Food Service Marketing Strategies

2017/18
Food Service Marketing Strategies
PASBO
2017/18

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As the Food Service Committee looks to fulfill the need for professional development and
networking opportunities for food service professionals throughout Pennsylvania, it has become
imperative that PASBO’s membership base of food service directors grow in size. To focus on
this objective and others defined below, the Food Service Membership Marketing Plan offers a
number of tactics designed to focus on PASBO’s food service members and to carefully define
and meet their membership needs.
In compiling this plan, it became evident that much more research and compilation of
information is needed. With this objective at the forefront of the plan, other tactics follow that
will serve to increase the membership base of food service professionals. Although there is
extensive research to be done to allow PASBO to fully undertake some of the tactics listed
below, some of those listed can start immediately.
It is imperative that PASBO gathers information on the value offered by PASBO membership and
that we begin to communicate that value to all FSD around the commonwealth as a way to raise
their interest in PASBO membership. An increase in membership will bring more diversity to the
food service professional membership base and allow for greater networking and learning by all
of those FSD in Pennsylvania.
II.
BACKGROUND
PASBO currently has 123 Active Food Service Professionals within their membership base
representing 6.46% of the entire ‘active’ membership of the association. An additional 9
associate members fall within the food service category of PASBO membership and there are
currently 20 emeritus members. At present, food service professionals account for 6.47% of the
total PASBO membership base.
In addition to these food service PASBO members, we have identified approximately 41 nonmembers
who have identified themselves has having an interest in food service operations and
have participated in PASBO activities during the 2016/17 school year. Twenty‐four of these nonmembers
identify food service as their primary school function.
PASBO has no way of accurately knowing exactly how many food service professionals are
employed by school entities at this point in time, short of researching each school manually.
Many school districts have their food service program managed by a professional food service
management company. We also do not know how many of the school districts and other LEAs
are self‐managing their food service operations. Knowing these statistics would give us a much
better indication of the size and scope of food service professionals eligible for PASBO
membership. While this information is not currently known, we can make researching and
compiling this information an objective of this marketing Plan.
1

PASBO currently has four food service regional chapters throughout Pennsylvania. They are the
Northeast School Food Service Regional Chapter, Pittsburgh School Food Service Regional
Chapter, South Central School Food Service Regional Chapter and the Susquehanna Valley
School Food Service Regional Chapter. We currently do not have membership list and/or contact
list for those food service professionals that are attending the regional chapter meetings or
otherwise identify as a member of these regional chapters. Compiling that information will also
become an objective of this marketing plan.
Armed with the information from regional chapters and an internet search of all school districts
and other LEAs throughout Pennsylvania, we will be able to compile a comprehensive list of
those school food service professionals currently working throughout PA and eligible for PASBO
membership.
III.
FORECAST
With the statistics currently available, we can deduce that food service professionals are not
fully represented within the PASBO membership base. It is imperative that we research further
to ascertain what factors contribute to this conclusion. Once we have compiled a
comprehensive list of those professionals currently working within the school food services
industry, we can begin a campaign to reach out to them, ask them why they are a member or
why not and then begin to show both members and non‐members the value of PASBO
membership. This campaign can begin once we have researched and answered the following:
a. How many and location of schools within the PA public school system currently self‐operate
a food service program.
b. How many other LEAs within Pennsylvania are currently operating a food services program?
c. Who are those food service professionals who are attending regional chapter meetings, but
not PASBO members and why?
d. Who are those food service professionals that are not a member of PASBO and why?
While this research is being done, it is important to ascertain the true and perceived value of
PASBO membership for food service professionals. This can be done through a brief survey
conducted through survey monkey, but unfortunately, not all food service professionals within
PA will be reached until we have compiled a list of food service professionals.
IV.
OBJECTIVES
It is important to ask our current membership base where they see value in their membership,
why they come to their regional chapter meetings and other questions pertaining to their
membership. Armed with this information and armed with a comprehensive list of potential
members, PASBO can begin an outreach program to the different groups of food service
professionals defined as a means to:
2

a. Increase membership representatives of the food service profession
b. Increase the pool of qualified speakers at PASBO events
c. Increase the knowledge base that can be shared among food service professionals
d. Increase the number of qualified and interested members that are interested in serving on
the food service committee
e. Increase the number of regional chapter members who also are members of PASBO
f. Increase the networking range of food service professionals
g. Ascertain the perceived and real value of PASBO membership to food service professionals
h. Show the value that PASBO membership holds for food service professionals
i. Increase the number of FSD that attend the annual FSD conference
j. Address and fulfill the needs of our FS members
V. TACTICS & STRAGEIES
In order to accomplish the objectives stated above, I respectively submit the following tactics that will
enable PASBO to reach a higher percentage of food service professionals across Pennsylvania and
therefore fulfill our goals stated above.
Tactic Deadline Notes
Compile a comprehensive list of all the school
Research/data collection
food service directors currently working in PA.
Reach out to all food service regional chapters
to obtain an attendance list so that we can add
to the list
Research to find out what the potential
membership base is by going into all SD website
to find out if they are self‐opt.
Start a database for each PA School including
charter schools and all others that have self –
opp food service programs
Include information of participation so that we
can ascertain the level of engagement that each
SD/school has with PASBO
Use the comprehensive list of FSD to develop
and send targeted surveys and mailings so that
we can ascertain the value of PASBO
membership and to define the needs of FSD
across PA.
Once the benefits/value of membership is more
fully defined, develop a marketing slick for FS
professionals showing the benefits of
membership for all FSD
Research/data collection
Research/data collection
Research/data collection
Research/data collection
Define the value of
membership; define the
needs of FSD members
Show the value of PABSO
membership
3

Develop a packet of membership information
specific to food service professionals and get out
to regional chapter leaders for dissemination to
PASBO non‐members.
Develop a presentation (Pow Toon) showing
1)what food service professionals do and 2) how
they can benefit from PASBO membership –
apply to website
Develop and disseminate an electronic
newsletter to all FSD to go out on a monthly
basis with legislative updates, workshops,
regional chapter news etc. Just for FSD. Include
an HR component in this communication.
Develop more communication with FSD regional
chapter and work to develop more chapters
throughout PA
Develop targeted mailings/digital mailings that
connect with those who are not members.
Ask non‐members to become members
Develop a database of potential speakers and
their area of expertise
Empower the regional
chapters to impart
membership information to
potential members
Show the value of the
position and the value of
membership
Add value to their
membership by providing
information to FSD
Add value to PASBO
membership by developing
more opportunity for local
interaction
Call‐to‐action
Call‐to‐action
Make it easier to fill speaking
spots at conferences and
meetings
VI.
RESOURCES REQUIREMENTS
Time is the biggest resource that will be needed in the beginning of this campaign. Researching
and compiling the information is the most time‐consuming aspect of this process, but once that
portion of the plan is complete, time should not be a major factor even though time is also
needed to develop marketing materials, but should not be a drain on staff other than member
engagement and membership coordinator.
Once the printed marketing materials are developed, there will be a cost to reproduce and mail
the items. Since we are targeting our mailings to a very small audience, this costs will be
minimal, estimating around $500.00. To minimize these costs, the membership marketing
pieces can be sent digitally saving both printing and mailing costs. The promotional code can be
placed on the online membership application as well.
VII.
SUCCESS MEASUREMENTS
Each mailing that we send out should include a special promotional code that allows us to track
how each new member heard about PASBO and the marketing piece that prompted them to
join. By tracking the codes we will be able to accurately count the success of each marketing
4

campaign. In order to track these codes and the success of our mailings/membership
campaigns, we must work with the IT department at PASBO to ensure that this tracking is
possible with our current database.
We can also start with the number of FSD that are currently have and take a count at 3 months,
6 months, 9 months and a year after this marketing plan has commenced. We can also count to
see if the participation in FSD regional chapters increases once some of the value of
membership is promoted.
VIII.
CONCLUSION
While school food service professionals account for only 6.47% of the total PASBO membership,
their contributions cannot be ignored. It is important that we get more PASBO members
engaged in their professional association and allow these professionals to grow both
professionally and personally through networking and formal professional development. It is
important that through marketing and promotion, we work to increase the number of
professionals represented by the association so that events targeted to food service
professionals will continue to be successful and so that we will have a larger pool of
professionals to pull from for speaking engagements and to staff our committee and regional
chapters.
By increasing the number of food service professionals actively engaged and having membership
in PABSO, all food service professionals will be better served. The knowledge of many that are
willing to share their experience will help many to grow.
5