Valencia Strategic Communications Plan

October, 2010

Prepared by the Office of Marketing and Strategic Communications

Purpose Statement

Valencia’s primary communications should be meaningful to audiences while increasing awareness of our work, opening doors, deepening connections, and strengthening support—all to advance our mission. At its best, Valencia’s storytelling is also personal, smart, and authentic, staying true to our brand and carving out a singular position in minds and hearts.

What Qualifies as Strategic Communications?

All communications at Valencia are important to someone. And there is no interaction more strategic than what occurs between students and professors. But for the purposes of this plan, “strategic” communications are those activities defined by these terms:

  • Accessed by large numbers of key audiences via mass media
  • Central to advancing brand identity and awareness
  • Revealed through data as most significant to prospective students and current students as critical resource material for decision-making and engagement
  • Conveying information that can impact decision making bodies, voters, legislators, grant funding agencies, donors and others with power to influence significant funding and support
  • Broadly able to unify and foster Valencia’s internal culture and esprit de corps
The Backdrop

Valencia serves more than 60,000 students annually, operating from seven—soon to be eight different campuses or centers. It is located in the 27th largest metropolitan community in the U.S. with a population of more than 2 million.

The college serves an ethnically diverse student body with an equally diverse staff of more than 1,282 full-time and 1,500 part-time employees. It maintains a website of more than 20,000 pages, provides content for and monitors 16 official Facebook communities plus multiple forms of social media activity. It produces hundreds of brochures, magazines, newsletters, legislative updates, arts calendars, advertising messages and a myriad of other communications that add layers of information going in thousands of directions daily.

Valencia’s foundation has one of the largest endowments in the nation among community colleges, fueled by active storytelling and engagement with the community. It maintains a separate website as does Valencia Enterprises.

Valencia will likely expand its academic offerings to include bachelor’s degrees in 2011 and is contemplating a simultaneous change in name.

Emerging media and rapid advancements in technology, continually open new channels for communications, raising expectations of immediacy and interactivity, and multiplying stories as well as the storytellers.

Strategic Communications Design Principles
  • While Valencia has many internal stakeholders, audiences see and experience Valencia as one entity.
  • Championing the needs of our audiences depends on objective insights into perceptions, needs and behaviors.
  • Strong communications support our work and enhance brand identity.
  • Our communications reflect Valencia’s values specifically by removing barriers, creating connections, fostering deep stewardship internally, and meeting community needs.
  • Effective communications have an audience-centered purpose and an explicit or implicit “call to action.”
Our Audiences

Prospective Students

Current Students

Alumni

Parents of Students

Faculty and Staff

Retirees

Business and Community Leaders

Donors

Legislative Policy Makers

Public and Private Funding Agencies

Arts Patrons

News Media and Influential Bloggers

Messaging—Refining a Brand Strategy

We propose Valencia undertake a process to refine our brand messaging and strategy based upon qualitative and quantitative research. We will base our strategy on audiences’ perceptions of higher education in Central Florida and Valencia in particular. Valencia should base all strategic communications on a grasp of Valencia’s brand attributes as understood by our key audiences. What are the “truths” that drive behavior to enroll at Valencia; support the college’s mission; invest in Valencia’s success; report on our stories; maintain high morale, etc.?

Do campuses have a unique brand identity? How might a name change affect Valencia’s position in the higher education environment? Is Valencia perceived differently from other community colleges or four-year colleges, both private and public? Do audiences understand that we provide continuing education as well as credit courses?

This three-to-six month process will involve focus groups, surveys, self-study, and other research. I propose we involve a marketing partner to guide us in this exercise. The results of this work will inform the development of specific messaging points and visual style guides for our work in three major areas: Advertising and Promotional Publications; News and Storytelling; and Interactive Communications.

Brand Management

Once we have articulated our brand "anthem" through this process, our goal is to convey our key attributes in a consistent manner throughout the many different forms of communications and help all Valencia stakeholders do the same.

Challenges our Communications Must Help to Meet:

1. If annual enrollment does not meet projections, Valencia’s operating budget is compromised.

2. Too many new students don’t allow enough time to process enrollment and financial aid applications prior to the start of classes, which allows for an optimum start.

3.Valencia turned-away app. 4500 students for the fall term and enrollment growth (7.2%) is below projections (8%).

4. Valencia’s image as a “last chance college” or “second choice” among academically strong prospective students persists.

5.Valencia and other community colleges do not receive the funding support it received in the past and its impact and contributions are overlooked or misunderstood by state policy makers.

5. In the local community, Valencia’s impact, size and contributions are generally unrecognized or misunderstood, and overshadowed by UCF.

6. Graduation rates (21%) are lower than we want them to be.

7.A name change that drops “community” will trigger unfounded concerns among prospective and current students about increases in tuition and costs, increased competition for seats, and an abandonment of Valencia’s core principles.

8.Valencia is a large college with app. 2,500 employees who are not well mobilized to tell the college’s stories and not well informed about news and stories.

9. Traditional news media outlets are doing a poor job of providing positive coverage of the depth and breadth of Valencia’s impact and contributions to the community.

KEY TACTICS
  1. Advertising and Promotional Publications

1.Advertising Campaign for 2011-2012

  • To enhance brand awareness based upon research and data.
  • To announce a possible name change.
  • To support Valencia’s enrollment plans including credit programs, continuing education, and any new bachelor's degree offerings.
  • To affect behaviors that lead to student success, (ie. earlierenrollment and earlier applications for financial aid.)
  • To drive traffic to valenciacc.edu
  • See Separate Advertising Plan
  1. News and Storytelling

1.Internal Strategic Communications Plan Roll-Out

  • To share the Strategic Communications Plan with key stakeholders so that it becomes everyone's plan and is revised through collaborative input.
  • To share a brand identity presentation and seek investment in its successful, ongoing integration.

2.News and Features Website (Launched in 2010-Ongoing)

  • To take ownership of our news and storytelling.
  • To provide a channel for deeper and broader news and storytelling than what traditional news media can offer.
  • To highlights the achievements and people of Valencia.
  • To provide external audiences and reporters access to newsmakers, experts, images and sources at Valencia.

3.Public Relations Plan for Possible Name Change Announcement

  • To maximize awareness of Valencia’s name change and the positive reasons for the name change.
  • To minimize misinformation or fears associated with a name change that drops the word “community” from our name.
  • To emphasize our mission and deepen engagement.

4.President’s Website (2010-2011-Ongoing)

  • To provide a forum for audiences interested in Valencia’s president to connect to the life and ideas of Valencia as well as key initiatives in leadership and education policy.
  • To provide a channel for audiences to access the ideas and writings of Valencia’s principal “Thought Leader.”

5.Emergency and Crisis Communications Plan (2010-2011)

  • To update the college’s plan to inform key audiences in the event of a crisis, together with stakeholders, partners and Tom Lopez, Chief of Security.

6. “Vitae” Magazine (Ongoing)

  • To revise editorial and production processes to maintain the quality of this key communications publication.
  • To continue to expand the magazine’s reach.

7. “Bulletin” Redesign

  • To evaluate the need for a redesign of the internal newsletter based upon input and research into the communications needs of faculty and staff for access to routine/operational information.
  • To integrate new technology and production processes as needed.
  • To support our collaborative culture and shared governance.

8.Video News and Video Storytelling

  • To create and widely circulate a library of brief videos which illustrate the college’s most significant achievements and spotlight Valencia “heroes.”
  • To better utilize the campus video monitors to support collegewide brand awareness and messaging as appropriate.

9. Brand Essence Video

  • To create a 3-5 minute video that conveys the essence of what Valencia means to individuals and to a community in a compelling, emotionally stirring video for external and internal audiences.

10. Social Media Plan

  • See Separate Social Media Plan (Power Point)

11.Miscellaneous Tactics

  • To build a repository of current FAQs, stories, photos, advance blog posts, sources and data stored on a shared departmental file to access as needed.
  • To proactively prepare for and anticipate news and story opportunities.
  • To respond to any reporter’s needs within the same business day.
  • To provide assistance and coaching to any Valencia staff or faculty member needing support dealing with news media or sharing news.
  1. Interactive Marketing and Communications

1.Valencia Website Redesign

  • To provide a virtual experience that is as accessible, supportive and intuitive as the actual experience of “way finding” and support found on any physical campus.
  • To redesign the information architecture of a site created in 2003 based on current audience/user focus groups, surveys, and analytics with insight into page views, unique and returning visits, bounce rate, S.E.O, and other key metrics.
  • To reflect the evolution of the medium in just a decade into the number one marketing resource for prospective students--the most important user.
  • To establish a comprehensive content management system.
  • To better integrate new initiatives such as blogging, video and social media into the web environment.

2. Web Calendar Redesign

  • To help audiences more easily locate interesting events in student activities; arts and entertainment; speakers and visitors; conferences; foundation events; and alumni activities; etc.

3. New Media Initiatives/ Creation of Mobile Applications

  • To explore and implement the best use of new multi-channel strategies that support marketing, brand awareness and makes communications more accessible to key audiences.
  • To maintain unity of messaging and branding in emerging media tactics.

IV.Resources

Staffing and Organizational Restructuring(See attached Organizational Chart)

The Marketing and Strategic Communications Department is adding key staff to help implement this plan, including a Director of Interactive Marketing and a News Writer. We are also shifting roles and responsibilities within the department.

In addition, contractual agreements will assist in refining brand messaging and identity, developing advertising materials and video production. We may also consider the assistance of a public relations consultant in the name change launch.

Marketing and Strategic Communications Advisory Group

A collegewide Marketing and Strategic Communications Advisory group made up of key stakeholders and partners is being established.

The Charge:

This group will provide input into strategic direction for major marketing, public relations, branding and communications initiatives as well as review research and offer feedback on tactics. Members are the formal instrumental in the development of Valencia's communications "champions," able to offer concrete ways that faculty, staff and students can participate in and build support for Valencia's mission through relevant and impactful communications.

This group replaces the former Marketing Advisory Committee and has a broader charge. It will meet several times each semester with a virtual forum (to be designed) to encourage continual engagement and input. Members will be appointed by the Senior Staff and represent the following area:

Proposed Members of the Strategic Communications Advisory Committee:

Student Affairs:Sonya Joseph

RecruitmentFin. AidLinda Downing

Admissions:Renee Simpson

Deans:Wendy Givoglu

Penny Conners

Career Program Advisors Rep:Liz Jusino or Julia Ribley

Workforce:Falecia Williams

Alumni/Retirees:Barbara Shell

HR/ OrganizationalDev.Amy Bosley

Campus Rep./Assistant Provosts:Kathy Hauser

Michelle Foster

Marie Brady

Michele McArdle

Michael Bosley

OIT Bill White

Faculty:Lisa Macon

Carl Creasman

Career Staff Rep:Nicolle Trapp

Professional Staff Rep:Liz Jusino or Other

Marketing Staff Reps:Lucy Boudet, Chair

Darla Sharpe

Carol Traynor

Craig Blazejewski

(New Continuing Education Marketing Manager)

Student Reps:SGA Leader West

SGA Leader East

SGA Leader Osceola

Social Media Quick Response Team

A small core group of Valencia staff experts has agreed to assist with answering key questions that may arise in Facebook pages that need accurate, quick responses. They are:

Sonya Joseph, Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs

Heidi Shugg, Atlas Access Lab Coordinator

Danielle Boileau, Counselor, East Campus

Tullio Bushrui, Counselor, West Campus

Joe Sarrubbo, Administrative Manager, Student Services, Answer Center, West Campus

Nelson Sepulveda, Coordinator of Transitions Services, Enrollment Services Center, Osceola Campus

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