WK4 Paper_RAMIREZ ARAMIS X

Increasing Patronage: Communications Planning for the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum

[Week 4 Final Paper]

Aramis X. Ramirez

National University

COM 630

Ms. Kerri Webb

September 24, 2015

Increasing Patronage: Communications Planning for the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum

INTRODUCTION

The U.S. Navy Seabee Museum announced in February 2015 that the museum

was selected as the site for a commemoration marking the 75th anniversary of the Seabee

community (Ramirez, 2015, par. 1). Since World War II, the Seabee Museum has

respected the service of Seabees by collecting, storing, and displaying documents and

artifacts that communicate their honorable service and sacrifices to the general public.

Naval history is an important part of the overall history of the U.S., and so too is the

history of its construction force, from which its members often served as the only

representatives of this nation to third world regions in need of humanitarian assistance.

Categorized as both fighter and builder, the Seabees’ “Can Do!” spirit is reflected in the

spaces of the museum, which are shaped by their stories.

The need for a proper communications plan to advance the messaging of the

museum presented itself when it was discovered that the simple knowledge of location

was still not yet known by patrons who were visiting the museum since it opened the

doors to its new facility in the Spring of 2012. This plan seeks out to identify the key

targets and the appropriate messages that detail the mission, location, and plans for the

future for the museum. Additionally, it will identify tactics that will accomplish

communications objectives, and define the measurements by which success will be

gauged. Lastly, costs, budgeting and analysis will be presented that will outline the

spending parameters in executing the tactics necessary to accomplish the objectives. This

plan will conclude with recommendations based on revenue gained or loss and the effect

such will have on the overall objectives.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

The mission of the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum is to collect, preserve, and present

all historical material relating to the Navy’s construction force, better known as the

Seabees. The museum in Port Hueneme has existed in parallel to the Seabee Community

because of the Navy base’s nature as a storage depot for deploying units heading out to

construct bases or rebuild communities all over the world since World War II.

The first challenge the museum contends with currently is brand positioning. The

Seabee Museum was not absorbed into the Naval History and Heritage Command

(NHHC) until 2006 when NHHC was established. As a result, two other independently

owned and operated museums have positioned themselves as the “official” Seabee

Museum, residing in the other historical Seabee locations of Gulfport, Mississippi and

Davisville, Rhode Island. This creates an external conflict for potential patrons and

donors who simply wish to visit or donate to the “official” Seabee Museum.

The second challenge for the museum was overcoming the visitation challenge

that presented itself when the museum’s first locations were within the confines of Naval

Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme. Access became severely restricted, most especially

after the events of September 11, 2001. Since then, a new building was constructed and

reopened outside of the base perimeter for easy access, but through survey and face-to-

face communication, it was discovered that patrons remain unaware of the new location

outside of the base.

In 2014, travel and tourism in California saw an upward trend to the tune of 3.6%

from 2013 to $117 billion (Dean Runyan Associates, 2014, p. 11). This presents an

excellent opportunity for the museum to capitalize on regional tourism, as it is currently

the only official military history museum in the southwest region of the nation. That

marketing opportunity and message should bode well for older travelers the museum

often sees visiting the museum, many of who are former Seabees.

KEY TARGETS

There are several key targets for the museum based on visitation monitoring,

survey collection, and face-to-face interactions:

Retired Veterans/Seabees – this group can also be further broken down

into era of service to include WWII era (of which there are few patrons

remaining in that age group), Vietnam Conflict era, and Persian Gulf

Conflict era;

Current Service Members – the second largest group that frequents the

museum, often current Seabees wishing to learn about operations and

humanitarian efforts of Seabee generations prior; this also includes their

families;

Public Education (Students/Teachers) – Various presentations at the

museum were developed to accommodate local community school

curriculum, specifically with regard to the topics of Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Match (STEM).

COMMUNICATIONS OBJECTIVE

To better inform the public of the mission of the U.S. Navy Seabee museum in

collecting, preserving, and presenting the legacy of Seabee service that will be enjoyed

for generations to come.

TACTICS, METRICS & MEASUREMENTS

Summary

Appendix (A) offers a chart presentation of the following measurement information. The

common tool for most tactics, tracking, and success measurement analysis will be the

Internet and Google Analytics by extension. Landing pages with unique URLs can be

deployed on different informational products based on their targets, distribution locations,

and the events for which they are promoting. These unique URLs offer a cost effective

means of discovering what events or locations are more useful in prompting patron

interest in the museum itself as well as online content. The marketing mix relies on both

online measurements and traditional in-person tracking such as the hand count numbers

conducting by front desk personnel. The goals are set at modest lower percentages based

on previous year performance, or to set a reachable standard that can act a baseline for

future measurements that can easily be adjusted. For in person analysis, patrons visiting

the museum can be asked and encouraged to participate in paper or online surveys to

assess what brought them into the museum as well as what might entice them to return.

Tactic One: Develop roll-up travel displays, both large and tabletop sized. These

displays will highlight exhibit offerings and the mission of the museum with a link to a

landing page.

Measure 1: Web hits to hyperlink

Measure 2: Bounce rate on web page

Measure 3: Head count of people directly contacted where displays are

visible for baseline

12-Month Goal: At least 50% of people engaged will make their way to the

landing page

Measurement Source(s): Google Analytics for landing page and other web

activity

Tactic Two: Network with live event coordinators to ensure placement for informational

displays and materials. These events will include ceremonies hosted by veterans,

normally around historical dates of significance such as Veteran’s Day.

Measure 1: Web hits for special landing pages created for each live event

Measure 2: Click through rates to other web properties from landing page

Measure 3: Database tracking for communication with new and prospect

contacts

12-Month Goal: At least 50% of people engaged exploring the event landing

pages; make at least one genuine contact per month

Measurement Source(s): Google Analytics for web activity; excel or access

database tracking for leads

Tactic Three: Draft and distribute content for online channels, which will include

informational presentations for live events where the museum will have a presence.

Measure 1: Facebook likes/shares

Measure 2: Re-tweets/shares

Measure 3: Web views for archived video content

12-Month Goal: Increase Facebook shares by 20%

Measurement Source(s): Social channel native analytics (Facebook

Insights, Twitter analytics, etc.); Google Analytics for web pages

Tactic Four: Create marketing cards or flyers for printed distribution at veteran offices

and business such as local chapters of military associations, Veterans Affairs, and other

places frequented by veterans. Each group of cards/flyers will have a unique URL for

tracking purposes.

Measure 1: Web activity based on unique URLs

Measure 2: Bounce rate of landing page visitation

Measure 3: Museum visitation prompted by flyers/cards

12-Month Goal: Increase visitation for the museum by 20% in one year

Measurement Source(s): Guest tracking by front desk coordinators; Google

Analytics for web activity

Tactic Five: Build information kits, or giveaway bags complete with the following

elements for distribution at publicly attended events:

a. Information cards about the Seabee and its offerings

b. Flyers for any current or planned events

c. Information about social media networking to communicate and engage

the public directly

Measure 1: Facebook Page Likes

Measure 2: Twitter Follows

Measure 3: Web page visitation from URL on flyers

12-Month Goal: Increase followers on Facebook by 20%

Measurement Source(s): Native social channel analytics (Facebook

Insights, Twitter analytics, etc.)

Tactic Six: Identify key influencers online offering them informational assets that will

entice a positive influence on their opinions with their publics/followers about the

museum.

Measure 1: Influencer content (number of related posts)

Measure 2: Influencer engagement (their follows, views, shares)

Measure 3: Direct referrals from influencer web properties to the museum’s

web sites

12-Month Goal: Increase reader interest for museum content via influencers

by 15%

Measurement Source(s): Social channel tracking (page/video views);

Google analytics for referral tracking

Tactic Seven: Communicate ideal locations such as online (Facebook, the museum’s

blog, etc.) to express views, questions, or suggestions.

Measure 1: Blog comments

Measure 2: Facebook comments

Measure 3: Responses via suggestion box/survey within the museum space

12-Month Goal: Increase patron response to 25% (up from the current 20%

response rate).

Measurement Source(s): Social channels, Survey Monkey

COSTS: ITEMIZATION & BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS

Before calculating costs of each tactic, it is necessary to explain a few of the

tabulations with regard to costs. Because a majority of the tactics require online, digital,

or Internet-related methods, and because all these share resources, it is then first required

to calculate the cost of the entirety of online content development before taking into

consideration the cost of each tactic that will use a portion of those methods’ resources

and funding. Table (1) itemizes the costs associated with online content development:

Item/Service Cost in Full (1-Year) Cost for 6 Months

Graphic Programming $599.88 $299.94

Image Processing Equipment

(Computer – cost split over two years at $699 each year)

$699 $349.50

Proof Materials (Paper, printer ink) $528.95 $264.48

Flickr Pro (subscription at

$21/year)$21 $10.50

WordPress hosting services ($299/year) $299 $149.50

TOTAL 2147.83 $1073.915

Table (1) Online Content Costs

The Seabee Museum is tricky for calculations because it is a federal entity,

meaning it acts like a non-profit, without actually being a non-profit. This means, as a

federal entity, there are no revenues to be gained, and there are laws that prohibit

solicitation for donation, fundraising of any kind, or spending money (taxpayer dollars)

on traditional operational elements as marketing and advertising (certain exceptions

apply). We have to get creative in how we generate awareness. The money we deal with

comes from our operational funding distributed by our headquarters, the Naval History

and Heritage Command based in Washington, D.C. The operational funding amount

varies based on performance and is shared with nine other museums.

In fiscal year 2015, the museum received an initial operational stipend of

approximately $54,000, from which $6,000 was allotted to outreach and marketing. Since

the overall goal is simply to increase visitation, we can apply a dollar amount to each pair

of feet that walk through the door. Each museum at NHHC desires to maintain funding as

well as increase it in order to build new exhibits, offer more public programs, and

maintain the grounds to include archival and collection facilities.

$54,000 was granted at the start of the fiscal year based on the visitation of the

previous year, which was just under 24,000 people; or, roughly a $2.25 dollar value for

each person who visited. This also means the museum averaged roughly 2K visitors per

month, or $4,500 in equivalency value. In FY2015, the visitation currently stands at

25,545 or roughly $57,476 in visitation value. As such, gross margin is calculated based

on these figures in Figure (1):

Gross Margin = (Revenue – Cost of Goods Sold) / Revenue = ($57,546 - $6,000) / $57,546 =

89.6% Gross MarginFigure (1) Gross Margin

Each tactic will be analyzed to discern foreseeable costs, break-even figures and

evaluate their potential over a six-month period. The break-even revenue will be broken

down in terms of a dollar value, and the patron visitation value applied to that dollar

amount.

Tactic One: Develop roll-up travel displays, both large and tabletop sized. These

displays will highlight exhibit offerings and the mission of the museum with a link to a

landing page.

Item/Service Cost

Graphic Programming ( 1/7

of 6-month cost from Table 1)

$42.85

Image Processing Equipment ( 1/7 of 6-month cost from

Table 1)

$49.93

Proof Materials (Paper, printer ink

1/7 of 6-month cost)$37.78

Printing/Fabrication (2 full length vinyl

displays at $350 each and 2 table top at $130 each – even split with tactic 2)

$480

WordPress site hosting services 1/7

of 6-month cost)$21.35

TOTAL $631.91

Table (2) Tactic One Costs

Break-even calculates as follows:

Break-Even Revenue $ = Fixed Cost $ / Contribution Margin % = $631.91 / .896 =

$705.25, or 313 visitorsFigure (2) Break-even Tactic One

Online resources are shared with other tactics from the overall costs estimated in

Table (1). Because the vinyl pullouts will also be used as part of tactic two, the cost can

be evenly split between the two as a shared cost. Additionally, because they are vinyl,

they can be reused for future use so their value extends beyond the scope of this

particular tactic.

Tactic Two: Network with live event coordinators to ensure placement for informational

displays and materials. These events will include ceremonies hosted by veterans,

normally around historical dates of significance such as Veteran’s Day.

Item/Service Cost



$42.85

Mileage to Events average 20miles at

$0.18/mile; 5 events, 3 people per event

$54



Printing/Fabrication (2 full length vinyl

displays at $350 each and 2 table top at $130 each – even split with tactic 1)

$480



TOTAL $635.98



Break-Even Revenue $ = Fixed Cost $ / Contribution Margin % = $635.98/ .896 =

$709.79, or 315 visitorsFigure (3) Break-even Revenue Tactic Two

Continuing with computer and online work, what is added in this tactic is the

estimation for mileage for travel. This is under the presumption that those traveling to

events to meet with promoters and coordinators for various veteran-centric events will be

using a personally owned vehicle (POV). Government employees, in the absence of a

government vehicle, are entitled to reimbursement for mileage when traveling for work

purposes and that money comes from activity from which their work applies. As

mentioned, the vinyl pullouts produced in tactic one are also used as part of this tactic, so

that shared cost is also included in Table (3).

Tactic Three: Draft and distribute content for online channels, which will include

informational presentations for live events where the museum will have a presence.

Item/Service Cost

Graphic Programming (1/7 of 6-month cost from

Table 1)

$42.85

Image Processing Equipment (1/7 of 6-

month cost from Table 1)

$49.93



Flickr Pro Subscription

(1/3 of 6-month cost)

$3.5

WordPress site hosting services( 1/7 of 6-month

cost)

$21.35

TOTAL $155.41




$173.45, or 77 visitorsFigure (4) Break-even Revenue Tactic Three

Tactic three is solely online work, which shares a cost with most other tactics

from the overall costs in Table (1). As such, low costs means the break-even revenue will

be lower and easier to meet. This is also why a bulk of communication methods and even

other tactics in this discussion centers on digital marketing. The impact and reach for the

investments put into digital are exponential. The hidden added benefit is that because a

lot of the local schools have live-view technology in the classrooms, we can offer virtual

tours and host a myriad of online discussions with educators and their students that down

the road will eventually lead to field trips to the museum to view the rest of the

collection.

Tactic Four: Create marketing cards or flyers for printed distribution at veteran offices

and business such as local chapters of military associations, Veterans Affairs, and other

places frequented by veterans. Each group of cards/flyers will have a unique URL for

tracking purposes.

Item/Service Cost



$42.85


Table 1)

$49.93



Printing/Fabrication (3 variants printed at $0.07each per 1000

printed)

$210



TOTAL $361.91



Break-Even Revenue $ = Fixed Cost $ / Contribution Margin % = $361.91 / .896 =

$403.91, or 180 visitorsFigure (5) Break-even Revenue Tactic Four

This tactic focuses digital and design efforts on more traditional print media in the

form of flyer cards, or “rack” cards, as the tourism industry calls them. This URLs for

each of the three variants will enable Google Analytics to track which sources are more

successful in reaching targets with these rack cards. Production costs for the cards are

then included in the costs. The vendor normally used to produce the cards for the

museum offers free shipping and distribution to any location for print orders 1000 or

greater, including multiple locations, so no added costs are included in that regard.

Tactic Five: Build information kits, or giveaway bags complete with flyers, swag

wristband, pencil, business card:

Item/Service Cost



$42.85


Table 1)

$49.93



Fabrication:Pencils ($0.07/1000)Bands ($0.59/1000)Bags ($0.35/1000)Flyer ($0.07/1000)

Business Card $20/1000

$1,100



TOTAL $1,251.91



Break-Even Revenue $ = Fixed Cost $ / Contribution Margin % = $1,251.91 / .896 =

$1,397, or 620 visitorsFigure (6) Break-even Revenue Tactic Five

Tactic five requires the highest budget with regard to disposable marketing

products. Swag bags with pencils, wristbands, cards and flyers are all associated with the

high $1,100 production cost that also includes the cost of the tote bag. Because these are

distributed at the events where the vinyl pullouts in tactic two will be displayed, we can

estimate giving out around 250 per event, which will cover four events. Giving out more,

or adding another event will of course raise the tactic cost. The goal will be to reach more

people through face-to-face interactions, which will demonstrate a more personable

presence in the local community.

Tactic Six: Identify key influencers online offering them informational assets that will

entice a positive influence on their opinions with their publics/followers about the

museum.

Item/Service Cost


Table 1)

$42.85



$49.93



Flickr Pro Subscription

(1/3 of 6-month cost)

$3.5

WordPress site hosting services( 1/7 of 6-month

cost)

$21.35

TOTAL $155.41




$173.45, or 77 visitorsFigure (7) Break-even Revenue Tactic Six

Tactic six is similar to networking in tactic two, but this time it is solely online.

Influencer programs online offer a great low-cost way to identify key spokespersons

online that are highly regarded in their respective communities. They are vocal about

issues, events, and share opinions, often with hundreds of followers or viewers.

Informational assets they often seek from a historical institution are documents,

photographs and information associated with service members (that is releasable, and not

personal information) and the time and location in which they served. They share stories

with their followers and this presents an excellent opportunity to reach out to those

followings to inform them about the museum and what it has to offer patrons.

Tactic Seven: Communicate ideal locations such as online (Facebook, the museum’s

blog, etc.) to express views, questions, or suggestions.

Item/Service Cost


Table 1)

$42.85



$49.93



Flickr Pro $3.5

Subscription(1/3 of 6-month

cost)WordPress site hosting services( 1/7 of 6-month

cost)

$21.35

TOTAL $155.41




$173.45, or 77 visitorsFigure (8) Break-even Revenue Tactic Seven

Capturing public opinion is often challenging in the real world, thus siphoning a

portion of the online efforts to survey actual or potential patrons will help identify where

the museum staff is succeeding and missing the mark. Because the resources are shared

with other tactics, the cost is low and the break-even is minimal and can be made up

within a few days of operability.

CLOSING REMARKS

A bird’s eye view of the seven tactics reveals a communications plan heavily

reliant on digital communications. This is because the cost to communicate online is

much lower than other methods. But, those other methods are included because one

cannot forsake the power of being able to look into someone eye’s directly as you

communicate about a cause. Just because online communications has seemingly taken

over and how useful that can be in terms of reach and influence, this also means that

personable interaction is more meaningful and precious. So while costs might be higher

to attend live events, the face-to-face interactions have an equally important impact than

those made in the online space. It is vital to have a good mix of communication strategies

that include both online and in-person interaction opportunities.

This plan aimed at outlining several tactics with the overall goal to increase

museum patronage. But patronage is more than just people walking through the doors of

the museum. It is also in the support of online communities, through the donations the

supporting foundation receives, and through the maintenance and increase of operational

funding from NHHC headquarters. This emphasizes the earlier point about the mix of

tactics that reach people in different ways and for the museum, in ways that meet the

restrictions of government policy.

References

Dean Runyan Associates (2015, April). California Travel Impacts 1992-2014. Visit

California pp. 10-15. Sacramento, CA

Ramirez, A. (2015, February 4). Museum advisory council green-lights 75th Seabee

anniversary plans for March 2017. Accessed August 8, 2015 from

http://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/news/2015/february-2015/museum-

advisory-council-green-lights-75th-seabee-anniversary-pla.html

Ramirez, A. (2015, June 6). Seabee Museum launches new youth-oriented STEM Center.

Accessed August 8, 2015 from http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?

story_id=87527

Appendix (A): Measurements & Metrics Chart

Tactic Measures Goals (12 Months)

Source of Measure(s)

Develop roll-up travel displays, both large and tabletop sized. These displays will highlight exhibit offerings and the mission of the museum with a link to a website to track patron interest.

Web Hits to Hyperlink Bounce Rate on web page Head count of people directly contacted where these displays are visible

At least 50% of those engaged visiting the website/landing page

Native Page Analytics Google Analytics Reports Attendance reports from the events where displays are visible

Network with live event coordinators to ensure placement for informational displays and materials. These events will include ceremonies hosted by veterans, normally around historical dates of significance such as Veteran’s Day.

Web hits for special landing pages created for each live event Click through rates to other web properties from landing page Database tracking for communication with new and prospect contacts

At least 50% of people engaged exploring the event landing pages; make at least one genuine contact per month

Google Analytics for web activity; Excel or access database tracking for leads

Draft and distribute content for online channels, which will include informational presentations for live events where the museum will have a presence.

Facebook likes/shares Re-tweets/shares Web views for archived video content

Increase Facebook shares by 20%

Social channel native analytics (Facebook Insights, Twitter analytics, etc.); Google Analytics for web pages

Create marketing cards or flyers for printed distribution at veteran offices and business such as local chapters of military associations, Veterans Affairs, and other places frequented by veterans. Each group of cards/flyers will have a unique URL for tracking purposes.

Web activity based on unique URLs Bounce rate of landing page visitation Museum visitation prompted by flyers/cards

Increase visitation for the museum by 20% in one year

Guest tracking by front desk coordinators; Google Analytics for web activity

Build information kits, or giveaway bags complete with the following elements for

Facebook Page Likes Twitter Follows

Increase followers on Facebook by 20%

Native social channel analytics (Facebook Insights, Twitter analytics, etc.)

distribution at publicly attended events:

d. Information cards about the Seabee and its offerings

e. Flyers for any current or planned events

f. Information about social media networking to communicate and engage the public directly

Web page visitation from URL on flyers

Identify key influencers online offering them informational assets that will entice a positive influence on their opinions with their publics/followers about the museum.

Influencer content (number of related posts) Influencer engagement (their follows, views, shares) Direct referrals from influencer web properties to the museum’s web sites

Increase reader interest for museum content via influencers by 15%

Social channel tracking (page/video views); Google analytics for referral tracking

Communicate ideal locations such as online (Facebook, the museum’s blog, etc.) to express views, questions, or suggestions.

Blog comments Facebook comments Responses via suggestion box/survey within the museum space

Increase patron response to 25% (up from the current 20% response rate).

Social channels; Survey Monkey

WK4 Paper_RAMIREZ ARAMIS X

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