State DOTs Connecting Specialized Transportation Users and Rides Volume 1: Research Report (2016)

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20 C H A P T E R 4 Users, service providers, and partners must be aware of available linkage services and understand how to use them in order for the services to be successful. Developing a full-scale marketing plan during the development phase of the linkage program allows the managing agency to account for all target audiences and identify and implement strategies to ensure that each target audience is reached. Therefore, prior to—and after—launching the linkage program, there is a need to introduce prospective users to it, convey to them other information—when it will be available, how to access it, what it does—and recruit for and establish an ongoing user group. Additionally, while the managing agency has likely made an effort to include a comprehen- sive set of transportation resources in the linkage’s initial database, there is an ongoing need to ensure that providers already in the database periodically update their information and that new providers know about the service and know how to be added to the database. Another goal is to nurture and expand the current set of linkage partners to help fund the next phase(s) of its evolution. Additionally, in some cases, there is also the need to com- municate how the linkage provides a synergistic center piece to a range of mobility management strategies also initiated in the state, region, or county. Finally, a more peripheral goal for marketing the linkage resource is to help it gain national attention, which may ultimately help to draw addi- tional funders and inspire other cities to adopt the linkage model. Primary goals of a marketing plan: • Inform and educate specialized transportation customers about the linkage program • Inform and educate mobility managers and HST employees about the linkage program • Build support and a user group among specialized trans- portation customers and the general public Secondary goals of a marketing plan: • Nurture and expand the current set of partners to fund the next phases • Ensure that providers know about the resource and update their information • Begin to build support for the other mobility management strategies Target Audiences An effective marketing plan will promote the resource to three different target audiences: 1. Customers who will be using the linkage to find transpor- tation services including – Specialized transportation customers – The general public – The wide range of individuals who are already linking customers to rides (e.g., mobility specialists, human ser- vice agency staff, family, and friends) 2. Transportation providers whose services will form the baseline information for the resource 3. Potential funders who could provide sustaining funding for the linkage Each of these entities is explained further in the following subsections. Customers Specialized Transportation Customers The linkage service can help specialized transportation cus- tomers identify new services that better meet their needs or allow them to plan their own trips without the assistance of a mobility manager or human service employee. Many of these Marketing

21 customers are not tech savvy and will need assistance in figur- ing out how to use the linkage; therefore, training will be espe- cially important for these individuals. Getting the word out that the linkage exists and would be useful to these individu- als should be focused on word-of-mouth advertising, posted information at day centers and senior centers, and presenta- tions at community gathering places on the benefits of using the service. General Public Members of the general public will use the linkage service to find new transportation options and plan their own trips. Having a large user base made up of members of the public is important for generating additional support among poten- tial funders. Marketing the linkage to the general public will need to be done on a specially designed linkage-focused infor- mational website and social media; on provider websites and social media; and on municipal, county, and regional plan- ning websites and social media. Members of the general public will also be invited to participate in informational meetings and training sessions. Mobility Specialists/Human Resource Agency Staff Mobility specialists and human resource agency staff are often the primary link between specialized transportation cus- tomers and services. These employees will be using the service as they assist customers in planning their daily, weekly, and monthly trips. In some cases, these employees will plan every trip for a customer who is not able to plan on their own. In other cases, these employees will serve as trainers themselves, providing training of the linkage to customers who are able to use it independently. These employees must be trained to use the service and must be willing to use it in place of their current transportation resources in order for the service to be successful. Getting these employees on-board with the new service will accelerate the usage of linkage services and can help identify missing links. Transportation Providers To fill the linkage service with a baseline of transportation options, transportation providers first need to be approached, agree to list their services on the linkage service, and provide a plan for maintaining this information, which is why it’s important for transportation providers to understand how the linkage will benefit them and their customers. The mar- keting plan must specify the best way to approach transpor- tation providers and ask them to list their services, set up a plan to update services on a timely and recurring basis, and market the service to their existing customers. In cases where scheduling is a function of the linkage, the transportation providers must also change their scheduling software, which is a more difficult proposition, so the marketing plan should specify the benefits of embarking on this effort. Moreover, in the simplest sense, transportation providers are essentially free sources of marketing because they have the ability to steer a significant portion of their customers to the linkage; however, it is important to effectively train provider staff on how to market the service and how often to provide marketing materials to their customers. Potential Funders It is essential that existing and potential funders are aware of the benefits of the linkage service because the initial funding for it is usually through one-time grants. To sustain the service and ensure that operation continues, linkage service providers must attract long-term funding partners. Funders will likely be more interested in results in the program than actually under- standing how to use the program, which means that marketing to current and potential funders requires program evaluation and data stories to show how the service is providing lifeline support to users. Included in the potential funders category are also state, county, and municipal government officials who act as gatekeepers to funding. It is vital that these entities are aware of the linkage programs so they can advocate keeping the service funded and fully operational. Marketing Strategies The following list of marketing strategies is recommended as the core promotional, advertising, and training strategies for new linkage programs: • Informational Website: An informational website is a key tool for promoting linkage services before launch and can serve as a gateway for new customers after implementation. • Kickoff Event: Kickoff events can be used to generate excitement about new linkages, attract media attention to product launches, and introduce partners and stakeholders to new software and services. • Partner Learning Sessions: At these sessions, managing agency staff provides step-by-step tutorials on how to use linkage services, which allows customers to interact with new software. • Information Packages: Information packages will contain basic information on the linkage service and will be tailored for two audiences: the general public and the specialized transportation community.

22 • Informational Meetings: Following the kickoff meeting and official launch, informational meetings will provide additional opportunities to inform people on the benefits of using the linkage service and to provide basic training on how to use it. • Social Media: Promotion of the linkage service on social media is an essential element of notifying the general pub- lic of its availability and benefits; therefore, the marketing plan should include a detailed plan for ongoing promotion on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. • Email Blasts and Mailings: Promoting the linkage ser- vice through a series of both email blasts (e-blasts) and print mailings will ensure that both computer-savvy and non-computer-savvy individuals will be notified about its availability. • Press Releases: A press release can be sent to local news sources (municipal, county, online, etc.) to announce the launch of the linkage and provide information about train- ing sessions and informational meetings. • Partner Check-ins/Audits: Managing agency staff should ideally check in with partner providers approximately 3 months after the initial linkage service launch. During this first check-in, agency staff should determine whether customers are accessing partner services through the link- age and whether service information is up-to-date. Staff could also work to understand how often each partner agency modifies services, which will help determine how frequently audits are needed. • Potential Funder Meetings: Marketing meetings with potential funders is one strategy to assist in the develop- ment of new funding sources. These meetings should pro- vide information about available linkage services, while also highlighting their benefit to specialized transportation customers and the community at large. Additional details about each strategy can be found in Volume 2: Toolkit for State DOTs and Others. As shown in Table 3, the marketing strategies in the pre- vious list apply to certain target audiences. Findings from Existing Programs While developing a robust marketing plan is recommended to ensure a successful linkage program, research findings show that some programs do not have the capacity or knowledge to do so. Yet without effective promotion of the new tool, it is unlikely that awareness and understanding will reach as far as it would have with a full-scale marketing effort. Therefore, it is vital that programs set aside funds and employee resources to develop and implement a marketing plan that reaches as many people as possible. In search of case studies that highlight successful market- ing campaigns for existing linkage programs, the researchers reached out to numerous programs that were given VTCLI grants in 2011 and 2012. Unfortunately, while these VTCLI grants were given several years ago, most of the One Call/One Click projects that were funded with these grants were still in development at the time this report was prepared. Because many of the programs are still in the initial development and implementation phase, most of them have neither developed formal marketing plans nor initiated any information pro- motional efforts. Table 3. Marketing strategy and target audience. Target Audiences Strategies Kickoff Event Learning Sessions Info Packages Informational Meetings/ Funder Meetings E-blasts and Mailings Social Media Press Releases Specialized Transportation Clients General Public Mobility Managers and HST Staff Transportation Providers Current and Potential Funders

23 However, the following information on marketing and promotional efforts was gleaned from various projects and interviews: • ARC launched the Simply Get There 1-Click resource in the summer of 2015. During the planning and develop- ment of the resource, ARC hired a consultant to create a tailored marketing plan. The marketing plan provided detailed instructions on target audiences and strategies as well as a timeline for completing specific tasks related to each strategy. • JTA launched the TransPortal one-click application in Sep- tember 2014. JTA convened a regional mobility forum with all 12 counties in the region and relevant stakeholders as the official launch party for the application. At the same time as the launch of TransPortal, JTA also launched a series of service changes. Information about these changes was added to TransPortal and users were encouraged to utilize the one- click application for information about service changes. This prompted a large amount of traffic to TransPortal within the first months of it being live. JTA secured a $50,000 VTCLI grant to market TransPortal. JTA’s detailed marketing plan with itemized budgets is found in Appendix D. • IEUW launched the 211 VetLink resource in 2014 but did not utilize an official marketing plan. Instead the organi- zation focused on point-of-sight marketing with veterans at the regional VA locations. Utilizing outreach coordina- tors to convey information to potential users, awareness of the new linkage program was spread primarily by word of mouth. Additionally, the IEUW mobility manager attended the Transportation Fair at the VA to educate veterans and staff on how to use the resource. • AAA 1-B in Southeastern Michigan implemented a com- prehensive marketing effort to advertise its MyRide2 ser- vice. This marketing effort included – Posting the link on the AAA website and other partner websites; – Issuing press releases to the local newspaper and local media contacts, handled by the public relations staff per- son at AAA 1-B; – Advertising and public service announcements on local radio, handled by the public relations staff at AAA; – Mailing postcards and other brochures to senior centers, physicians’ offices, and other agency partners; – Advertising in the quarterly in-house newsletter; and – Handing out brochures at health fairs. Staff members from the AAA 1-B also noted that word of mouth, especially from AAA 1-B caregivers, is one of the best ways to make their customers aware of the linkage service. Staff also added that they did not use any social media.