Marketing and distributing a resource

An essential part of producing a plain language resource is ensuring that it reaches the people it is intended for. You need to consider how you will go about doing this from when you first start planning a publication. For this reason, the Foundation requires you to indicate in your grant application how you will market the resource. If you are successful in obtaining a grant you will be asked to submit a marketing plan. The key issues you should cover are:

Who is your intended audience?
For example, lawyers, intermediaries working with your target audience, specific groups such as young people or indigenous people.
How will you reach them?
We have prepared a checklist of ways you may want to consider reaching your audience.

If you use a publisher they will often play a key role in marketing and distributing your resource.

The Foundation may also be able to assist you with marketing your resource in a range of ways including:

identifying avenues to reach your target audience
assisting with press releases and launches
promoting your resource through our publications

Please contact Sue Scott or Abigail Gray at the Foundation if you would like assistance with marketing your publication. The Foundation is interested in working with other organisations to share knowledge about reaching target audiences. We co-hosted a discussion forum on this topic with ASIC in 2003.

Marketing Checklist

Know who target audience is — no point in promoting to everyone.
How is your target audience going to get the information? We have developed a range of resources on specific target groups such as young people and people with disabilities.
Target intermediaries. It is useful to plug into networks of service providers e.g. Community Technology Centres; Government Access Centres; Local Courts; Health Centres; libraries. See Key Organisations/Publications.
Use public places e.g. courts, RTA, police stations, LIAC.
Promote to existing users through newsletters, flyers, phone inquiries.
Promote through internal organisational newsletters (need to have contacts within the organisation).
Promote through your web site.
Send out marketing information with other corporate communications.
Send a copy to professional journals or associations for review.
Tips for dealing with the media
Should you have a launch?
In some cases it may be appropriate to advertise your resource. You can also explore the possibility of carrying out ‘ad swaps’ with organisations.
If you obtain Cataloguing in publication details from the National Library of Australia your publication will be automatically included in the national bibliographic database. Library suppliers also use this information to source new publications.

Useful Organisations, Websites and Programs

Plain Language Law newsletter / Law and Justice Foundation of NSW
A free online newsletter containing information about plain language resources about the law in all formats, community legal education programs, and research and conferences in these areas. Contributions are welcome.
Not-for-Profit Communications Forum
This Sydney based forum aims to build networks, provide assistance and support, share knowledge and research and explore collaborative research opportunities in the area of effective communication for not for profit organisations. Contact Janet Granger-Wilcox, (02) 9872 0334, janet.granger-wilcox@ridbc.org.au, if you would like more information.
Informal Marketing / Communications Group (NSW)
This informal group of communicators from financial and legal institutions in the Sydney meets at lunchtime once a month to discuss a chosen topic. We work in the private and public sector producing hard copy or online materials for staff or retail or professional consumers of our products and services. We are writers, editors, designers, trainers, academics, web masters or commercial publishers. There is no charge for attending or joining the network. Contact Irene Wong, Australian Securities & Investments Commission, (02) 9911 2637, irene.wong@asic.gov.au, if you would like to join.

Using the Media

Rural / regional media — local angles using local people.
Local newspapers — local angles using local people and places.
Find the right journalist, make personal contact with journalist and persevere with developing the relationship — don't give up!
"Wedge" media — e.g. 'negative' stories in the media can generate increased knowledge of your product.
Writing press releases — 'who, what, when, where, why' and keep them short.
The Community Builders web site has a section on dealing with the media

Launches

Should you have a launch? You need to balance the cost of a launch against its effectiveness as a way to publicise the resource and your organisation.
Decide what the key aim of the launch is — media coverage? Thank you to project participants? Briefing key agencies? The aim should determine the effort you put into the event organisation and the format for the launch.
Where possible, collaborate with other agencies.
Unless strong angle, not worth doing.
Would it be appropriate to launch your publication in conjunction with a seminar or workshop? A launch can be an opportunity to brief or train key agencies about the project material
Consider using existing events such as conferences to launch your publication.

Marketing Websites

Many disadvantaged groups will not have access to the Internet therefore it may be better to target intermediaries e.g. Community Legal Centres often use the web to provide information to clients. Statistics on Internet use for a variety of disadvantaged groups. (link to relevant document]. For background information on how people use the web, have a look at this article - Research review into legal information seeking behaviour and use: implications for provision via the Internet, Sue Scott, Law Foundation of NSW, 1999.

Include the web address on all organisational communication e.g. phone message, brochures, Email tag lines.
Try and get your web site included in relevant training e.g. training for seniors or training for community groups being carried out by Inner City Legal Centre; training held in Community Technology Centres.
Promote within your own organisation to ensure that staff use and promote the site to their clients.
Promote new or particularly useful features — e.g., property settlement on Legal Aid.
Linking from other sites to your site increases visibility both through browsing and because search engines use the number of links to your site to rank your site. This raises issues about linking policies. ASIC have developed a linking policy.
Problem with increase in irrelevant inquiries generated through promotion.
Ralph Wilson marketing site provides tips on online marketing
Make sure you are listed on relevant portals — e.g. LawAccess; State and commonwealth government portals; Legal Information Access Centre; Legal Aid
Financial information database, ASIC
Can send resources to ASIC for inclusion.
Promote your site through Community Technology Centres (CTCs), computer facilities located in rural NSW.

Metadata

Adding metadata to your site increases the possibility of being found via a search engine. A number of government search engines now use metadata and Commonwealth government agencies must use AGLS metadata.
Draft Justice Sector Metadata Standards (JSMS)
These draft standards were developed by a range of justice sector agencies in NSW. LawAccess Online adds sites using JSMS to its index to legal web sites in NSW. If you would like to know more about the standards, or find out how to get your site indexed by LawAccess Online, please contact Jane Pritchard, LawAccess NSW.
JSMS Metadata entry form, Law and Justice Foundation of NSW
Use this form to automatically create Justice Sector Metadata. Simply enter information about your web page to create metadata which you can then paste into the header information at the top of your web page.