Communications Guide for Increasing Public Awareness Offddc Servicesand Programs

Public Awareness

Communications Plan

Communications Guide for Increasing Public Awareness ofFDDC Servicesand Programs

Prepared for

June 18, 2010

Sponsored by United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.

Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.

Communications Guide for Increasing Public Awareness

of FDDC Services and Programs

Table of Contents

Situation Analysis…………………………………………………………………………………………3

Objectives………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Key Messages.…………………………………………………………………………………………...4

Target Audiences..………………………………………………………………………………………..5

Media Strategies………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Mainstream Media………………………………………………………………………………………..9

Specialized Media:

African American Audiences…..………………………………………………………………11

Hispanic/Latino Audiences…………………………………………………………………….13

Residents of Rural Areas………………………………………………………………………15

Homeless Persons……………………………………………………………………………..17

Asian American Audiences..…………………………………………………………………..19

American Indian Audiences..………………………………………………………………….22

Appendix:2

A: Example of Press Release…………………………………………………………………24

B: Mainstream Daily Newspapers…………………………………………………………….26

C: Mainstream Television Stations…………………………………………………………...27

D: Mainstream Radio Stations………………………………………………………………...28

E: Newspapers targeting Florida’s African American population………………………….29

F: Radio stations targeting Florida’s African American population………………………..30

G: Newspapers targeting Florida’s Hispanic/Latino population……………………………32

H: Television stations targeting Florida’s Hispanic/Latino population…………………….33

I: Radio stations targeting Florida’s Hispanic/Latino population…………………………..34

J: Newspapers targeting Florida’s Residents of Rural Areas……………………………...36

K: Radio stations targeting Florida’s Residents of Rural Areas…………………………...37

L: Newspapers targeting Florida’s Asian American population……………………………38

Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc.

Communications Guide for Increasing Public Awareness

of FDDC Services and Programs

Situation Analysis:

With more than 240,000 individuals with developmental disabilities currently residing in Florida, there is a growing need for services that support the desire of people with developmental disabilities to have the same life experiences as those without disabilities.Inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life – in our communities, housing, recreational opportunities, the workplace and education – is central to the mission of the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC).

It is critically important that the general public as well as individuals and families living with developmental disabilities understand the resources FDDC provides. But, more important, there is a small minority of people that have been difficult to reach and may be unaware of FDDC’s mission, programs and services from which they could benefit.Promoting awareness and understanding of these programs and services to all Floridians, and especially to Florida’s unserved and underserved populations, is of the utmost importance to fulfilling the FDDC mission.

By definition, Florida’s unserved and underserved populations are any individual or individuals with developmental disabilities or family members of individuals with developmental disabilities who, because of place of residence, geographic location, race or socioeconomic status, have not historically sought or received information regarding resources or programs from FDDC.

FDDC’s public relations and marketing consultant, RB Oppenheim Associates, was tasked with creating a comprehensive communications plan that includes detailed objectives, strategies and tactics to help FDDC achieve its goals in communicating its services to its audience and, especially, in reaching its unserved and underserved populations. These goals and objectives include, but are not limited to increasing awareness of FDDC’s resources and programs among Florida’s unserved and underserved populations and increasing awareness of its overall mission to all Floridians with developmental disabilities. The following plan addresses those goals and outlines recommended strategies and tactics to be implemented in order to reach these target audiences.It is the intent that, by following this communications plan, FDDC and its contractors will improve the overall effectiveness of communication with audiences – and, especially with these hard-to-reach audiences.

Objectives:

To generate public awareness and understanding ofFDDC’s mission and purpose, with particular regard for unserved and underserved populations with developmental disabilities.

To enhance opportunities for unserved and underserved populations with developmental disabilities in Florida to take advantage of the resources, programs and services offered by FDDC.

To secure positive, comprehensive media coverage through various outletsand channels which target specific unserved and underserved populations and work toward creating a media environment that understands, accepts and communicates the value, utility and availability of FDDC programs and services that would aid those populations.

To generate awareness of FDDC’s messages, mission and values among the general public so that they may fully understand FDDC’s purpose,resources and programs available to Floridians with developmental disabilities.

Key Messages:

To maintain consistency in all communications, summary messages defining FDDC’s mission have been developed and should beused in all media relations, educational and community outreach materials and activities. Following are several key messages to be included in external communications.

FDDC’s role and purpose is to:

Provide vision and leadership to ensure that all people with developmental disabilities have the opportunity to be fully included in their communities and are able to exercise control over their own lives.

Serve as a clearinghouse for information and provide support and educational tools to individuals, families and leaders to help promote inclusion in the community.

Provide a voice for people with developmental disabilities through leadership, education, advocacy and practice.

Encourage choice and self-direction in the lives of persons with developmental disabilities and promote independent, productive and inclusive lifestyles.

Increase awareness of and accessibility to services and resources for Floridians with developmental disabilities and their families.

Cultivate relationships and build community partnerships to encourage integration and inclusion for individuals with developmental disabilities in education, employment, housing, recreation, cultural enrichment and all other aspects of life.

Help Floridians with developmental disabilities live, learn, work, play and participate.

Educate policymakers and community members about the importance and essential need for programs and services that enable persons with developmental disabilities to reach their full potential and live independent, self-sufficient and productive lives.

Serve as a change agent and encourage innovative approaches to addressing challenges and issues facing Floridians with developmental disabilities.

Encourage and energize self-advocacy efforts.

Target Audiences:

General public
Individuals with developmental disabilities and/or their families
Unserved and underserved populations with developmental disabilities, including:
African American
Hispanic/Latino
Residents of Rural Areas
Homeless Persons
Asian American
American Indian

Media Strategies:

The strategies in this plan reflect an integrated communications approach, with particular emphasis on (1) general state and local media (mainstream), (2) specialized media (i.e., specifically targeting unserved and underserved populations) and (3) third-party engagement of organizations serving the interests of target audiences. All media relations and educational outreach messaging and activities should be conducted in a consistent manner, regardless of which channel is used.

There are many ways to utilize and engage the media to generate awareness of an issue, idea or event. Defined below are examples and descriptions of communication tools that can be used to target different media channels. All of the methods are used to obtain the same goal: establishing relationships with the media and spreading knowledge about a specific topic.

Press Release: A press release is a short, written announcement informing the media about something newsworthy. While a press release is short, it is filled with useful and accurate information. Press releases are used to capture the interest and attention of the reporter and provide the necessary information needed to write a story. The who, what, when, where, why and how should all be mentioned in the first few sentences so an editor or reporter can see what the press release is about immediately. Always keep the audience you are targeting in mind and utilize information in the release that is relevant to that group. The release should be written in an inverted pyramid format. Referring to an upside-down triangle, the heavier, most important information should be presented first, then the smaller, less pertinent information should be at the end of the release. If the most valuable information can not be seen in the first sentence, the release will likely be disregarded.

When writing a press release, be sure to include quotes from respected sources with relevant things to say about the subject. Again, keep your audience in mind and try to provide quotes from a representative of FDDC and/or a respected member of that population or group.

The format of the press release is the same in every situation. If the release is being written by a specific organization, it should be written on company letterhead or that of FDDC (with prior authorization). On the top right-hand side of the paper, include a contact name, the contact’s title, the name of the company, the company’s address and the contact’s phone number and email address. The headline should be a short sentence, bolded and centered over the body copy. At the end of the press release, “# # #” should be centered under the body to signify that there are no additional pages.

Press releases are sent to an editor or reporter at a media outlet that would be interested in the subject of your press release. Press releases are typically sent to the appropriate contact viaemail. Releases should be accompanied by a pitch message, which is a short email to a reporter mentioning the most important points of the release. Attach the actual press release as a Word document to the email. Also, copy the release into the body of the email, usually under the auto signature, as reporters may be reluctant to open attachments. Follow up by phone after a day or two to ensure the editor or reporter received your release and understands the importance. There are also national websites where you can post your press release, such as PR Newswire, PR Web or Erelease,for increased visibility and wider distribution, as well as Sayfie Review (Florida) and many local newspaper websites.

For an example of a press release, see Appendix A.

Written Opinion-Editorial:Also known as op-ed pieces, written opinion-editorials are located opposite the editorial page in a newspaper. Op-eds give companies, organizations and people of the community a chance to present their views to the readership of a newspaper. Op-eds should clearly advocate a point, provide adequate research to support the point and suggest a call to action. Op-eds should not only be informative, but also persuasive and compelling.

Different news outlets have specific guidelines on how to submit op-eds, the best place to find instruction is on the newspaper’s website. Op-eds are typically under 800 words and are submitted through the newspaper’s website or via email.If available, include a head shot of the author and a two-line biography with your submission. Follow up with the editor after submitting an op-ed piece. If an editor publishes your piece, thank them for the inclusion. If they say no, thank them for their time. If there is no response, send a timely follow-up email.

Letter to the Editor:Letters to the editor are a good way to present ideas, promote a campaign or respond to a previously published article. Letters to the editor are often used as opinion pieces.

When writing a letter to the editor, keep the length to 150 words or less. Editors oftenreceive thousands of letters a day so it is best to keep them short, compelling and to the point. If the letter is responding to a previously printed article, mention the title of the article and the date it was published. Letters to the editor can be sent via email or submitted through the newspaper’s website. Include your name, address, phone number and email address at the bottom of the letter as a signature of authenticity.

Desk-side Chat with Reporters: This toolrefers to a private meeting or extra time spent with reporters or editors to convey information andbuild strong media relationships. This includes speaking with them on the phone, email correspondence or meeting with the reporter in person.

Editorial Board Meetings: An editorial board meeting takes time to coordinate, but it is well worth the effort to gain the support of a newspaper. The intended outcome is to have an editor write a piece about your organization, event or idea. To arrange a meeting, call the newsroom or station and ask to speak to the person in charge of scheduling an editorial board meeting.It is best to call a few weeks in advance to provide ample time to schedule as editors are often very busy. When you do have an editorial board meeting, have clear notes about why it would be good for the paper to support your position, issue or topic. Also, bring printed copies of your information to leave behind for editors’ reference. Be sure to maintain good eye contact to engage your audience. Always send a thank-you note.

Editorial Columns: Written by newspaper columnists, editorial columns can be used to attract attention to an issue, idea or event. By targeting a specific columnist, you can educate the writer on your topic and persuade the writer why he or she should focus on the issue. Many columnists have loyal readers and can affect a particular group of the community. You can improve your chances for securing a column on your topic by studying your local newspaper columnists’ writings and identifying which ones have written about or shown interest in your topiv previously; use that as an opening to get your “foot in the door” in pitching a column. After initially contacting the columnist (usually via email), follow up with a phone call.

Media Advisories:Media advisories are similar to press releases in writing style, though usually follow a memorandum format. Media advisories are sent to invite a journalist to an event and receive media coverage or in hopes that the journalist will raise awareness about the event and increase attendance. The media advisory states the who, what, where, when, why and how of the event as well as details that are specific to the journalist. Details can include when they can set up equipment and where they can park. Events that may warrant your sending a media advisory to a journalist include press conferences, fundraising events, events to raise awareness on a specific issue or a response to a crisis situation in the community. Make a follow-up call before the day of the event to see if the journalist is planning on covering it.

Public Service Announcements: Also known as PSAs, Public Service Announcements are created for or by non-profit organizations. PSAs are meant to inform and persuade viewers to

support a cause and then promote a way to help. Media outlets run PSAs at no cost, but this results in heavycompetition. An effective PSA contains a strong message, convincing call-to-

action and emotional appeal. The information in PSAs should be beneficial to the target audience without being controversial or political.

Community Calendars: Hosted by local television stations and newspapers, community calendars highlight events and activities occurring in a communityonlineor in a newspaper. To have an event published in a community calendar, send a press release to a newsroom or television station a few weeks prior to the event. Each website and station has specific submission guidelines, be sure to follow the correct format.

Banner Ads on Websites: This is a way to advertise on a website for a small cost. Banner ads are on the side of websites, framing the main content. When clicked on, banners bring you to the advertiser’s website. Use banner ads on websites that a target audience frequents to increase awareness of a company, event, idea or problem. Websites sell banner ad space; contact a site’s webmaster to buy space for your banner.

Blogs:A website that can be seen as a publicly accessible journal, web-logs, or “blogs,” reflect the mission and goals of a company as well as the personality of an author. Blogs can be used to inform customers, clients and other companies about stories in the workplace, future events, news articles or anything else that will make a company seem more personable. Blogs have interactive features allowing pictures, videos, embedded links and a section where visitors can write questions or comments, increasing interaction on the site.

Social Media: Social Media is influential because it gives real-time news and industry information, as well asproviding opportunities to meet and interact with people that can be advantageous to a company. Social Media is about building relationships with others that have common interests, similar occupations or skills. Social Media can be used to reach out to customers or clients, as well as peers and mentors, to share and receive important information.

Facebook:Facebook is the number one social networking site in the world. Businesses can createFacebook pages to interact with their customers and followers.It is easy to

start a business page: fill out your company’s information on the page, invite friends to ‘like’ the page and then start using the page to reach out to your company’s audience. By posting updates in the “What’s on your mind?” section of the page, followers can be

alerted about updates within the company, media coverage and events. Interaction between companies and followers increases brand awareness, and through Facebook pages companies can increase online interaction by asking questions to followers, making contests and giving away prizes. Pictures, videos and blogs can also be

uploaded to Facebook pages, allowing followers to see what your company is doing or what you are planning to do. By updating the page consistently, followers will feel a connection to a company and/or brand.

Twitter:Twitter is a free, social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as “tweets.” Tweets are text-based, SMS

(short-messaging service) posts of up to 140characters. Tweets are displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as “followers.”Twitter can be a great resource from a marketing/business perspective. It can be used tobuild relationships with consumers, increase support for the Council, participate in conversations with constituents, share information about Council news or events and increase client engagement.