downtown consumers
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•This depends on what foods you intend to serve and how you plan
Do I need on serving them. If you are going to be serving potentially
a food hazardous food to the public, you will need a food service license.
If you are thinking about serving food and are unsure about
service needing a license, please contact the Lenawee County Health
license? Department (517-264-5213) at least two weeks prior to your event
start date.
What is
considere • If the food you are serving is open to anyone who attends
your event or visits your business, then you are serving the
d public. Adrian’s First Friday is a public event and any food
“public”? served may be subject to licensure.

•The broad definition of a PHF is any food that requires time

What is a and/or temperature control in order to be safe to eat. If a food item
needs to be kept refrigerated, then it is probably a potentially
“potential hazardous food.
ly •Examples:
hazardou • Animal food that is raw or heat-treated (meats, eggs, milk,
etc.)
s” food • Plant food that has been heat-treated
(PHF)? • Cut melon, cut leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, cabbage, etc.),
cut tomatoes
• Garlic-in-oil mixtures
Can I • Foods that contain any of the above items
serve •Homemade food, even if it is not potentially hazardous, cannot be
food that I served to the public. All food served to the public must come from
made at an approved source, such as a licensed restaurant, grocery store,
caterer, etc.
home?
What •Vendors who operate under the Cottage Food Law may sell their
about the food items during First Friday. Cottage food items are certain non-
potentially hazardous food items produced in a home kitchen and
Cottage sold as retail products. These items are packaged and labeled as
Food specified in the Cottage Food Law and must be sold directly from
the producer to the consumer.
Law?
What if
I’m giving •Even if food is given away for free, it is not exempt from the law.
Someone serving free food must meet all the same requirements as
food away someone who is charging money for food.
for free?
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•If you are having an event and would like to serve food to the
public, you always have the option to use a caterer. The caterer
Can I have must have a licensed kitchen and all food preparation must take
an event place there. The caterer must transport the food safely using the
proper time & temperature parameters. Once the food gets to the
catered? location, the law is specific in stating that it must be the caterer,
or employees of the caterer, that serve the food.
•License applications are available in the office at the Lenawee
County Health Department. Additionally, applications are available
How do I on the health department website:
www.lenaweehealthdepartment.org. Complete applications and a
obtain a temporary food service license fee must be submitted to the
license? health department at least 5 business days prior to beginning food
preparation. A license will be issued after a sanitarian has
conducted an inspection and granted approval to operate.

•You can serve non-potentially hazardous food items that have

been obtained from an approved source. While this does not
require a license, you are still strongly encouraged to practice
safe food handling while serving. This means keeping food
items covered and protected, using disposable utensils, and not
What can touching food with bare hands.
I serve •Example:
•Purchasing a tray of cookies from the Meijer bakery to serve
without a in your business during a First Friday event. The tray of
license? cookies is kept in a spot where it can be monitored by staff,
such as on the counter by a cash register. The plastic lid is
kept on the tray to cover the cookies and only removed when
a cookie is grabbed. Napkins are provided and customers are
instructed to use them when taking a cookie; no use of bare
hands. A trash can is located nearby for customers to
dispose of their napkins when finished.
•The Lenawee County Health Department can only advise on the
food safety aspect of serving alcohol to the public. Providing
alcohol in the form of pre-packaged items (cans/bottles of beer) or
Can I pouring into disposable cups is permissible without a food service
license. However, this only applies to alcohol that is ready to
serve serve. Any mixing of drinks is considered food preparation and
alcohol? requires a license. If you are intending to serve alcohol to the
public, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Michigan
Liquor Control Commission for information on all applicable
rules and laws.
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Appendix B

Useful Social Media Tutorials:

Facebook for Business:

Customer Insight and Advertising and Video Tutorials

https://www.facebook.com/blueprint/courses/category/targeting?ref=fbb_raise_a
wareness

How to Boost a post on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/business/learn/facebook-page-create-posts

How to Schedule Facebook Posts and How to Tag Other Businesses (or
Downtown Adrian & First Friday!)
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-tag-people-your-facebook-business-page-
status-shipra-jena-

Hootesuite’s 2017 Social Media Marketing Video Courses (taking the certification
exam is $199 but the courses are free!)
https://education.hootsuite.com/collections/social-marketing-training-2017