Have you been struggling with reaching underserved populations that fit the criteria for your WIOA programs? Maybe you’ve thought about more targeted strategies like digital campaigns but didn’t think you could use funding for outreach. Think again! 

September’s 2023 Department of Labor Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 03-23 has opened the door for WIOA-funded programs to utilize funding for advertising- but with caveats! One of the requirements is to ensure that the focus is to promote federally funded activities, services, and programs with a call to action that is measurable. This means that general advertising to promote a brand is not allowed. 

FCM has been supporting WIOA-funded programs with digital ad campaigns for years because our key performance indicators (KPIs) link directly to enrollments. One example is the Workforce Board of Solano County, which needed to reach underserved populations in its service areas. The goals were to obtain qualified applicants for three market segments as follows: 80 out-of-school youth applicants, 60 applicants for adult job seekers, and 110 applicants for dislocated workers. 

FCM created demographic and psychographic profiles of these segments in order to create a campaign theme, an advertising web landing page to capture contact information, inviting ad visuals and messaging, and a media plan that included advertising on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google. 

The short six-week campaign yielded approximately 400 qualified applicants, exceeding the campaign goals. Additional benefits of the campaign included 613K impressions (those that saw the ad), thus increasing the awareness about WIOA services to a broader audience. 

Digital is highly efficient and cost-effective for meeting your KPIs. The analytics from these campaigns also inform future outreach efforts in terms of cost-per-lead, the best platform to utilize, and gender and age distribution, to name a few. 

Another example of digital advertising is the adaptation of FCM’s national Behind Every Employer campaign that was localized for the Santa Cruz Workforce Development Board and its regional partners. Read the full blog to see how in just two weeks into the campaign, 679 companies targeted yielded a 53% open rate of the invitation to connect – that’s 34% higher than industry benchmarks. Of the 364 companies that opened the invitation and/or clicked on an ad, approximately 13% have asked to be contacted.

These results tell us that job seekers and employers are very much interested in what you do; it’s a matter of deploying the right strategies and the right messaging to get them to engage with your workforce mission. 

If you have gaps in your WIOA performance, schedule a consult with FCM to discuss options for digital campaigns and other strategies to build your brand. We’ll review your pain points and recommend options that will work for you.

Ready to elevate your WIOA-funded brand through TEGL 03-23? FCM is launching a 4-part webinar series in June 2024 that teaches a common sense data-driven approach to marketing under the Department of Labor’s TEGL 03-23.  You’ll walk away with an understanding of how to effectively use allowable funds responsibly by creating a data-driven plan that provides measurable results in elevating your brand, recruiting underserved populations, and engaging employers through this course and its toolkit, templates, and WIOA marketing case studies. Get on the interest list by contacting info@fullcapacitymarketing.com.

At the start of Q3 2023, 64.5% of the world’s population were using the internet – a total of 5.19 billion people! According to DataReportal, 94% of internet users also use social media every month (Digital Around the World — DataReportal – Global Digital Insights). In today’s hyper connected digital landscape, brand sentiment analysis has emerged as a powerful tool that can make or break a company’s reputation and success and help a brand stand out from a connected – yet crowded- market. 

It’s no secret that the perception of a brand significantly impacts consumer behavior. One study found that brands with a strong and positive perception outperform those with a weak or negative one by 20%. Additionally, according to a report by Deloitte, customers are willing to pay up to a 16% price premium for products from brands they trust (https://kadence.com/the-role-of-brand-perception-in-product-marketing).

Harnessing the power of sentiment analysis can help navigate this intricate landscape effectively. In this blog post, we will explore what brand sentiment analysis is and why it’s crucial for profit, nonprofit and public sector organizations, brands, and entrepreneurs.

What is Brand Sentiment Analysis?

Brand sentiment analysis is a process that involves the evaluation of public sentiment, emotions, and opinions associated with a particular brand, product, or service. It employs natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques to analyze vast amounts of textual data from various sources, such as social media, reviews, blogs, forums, and news articles.

The primary goal of brand sentiment analysis is to gain insights into how consumers perceive a brand, whether their sentiments are positive, negative, or neutral, and why they feel that way. This analysis typically assigns a sentiment score or sentiment polarity to each piece of content, helping businesses gauge overall brand sentiment and identify key areas for improvement.

Why is Brand Sentiment Analysis Important?

There are several ways in which a Brand Sentiment Analysis can help clearly define how an organization is showing up in the market, particularly when compared to competitors. 

1. Customer Insights: Understanding what customers think about your brand is invaluable. Sentiment analysis helps organizations tap into the voice of the customer, uncovering valuable insights into their preferences, pain points, and expectations. By gaining a deeper understanding of consumer sentiments, organizations can refine their strategies and offerings to better meet customer needs.

2. Reputation Management: A strong and positive brand sentiment can enhance reputation, trust, and loyalty. Conversely, negative sentiment can tarnish a brand’s image and lead to customer churn, negative stories and bad reviews. With sentiment analysis, organizations can proactively manage their reputation by addressing issues as they arise and capitalizing on positive sentiment to reinforce brand loyalty. 

3. Competitive Analysis: Brand sentiment analysis is not limited to your own brand. It can also provide insights into how consumers perceive your competitors. By benchmarking your sentiment against that of your competitors, you can identify gaps in the market and develop strategies to differentiate your brand effectively.

4. Product or Service Development: Sentiment analysis can guide product or service development efforts by uncovering pain points or areas where customers are dissatisfied. This data-driven approach enables organizations to prioritize enhancements in their offerings and operational strategies that align with customer expectations. 

5. Marketing Campaigns: Crafting compelling marketing campaigns that resonate with the target audience is vital for brand success. Sentiment analysis can help organizations fine-tune their messaging and marketing strategies by identifying the language, topics, and themes that resonate most with their audience.

6. Crisis Management: In the age of social media, negative sentiment can escalate rapidly and damage a brand’s reputation. Sentiment analysis can provide early warning signs, allowing organizations to address issues promptly and mitigate potential crises.

7. Entrepreneurial Advantage: For entrepreneurs and startups, brand sentiment analysis can be a cost-effective way to gauge initial reactions to a new product or service. By monitoring sentiment during the early stages, entrepreneurs can pivot and refine their offerings to meet market demands effectively.

At Full Capacity Marketing, we have found the brand sentiment process has been a game changer for our clients to aid in positioning them to their ideal customers and create new opportunities for elevated brand awareness in the general market. 

In an era where consumer opinions travel at the speed of light through social media and online platforms, brand sentiment analysis is no longer a luxury but a necessity. It empowers organizations, brands, and entrepreneurs to make data-driven decisions, strengthen their reputation, and foster customer loyalty. By harnessing the power of sentiment analysis, organizations can adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving digital landscape, ensuring that their brand remains relevant, trusted, and cherished by their target audience.

Want to learn more about brand sentiment analysis? Register now for our upcoming webinar.