Marketing Techniques?

[reversed_rocker]

I'm new to the whole robotics marketing deal, what has worked for you guys? Calling companies? Letters? Presentations? Who do you aim for? Engineering firms? Financial organizations? Educational programs?

any ideas would be greatly appreciated

[Billfred]

What is your objective? Get money to compete at all? Get money to compete in Atlanta? (Did you register during open registration, or did you qualify at an event?) Start an FLL team? Upgrade your fabrication abilities? Run summer camps?

Your objectives will quite often determine who you want to target and how you'll want to do it.

[reversed_rocker]

well we always get just enough money to get by when it comes to our robot. we havent gone to nationals yet so that would be a major priority (for next year) but for now our main goal would be earning enough money to go to more than 1 regional

[Billfred]

If that's your plan, get a handle on your requirements. Start sketching out some of the big things beyond the $4,000 fee. How will you get there? If you can't drive it in a day, know that airfare and charter buses are not cheap. Can you use the free FedEx ship for this event, or will you be paying to ship the crate? What about food? Hotels? Getting your stuff there?

Obviously, anyone with a checkbook can help reduce or eliminate these issues. You might get better results from targeting companies that offer related services. The larger the company, the more likely it is that they have a program for community support, but the more likely it is that there are more formal requirements than going to the local grocery store and asking for sandwich meats for lunches. An "in"--parent, mentor, relative--with a company can help greatly, particularly with larger companies. That contact can probably help you navigate the programs, including whether their forms of support include in-kind or cash donations.

Even though the idea of getting your money thousands of dollars at a time has its appeal, don't rule out the power of getting contributions $20 or $50 at a time. Several teams have held patron drives or letter-writing campaigns that have worked well for them. Take every opportunity to grow your list of contacts--ever seen the fish bowl at a restaurant to drop your business card in exchange for a chance at a free lunch? Many times, the information on those cards becomes a way for companies to build lists to send marketing communications. Perhaps, if you do demos at public venues, you set out a similar bowl for a chance at a team shirt or a Hexbug.

Give your team a set of tools to help spread the message--I notice that FIRST doesn't have a team web site for your team. It's a lot easier to disseminate information with a good web site than without it. If you're doing print newsletters, include a space to encourage your current supporters to introduce a friend to your team's efforts. If you're not doing a newsletter, look into it. Email is becoming an appealing option as well--reputable companies will help you start an email campaign for a few bucks a month--but make sure your contacts are actually using email. (You might be looking for help from proud grandmothers, but not all of them are going to use email.)

In short, figure out who you want to target, make it easy for them to come aboard, and keep them in the loop as you progress through the season. It's almost always easier (and frequently cheaper) to keep current customers than to recruit new ones.