How the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants benefitted from market research in their communications

Case study

My recent blog article on the importance of market research for non-profits pointed to the value of getting to the heart of what their supporters are motivated by and most importantly, the means of communications they prefer to receive. Normally, I spout off about the importance of this or that :) However, it's come to me that perhaps an example is needed. I've even decided that I'm going to begin making a regular spotting of examples from here on in. So here goes:

The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) serves as an umbrella organization for a network of 190 immigrant agencies in Ontario. Action Strategies was engaged to develop a new marketing strategy for its main online service, Settlement.org.

Launched in 2000, Settlement.Org has employed a variety of marketing methods including transit ads, media buys, link exchanges, articles, e-newsletters, site demos, and conference and trade shows.  Unfortunately, OCASI staff and board were not finding that Settlement.Org was reaching its full potential. They were are also looking to improve their ability to analyze and evaluate the results of their marketing efforts. Action Strategies was engaged to conduct a marketing evaluation and create a plan that would guide the organization for the following 3 to 5 years.

As a result of the audit and review, the agency has been able to bring significant efficiencies to their regular marketing efforts and after better understanding their clientele, staff have been able to make a strong argument for re-centering the focus of Settlement.Org’s brand.

So it goes to show you...doing your homework pays off! Let me know your thoughts. What has been your experience? ____________________
Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service Strategic Communications, Public Relations and Public Affairs Consultancy for non-profits and associations. Make sure to contact him for advice on reaching audiences you may or may not have yet considered in your marketing communications and PR campaigns. Drop him a line if you are looking for help in developing a public relations campaign. You can view his website at www.actionstrategies.ca.