Section 5
- SALES AND MARKETING TECHNIQUES TO INCREASE REVENUE
- Increase membership to increase dollar volume income. National headquarters and branches to provide incentives and sales aids to implement this program. P&SF to publish recruitment articles to encourage new members and student membership at a discount. Encourage large companies with captive shops to encourage and subsidize employees to join AESF. Benefit to them is improved education, innovation and efficiency of their hourly and supervisory employees.
- Encourage large companies on becoming substantial contributing sponsors to AESF in order to support AESF’s research, supervisory training, and educational programs. Companies to include suppliers of proprietary solutions, equipment, chemicals, metals and professional services. In addition, other contributing sponsors to include directly related trade associations such as NAMF and MFSA.
- Create alliances with allied industries such as Automotive, Aerospace, Architectural, Agriculture, Furniture, Electronics, Printed Circuits, Computer, and Hardware.
- Increase promotion, sales and creation of educational programs including, but not limited to CDs, internet programs, tapes, slides and books.
5.4.1 On-Line Courses. We believe that education and certification revenues of recent years can be easily doubled by fully developing a new array of on-line courses and workshops. AESF will launch and market to its members and the world, five (5) new accredited online courses on or before June 2007. As incentive to participate in this program, all members will receive discounted enrollment in these online courses and branches will have the ability to earn referral credits for directing others to the courses through individual marketing efforts. This campaign will pay for itself in the first year, and is expected to become a significant revenue source for the AESF far into the future. As a helpful byproduct, the message indirectly associated with the marketing of these courses will help re-enforce to the finishing industry that the AESF is the most qualified source for metal finishing education in the world.
5.4.2 Branch Training Forums Two day training sessions will be conducted by the Educational Director and the Branch Services Manager each year. These sessions will be designed to teach branch officers everything from Roberts Rules to leadership and time management skills. These forums should be held in cost effective but highly desirable locations such as Las Vegas, New York, Charleston, Orlando, and Chicago with special consideration of regional events scheduled in these areas. The opportunity to attend these sessions will also serve as a reward for the hard work of the officers of the branches throughout the year. These forums will be funded by both the branches and the AESF headquarters and will be considered an invaluable investment in the future of our membership.
5.4.3 Licensed Branch Courses and Workshops. The current branch royalty agreement for course materials and instruction will be further refined to become a main stream program to be used by the branches and membership as an additional educational benefit for its members and prospects as well as an annual fund raiser for the branch. In order accomplish this, the AESF will submit a new plan for instructor approval and encourage all potential volunteers to apply for instructor status approval. Supply and demand will then work in our favor with regards to instructor fees. The AESF Educational Director assist branches with hosting successful accredited technical courses and workshops on a regional basis, with the Branch Services Manager making sure that the marketing is in place to have the attendance required to generate the revenue required to have a successful event.
5.4.4 Other Educational Outlets. The AESF will increase its promotion and creation of other educational programs including, but not limited to CDs, tapes, slides and books. Our online book store will be modernized to include a wide variety of surface finishing books and publications in a easily searchable storefront with merchandise in its own area. AESF will slowly acquire its own inventory of the most popular publications, and will partner with mass book seller programs such as Amazon to offer those that are not feasible to stock.
5.4.5 Offer group programs for members and their companies such as insurance programs for Health, Life, Automobile and Worker’s Comp. Other benefits could be Credit Unions and Financial Planning.
5.5 AESF MARKETING STRATEGY OVERVIEW
The AESF will constantly refine and update a master database of members, prospects and other media outlets in order to use it to its fullest capacity. The contacts in this database will be those who register on our web site, those who attend our conferences and industry functions, and others from cold calls by our executives and telemarketing campaigns. We will strive to know everything that we can about these contacts in this data base including, all metal finishing processes, contact information, personal information, industry concerns, etc. This information will be sorted by market segment and used in various targeted marketing campaigns.
These campaigns will include broadcast faxing, broadcast emails, telemarketing, and direct mail among others and will always portray the AESF in a professional and consistent manner. We will send a consistent message on a regular basis to this database that AESF is the world leader in metal finishing education. The AESF will utilize all of the below described methods to get our message out and will look for ways to continually improve the delivery and content of these messages.
Our advertising and promotions will pivot around five key strategies: a strong internet presence, face to face networking by our executives and board members, good public relations, trade show exposure, and printed advertisements in related media outlets. AESF will position itself as the world leader in metal finishing education.
5.5.1 Web Site
The web site www.AESF.org will be constantly improved and will be designed to be simple and easy to us For both the staff and the public. The site will be updated and maintained on a weekly basis to insure that the information contained is current and useful to its visitors.
5.5.2 Public Relations
We will put a considerable effort into preparing and disseminating a regular flow of press releases promoting AESF activities and accomplishments. The goal of these releases will be to build on our name recognition in parallel industries. The releases will be based on stories about our educational opportunities, association activities, member achievements, and our staff. We will target all related industry trade organizations and their publications with these releases. Our executives and Board Members will make a special point to get to know the editors and publishers of each of these key publications.
5.5.3 Trade Show Exposure
AESF will attend all metal finishing related trade shows on a regional and national level. We will display a table top or booth with a familiar look designed to replicate the web site. Our booths will always feature (1) a PC that is used to walk people through our web site, (2) a hanging kiosk that displays a demo of the site that will attract the attention of potential customers walking by, (3) membership enrollment packets.
5.5.4 Press/Print Advertisement
Consistent and cohesive professional ¼ page advertisements will be developed to run in Metal Finishing, PF Magazine, and Powder Coating Magazine. These ads will be strategically placed to coordinate and enhance our press releases. Many of these ¼ page ads can be worked out with little or no money exchanging hands by negotiating trade outs with desired media outlets.
5.5.6 Direct Mail
Post card size 4x8 cards will be mailed each quarter to our database bearing the simple message “support the AESF”, with our web address prominently displayed. These cards will be bulk mailed to our master database each quarter for the first year. Many more direct mail projects are possible and will be evaluated and implemented based on this evaluation.
5.5.6 Specialty Promotional Items
Small inexpensive specialty items such as bag tags, pens, mouse pads, etc. will be purchased with the AESF logo and distributed freely at related trade shows, branch meetings, schools, and anywhere else we may encounter prospective members.
5.5.7 Internet Advertising
Banner ads and reciprocal links will be used to a limited extent. New banner ads will be placed on non-competing complementary websites such as www.metalfinishing.com, www.finishing.com, www.southernmetalfinishing.com and others. We will try various sites and loyalty will be placed in the site that refers us the most prospects. Many of these banner ads can be worked out with little or no money exchanging hands with by negotiating trade outs with desired media outlets.
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