How well do you market your services to individuals? That was the question asked by the Liverpool city council-led iNnovation Network (iN) of third sector social care providers earlier this year.
Since 2012, the iN has been building a reputation in the city for encouraging all parts of the health and social care sector to think differently about how they approach issues and has been doing so by building relationships with organisations beyond the traditional landscape, such as technologists.
Liverpool city council commissioning and contracts manager, Phil Rigby, said: “We all know that people’s expectations of social care have been changing, not least in how they’re involved in choosing their care and support.
“With more and more people choosing to have direct payments, or to even self-fund parts of their care, there’s increasing pressure on providers to think really seriously about how they engage with everyone, not just commissioners, about what they have to offer.”
To support the city’s third sector providers, the iN worked with Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS) and social innovation and engagement company So-mo to develop and host the Don’t Be Unlucky in Marketing event on (when else?) Friday 13 February.
The event followed the form of a hack day. Nicola Wass, So-mo chief executive, explains: “We needed a way to bring the subject matter alive, so we decided to turn the traditional, event format on its head – instead of a series of lectures from experts in the field we gave the day over to participants, using a ‘hack’ methodology allowing them to solve real-world challenges live at the event.
“They did this in collaboration with people from marketing and communications agencies but also with people from outside the sector such as retailers and universities. It was a lot of fun – but productive too!”
The day kicked off with presentations from: Dyane Aspinall, assistant director, adult services, Liverpool city council; Duncan Craig, Survivors Manchester; Helen Reynolds, Social for the People; Mark Lawler, Baltic Creative; and Matt Smith, University of Liverpool.
This was then followed by marketing experts from across the city giving tips on how to develop and implement marketing strategies as part of a series of ignite talks which set the ball rolling for delegates to set the agenda for the rest of the day.
- Helen Reynolds, Social for the People: How to use social media to engage your audience
- Steve Groves, USP creative : Finding your why and looking at how other big name brands such as Apple or Pedigree might behave in the third sector.
- Sue Ollerhead, from Heads up Marketing: Five smart digital tactics you can implement today to improve your marketing
- Davide De Maestri, Kenyon Fraser: The importance of a strategic approach for a successful transition
- Gary Wootten, Hitch Marketing: Accomplish behaviour change using social marketing tactics’.
Helen Reynolds, from Social for the People, said: “Don’t Be Unlucky in Marketing was truly out of the ordinary, with inspiring speakers who really helped delegates see the potential for change and spot opportunities.
“I was particularly moved by Duncan Craig’s story – he managed to share wisdom and useful tips while telling us about his awesome mission to help men affected by sexual violence.
“This was an amazing foundation for the ‘unconference’ in the second part of the day. The unconference meant everybody present participated, and I loved being part of a huge group able to people learning and sharing.”
You can find out more about the iNnovation Network here and also follow the project on Twitter.
Content on this page is produced and controlled by Liverpool city council, sponsor of the adult social care hub
