Outreach and Communication

In this module, we will review learner retention materials to highlight how literacy can make a difference in people’s lives, encouraging learners to participate in life-long learning opportunities.

About Literacy Basics

Introduction

For effective Information and Referral (I & R) service, you can’t just sit back and hope clients will come. Outreach is the part of I & R that gets in touch with your community rather than waiting for the community to contact you.

It is how you capture attention, in order to

inform others about your Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) services
invite new clients to contact you
get referrals from other service providers
provide understanding of the Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF) to those who provide the next step in the learners’ goal paths (transition partners)

Outreach and communication activities can be varied. They can be aimed at different people and groups. However, your overall goal in outreach is providing more people with the literacy services and supports they need

Have a Strategy

For outreach to be efficient and effective you need a plan. Developing an outreach strategy takes work, but is well worth the effort. Unfortunately, there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach. The following steps can serve as a guide.

Review

The first step to developing a new outreach strategy is analyzing what your organization has already tried. Asking the following questions may help with this evaluation.

What outreach efforts (activities, campaigns, materials, etc.) have been done so far?
Who did you target in previous activities (audience)?
What worked?
What didn’t work?
What partnerships have already been created or tried?

Identify Goals and Outcomes

Once you have looked back on previous outreach activities and reflected on the degrees of success or failure, set the goals and outcomes for your new outreach campaign.

Goals should be unique to your agency and program. They should be general statements with a broad focus. Examples are: increasing your number of learners, gaining community recognition, raising awareness, changing perceptions, introducing new programming or encouraging employers to hire/help workers with literacy challenges.

Outcomes should be more specific and they should be measurable (for example, increasing learner numbers by 10% in the next fiscal year). Goals and outcomes may be tied to your LBS Business Plan, Literacy Services Planning and Coordination (LSPC) Plan or Quarterly Status and Adjustment Report (QSAR).

Identify Target

Each audience has its own wants and needs, so they all should be approached in different ways. Identifying your target is important in sending the right message to the right audience.

Learner Recruitment Targets

If you are looking for more learners, you might base your strategy on a group that you feel you are not currently reaching effectively, or a target group that MTCU has identified as the most in need of LBS services. Your target group may be described in one or more terms. For example, your target audience might be single mothers under 30 years of age or 45 to 64-year-old men who are unemployed. Here are some other categories you might consider:

gender
age
prior schooling
race/ethnicity
employment status
source of income

Other Targets

Not all of your targets will be potential learners. For example, you may also want to get more volunteers. Some of your outreach and communication targets may not even be individuals, but rather other organizations or agencies. You may want to direct your attention to:

referral partners – groups or services that might refer people to your program
transition partners – organizations that provide the “next steps” along learners’ goal paths, such as schools, colleges, training institutes or employers

By identifying your target, you can choose communication tools and customize messages according to the habits, needs and wants of the intended audience. In turn, you are more likely to get a reaction, response or change in behaviour from your outreach campaign.

Research

An outreach strategy needs researching. Some of the things you should investigate are:

Clear understanding of target – You need to consider why this target audience has not been responding sufficiently in the past. What barriers do they have that you need to address, such as stigma around literacy challenges, past failure or lack of funds? How can you make your message compelling? How does your target most often communicate and get information?
Community need – What is going on with your community that affects your services? Consider your community as a whole and be aware of local trends. Statistically, is there a sufficient number of your target group? Are community demographics changing? Is there competition for the target audience’s attention? Are there service gaps? Are the programs you offer relevant?
Resources – What resources do you have in your organization to do outreach? This can include human resources, time, skills and finances. What resources are in your community for funding or assistance in getting your message(s) out? Partnerships can cut your costs and/or increase impact. A partner can provide advice, funding, technical expertise, access to your audience, etc.
Challenges – Playing “devil’s advocate” and exploring the challenges your outreach campaign may face is worthwhile. Do some problem solving and consider other options before you expend valuable resources on efforts that might not work.

Develop and Carry Out Your Plan

Once you have completed all of the preliminary steps, creating the actual plan should not be difficult. Your plan should include:

Budget
Key Audience(s)
Key Message(s)
Method(s) of Distribution, such as:
- Press Releases
- Articles
- Letters to the Editor
- Social media
- Press Conferences; Radio, Television or Press Interviews; and Media Tours
- Spokespersons (successful learners, community leaders, celebrities, etc.)
- Seminars or Speaking Engagements
- Tables at events
- Intended Response
- Timelines

Evaluate

One of the points in the MTCU Requirements, discussed in an earlier section, was: “Evaluate the effectiveness of the outreach strategy and activities and revise accordingly.” At key points, as you implement and carry out your plan, you need to review it. Are you still on track for the timelines and budget? Are you still moving towards your intended goals and outcome objectives? What is working? What is not working and why? What has been achieved? Did you accomplish anything you didn’t expect? What changes need to be made?

Following the above six steps (Review, Identify Goals and Outcomes, Identify Target, Research, Develop Plan and Evaluate) is just one way to create an Outreach Strategy. For more information on Outreach Planning, see CLO’s Marketing 101 module and some of the Additional Resources at the end of this module.

Delivering the Message

A critical part of your Outreach Plan is how to contact your target audience. Each audience may require a different means of communication. Meeting with other community service providers or sending an email to an Ontario Works caseworker are good ways to communicate with an audience, but contacting potential learners may be a different matter.

Word of Mouth

Almost all LBS programs name word of mouth as the most successful way to reach learners. By this, we mean that new learners are often told about the program by a friend or family member.

Learners can spread the word and refer new learners to your program. Adult students are a wonderful inspiration to potential learners. Don’t forget exiting learners as a potential method of outreach. The sole determinant of Customer Satisfaction, in the Customer Service dimension of the Service Quality Standard, is the response to one question:

“On a 1-5 scale, how likely are you to recommend the LBS Program to someone looking for similar services?”

Just by asking this question, which we are required to do anyway, we put the “recommend someone” thought into learners’ heads.

Word of mouth also includes family and friends sharing the need for literacy instruction and the availability of programs. ABC Life Literacy’s “Who Wants to Learn?” research further confirmed the importance of family and friends when it found that 32% of potential learners heard about literacy programming from family and friends. As it is sometimes difficult to reach potential learners themselves, targeting this audience might be a strategy to consider.

Using Learner Stories for Outreach

Involving adult students in promoting your literacy program is extremely effective. Their “from-the-heart” testimonials on the impact of literacy on their lives move and inspire others. Whether through community presentations; quotes on your website, Facebook or in promotional materials; newspaper articles or radio public service announcements (PSA), be sure to include the voices of adult students.

Some ways learners can help to spread your message:

Student newsletters
Learner success stories
As guest speakers and spokespersons
Create student business cards for your agency
Hold open houses that include learners
Host student recognition events
Include them in outreach presentations, display table events, etc.

Get learners’ stories and experiences in writing. Then get their permission to publish or use their stories in your newsletter, on your website, in brochures and during community presentations. There are many examples of this throughout the Literacy and Basic Skills community. For instance, Tri-County Literacy Council’s Testimonials webpage has written and audio-clip testimonials. However, they go a step further by inviting past learners to share their Tri-County Literacy Council experience by providing a testimonial (written article or recording), saying “You can make a difference in people’s lives. What you have to say about the training you received, your teacher, or the agency may be the deciding factor in whether (a future learner) will contact us or not. Help them meet their goals and take advantage of this valuable FREE training.” This allows the satisfied customer to feel empowered to give back to the organization that helped them and to help another person reach their goals.

There have also been a number of video testimonials recorded and available on YouTube. Try searching YouTube for Literacy and Basic Skills testimonials.

Bonus: There is a bonus to using learner stories in your outreach. Learners can improve their skills in the OALCF Competency B, Communicate Ideas and Information, while assisting you!

Using the Media

Using the media can greatly improve your agency’s visibility to the public. According to a CLO program survey, 84% of Ontario’s community literacy agencies use the media extensively. Examples include writing a column, preparing special interest stories, public service announcements on the local radio station and learner testimonials. The media will often promote fundraising and promotional events such as spelling bees, scrabble tournaments and open houses. Toronto’s “Word on the Street” is an excellent example of a promotional event that tends to get good media coverage.

Printed Promotional Material

Creating a variety of printed material with compelling messages is very important. You can choose from a wide range of options, including pamphlets, brochures, newsletters, bookmarks, posters, business cards and calendars. Your printed material should provide basic, clear, eye-catching information that speaks to potential participants, because the time, money and effort pays off. In ABC Life Literacy’s “Who Wants to Learn?” report, almost three-quarters of callers remembered seeing promotional information about adults going back to school. More than half of these say the information influenced them to call a literacy agency.

Although many programs have the capability to produce effective material in-house with today’s software and printers, it can still be costly. To ensure you have some resources available, a distinct line for promotions should be in your budget. Sometimes, you can save money by using local services. For example, does your local college have a graphics design program? Perhaps college students could develop some promotional material for you free of charge as part of their studies. And be sure to ask your volunteers; they may have skills, talents and access to resources and connections that you don’t.

Promotional Products

Roughly eight in 10 admit to looking up the brand after receiving a promotional product
83% said they are more likely to do business with brands they’ve received promotional products from than brands they have not received promotional products from.
8 in 10 consumers revealed that their impression of a brand positively changed directly as a result of receiving a promotional product from that brand.
Promotional products were rated as the best advertising channel to provide consumers with an incentive to take action.
Promotional products are the best received and least avoided form of advertising.

Mapping Out the Modern Consumer, 2017 Consumer Study, PPAI

By promotional products, we mean useful items imprinted with a business name, logo or message that are intended as giveaways. These can be used to market a brand, product, event or service or to communicate a message. Some examples are shirts, caps, pens, calendars, notepads, bags, mugs, refrigerator magnets, keychains and water bottles. The cost of these products can add up, particularly the imprinting costs, so, are they worth it? According to a 2017 study, conducted by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), the answer is yes. View PPAI’s infographic, The Modern Consumer in the Driver’s Seat for some interesting facts and figures from the study.

For ideas on how to use promotional materials, read How Non-Profit Organizations Can Use Promotional Products by Tina Rinaudo.

Websites and Social Media

In today’s world, the Internet is where most people go to find information. If used correctly, the Internet can be a powerful promotional tool for literacy agencies. Two main areas for outreach and communication involving the Internet are websites and social networking.

Websites

When looking at your website, consider the following questions:

Is your website a good outreach and communication tool?
How would you rate your website in terms of design, user-friendliness, overall appeal and ease of access to information? Do you update it regularly?
Can learners, their friends and family and community stakeholders easily find out what they need from your website?
What kind of impression of your organization do visitors get from your website?
If you ask a few people from outside your organization to give you some honest feedback or ask current students to review and comment on your website, what will they say?

If you aren’t sure about the answers to these questions or how to make the answers positive, there are some excellent blogs, articles and webinars on the Learning section of TechSoup Canada. We also recommend coyotecommunications.com’s Basic Web Development & Maintenance for Nonprofits, NGOs, Government Offices & Other Mission-Based Organizations.

Social Networking / Social Media

Social networking (also known as social media) is an economical way for non-profit organizations, including LBS programs, to market themselves. However, it does take some dedicated staff time to “watch-over” and “feed”.

It seems that similar to how social networking gives individuals the chance to keep in touch with relatives and friends, LBS agencies can form and support relationships with their stakeholders. And, as the “networking” name implies, those who are already linked, “liking” or “following” can share with others, thus increasing awareness and involvement.

Community Literacy of Ontario (CLO) was funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation to research and develop social media marketing materials and resources. These resources will enable Ontario’s adult literacy agencies to create effective marketing strategies and tools using media such as Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and more. Agencies will be able to personalize the downloadable tools and templates to address social media marketing to the individual communities that they serve.

Check CLO’s website for more information and great resources such as

FACEBOOK DEMYSTIFIED: How Facebook Can Super-charge Your Marketing This webinar and accompanying pdf help you learn how to super-charge your LBS agency’s Facebook Page taking it from “drab to fab”. It covers best practices and tips and tricks to enhance your marketing and community engagement on Facebook. Then you can review the “Tips and Tools” PDF highlights that summarize the webinar.
The Art of the Tweet webinar explores how to build an impactful profile on Twitter and how to create Tweets to promote your organization and engage your stakeholders
Put Your Best Facebook Forward This webinar explores how to build an impactful profile on Facebook, and how to create posts to better promote your organization and engage your stakeholders. This is an intermediate webinar, designed for literacy organizations that already have a Facebook account but want to learn how to enhance how they use it.
Social Media Risk Management In this webinar you will learn about social media risk management including how to safeguard your privacy, protect your online reputation and more in this webinar.
Social Media Marketing Modules (2015): From Marketing 101 through Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Videos and Webinars to Privacy and Security, these modules cover the basics of social marketing for LBS.

For some tips on successful social networking, check out the article, Social Media Marketing Benefits for Nonprofit Organizations by Laura Lake.

Clear Writing in Your Promotions

For all promotional tools, it is important to use the principles of clear language and design. Be sure to produce clear, well-written materials that are effectively desktop published. More graphics, fonts and features aren’t necessarily better; simple is usually the best.

If you would like more information on clear writing, visit the Learning Networks of Ontario’s website.

Making Our Outreach and Communication Accessible

Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Ontario organizations have to make their information accessible for people with disabilities. Check out the Ontario government’s website to ensure that your agency is meeting the current requirements.

To find out more, the Ontario government’s How to Make Information Accessible webpage offers:

A summary of the law
How organization can comply
Types of accessible formats
Types of communication supports
Tools to make information accessible
Links to other resources, such as, free training resources on accessibility requirements including the Information and Communications Standard, offered by Access Forward.

One Last Note on Delivering the Message

One MTCU requirement for LBS agencies is to “Ensure their contact information and service descriptions are accurate and up to date on the web, social media and in any print materials they provide to customers or other EO service providers.”

It is sometimes hard to remember to update information that is “out there.” Whether it is on the Internet as social media or a webpage, or if it is print material like brochures, it is very important that we keep our information up-to-date. This is not only a part of your contractual obligations – it also ensures that clients are able to find you easily.

On a regular basis throughout the year, as stated in your contracts with MTCU, you need to check and update your information on the Find Employment and Training Services (FEATS) section of the Employment Ontario website. You can follow the 5 easy steps on Employment Ontario’s website.

You should also update your Ontario 211 listing. Ontario 211 is a helpline and website for information and referral to community, social, government and health services. You can edit your listing through the telephone hotline (dial 211) or directly from your listing on their website.

It is a good idea to set yourself up a reminder method to ensure your progam’s information is current and correct. Many programs check their listing on Employment Ontario and some, like Kingston Literacy and Skills, Napanee site, tie this in with reviewing their monthly EOIS-CaMS reports. At the Gateway Centre for Learning, the Executive Director maintains a list of items, websites, etc. that need to be updated whenever changes occur at their centre. While she is making updates, she reviews the whole record and makes corrections as needed.

Getting the Message Right

Successful Outreach and Communication requires spreading the word in the right places and in the right ways to connect with potential learners. However, sending the right message is extremely important. We need to draw attention to how our services can change people’s lives.

For other service providers -> how our program can increase their clients’ success

For transition partners -> how our program can sufficiently prepare learners for that next step along the goal path

For individuals -> how our program focuses on them; what they can get from LBS training; and how it can make a difference in their lives

For the community -> how prevalent literacy issues are; the impact of low literacy on individuals, society and the economy; and how our LBS program(s) can and have made a difference

People respond to marketing messages about something THEY want – not something WE think they need or want. If the message in our promotional strategies and materials is based on assumptions about what the target audience wants, the message may not be successful. Your message should always answer the “What is in it for me?” question of the intended audience.

Message Tips

For more insight on getting the message right, you might read:

CLO’s Social Media Marketing Modules

Slogans and Taglines

Creating a catchy tagline or slogan that will help people to remember your organization in a positive way can be a very useful promotional tool. Then, once you’ve got a good tagline, use it! Put it on everything … on your brochure, signage, letterhead, promotional materials and in your annual report. It could make all the difference with community recognition of your literacy agency.

Consider these taglines and think about their positive motivational appeal:

“Hamilton Reads!” (Hamilton Literacy Council)
“Literacy. Learning for Life” (Frontier College)
“Learning for a better future” (Training and Learning Centre of Renfrew County)

Taglines vs Slogans

A tagline summarizes your organization’s philosophy, purpose and values into a catchy phrase. It helps create awareness about your organization, separates it from competitors and shows your benefit to customers. Typically a tagline is short, such as Nike’s “Just Do It.” A company rarely changes its tagline, as it is part of its identity, and is used in most of its marketing.

A slogan is also short and catchy but it usually only represents a product, event or service. It is developed for a single marketing “campaign” and is thus replaced regularly.

Message Content Help

National, provincial and regional literacy networks all have tools, statistics and learner stories to help you with your outreach messages. CLO, for example, has produced several “message” packages about literacy that can be found on its website:

Outreach Suggestions

Over the years, Community Literacy of Ontario has collected information on effective outreach strategies from a wide variety of sources, including CLO’s provincial Board of Directors, participants in online workshops, Kingston Literacy’s “Reaching Across the Barriers” and CLO’s “Learner Recruitment and Retention Toolkit.” These strategies can be categorized into three groups: Advertising and Promotion, Programming and Networking.

Advertising and Promotion

When targeting specific groups of learners, use spokespersons from that group. Encourage them to use their own words and lingo for the script. Ensure promotional material that is aimed at people with very low reading skills has few words and uses mostly pictures.

Put flyers or bookmarks about your program in grocery bags, in library books, etc. Put bookmarks, brochures, business cards, magnets, etc. into as many locations in your community as possible: doctor’s offices, schools, libraries, community centers, playgroups, health units, legal aid offices, bus shelters, and malls. Use tear-off information sheets in laundromats, train and bus stations and fast food places.

Conduct sidewalk surveys asking the public if they are familiar with your agency and its location, and if they would refer someone to it. Provide information about your program.

Hold a coffee house, poetry reading, etc. Invite adults from the community to read their poetry or stories or have local musicians, singers or artists display their talents.

Simplify program information and aim the message directly at the learner. Print up simple, clear and eye-catching messages and post them on community bulletin boards.

Do seasonal promotions around Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Mother’s Day, etc. Target these to the family and friends of adults with low literacy skills.

In outreach material, show the programming choices you provide (small group or one-to-one) and that there is flexibility in schedules (both days and evenings are available).

Set up displays in the window of the local library, etc.
Offer special interest workshops or hold a drop-in night offering to help people complete forms free of charge, etc. This puts you in contact with people who might also like to improve their literacy skills.

Programming

Use learning materials that are specifically directed at your target group(s). For example, use workforce materials with learners on the Employment goal path.

Increase your exposure by delivering programming (assessments or training) onsite at Ontario Works, Employment Services, workplaces, etc.

Direct contact is usually more effective than just sending a notice. When starting a new course, telephone people in the community (Employment Services, Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, social services, employers, etc.) and ask if they might have any referrals. Alternatively, send them an email with a flyer. Ask, “Do you know anyone who would benefit from this training?” or “Would you distribute these brochures to people who come into your business?”
Contact local temporary placement agencies. People coming to them for work may need to upgrade their skills before they can be employed.

Networking

Approach professionals such as doctors, lawyers and religious leaders, who may meet people needing assistance of some type. Provide pamphlets or business cards that they can pass on to a potential learner.

Make presentations to service providers so they know just what services LBS can provide.

Make use of the adage “many heads are better than one” by getting ideas from program staff and from committees set up solely for the purpose of marketing and outreach. And, as we said earlier, don’t forget the learners. They can tell you a lot on the subject of what is inviting about your program and what encouraged them to come to your program. Ask where they heard about your program and track this information to target recruitment efforts in the most effective way.

Reaching Diverse Cultural Groups

Sometimes it can be difficult to reach diverse cultural groups in your community. Programs should incorporate traditional knowledge, languages, stories and customs when designing course content and recruitment materials. Staff and volunteers must be sensitive to cultural differences and be aware of racism issues. It is also important to ensure that your literacy agency establishes links with organizations serving diverse cultural groups and for your staff and volunteers to reflect the diversity of the community you serve. An advisory group made up of representatives from various cultures can provide valuable advice on effective ways to link with their communities.

Questions and Activities for Reflection

Consider an outreach activity your agency has used in the past that proved to be effective. Which, if any, of the strategy steps (Have a Strategy, Review, Identify Goals and Outcomes, Identify Target, Research, Develop and Carry Out Your Plan and Evaluate) do you think contributed to the effectiveness of the outreach?
Consider another outreach activity that your agency has tried in the past that was not effective. Were all the strategy steps taken, and, if not, do you think they might have helped?
Choose a group of people you think your agency should be targeting. What research could you do to help you move towards an effective outreach strategy? You may then wish to talk about this to other people at your agency.
What checks does your agency have in place to make sure your promotional materials are actually speaking to the needs of your target audience?
Think of an example from each of the following groups. For each one, answer the question: How does our program meet their specific needs?
1. a service provider that refers clients to your agency
2. a transition partner that learners move on to after they complete their LBS plan with your agency
3. a present learner
Write down one outreach idea your agency could try. You could share this idea with others at your agency.