Hannah Zetty

Jasmin Herrera
Don Benz
Matt Linehan

2018 Strategic Communications Plan

1
2
 Table of Contents
1 - Introduction
5 - Campaign Plan
6 - Research
7 - Target Demographic
8 - Objectives
9 - Plan Summary
12 - Timeline
13 - Budget
14 - Evaluation
17 - Appendix
18 - Graphic Identity/Logo
19 - Website
20 - Print
21 - Outreach Events
22 - Promotional Materials
23 - Flyer
24 - Radio Spot
26 - Social Media Evaluation
28 - Facebook Posts
30 - Press Release
31 - Guest Editorial
32 - Team Members 5
6
 Introduction
Part of the American Dream is owning a home. It is many
people’s biggest goal, but not everyone knows how to get there.
The Moscow Affordable Housing Trust helps first time home
buyers buy a home when they didn’t think it was possible.
They help to make the process easier, understandable, and
affordable.

MAHT needs more people to attend Finally Home!

homebuyer courses and more people to use MAHT’s services
to find housing through their HOME program funded projects.
Currently, the courses are not being filled and sometimes do
not run due to low attendance. The target is to have at least
three households and at least four people total represented
at each course. MAHT also needs to increase awareness of
the organization in the community, which will help increase
referrals and donations.

1
 MAHT needs to reach people before they realize they
need the services of MAHT, and be the first place people
think of to help them when starting the home search.
This can be achieved through making direct contact with the
service’s target demographic and through reaching the whole
community which will increase word-of-mouth.

The median household income in Moscow is $37,590. This

fits into the HOME program qualifications for households larger
than two people. Additionally, of the 9,180 occupied housing
units in Moscow, 5,400 are renter occupied; of these renters,
2,151 are between the ages of 25 and 44. This is the range that
the trust sees as their target demographic, because they are at
the age of buying their first home. Many of these people might
be renting instead of purchasing a home because they either
think they cannot afford it or do not know how to start the
process of becoming a homeowner.

2
 This campaign will seek to increase participation in the
Finally Home! homebuyer courses and increase awareness
of MAHT in the community. This will be achieved through
community outreach, promotion, and social media activity. The
target demographic will see these community outreach and
promotional efforts. They are active on social media. 87% of
online adults ages 18-29 and 73% of online adults ages 30-49
use Facebook. There is a lot of potential for growth in the way
the MAHT promotes itself.

This campaign will focus first on improving the image
of MAHT. It will then expand upon MAHT’s current outreach
efforts through social media, tabling at events, promotional
items, and traditional advertising such as print and radio.

A new logo will be designed that is cleaner and easier to

reproduce. A new website will also be designed that is easier to
navigate and better displays information.

3
 The website will include information about the Finally
Home! courses, information for potential homebuyers, and
other information such as information for realtors and lenders.
This is important because the logo will act as the “face” of the
organization and will be displayed in a variety of places, and
the website is an important point of contact with potential
users who are seeking to learn more about MAHT.

Social media will be important as Facebook reaches a
broad demographic of community members and potential users
of MAHT’s services. Print advertising and radio spots will reach
a large portion of the Palouse community. More direct outreach
will happen through tabling at events in the community. This
will facilitate a better relationship with the public.

If this campaign is successful the MAHT will see

increased enrollment in Finally Home! courses, increased
use of other services such as their home offerings, and
overall increased awareness which will be evidenced by
more social media engagement and more media mentions.

4
Campaign
Plan

5
Research
Median Household Income:

$37,590
9,180 Occupied Moscow, ID
Housing Units
3,780 2,141
Owner Renters
Occupied are
5,400 between
Renter the ages of
Occupied 22 and 44
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Target Demographic

Age 24-40

Income
Household Income Income
Size Above Below
1 Person $21,900 $35,000
2 Person $25,000 $40,000
3 Person $28,150 $45,000
4 Person $31,250 $50,000

87%
of online
73%
of online
adults ages adults ages
18-29 use 30-49 use
Facebook Facebook

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Objectives
Objective 1
At least 3 households represented and at least 4 people taking
each Finally Home! course.

Objective 2
Increase the number of likes on Moscow Affordable Housing
Trust’s Facebook page from 149 to 300 in the next year.

Objective 3
Increase post-engagement on social media to five engagements
or more per post by next year.

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 Plan Summary
New Logo
The new logo is much more simple than the old one
and evokes more clearly what MAHT is about. The blue color
is calming and brings up thoughts of steadfastness and
dependability. The acronym comes across well in a logo,
and the full title of the organization below allows for more
clarification. The roof outline is strong and shelters the text in
the logo.

New Website Design

The website needs to be more organized and less
overwhelming. Currently, the home page of the website has a
lot of information for the reader to take in at once. The redesign
will incorporate the color scheme of the new logo, and will
have a cleaner homepage with large graphics. The website
will be more clearly organized into sections that make it easy
to navigate for potential homeowners, realtors, lenders, and
donors. As this would require an outside specialist to fully
develop, it will be included in a secondary budget.

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Print
MAHT will continue to advertise in the Home & Harvest
magazine. Since a discount is provided, this is a high value
way to reach a lot of people. The ad will be redesigned to better
represent the new brand identity that is based on the logo, and
it will be focused more heavily on the Finally Home! courses.
MAHT will also place information for the Finally Home!
courses in Coffee News, a restaurant publication that is
distributed in restaurants and coffee shops in Moscow,
Pullman, and Colfax. The What’s Happening section is a free
section where events that are happening in the community are
highlighted in about 30-80 words. An ad will also be placed in
Coffee News, and the non-profit discount will be utilized.

Outreach
A list of events to table at on the Palouse and in the
Lewiston-Clarkston Valley will be compiled. Fliers will be
designed to hand out at these events. Business cards that
include the dates of upcoming Finally Home! courses will be
created. Business cards are inexpensive and people tend to
be willing to pick them up since they are small. Keychains
with MAHT’s logo will also be created. These can be placed on
apartment or house keys, which relates directly to MAHT’s
service of helping people get housing. A keychain is also seen
daily, keeping MAHT in people’s minds.
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Radio
The Inland Northwest Broadcasting Grant will be used
to get no-cost radio ad space. A spot will be produced that
highlights the Finally Home! courses. Many people listen to the
radio in their car or workplace, and the stations selected will be
stations that are targeting the target demographic of MAHT.

Social Media
MAHT will use Facebook for social media outreach. Event
pages will be created for each of the Finally Home! course dates.
Potential attendees can find the date, time, location, and more
information about the courses, and RSVP that they are “going”
or “interested”. Posts will also include testimonials from people
who have found homes through MAHT, construction updates
when new homes are being built, and articles about housing
and home affordability. Facebook will be effective in reaching
the target demographic of people aged 25-40, as they are often
frequent Facebook users. Many people in this age group search
for information about a company on social media.

Public Relations
A press release will inform the public about the Finally
Home! course. A guest editorial will be given to local papers
with information about what MAHT does and how potential
homeowners can benefit from using the services they offer.
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Timeline
The first component of the timeline will be the tabling
evenst throughout the year (see Appendix). The other
components will include print advertising, course advertising
on social media, PR releases, and radio spots.

JFMAMJJASOND
Farmers
Market

Event

Radio

H&H

Coffee
News
Social
Media
PR

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 Budget
Price Quantity Total Cost
Print
Flyers (500 ct) $159 1 $159
Home & Harvest Magazine $275 1 $275
Promotional Items
Business Cards with dates $9.99 2 $20
(250 ct)
Keychains $0.53 300 $159
Website
Website Design $400 1 $400

Total $1,013

While many components of this campaign are free, a few are not.

The largest portion of the budget will go towards a new website design.

This can be done by a student at the University of Idaho.

The next portion largest portion of the budget is print. Flyers will be

used to pass out during tabling events. The Home & Harvest magazine is

worth the cost because of its distribution.

The last portion of the budget is promotional items, which will

be handed out at tabling events. These items are fairly low cost for the

impact that they can have on awareness.

13
Evaluation
Moscow Affordable Housing Trust wants to increase the overall
awareness of their organization and increase enrollment in
their homebuyer education courses.
The first objective of the campaign is for each course to
meet the minimum number of required participants needed
to run. This will be measured by the number of people who
sign up for the courses and the number of people who show
up to the courses. The goal is to have at least 3 households
represented and at least 4 people taking each course. It will be
checked throughout the campaign, after every course. This is
important to the campaign because running courses is one of
the ways that MAHT gets funding. They currently do not always
have enough interest in each course so they need to change
that.
Another objective of the campaign is to increase the
number of likes on Moscow Affordable Housing Trust’s
Facebook page from 149 to 300 in the next year. This will be
evaluated at the end of the campaign. This will speak to an
increased awareness for the organization, which makes it an
important element.

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 Evaluation
The final objective is to increase post-engagement on social
media to five engagements or more per post by next year. This
will be measured by likes, comments, and shares on Facebook
and likes and comments on Instagram. This will be monitored
throughout the campaign to ensure that post engagements are
increasing, and measured at the end of the campaign to see
if the target of five or more engagements was reached. This is
important to the campaign because it means that not only are
people aware of the organization, but they are also interacting
with and staying connected to it.

A survey will also be conducted at the end of each Finally

Home! course to see how participants found out about it. This
will help MAHT adjust their promotion throughout the year.
The questions will be as follows:
-How did you hear about The Moscow Affordable Housing
Trust’s Finally Home courses?
-Do you follow The Moscow Affordable Housing Trust on
Facebook?
-Would you share information about The Moscow Affordable
Housing Trust on social media?
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16
Appendix

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Graphic Identity
Fonts
Heading: Franklin Gothic Demi
Content: Bookman Old Style

Black Deep Blue

HTML Code: HTML Code:
#000000 #16488b
CMYK: CMYK:
C=0 M=0 Y=0 K=100 C=100 M=82 Y=15 K=3

Medium Blue Light Blue

HTML Code: HTML Code:
#336eb6 #90bae3
CMYK: CMYK:
C=83 M=56 Y=0 K=0 C=41 M=16 Y=0 K=0

Medium Grey
HTML Code:
#6e6e6e
CMYK:
C=57 M=49 Y=48 K=16

Logo:

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 Website

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Print
Home & Harvest Magazine Ad

To learn more visit us at www.moscowhousingtrust.org

Coffee News “What’s Happening” Copy

Finally Home First Time Homebuyer Course April 18th
& 19thThe Moscow Affordable Housing Trust is offering
their Finally Home first time home buyer course. Come
learn all the information you will need to become a home
owner. The price of the course is only $15 per house-
hold. Learn more at www.moscowhousingtrust.org
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 Outreach Events
Tabling Events:

-Art Walk: June 15th

Downtown Moscow

-National Lentil Festival: August 17th – 18th

Pullman

-Latah County Fair: September 13th – 16th

Latah Country Fair Grounds, Moscow

-Moscow Hempfest: April 21st

East City Park, Moscow

-Moscow Farmers Market: May 5th – October 27th

Main Street, Moscow

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Promo Materials
Business Cards

www.staples.com

250 ct @ $9.99
x2 = $19.98

Key Chains

www.pens.com

Keychain Color:
Royal Blue

300 ct @ $0.53
= $159

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 Flyer

The Moscow Affordable Housing Trust is proud to announce the 2018

dates for The Finally Home Homebuyer Education courses. The Finally
Home courses will give you all the information you need to buy your own
home. To learn more visit us at www.moscowhousingtrust.org

April 18 & 19 - Moscow Sept. 19 & 20 - Lewiston

May 23 & 24 - Lewiston Oct. 17 & 18 - Moscow
June 20 & 21 - Moscow

Staples.com

Matte Finish, Color

500 ct @ $159/500 = $159

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Radio Spot
30 second
Music up

Person: What’s the diagnosis doc?

Doctor: Well its not looking good.

Person: Is it bad?

Doctor: Yes, you’re nowhere near ready to buy a home.

Person: What?

Doctor: Good news though, Moscow Affordable Housing Trust

is offering a 2-day Finally Home! course to help the first time
home buyer.

Person: Sounds good, where do I sign up?

Doctor: Just go to www.moscowhousingtrust.org and it will tell

you where to register.

Person: Awesome!

Doctor: Now let’s take a look at that colon.

Person: But you’re my dentist...

Doctor: Oh yeah...

Narrator: Finally Home! Courses offered in Moscow and

Lewiston locations, register online and you pay 15 dollars at
the door.

Music Down

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Social Media Total Facebook
Evaluation Likes: 157

What social media platforms is the client currently using?

The client is currently on Facebook as their only source of
social media.
How does the clients Facebook page share information from
the website?
The Facebook page contains a link to the website as well as
contact information for the client. The Facebook page also
includes the mission statement for the client.
How does the about section describe the business?
The about section includes the mission statement and location
of the client. It also says the client is a non profit, but there is
a no description of what the client does. By updating the about
section Facebook users can better understand what the client
does.
Does the client promote events on the page? Do they
promote their own events or others events?
The client has promoted events on the Facebook page in the
past. They have used Facebook to promote their Finally Home
first time home buyer courses. By continuing to promote
these courses as well future events of others the client will be
attending they can gain access to a larger audience outside
their usual following.
How does the Facebook pages use of images reflect the
client?
The client does a good job of using images from their ongoing
projects on their Facebook page. The images of people the
client has helped provide an uplifting message to the user, that
the client may be able to help them
26 own a home.
 Social Media
Evaluation
Recommendations:

The trust would gain a lot by adding a description on the

Facebook page. An example of this would be:

The Moscow Affordable Housing Trust is here to help you

bridge the gap into home ownership. Whether you qualify for
economic help programs or need information on how to buy
a home MAHT is here to help you. Learn about our Finally
Home courses and how we can help you at
www.moscowhousingtrust.org

MAHT should continue to promote their events. By

strategically promoting the Finally Home courses the trust
can generate more buzz about the classes. By scheduling
the promotional posts in advance the trust can manage the
promotion with ease as well as provide consistency to the
page. By promoting events the trust will be attending they can
gain greater exposure on social media.

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Facebook Posts

Example Facebook
Post: Finally Home!
Course Event Page

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 Facebook Posts

Example Facebook Post: Testimonial

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Press Release
Moscow Affordable Housing Trust

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nils Peterson

Phone: (509) 336-1664

Free Moscow Affordable Housing Trust Finally Home!
Courses
Moscow, Idaho-- Moscow Affordable Housing Trust is
offering Finally Home! homebuyer courses in Moscow and
Lewiston locations. It is available for any first time home
buyer and offers education on purchasing a first home.

The Finally Home! courses are not restricted by any

income qualification. Anybody who wants to learn about
home buying is eligible to take the course. The fee is $15,
and can be paid at the door by cash or check. This fee
includes the textbook.

This is a 6 hour long course spanning over 2 days. The

course is on both days is from 5:30-8:30 p.m. To receive
the official Certificate, both sessions must be attended.
The course will be offered on April 18 and 19, June 20 and
21, and Oct. 17 and 18 in Moscow. It will be offered May
23 and 24 and Sept. 19 and 20 in Lewiston.

To learn more, visit www.moscowhousingtrust.org

The mission of the Moscow Affordable Housing Trust

is to create and preserve safe, inclusive, and affordable
housing opportunities in keeping with the character of the
community. 30
 Guest Editorial
“The Dream is Within Reach”

The dream of home ownership is something most

people are constantly working toward. For some people
that dream seems out of reach. Whether it be a lack
of knowledge or resources there is help out there. The
Moscow Affordable Housing Trust offers a variety of
resources for first time home buyers.

Signing up for MAHT’s Finally Home course will give
you the knowledge you will need to buy your first home.
At the low price of $15 the course will prove well worth
the investment. The classes are offered throughout year
here in Moscow as well as in Lewiston. MAHT is always
looking to improve home ownership here in Moscow and
will continue to work to help people achieve this dream.

Look for MAHT at upcoming events around Moscow

to learn how they can help you. By growing support
for MAHT they can continue to grow in a successful
relationship with the people of Moscow.

More information about the Moscow Affordable
Housing Trust can be found at the main office located at
510 W Palouse River Drive Moscow, ID 83843, or online at
www.moscowhousingtrust.org or call at (208) 336-1664

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Team Members
Hannah Zetty is a senior pursuing
a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing
with minors in Advertising and
Psychology. She grew up west
of Seattle, and hopes to move to
Spokane after graduation in May
to work at an advertising agency.
She is excited to blend her three
areas of study together in her
future career.

Jasmin Herrera grew up in the

small town of Fruitland, Idaho,
where she gained an appreciation
for the outdoors and the simple
things in life. She is currently a
senior at the University of Idaho
studying advertising. Jasmin will
graduate in May of 2018. After
graduation, she hopes to move to
a southern state to start a career
and a new chapter of her life with
her cat, Stevie. Jasmin is excited
for the adventures to come.

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Don Benz is a motivated senior
studying advertising at the
University of Idaho. Don is a
returning student to Idaho after
first attending in 2004 after
graduating from Colville High
School. Don is applying for
careers in the Marketing and
Advertising fields in northern
Idaho. Idaho stole Don’s heart
after growing up in Washington
and he plans to never leave the
state. He is looking forward to
seeing where life takes him and
further exploring the strategic
communications world.

Matt Linehan is a senior at the

University of Idaho majoring in
Advertising. He has already grad-
uated with a degree in Broad-
casting and Digital Media. He has
spent the last 5 seasons playing
quarterback for the Idaho football
team, starting 4 of those seasons.

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