COMM ONE, COMM ALL

PR CAMPAIGN PLAN

For: The Augusta University Communication Department

By: Abi Van Alstine, Brittany Wells, and Thalia Rodriguez

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 8:30 am

Brittany Wells, Abi Van Alstine, and Thalia Rodriguez
Public Relations Campaign
Augusta University
1120 15th Street
Augusta, Georgia 30912

May 5, 2020

Debra Vantuyll
PR Instructor
Public Relations Campaign
1120 15th Street
Augusta, Georgia 30912

Dear Dr. Bulla and Dr. van Tuyll,

TAB Public Relations submits the attached plan for the Comm One, Comm All campaign as
promised.

In-state tuition is now offered at Augusta University to all residents of South Carolina. PR is
being planned in order to raise awareness of this new benefit and to recruit South Carolina
residents to the Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences as Communication
Majors. The following plan outlines how to communicate to high school students in South
Carolina in a cost effective manner through social media, brochures, and email with an expense
budget of $460, in order to increase awareness of and interest in the Augusta University
Communication Department.

This document will provide information about the challenges we will have to overcome as well
as our strengths to meet our goals. It will also show the list of people and businesses who will
help these students to achieve their highest goals.

“Comm one comm all” includes all the information on how to become a communications major
at Augusta University. It shows how easy and exciting it can be to write and publish for this
university. We look forward to showing all that we offer at our Communicon and through our
enchanting Instagram page.

We look forward to presenting the plan for you on May 5, 2020​ ​and thank you for the opportunity
to work with Augusta University’s Communication Department! Feel free to contact us at any
time at ​abvanalstine@augusta.edu​.

Sincerely,

Brittany Wells, Abi Van Alstine and Thalia Rodriguez

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 ​Table of Contents:

Executive Summary 4

Situation Analysis 5-8

Assumptions 8

Problem and Consequence 8

Campaign Goal 8

Audiences and Messages 8-9

Strategy 9-10

Tactics 10-11

Schedule 11-12

Budget 12

Evaluation Plans 12

Next Steps 13

Research 14

Appendix: Communication Samples 15-26

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Executive Summary:

● The Problem: The problem is the lack of communication with South Carolina students
and awareness of the availability of in-state tuition.

● Goal: To have 10 South Carolina students that show interest in enrolling in Augusta by
2022.

● Audiences: The primary audience for this campaign is junior and senior high school
students who reside in South Carolina, and the secondary audience includes the
parents, guardians, counselors, and teachers of those students. The tertiary audience
includes Augusta University communication students, Augusta University Alumni, and
businesses within the local and South Carolina communities.

● Audience Objectives: We expect our primary audience to show interest in joining

Augusta University as communication majors. We expect our secondary audience of
pareand guardians to support students in their decision to attend Augusta University as
communication majors and for teachers and counselors to facilitate the Augusta
University Communication Department’s relationship with students by actions such as
passing on brochures and emails. We expect our tertiary audience to have a good
working relationship with A
● Augusta University Communication Department and hire students as interns.

● Major Strategy: Our major strategy includes using social media, emails, brochures, and
Communicon to reach out to target audiences and increase consideration.

● Budget: Our recommended budget is $460. We will be using this money for brochures
and a Snapchat geofilter and lens during the communicon.

● Evaluation Plan: We will use social media to see how many people follow our page.
Also, during communicon we will count the people who show up.

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Situation Analysis:

Internal Factors:
Pamplin tag:
Creativity, discovery, engagement

Pamplin statement:
We foster critical thinking about complex questions of the human experience; cultivate
skills in written, verbal, and creative expression; promote active citizenship and
community engagement; and prepare graduates for diverse careers in quickly changing
globalized environments.
Our faculty and staff share a deep commitment to developing the intellectual potential of
our students. We offer many undergraduate degrees as well as select graduate and
minor programs that allow our students to gain the knowledge and skills that will transfer
to career success. Explore opportunities for growth, including undergraduate research,
study abroad, internships, and community service.

Key Individuals:
Augusta University:
A. Dr. Scott Wallace-Dean of Augusta University . ​View.php

B. Dr. David Bulla- Dean Communication Department ​view.ph

C. Professors of the Communication Department:

● Rachel Balducci, ​view.php
● William Bryant ​view.php​,
● Pamela Hayward ​view.php​,
● Edgar Johnson ​view.php

D. Student Organizations: Students who work for the Bell Ringer, students involved
in greek life, students who work for the Phoenix.

E. Marketing professionals/Staff:
a. Kara Leeper - Executive Vice President for Operations ​view.php
b. Jack Evans - Vice President of Marketing and Communication ​view.php
c. Heather Henly - Media Relations ​mailto:hhenley@augusta.edu
d. Emily Renzi - Director of Marketing ​erenzi@augusta.edu
e. Aubrey Hinkins - Focus on Marketing ​ahinkson@augusta.edu
f. Elizabeth Canas - Marketing Coordinator ​ecanas@augusta.edu
g. Sabrina Dunn - Marketing Strategist ​sadunn@augusta.edu
F. Financial Aid:
a. Debra Turner - Director ​mailto:DEBTURNER@augusta.edu
b. Edith Marshal - Associate Director ​EMARSHAL@augusta.edu

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 c. Shannon Jones - Assistant Director ​SJONES2@augusta.edu

Department of Communication statements:

A degree in communication is all about effectively sharing real stories and messages to
impact others. Whether you want to communicate through writing (journalism, press
releases, editing), through visual media (photography, video production and editing), or
through interpersonal communication (public speaking, persuasion, public relations,
health communications), the communication major gives you the skills to make your
voice heard. And those skills open doors to an array of exciting career options that
require creativity, interaction, and communication to make the world a better place.

A Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication opens the door to a wide variety of career
paths and goals. It empowers students to interact with the world around them, creatively
pursue their passion, and make a lasting difference. By teaching students a combination
of highly sought-after technical skills and social skills emphasizing effective
communication, students are prepared to succeed in a broad range of fields.

Our degree trains students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations.

Students broaden their horizons and network of contacts through campus clubs,
research projects alongside faculty, and community internships. Our world-class faculty
personally mentor students in small class-size settings.

Career opportunities outlined by the department:

https://www.augusta.edu/pamplin/communication/careers.php

Classes Offered:
discover.php​- Attached here is the curriculum for Augusta University communications.

How the problem is currently handled:

There is nothing currently being done to reach out to potential students in South
Carolina.

External Factors:
Relevant Media Coverage:
https://www.augustachronicle.com/news/20190126/all-sc-residents-to-be-eligible-for-in-st
ate-tuition-at-augusta-university
https://jagwire.augusta.edu/department-of-communication-sweeps-2018-research-award
s-publications-and-presentations/
https://study.com/communication_schools_in_georgia.html

Media and Journalists that Report on Organization Related Issues:

South Carolina newspaper: The State ​https://www.thestate.com

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Columbia:
Columbia news paper: ​https://www.thestate.com
News Station: WLTX19 ​/​,
News Channel:WIS News 10 ​https://www.wistv.com​, FOX Carolina

Greenville:
The Greenville Newspaper ​/
News Station: WITN ​https://www.witn.com
Greenville news channel: WYFF ​https://www.wyff4.com
Greenville magazines: Home, and Talk are magazines that are local that are primarily for
ads

Charleston:
Charleston Newspaper ​https://www.postandcourier.com
News Station:Live 5 News ​/
News channel: Count on News 2 ​/

North augusta:
North Augusta Newspaper: ​/
News Station:WRDW ​/
News Channel: Fox 54 News ​/

Aiken:
Aiken Newspaper: ​https://www.aikenstandard.com
News Station: WRDW ​https://www.wrdw.com
News Channel: News Channel Six ​https://www.wjbf.com

Lists and descriptions of groups or individuals with shared concerns interests or views:
● Alumni- People who have graduated from Augusta University and have gone to
work for businesses in or around Augusta that are looking to hire Augusta
University, comm graduates.
Business that would be interested in hiring augusta grads:
ADP -
● Company number:1-844-227-5237
● Company website: ​https://www.adp.com
● Company Address: One ADP Drive, Augusta, GA 30909
Augusta & Co.-
● Company number: (706) 724-4067
● Company website: ​https://www.visitaugusta.com/listing/augusta-%26-co/7/
● Company address: ​1010 Broad Street Augusta, GA 30901

Weir Stewart -
● Company number: (706) 447-2630

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 ● Company website: ​https://www.wierstewart.com
● Company address: 982 Broad Street Augusta, Ga 30901
Ocozzio-
● Company number: (706) 922-1900
● Company website: ​https://ocozzio.com
● Company address: 1030 Stevens Creek Road, Augusta Ga 30907

List of those that oppose:

The South Carolina bureau of scholarships would oppose this because they would be
forced to give money to an out of state university for south carolina residents. Georgia
High School students may oppose it because it'll limit their opportunity to get into an
in-state school.

Assumptions:
Based on feedback at Augusta University, it is assumed that many students are unsure as to
what a communication degree entails and the potential career paths that it prepares students
for.
It is also assumed that there is a substantial population of South Carolina residents that are not
aware that in-state tuition is now available to them at Augusta University since this is a new
policy.

Problem and Consequence:

The major problem that this campaign seeks to address is the lack of awareness or
consideration in South Carolina in regards to Augusta University as an exceptional and
affordable option for non-medical undergraduates.
The root cause of this problem is lack of information and targeted outreach. There is a lack of
knowledge about Augusta University, Communication Degrees, and the availability of in-state
tuition in the state of South Carolina, and there are currently no strategic outreach strategies
being used to correct the problem.
Failing to access this market will stunt the growth of Augusta University and the Communication
Department.

Campaign Goal:
To have 10 South Carolina students that show interest in enrolling in Augusta University
Communication Department through inquiring about Augusta University, following and
interacting with Augusta University communication social media profiles, or visiting the Campus
by 2022.

Audiences and Messages:

The primary audience we seek to reach is junior and senior high school students in South
Carolina who are considering pursuing careers in or related to the field of communication. The
message we seek to communicate to this audience is that a communication degree from

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Augusta University provides a high quality education that opens up many career options for
creative minds in a variety of fields at an affordable price.

The secondary audiences are parents and guardians of those students as well as their
counselors and teachers.

The message we seek to communicate to parents and guardians is that a Communication

Degree at Augusta University will provide students with an affordable degree that allows them to
explore their passions and teaches them critical skills for success that are applicable to many
practical career paths.

The message we seek to communicate to counselors and teachers is that a communication

degree from Augusta University is one of the best options to please both students and their
guardians because it is accessible, cost-effective, not too far from home, and provides a sense
of security to students who want to explore their creative interests and talents but are concerned
about post-graduation marketability or job security.

The tertiary audience consists of Augusta University communication students as well as

Augusta University Alumni and businesses within the local communities and throughout South
Carolina.

The message we seek to communicate to Augusta University communication students is that

assisting in the campaign is a great way to gain knowledge, experience, portfolio work, and
recognition for their talents and abilities.

The message we seek to communicate to Augusta University Alumni is that assisting the
Augusta University Communication Department will provide opportunities to students who are
now walking in their footsteps at their Alma Mater, enable them to build a stronger network, and
have the success of Augusta University reflect positively on the degree they earned.

The message we seek to communicate to businesses in the local area and South Carolina is
that having a relationship with Augusta University will allow them to increase their visibility and
reputation and recruit new talent.

Strategies
Strategy 1: To increase visibility and consideration within South Carolina by maintaining an
active social media presence that posts cohesive quality content, increasing media coverage,
and reaching out to junior and senior high school students in South Carolina as well as their
counselors through brochures and email.

Strategy 2: To communicate that a communication degree from Augusta University will provide
one of the most affordable, yet high quality educations for creative-minded individuals to junior

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and senior high school students in South Carolina and their guardians and counselors via
brochures, events, social media, media coverage, and e-mails with information regarding the
availability and cost of In-state tuition and the strengths and services of Augusta University and
the communication department.

Strategy 3: To communicate that a communication degree from Augusta University is a modern

and enjoyable program of quality to junior and senior high school students in South Carolina via
engaging events and social media with interesting and informative content that showcases the
benefits of the Augusta Universities location, successful students who are involved and
passionate, successful alumni, and knowledgeable and likeable professors.

Strategy 4: To spread awareness of what a communication degree is and communicate that

communication degrees provide a wide range of practical and enjoyable career opportunities for
creative minds to junior and senior high school students in South Carolina and their guardians
and counselors via brochures, social media, events and e-mails.

Tactics:
Communicon
Communicon is one of the best opportunities to achieve this campaign’s goals because it is a
pre-existing annual event that is designed to showcase the communication department and
provides prospective students with opportunities to explore the campus and talk to faculty,
students, alumni, and other successful communication professionals (see appendix D). Tactics
involving communicon include:
● Live-stream Communicon on Instagram and Facebook to maximize the event’s impact
and outreach (see Appendix A).
● Inviting prospective students to attend Communicon. Secondary audiences will be
contacted through email to encourage students and high school classes to watch a live
stream of Communicon on Facebook or Instagram or to attend in person on a field trip
(see Appendix A).
● Invite newspapers and broadcast news stations in the local area and in South Carolina
to cover the event.
● Create a Communicon story, geofilter and lens on Snapchat (see Appendix B). A
Snapchat story creates a way for event go-ers to share their pictures and videos they
took at the event. The geo filter and lens are features that only attendees can add to
their pictures to communicate what event they are at. They can be set to cover a specific
time and location, so that they are only available to people while they are at the event.
These tactics will encourage attendees to take and share pictures of Communicon which
generates awareness and excitement for the event. The geofilter will be active on the
Summerville campus an hour before Communion begins until an hour after it ends. The
lens will be available during the Day Comm portion of Communicon.
Social Media
● Hashtags: #commonecommall, #chooseyourpath, #AUcommunication

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 ● Instagram: The Communication Department’s Instagram account will provide a low cost
way to reach out to younger audiences on an interactive platform they are highly likely to
use. Quality content should be posted frequently when followers are most active.The
content should look cohesive in order to communicate a strong identity. The Comm
Department should also engage with their audience through replying to comments and
direct messages. Content suggestions include quotes about communication, alumni
updates, engagement prompts, information about the department, tips from professors,
internship opportunities, student spotlights to celebrate successful students and their
accomplishments, posts dedicated to graduating students, promoting and covering
events such as Communicon and The Future of the First Amendment (see Appendix A).
● Facebook: This platform will allow the department to collect with guardians as well as
prospective students. The department’s Facebook account should be used to cross
promote Instagram content, by sharing Instagram posts directly to Facebook. This is also
a great platform to post links to articles from the bellringer or third-party news coverage
of the communication department.
Emails and Brochures
● Reaching out to audiences through email.
○ Create a mass email that high school counselors can send to students to inform
about in-state tuition for South Carolina students and explain why Augusta
University Communication Department could be right for them (see Appendix D).
○ Create a mass email to invite classes to communicon and encourage field trips to
be made to participate on campus, or to watch the live stream on Instagram or
Facebook (see Appendix A).
● Send brochures to counselors, so they can give them to students who might be
interested in majoring in Communication (see Appendix C and Appendix D #15).

Schedule:
Invitations to RSVP for Communicon will be emailed a month before communicon.

Reminders for Communicon will be emailed once a week on Fridays leading up to Communicon,
as well as the day before Communicon.

Requests for coverage of Communicon will be emailed to journalists two months prior to
Communicon.

Schools will be emailed on the first of August to introduce the department to counselors and
give information about In-State tuition for South Carolina students and provide notification of
brochures that will be arriving.

Brochures will be sent to high school counselors on the first of August.

Social Media Schedule:

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Instagram content should be scheduled to be posted every Thursday at 12 p.m. However,
additional posts are encouraged and should be published as often as possible without
compromising quality. Post times should be factored by analytical data on follower activity
patterns, which are provided by Instagram. This data is subject to change and should be
checked at least every Sunday evening.
Instagram posts should be shared to Facebook when they are posted.
Social Media Posts promoting events should occur one week before an event as well as the day
before and the day of the event.
Comments and direct messages to the Augusta University Communication Department
Instagram should be liked or replied to the same day they were posted.

The Communicon Snapchat geofilter design should be submitted to Snapchat a week before
Communicon to ensure enough time for Snapchat to give approval.

Budget:
The estimated overall cost of the campaign is $460.
● The cost of a Snapchat geofilter that expands over approximately 699,639 ft of the
summerville campus from 11 a.m. to 9 pm on the day of Communicon is estimated to
cost $79 (appendix c). We recommend purchasing a Snapchat Lens as well, that will be
active from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the same area on that day, which is estimated to cost
$30.
● To cut costs, brochures should be printed at Augusta University. It will cost
approximately $350 to buy enough paper to print 2,400 brochures on ​8.50" x 11" glossy
white brochure paper. This will provide enough​ brochures for each of the 469 high
schools in South Carolina to receive 4 brochures and to have enough left over for
schools to request more if they need them.

Evaluation Plans:
Social media analytics
It is recommended that an Instagram scheduling service such as Later, Hootsuite, Loomly, or
Contentcal be used to manage the Instagram account. Services such as these allow for posts to
be scheduled ahead of time and provide more analytical data about the success of each post,
and the success of the campaign. The Augusta University Communication Department Currently
has no followers from South Carolina, the goal of the campaign is to gain 10 new followers from
South Carolina.

Communicon Participation (livestream and in person)

Track online inquiries (contact through email or fills out info)

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Next Steps:
Once the campaign has proven successful, and an increased consideration for joining Augusta
University comm is evident, the next steps would be to address any internal issues that may get
in the way with recruitment and retention, such as dissatisfied students. Addressing the
concerns of current students is crucial to the long term success of the department. It is
imperative that students feel heard and satisfied with their choice to be an Augusta University
Communication major. If this problem is not addressed, the dissatisfied students are likely to
complain to others, which damages the reputation of the department and decreases the
chances of recruiting new students. Dissatisfied students are also more likely to transfer out of
Augusta University or change their major, which means lower student retention. Low recruitment
and retention within the department could lead to the department being absorbed by other
departments that are running successfully.

Once these internal problems are addressed, the department should expand their efforts to
Youtube, which is the second largest search engine in the world. Posting quality content that is
entertaining and informative will help strengthen the identity and outreach of the Communication
Department. Youtube content can also be cross promoted on Facebook and Instagram.

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Research:
Cost and effectiveness of Instagram Ads
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/06/05/instagram-ads-cost
https://karolakarlson.com/instagram-ads-cost-and-bidding/

College Search Websites

https://blog.prepscholar.com/the-best-college-search-websites

What students look for in colleges

https://www.educationdive.com/news/report-what-high-school-students-look-for-in-a-coll
ege/542682/
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019119.pdf

Target Markets
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ783948.pdf
https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-demographics/

Social Media Management and Scheduling:

https://later.com/blog/instagram-creator-studio-guide/
https://later.com/instagram-analytics/
https://later.com/blog/best-time-to-post-on-instagram/
https://www.authorsguilds.com/how-youtube-algorithm-works/
http://social.colostate.edu/2020/01/22/understanding-youtubes-algorithm-in-2020/
https://www.shopify.com/blog/youtube-algorithm
https://www.incomediary.com/21-ways-to-dominate-youtube-the-ultimate-guide

Youtube:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/05/15/are-you-maximizing-the-
use-of-video-in-your-content-marketing-strategy/#1948b8943584
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-101/meet-search-engines/
Snap:
https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/a/create-odg-snapchat
https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/article/odg-howto
SC Schools:
https://high-schools.com/directory/sc/
AU:
https://www.augusta.edu/facilities/aboutus/
https://www.augusta.edu/fastfacts/

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Appendix:

Appendix A

1: Department Information 2. Alumni Updates: Where are they now?

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3. Engagement Prompts 4. Comm Quotes

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5. Tips from Professors 6. Senior Spotlight

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7. Student Spotlights 8.Internship Opportunities

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9. Event Promotion

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Appendix B

10. Snapchat Lens 11. Snapchat Geofilter

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12. Snapchat Pricing

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Appendix C

13. Brochure

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Appendix D

14. Invitation to Communicon Email Flyer

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15. In-State Tuition Email Flyer

24
16. Communicon Reminder Email Flyer

25
17. Email to Journalists and News Stations

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