Marketing is a necessary tool for university success in the current post-secondary education market and in today's strained economic environment. To serve the university's marketing needs the Marketing & Communications Department will support, promote and extend the marketing of a cohesive SHSU brand image and messaging of the highest professional quality. This will include providing numerous consulting activities to support, and facilitate the development of new marketing efforts and to improve the quality of existing marketing by programs, offices and organizations across the university; and to align all marketing, old and new, with the current SHSU brand image. This endeavor also includes the direct initiation and implementation of numerous professional marketing projects by the Marketing Department such as strategic purchasing of electronic media time and print exposures; brochure and printed program preparation; strategic billboard rental and preparation; multi-media promotional campaigns, etc. Theoretically and historically, the number of marketing consulting activities and directly implemented marketing projects completed by the Marketing Dept. are associated with increases in the amount, quality and brand cohesiveness of all SHSU marketing.
Indicator
Number Of Marketing Consultations Completed
Marketing consultations are performed in response to specific requests from offices, programs and organizations throughout the university. Consultations completed in response to university constituent needs will be tallied as a direct measure of service productivity in support of the stated objective.
Criterion
Consulting Activities
80 Consulting activities are targeted for full year 2011.
Finding
Consultation Numbers
As of August 31, 46 professional marketing consultations have been completed in response to requests from university constituents. This is down considerably from 2009-2010. The one issue that is obvious is budget constraints; however, there are likely other issues to explore as well.
Indicator
Number Of Marketing-related Projects Completed
Marketing-related Projects are implemented to promote a cohesive SHSU brand image of the highest professional quality. It is extremely difficult to directly assess the impact or effectiveness of marketing projects upon the outcomes they are intended to influence. Inferred measures of marketing project impact and effectiveness might routinely begin by counting, tracking and relating the number of marketing projects completed in a given time period to instances of desired outcomes in an appropriate reaction period. At this point in our assessment evolution we are measuring numbers of marketing related projects completed monthly and cumulatively for the year.
The productivity target set for the Marketing Dept by the President's Performance Indicator Target is to complete 750 Marketing-related Projects In order to be judged productive in FY11 we will complete at least 750 marketing-related projects to promote a cohesive SHSU brand image of the highest professional quality. The total number of marketing-related projects completed in FY 10 was more than 800, nonetheless, the president and the vice president thought it would be challenging to complete almost the same number of projects as in FY10 with the resources and conditions that were anticipated for FY11.
Finding
Productivity Criterion Met For Projects Completed
As of August 31, 663 projects had been completed. As with other figures, we were down from 2009-2010 in the area of completed projects and did not meet the established goal. Since every effort is made to complete projects attempted and requests for services was less this year than in the two previous years, it is hoped that this year is an abberation.
Action
Actions
As a group, the Marketing Dept will be considering other approaches to assessing what it delivers in support of this objective and how effectively it does so. For instance, in addition to directly measuring productivity, we may consider indirect measures of performance such as assessing satisfaction with consultation, and impact of consulting services regarding number and level of quality improvements or new marketing projects developed by clients. We may also attempting to assess the quality and impact of marketing projects The department should also focus upon consultations and projects that will most increase awareness and enhance public image and prioritize resources to support such endeavors while still attempting to respond to all requests, as possible. To accelerate the improvement of quality and brand cohesiveness in marketing across the university, the Department will utilize projects and consultations to further increase awareness of the services provided by the Marketing Department.
Objective
Meet News And Hometown Releases Goal
The Marketing & Communications department is charged with disseminating information to enhance the name recognition and reputation of the University. The news and hometown release goal measures local outreach to support the strengthening of the SHSU brand.
Indicator
Do Actual Count Of News And Hometown Releases
All regular news releases are archived and will be counted, and hometown releases are sent to media and will also be counted.
Criterion
Meet News And Hometown Releases Goal
A minimum of 500 news releases and 1,250 hometown releases will be disseminated.
Finding
News And Hometown Releases
As of August 31, 2011, 581 news releases and 1,160hometown releases have been produced. Minor news releases surpassed the goal of 500. The hometown releases fell short of the 1,250 goal. This was fewer than the prvious year.
Action
Major, Minor And Hometown Releases
Communications is planning to change the manner in which we distribute news releases, and will focus more on wire services instead of the traditional e-mail method in order to improve numbers. The Communications office will also be looking into the possibility of adding a third writer to its staff in order to increase our news release total.
Objective
Meet Goal For Number Of Media Contacts
The Communications Office is charged with disseminating information to enhance the name recognition and reputation of the University. Our office will accomplish this task by meeting the media contact goal set for us in the President's Performance Indicator Report for FY 11.
Indicator
Do Actual Count Of Media Contacted
Media contacts can be measured by counting e-mails, keeping telephone logs, and monitoring electronic submissions
Criterion
Meet Number Of Media Contacted Goal
Meet the FY 11 goal of 30,000 media members contacted.
Finding
Media Contacts
As of August 31, 2011, a total of 31,652 media professionals have been contacted. We surpassed the goal; perhaps this is because we have more control of contacts than we do newsmakers.
Action
Media Contacts
In addition to the traditional ways of contacting the media through e-mail, phone calls, and personal visits, the Communications Office will increase its utilization of wire services for contacting members of the media. The Communications Office will also be looking into the possibility of adding a third writer to its staff in order to increase its ability to contact media professionals.
Objective
Meet Goal For Number Of Actual Media Placements
The Communications Office is charged with disseminating information to enhance the name recognition and reputation of the University. Our office will accomplish this task by meeting the media placement goal set for us in the President's Performance indicator Report for FY 11.
Indicator
Do Actual Count Of Media Placements
Media placements are measured by an online clipping service and the wire services that are used for electronic distribution.
Criterion
Meet Goal For Number Of Actual Media Placements
Meet the FY 11 goal of 7,000 media placements.
Finding
Media Placements
As of August 31, 2011, 17,071 media placements have been recorded. This number exceeds the goal set in the President's Performance Indicator Report by a thousand. We have worked hard to advertise new online programs.
Action
Media Placements
The Communications Office will increase its utilization of wire services in order to further improve its placement numbers. We will also be looking into the possibility of adding a third writer to our staff as a means of increasing our media placement total.