CoHousing NL - Marketing
Project scope
Categories
Communications Market research Marketing strategy MediaSkills
marketing strategies planning consensus decision making graphic design marketing budgets marketing materials marketing research universal design marketing community outreachPROJECT DESCRIPTION/DESCRIPTION DU PROJET:
We are looking to create a holistic and complete marketing strategy, campaign, and template that incorporates our commitment to affordability, diversity, and inclusion. This project will support the development of marketing strategy recommendations and a campaign for the pilot project - the creation of NL's first affordable and diverse cohousing community - as well as create a marketing research, strategy, and campaign design template that supports the development of the open-source knowledge-sharing platform that will serve grassroots housing projects and affordable housing projects across the province (and eventually all of Canada!).
In our workplace, we use a sociocratic governance model - this means we don’t use hierarchies and there are no managers. Instead, we use consensus decision-making and give those involved in our project the authority and autonomy to make decisions in their areas of work. We ensure everyone’s voices are heard in our meetings by conducting ‘rounds’ - this allows everyone to get a say in what we do and creates an open space to share thoughts. With everything that has happened the past year, we definitely understand Zoom fatigue so we make meetings more fun by building in social activities in our full group meetings!! We can’t wait to bring on new students to help us make our project a reality. If you are interested in learning more about sustainable communities, affordable housing, and community-led housing development, this is the project for you!!
KEY PROJECT ACTIVITIES/TÂCHES ASSOCIÉES AU PROJET:
- Creation of a one-year marketing strategy recommendation and campaign;
- Adaptation of the strategy and campaign research/recommendation report into a template to be shared to community organizations;
- Creation of graphic design (using templates) and marketing materials aligned with the recommendations report;
- Creation OR update of website to align with the recommendations report through the use of website templates;
- Compilation of best practices for accessibility-focused design; and
- Compilation of research into local diversity and community needs.
IDEAL ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES/RÔLES/RESPONSABILITÉS:*
- Marketing Strategist: Responsible for the planning and development of a one-year complete marketing strategy including researching marketing budgets and activities; coordinating with team to incorporate their findings/work into the plan; researching types of marketing strategies; and creating a one-year marketing strategy recommendation.
- Diversity and Community Outreach: Responsible for creating community connections, learning the needs of community partners and gathering input/feedback, and determining what needs to be considered in our marketing plan to ensure we reach a diverse group of people and organizations.
- Inclusion and Accessibility Coordinator: Involves consulting with local groups focused on accessibility and universal design, seeing what inclusion needs come from community groups, and developing a report outlining best practices on creating inclusion in housing communities and best practices for ensuring accessibility-focused designs in affordable housing.
- Website Designer: Responsible for the review of the current website, working with the Marketing Strategist to identify website needs, gathering input from community members on what the website should look like, and completing the creation of a new website or an update of the current one using a pre-made website template through Wix or SquareSpace.
- Marketing Designer: Responsible for the generation of content to be used for the marketing campaigns developed through this project.
FINAL PROJECT DELIVERABLES/LIVRABLES DU PROJET:
- One-year marketing strategy recommendation and campaign;
- Strategy and campaign research/recommendation report templates;
- Marketing materials;
- Update of website;
- Best Practices for Accessibility-focused Design Report; and
- Research report on local diversity and community needs.
About the company
Cohousing NL is a social enterprise located in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, NL that aims to create Newfoundland’s first cohousing community - a 30-unit, diverse, and affordable development! Cohousing is a housing model that empowers residents to create the community they want to live in. It uses neighbourhood design to create opportunities for residents to get to know one another with the aim of decreasing social isolation, improving overall wellness by preserving nature, and allowing for natural friendships to develop. Through the use of participatory design and consensus decision-making, future community members decide what the community will look like and how they will work together to make it happen!
In early September, we finalized the purchase of a 58-acre plot of land complete with walking trails, forests, fields of flowers, and a lake!! This means we are ramping up operations to meet our goal of breaking ground within one year.