In the past few decades there has been observed an increase in the market pressures on the non – profit organizations to market themselves like for – profit organizations to be able to raise funds and earn money to fulfil their stated goals (Donika and Lazare ski, 2009).http://Best 605432 Department F A B Assignment Sample
Traditionally, the marketing strategy among non – profits like The Sheffield Cat Shelter was more “organization- centered” but it is shifting more and more towards a “customer-centered” one (Donika and Lazare ski, 2009; Pope, et al., 2015).http://Best 605432 Department F A B Assignment Sample
Donika and Lazare ski (2009) further found that irrespective of the environment of the organization, the market pressures remain the same for organizations and as such the above stated points are applicable irrespective of the geographical location.
Increasing the level of education among local residents regarding the process of pet adoption.
Improving the line of communication between the organization and the potential adopters.
Increase the scope of direct communication from the organization to the general public.
Highlight the benefits of pet adoption.
Choosing the right platform to improve the communication with the local community.
2. Common Marketing Challenges
As identified in Pope, et al. (2015) some of the key challenges faced by Non-Profit organizations are:
Lack of Resources/Support for Marketing: It has been observed that the most common form of deficiency is traditionally in the form of a lack of knowledge or resources when it comes to the context of marketing. Even when there is a willingness to expand the marketing practices the lack of expertise is another road block to the accomplishment of the marketing goals.
Ambiguous Target Markets: There are two facets of marketing that needs to be undertaken in such cases – to potential participants in the form of adopters and volunteers that would be willing to engage in the operation of the operation. Identifying key target demographics for both sets of stakeholders is a key challenge that needs to be addressed.
Improper use of Online Marketing: In today’s world the online space is a powerful tool if used properly and an active setback if improperly managed. Online presence not only lets the organization communicate with the community but also transact and interact with them. Identifying avenues of communication and interaction effectively is also a major challenge.
Low Brand Recognition: A cause and an effect of improper or deficient marketing could be a low degree of brand recognition and could hamper the potential community engagement in the long run for the organization.
3. Understanding the Market
3.1 Demographics
Figure 1. Distribution of age and sex in Sheffield according to the 2011 Census (Source: Public Health Analysis Team (AR), 2012)
Total population of Sheffield is 730,158 as of March 2020. 84 per cent of the population is White, 8 per cent is Asian, 3.5 per cent Black and the remaining are other ethnic groups or mixed race.
According to the 2011 Census, 58 per cent of the population were home owners whereas 25 per cent of the population rented from the Council or had social landlords. The below figure shows the distribution of the population in terms of age and gender in Sheffield:
3.2 Key Statistics
24 per cent of the Adult population in UK have at least one cat at their homes.
16 per cent and 18 per cent of cat owners researched on the internet or talked to a rescue/adoption center respectively prior to adopting a cat.
34 per cent of pet cats are adopted from rescue or rehoming shelters in the UK.
Source: PSDA (2018)
3.3 Key Marketing Points
According to research conducted by Spiegel Hoff (2016) and secondary research conducted for this report, the following key points that need to be addressed in the marketing campaign have been identified:
The key message of “saving the lives of the cats,” “adopting rather than breeding,” and “need for forever homes for pets” needs to be delivered clearly as opposed to merely be perceived as advertising or seeking donations.
Marketing message needs to give the sense of contributing towards society among the prospective adopters.
Use of images of the cats needs to be done more in the promotional material especially website and social media both to increase the number of adoptions and donations.
Pictures of the animals can be identified as the most favorable and influential part of the marketing.
4. Marketing Strategy
4.1 Need for Social Media engagement
One of the most important facets of the marketing strategy is to decide the medium of communication with which to communicate and interact with the stakeholders.
According to research published by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), use of social media tools and platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter help in generating “increased public support and make it possible for them to save the lives of more animals in need” (ASPCA, 2018).http://Best 605432 Department F A B Assignment Sample
According to the same report, there has been observed an increase in the use of social media platforms in the previous year and is likely to grow in the future as well. They further note several advantages to the use of social media, as listed below:
Increase in the visibility and general awareness of the organization.
Increase in the overall adoptions for the animals.
Increase in adoption of senior pets and pets with medical issues.
Better understanding and conceited training will enable further boost to all the metrics.
4.2 Cognitive Objective
According to Hutt and Cain (2005) “cognitive objective defines what the targeted consumer should learn as a result of exposure to the particular message, advertisement, or public service announcement.” For Sheffield Cat Shelter, the proposed cognitive objective in terms of marketing has been produced below.
To increase the number of Twitter followers and Facebook likes (also considered friends) by 20 per cent each by educating consumers that Sheffield Cat Shelter benefits the Sheffield community, adoption is the best option for pet ownership, and donating time or money helps the shelter and yourself.
A systematic delivery of information regarding adoption, donation and volunteering can educate the community regarding the importance of the organization and their contribution to it, which can then help in improving the brand recognition and brand image of the organization.
4.3 Conative Objectives
According to Hutt and Cain (2005), “Conative or behavior objectives promote a change in behavior in the target market or make an action occur in the target market.” The following three conative objectives have been proposed for Sheffield Cat Shelter’s marketing campaign on social media.
To increase the amount of cat adoptions by 10 per cent.
To increase the number of volunteers at fundraising events by 10 per cent.
To increase the amount of total donations for the following fiscal year by 15 per cent.
These objectives or goals have been designed with the SMART framework in mind that provides specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely set of objectives which can be clearly monitored with regards to the degree of success in attaining those goals.
4.4 Marketing Slogan and Statement
There are several avenues that can be highlighted in the marketing campaign that the organization partakes in including:
Providing an outlet for surrendered cats
Providing a short to long term home for cats that have suffered domestic abuse.
Providing a reputable source for adoption of rescued cats
Providing excellent veterinary care
As discussed in section 3, including the message of “saving lives”, “giving pets a home”, “adoption as opposed to breeding” has positive results among the target audience. In addition to these, altruism is a virtue that motivates donations and adoptions (Kim, 2014) and as such it needs to be highlighted in the messaging.
Keeping the above points in mind, the following slogans have been selected for use in the marketing campaign:
Adopt today: Change a life, warm a heart
Change your lives and theirs for the better
Give them a home and gain a member of the family
5. Recommendations
Based on the findings of the report the following recommendations can be forwarded for the organization with regards to their marketing strategy:
Invest in training and developing the use of social media marketing strategies for the employees.
Decide on a set of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) goals or objective that needs to be achieved with the marketing as discussed in the previous section.
Use specific words in the marketing campaign that alludes to a sense of altruism in the target demographic and encourages them to participate in the process as donors, volunteers or adopters.
Use of affectionate pictures of the animals as frequently as possible.
References
ASPCA (2018). New Research Points to Social Media as Important Tool for Animal Shelters and Rescues. Retrieved 12th April, 2020, from https://www.aspca.org/about-us/press-releases/new-research-points-social-media-important-tool-animal-shelters-and-rescues
Dolnicar, S and Lazarevski, K. (2009). Marketing in non-profit organizations: an international perspective. International Marketing Review, 26(3), pp. 275-291. DOI: 10.1108/02651330910960780
Kim, N. (2014). Advertising strategies for charities promoting consumers’ donation of time versus money. International Journal of Advertising, 33(4), 707-724. doi:10.2501/IJA-33-4-707-724.
Pope, J.A., Isely, E.S. and Asamoa-Tutu, F. (2009). Developing a Marketing Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing. Retrieved 12th April, 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232971619
Public Health Analysis Team (AR) (2012). Sheffield 2012: JSNA Demographics Background Data Report. Retrieved 12th April, 2020, from https://www.sheffieldccg.nhs.uk/Downloads/Equality%20and%20diversity/PSED%20Documents/Sheffield2012_Demographics_ARV0v1.pdf
Spiegelhoff, J.M. (2016). A Social Marketing Plan for the Lester C. Howick Animal Shelter. Thesis and Dissertations, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 1631 Retrieved 12th April, 2020, from http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1631
