3. Agenda
• Introduction to Asante Africa
• Marketing Research Process
• Analysis and Recommendations
– Social Media
– eNewsletter
– Website
– Partnership Opportunities
– Marketing Plan
• Summary
• Q&A
The Surviving 6 3
4. Introduction to Asante Africa
• What is the Asante Africa Foundation?
– Nonprofit, charitable organization based in Oakland, CA, dedicated to
providing quality education to East Africa students
– Established in 2006 by three women:
• Erna Grasz (U.S.)
• Emmy Moshi (Tanzania)
• Hellen Nkuraiya (Kenya)
• What is their vision and mission?
“…education empowers children to make informed decisions, to turn
dreams into reality, to reduce their families’ struggle, and to facilitate the
process of their communities becoming self-sustaining…”
The Surviving 6 4
5. Introduction to Asante Africa
– Create safe and healthy learning environments
– Strengthen teaching quality and enhance learning in schools
– Provide education through merit-based scholarships
• 90% of donations support in-country programs in Kenya
and Tanzania
• Volunteer-based
The Surviving 6 5
6. Marketing Research Process
Define the Problem & Will improved communications
Research Objectives
allow Asante Africa to enhance
Develop the Research Plan
awareness and funding
opportunities?
Collect the Information
Awareness…………
» Reach
Analyze the Information » Audience
» Quality
Present the Findings
Make the Decision
Source: Kotler. P & Keller K. (2012). A framework for Marketing Management. (5th Ed., Pg. 37). New Jersey, NY: Prentice Hall.
The Surviving 6 6
7. Marketing Research Process
Define the Problem & Research Objectives
Research Objectives
• Determine if Asante Africa website
Develop the Research Plan
receives consistent, or improving, monthly
visitation
• What is the eNewsletter’s click to read
Collect the Information percentage?
• Is Asante Africa actively engaging social
media followers?
Analyze the Information
• Does Asante Africa partner with other
organizations?
Present the Findings
Make the Decision
The Surviving 6 7
8. Marketing Research Process
Define the Problem & • Communication with Asante Africa staff
Research Objectives
and board members
• Jessica’s insight through her
Develop the Research Plan
volunteering
Collect the Information • Review of Google Analytics reports
• Review of Crowdbooster reports
Analyze the Information • Content and design review
• Review marketing materials of similar
Present the Findings organizations
• Communication with GeoEx
Make the Decision
The Surviving 6 8
9. Marketing Research Process
Define the Problem & • Social Media
Research Objectives
• eNewsletter
Develop the Research Plan • Website
• Partnership Opportunities
Collect the Information • Marketing Plan
Analyze the Information
Present the Findings
Make the Decision
The Surviving 6 9
10. Social Media
• Polish up Social Brand
– While they have an active website and blog, their social media brand
lacks consistency with their overall company mission
– Social network presence should support the corporate brand
– Everything that is said online needs to be a positive reinforcement of
that brand's promise
The Surviving 6 10
11. Social Media
• Develop Content Plan
– Asante Africa is limiting themselves by only focusing on education
– Relevant content and conversation is vital in engaging and inspiring an
audience
– Many other variables are involved in providing (or hindering) education
to children
• Political unrest, lack of natural resources, health issues, high crime rates, poverty,
child sex-trafficking, civil wars – news and stories that are emotional and political
hot buttons
The Surviving 6 11
12. Social Media
• Become a Thought Leader
– In the beginning, Asante Africa's postings consisted of reposting their
own blog stories, or pushing other writers' links through the newsfeed
– Asante Africa needs to establish authority, as they have extensive
knowledge about their industry
The Surviving 6 12
13. Social Media
• Follow Influential Nonprofit Organizations and Individuals
– Lets them know that Asante Africa exists and is there to serve as
support, as well as, possible partnership opportunities
– Researching and following influential people in different industries
greatly assists in attracting followers
• Tap into their follower base
The Surviving 6 13
14. Social Media
Adoption
• Engagement (low engagement)
bookmarking,
tagging, adding to
groups
Collaborative
Social Attention Filtering
(highest engagement)
Adding followers Reputation (medium engagement)
Rating
Networking
Fan Communities
Interaction Voting
Commenting
Endorsing
Content
Creation
(high engagement)
Blogging, fan
communities,
Podcasting.
The Surviving 6 14
15. Social Media
• Engagement cont.
– Social Media is not only about gaining a following, but maintaining that
following through genuine interaction and connection with others.
• Engaging with followers and second degree connections is imperative to keeping
Asante Africa on everyone’s mind
• Influencing others to talk about the organization
The Surviving 6 15
16. Social Media
• Social Media Directories and Twitter Lists
– Lists are a useful tool in connecting with other individuals and
companies in similar industries.
– We identified these lists to be most effective at finding the best potential
followers
• http://listorious.com/tags/charity
http://www.twibes.com/directory/twitter-list
http://listatlas.com/
The Surviving 6 16
17. Social Media
• Data and Insights
– Analytics is key in understanding the effects of the changes we put in
place. Data that shows us fluctuations in follower growth and level of
engagement.
– The techniques and strategies implemented, have significantly
increased not only the number of followers, but engagement and
interaction.
The Surviving 6 17
18. Social Media
– In less than two
months, our
strategies grew
Asante Africa Twitter
followers from 112 to
5,342.
The combination of
retweets and
mentions providing a
potential reach of
over 4 million people
and organizations.
The Surviving 6 18
19. Social Media
• Future Strategies for Growth
– Google+
• Google+ increases exposure based on follower setup.
– Rather than adding one person or organization at a time, Google+ allows you to
add yourself to circles. These circles can consist of 100 people or a million
people – Potential is huge.
– Ranked high in search engines and makes organizations and individuals very
easy to find.
– RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
• Obtain higher search engine rankings (SEO)
• RSS feeds give you 100% delivery rate, not possible with email
The Surviving 6 19
20. Social Media
– Wikipedia
• Description of Foundation could increase web traffic and is a useful tool for
managing reputation and credibility.
– slideshare
• Asante Africa should have a corporate PPT template and a corporate
overview presentation of who they are and what they do.
– LinkedIn
• Would enable Asante Africa to take advantage of news postings and groups,
and provide a platform for recruiting of talent and volunteers.
– Blogger
• Moving blogs from website to blogger – broader reach and removes on-
going maintenance
• Enables blog reading from mobile devices
The Surviving 6 20
23. Website – Existing Design
• No focus
• Cluttered
• Excessive scrolling
• Not tablet friendly
• Too many pages
– And too much information!
• Doesn’t leverage Social Media
• Doesn’t leverage print (PDF) or video
• Looks unprofessional
The Surviving 6 23
24. Website – Redesign
• Focused
– Fewer menu options
– Primary banner
displays important
news, including
video
– Second tiered
elements focus on
program, about, and
donation allocation
– News ticker
• Tablet friendly
• Leverages
investment in Social
Media
• Consistent
elements
The Surviving 6 24
31. Partnership Opportunities
Responsible Travel Guide: Walking the Talk
Africa Giving Back Guide
The Surviving 6 31
32. Marketing Plan
• Create Style Guide detailing brand elements
• Redesign website, eNewsletter, and collateral
– Based on Style Guide for consistent L&F
• Expand on Social Media networks
• Launch Direct Mail campaign
– Introduce Asante to a Friend – includes a personal letter from Asante Africa
president and (3) trifold brochures
• Develop Campaign Funding Tools for 3rd party fund raising
• Expand on Partnership Opportunities
• Launch a Corporate Sponsorship campaign to attract corporate
donations
The Surviving 6 32
33. Summary
• Defined the scope and framework of
our research
• Analyzed current marketing
channels
• Made design, content and
organizational suggestions that
focus on creating awareness
• Metrics to measure success
• Communicate recommendations to
Asante Africa
The Surviving 6 33
