Strategic Communications Plan 2016-17 For The Asian American Chamber of Commerce

Strategic Communications Plan 2016-17
Ali Iqbal Murshed

December 2015
Master of Professional Studies,
Public Relations & Corporate Communications
School of Continuing Studies,

Georgetown University
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Background ................................................................................................................................................... 3
External Environment .............................................................................................................................. 3
Industry ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
Client ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Issues ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
Promotions ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Market Share ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Competition .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Situation Analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Problem/Opportunity Statement ................................................................................................................ 9
Goal ............................................................................................................................................................... 9
Objectives ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Key Publics .................................................................................................................................................. 10
Brand Positioning ....................................................................................................................................... 14
Framing ....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Messages .................................................................................................................................................... 15
Strategies & Tactics .................................................................................................................................... 18
Budget......................................................................................................................................................... 24
Calendar ...................................................................................................................................................... 27
Measurement and Evaluation ................................................................................................................... 29
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 33
References .................................................................................................................................................. 34
Appendix A: SWOT Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 36
Appendix B: Competitor Analysis .............................................................................................................. 37
Appendix C: Potential Publics .................................................................................................................... 39
Appendix D: Brand Communication Survey .............................................................................................. 40
Appendix E: AACC Communications Audit ................................................................................................ 42
Appendix F: Creative Materials.................................................................................................................. 44
Executive Summary
The Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) is a nonprofit association for small,
medium and large businesses located in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. It specializes
in bringing the Asian American and Pacific community together and connecting them to other
ethnic groups for the purpose of developing business opportunities. However, AACC has not
been able to take full advantage of its advocative powers to create a big enough impact due to
a lack of awareness among the target publics.
AACC does have a significant amount to do to empower its communications approach by
utilizing the members and resources available. For quite some time AACC has been unsure
about spending time and money to establish a communication infrastructure, but it has become
evident that such a strategic plan is the cornerstone to building a sustainable brand identity.
Organizations like AACC thrive off the people it represents and this is where having a
communication plan helps to better address the needs of those who are critical to AACCs longterm vision.
The goal of the proposed plan is to help AACC increase awareness of its brand and benefits
among potential new members, as well as hold on to its current members by keeping them
invested in the organizations efforts. In order to accomplish this, the plan focuses on
presenting four very specific and attainable objectives that are spread out across a period of
two years between January 2016 and December 2017. These objectives are then trickled down
to deliverable strategies that will help guide the organizations actions in an effort to realize the
proposed plan.
To execute the strategies and tactics outlined in this paper, it is recommended that a
flexible budget of $5,000 is taken into consideration. By implementing this strategic
communications plan, AACC will be able to take a guided approach to strengthen its brand
equity by fostering relationships with young professionals, business owners and government
representatives. As a result, AACC will gain access to the support it so urgently needs to
increase its impact and establish a larger influence in the Washington metropolitan area.
Background
External Environment
The Asian American Chamber of Commerce lacks the desired level of awareness in the
Washington metropolitan area, especially when compared to other chambers in the same field.
As the competitor analysis in Appendix B outlines,1 AACC is currently facing considerable
competition from four to five chambers that are also dedicated to serving the needs of Asian
and Pacific Islander American communities with similar offerings. Apart from the chambers, the
Washington metro area is home to several independent organizations, like the National
Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP),2 which exist to offer substitute services
with comparable benefits. Therefore it is safe to assume that AACC is trying to flourish as a
brand in an increasingly crowded space.
With that said, there are many opportunities that are unique to the Washington metro
area, such as those in the form of strong support from federal and state level administrations.
Initiatives like the Five-Year Economic Development, according to the D.C. Office of the Deputy
Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), is creating opportunities by bringing
together meaningful community of businesses, civic leaders, and academic organizations, and
other stakeholders.3 One of AACCs core challenges is effectively communicating its value to a
group that is highly growth driven, which the United States Pan Asian American Chamber of
Commerce (USPAACC) outlined in its recent report that, Asian Americans are the highestincome, best-educated, and fastest growing racial group in the U.S., according to the Pew
Research Center (2015).4
The U.S. Census Bureau conducted a survey revealing that, Asians owned 1.5 million
nonfarm U.S. businesses operating in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2007, an
Ali Murshed, Competitor Analysis Capstone Fall 2015. Nov. 10, 2015.
National Association of Asian American Professionals, About Us, June 2013, http://bit.ly/1HvNwJc, Accessed: Oct. 10, 2015.
3
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Five-Year Economic Development Strategy, Nov. 7,
2012, http://dmped.dc.gov/node/646122, Accessed: Oct. 13, 2015.
4
US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce, EastWest Report Summer 2015, http://bit.ly/1RMgeWX, Accessed: Oct. 13,
2015.
2
increase of 40.4 percent from 2002.5 This goes to show that AACC has been operating in a
region where Asian American businesses have thrived for years and these are the publics that
the chamber to reach out to with its value proposition.
Industry
Most of the chambers of commerce in the U.S. are defined by their roles in advocacy and
lobbying, with the larger organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce being ranked as the
top most lobbying spender in the country in 2014.6 This is an area where AACC has not engaged
in any visible forms of activities and neither does it have plans in motion. According to the
Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, there are roughly 3,000 chambers of
commerce in the U.S. with at least one full-time staff person and thousands more established
as strictly volunteer entities.7 AACC is perched among the prior group of organizations with
intentions to become a larger entity, which calls for a strong communication infrastructure.
An interesting piece of information that came to light when looking at the data presented
by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was that, Of the 7,200 chambers in the United States, 207
of these are accredited.8 These accreditations are awarded by the U.S. Chamber itself, which
offers a considerable amount of recognition and exposure on a national level. Some more
information was revealed when delving into a research paper published by The American
Chamber of Commerce Executives, which showed that chambers with an annual revenue of
$450,000 and less earned a majority of their revenue (48 percent) from member dues with
events being the second highest source.9 This directly relates to AACCs current situation and is
likely to help gauge whether its revenue streams are performing close to industry expectations,
and whether communication efforts need to focus on improving any of the results.
United States Census Bureau, Survey of Business Owners Asian Owned Firms: 2007, http://1.usa.gov/1NpXqsw, Accessed:
Oct. 14, 2015.
6
Statista, Politics & Government: Top lobbying spenders in the U.S. 2014 (in million U.S. dollars), http://bit.ly/1MJzNL1,
Accessed: Oct. 14, 2015.
7
Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, What is a Chamber, http://www.acce.org/whatisachamber/, Accessed:
Oct. 14, 2015.
8
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Accreditation, https://www.uschamber.com/members/chambers/accreditation, Accessed: Oct.
14, 2015.
9
Katherine House et al., Revenue Models: An examination of income trends for chambers of commerce, American Chamber
of Commerce Executives, October 2013, http://bit.ly/1L8WoQ0, Accessed: Oct. 14, 2015.
Client
The Asian American Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that helps promote
and build Asian and Pacific American business communities located around the Washington
metro area. The chamber, according to its website, facilitates the growth and development of
member businesses through AACC sponsored events such as business networking programs,
business expo, business development workshops, seminars and other special events.10 What
makes AACC unique is its attention to small and medium businesses, coupled with its grassroots
level experience in organizing events.
Founded in 2009, the chamber consists of around 300 registered members in its roster with
a total of two full-time and four part-time staff. The president, Xin Shao, handles most of the
communication related tasks herself, despite having a Marketing Committee to plan and
conduct such activities. In the six years that AACC has been operational, it has gained visibility
from organizing more than 30 learning events and securing over 10 different sponsorship
ventures. AACCs chief sources of revenue comes from event fees, member dues and the
sponsorship funds raised.
Issues
There are several problems that AACC has yet to address, which is impeding its ability to
communicate and expand its influence. First of all, the chamber needs to realize that it has
entered a market that is brimming with several other organizations accomplishing similar
objectives and activities. Results collected from the brand communication survey in Appendix D
have shown that 85 percent of the target publics stated that they had not heard about AACC
before,11 indicating a lack of awareness for the brand. This tangible evidence sheds light on the
fact that AACCs current communication efforts have proven to be ineffective and as a result
the organization is suffering.
Then there is the issue of AACC consistently facing problems when it comes to acquiring and
retaining sponsors to fund event and program implementation. This is attributed to a lack of
10
11
Asian American Chamber of Commerce, About Us, www.asian-americanchamber.org, Accessed: Oct. 14, 2015.
Ali Murshed, Brand Communication Survey Capstone Fall 2015. Nov. 10, 2015.
follow-ups and acquisition tools, such as tiered sponsorship outreach packages, that are meant
to solidify partnerships for future endeavors.
The staffs and committee volunteers are finding it particularly challenging to increase
attendance and fill seats at events with the members. When asked about the reason Robert
Sherretta, one of the Board of Directors, responded that, most of us do not have the time to
visit the website and check for updates, so it is critical that members receive some form of
alerts well beforehand to make them aware of what is happening.12
Some more enlightening information was revealed by the brand communication survey in
Appendix D, showing that almost half of the respondents expressed their interest in joining the
U.S. Womens Chamber of Commerce because they were all women who felt that the
organization aligned with their needs.13 This goes to show that AACC has been unsuccessful in
grasping the attention of female professionals, who outweigh men in terms of ratio in the
Washington metro area,14 and relaying the fact that the organization boasts a number of
women entrepreneurs as its members.
Promotions
AACC has been unable to properly explore its outreach potential by not having a definitive
promotion strategy in place for the events it organizes round the year. Some of their past
promotional efforts have included email, word-of-mouth, cross promotional activities (such as
booths at external events), earned media coverage (such as in magazines and newspapers),
website and social media channels (neither of which are updated consistently).
12
Robert Sherretta (Board of Directors member) in discussion with Ali Murshed, Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Oct.
23, 2015.
13
Ali Murshed, Brand Communication Survey Capstone Fall 2015. Nov. 10, 2015.
14
Sandrine Rastello and Timothy Homan, "Intellectual Meat Market Makes Washington Long Odds for Women."
BloombergBusiness, June 3, 2011, http://bloom.bg/1M4MJxP, Accessed Oct. 15, 2015.
AACC has not covered a lot of ground in terms of public relations beyond its usual press
releases that get circulated among members and few local news sources, although the rate at
which those stories get picked up for publishing has been declining. They have do not employ
the services of an outside PR agency and
most of the efforts are carried out by the
staff, who do not possess any expertise in
the field. AACC has tried to launch an
online campaign called Faces of AACC,
but it did not yield any significant results due to lack of content and depth.
Looking at the marketing collateral, AACC has developed some brochures and handouts that
are meant to provide details on the membership process and benefits. AACC used to conduct
feedback surveys at its events and had a questionnaire card in use until 2011. Recently they
have expressed interest in bringing the surveys back and revamping it to collect information
more effectively. In an attempt to fill seats at events, the president began offering a
promotional discount as deadlines for registration drew close in hopes of peaking interests.
Although not a considerable success, the tactic did manage to generate some response.
AACC attempted to promote its business expo event recently by launching a Facebook
contest campaign leading up to the day, which did not yield desired results. Also this year AACC
has arranged a series of happy hour networking events as a way of promoting the organization
through word-of-mouth and bringing professional networks together to boost memberships.
Some of the promotional tactics that have not yet been implemented include Twitter
campaigns, video content marketing, paid online advertising, grassroots and newsletters.
Market Share
Although AACC is gradually attracting new members each quarter, its lack of visibility makes
it difficult to compete for attention with more prolific chambers. AACC faces stiff competition
from four to five other nonprofits that focus almost exclusively on the Asian American business
community. The organization has admitted that it is facing certain difficulty reaching out to its
internal and external key audiences effectively. Due to unclear reasons, AACC has yet to
consider applying for accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which puts it in the
mix with the other 6,815 chambers in the United States that also have yet to receive
accreditation.15
Competition
The criteria for identifying organizations as competitors, in the lightest meaning of the term,
was to locate chambers that operates within the Washington metro area and focuses on Asian
and Pacific Americans. The competitor analysis in Appendix B clearly singles out the U.S. Pan
Asian American Chamber of Commerce as the dominant player among the four simply because
it takes a more proactive approach at communicating with its audiences.16
The analysis indicates that USPAACC benefits from a larger
following on social media than the other chambers, pointing to the
fact that USPAACC was able to better engage its publics online
through meaningful and consistently updated content. USPAACC
also provides a better user experience through its website than the
others, with a cleaner aesthetic design that reflects its corporate
personality. AACCs website has potential to offer more but in its current state, with untidy
content presentation, it does a better job than the other two but unfortunately does not hold
up very well to USPAACC.
Several non-profits are also present in the market to offer similar services for the growing
Asian business community in the Washington metro area, like the National Association of Asian
American Professionals. Such organizations mostly focus on offering leadership or professional
development opportunities in similar veins to what AACC does. However rather than perceiving
this group as a threat, it would be more beneficial for AACC to consider reaching out to these
organizations with the intention of partnerships for its events and programs.
15
16
United States Chamber of Commerce, Accreditation, Accessed: Oct. 14, 2015.

Ali Murshed, Competitor Analysis Capstone Fall 2015. Nov. 10, 2015.
Situation Analysis
AACCs activities have grown consistently but lacks a well-defined communication strategy
to convey its messages effectively to target publics. Persistent lack of awareness attracts fewer
revenue and lower member retention rates, both which are detrimental to sustaining growth.
AACC would like to be the organization that members, sponsors, and the Asian Pacific
American community think of when considering where to go for help and resources in order to
grow their businesses in the Washington metro area.
Problem/Opportunity Statement
AACC needs to boost visibility among key publics and retain its growing member base by
establishing a well-defined communication infrastructure. Failing to do so puts the organization
at the risk of losing appeal to members, weakening financial relationships, and being unable to
expand beyond their current position.
Goal
Increase key public awareness across the D.C. metro area and reinvigorate the AACC brand
by increasing member recruitment and retention, as well as non-member attendance at events.
Objectives
In order to successfully realize the goal created above, the following set of benchmarks
have been identified to measure the effectiveness of the outcome.
a) Increase non-member attendance by 25 percent from current rate at expos and
seminars organized between October and December 2017.
b) Increase member participation and retention by 30 percent from current rate by
convincing members to join committees by the end of August 2016.
c) Boost brand awareness among key publics through website and social media campaigns
by 50 percent by the end of December 2016.
d) Increase member recruitment by 40 percent from current rate during networking events
held between May and September 2017.
Key Publics
Young Professionals
Influencers
Decisions are generally influenced by peers, colleagues, supervisors

and mentors at either work or school.
Seeking opportunities to expand professional network and find
Self-Interests
support to launch a new venture. Looking for mentors to help guide

them to a new job opportunity. Willing to participate in professional
development programs in order to boost resume strength.
Aged between 20 and 35 years. A higher ratio of women in
Demographic
Variables
Washington metro area than men. Coming from affluent

backgrounds with a considerable amount of disposable income.
Either pursuing or acquired a higher education degree and
preferably represent the Asian American community in the area.
Tend to be passionate, growth driven, open minded, confident and
Psychographic
competitive but at the same time work well in teams. A report in
Variables
2014 stated that 87 percent of millennials donated money toward a

nonprofit last year,17 indicating their inclination to social causes.
Media Use
Relationship to AACC
Viable channels to reach them would be social media, website,

newsletters, live events, and grassroots.
They would be interested in the services that AACC has to offer and
need to be convinced to join as members, even bringing in sponsors.
17
Robbie Couch, 87% of Millennials Donated to Charity Last Year and You Should Stop Calling Them Selfish: Report,
Huffington Post, June 18, 2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/18/millennials-volunteer-charitygiving_n_5507778.html. Accessed: Oct. 10, 2015.
10
Joie Tolosa is a Financial Analyst at GTT

Communications, Inc. and has been living in
D.C. for almost ten years. Having come
Sample Profile
from the Philippines, Joie graduated from
(This is somewhat
Georgetown University with a Bachelor's
fictitious and does
degree in Financial Management in 2011. After graduation she spent
not fully reflect a
two years working as a consultant at Booze Allen Hamilton before
persons credentials.)
joining GTT. Joie aspires to start her own asset management firm
someday and is currently working with some colleagues on a mobilebased financial services app. In her spare time Jane enjoys hiking,
participating in marathons and playing with her dog.
Business Owners
Influencers
Make decisions based on input from colleagues, employees,

advisors, family members and even policymakers.
Seeking ways to connect with potential partners or suppliers and
Self-Interests
promote business venture in a certain area. Require skills and

knowledge to achieve a business goal and looking to recruit
employees with expertise.
Aged between 25 and 65 years and likely to possess a higher
Demographic
Variables
education degree. The focus is on Asian Americans but other

ethnicities also prioritized. Own businesses with an employee size
ranging from 5 to 300. Have broader connections with other
business owners, suppliers, merchants and partners.
Psychographic
Variables
Tend to be confident about their decisions, are passionate,

determined, have leadership capacity and are willing to contribute
to others' success.
11
Viable channels to reach them would be social media, emails,

Media Use
newsletters, website, grassroots (e.g. phone calls), and live events

(as guests, sponsors or speakers).
Would be willing to sponsor events and programs as a cross-
promotional effort if it aligns with their business goals. They form a

valuable segment of AACCs member base and also potential leads
for sponsorship opportunities.
Oahn Henry has owned and operated
Allegra Marketing in Fairfax since 2008.
She is a graduate of George Mason
Sample Profile
(This is somewhat
fictitious and does
not fully reflect a
University, where she majored in

Computer Science with a minor in
Business. She worked in the field of
Information Technology for 20 years
serving in positions such as Software Engineer and Program Director.
Oanh is involved with various business development organizations,
like Business Networking International, and currently serves as an
Advisor for Leadership Fairfax along with being a board member at
the Fairfax County Workforce Investment Board.18
Government Representatives
Influencers
Self-Interests
Decisions are guided by coworkers, supervisors, senior ranking

officers and policymakers.
Seeking opportunities to disseminate information among
constituents and build support for a certain bill or political agenda.
18
Allegra Fairfax Marketing, Meet the Allegra Team, http://allegrafairfax.com/about/about-allegra/our-team/, Accessed Oct.
14, 2015.
12
Belong to the age group between 25 and 65 years and possess a

Demographic Data
higher education degree. Come from affluent backgrounds and have

considerable disposable income. Are either Asian Americans or
affiliated with them in some manner.
Tend to be biased based on political views and ideologies, but are
Psychographic Data
also diplomatic and respectful of others. Harbor leadership capacity

and highly driven by personal goals.
Viable channels to reach them would be emails, newsletters,
Media Use
grassroots (e.g. phone calls) and live events (as guests or speakers).
They would be willing to collaborate with AACC as a means to reach
minority business groups and learn more about their needs. Their
involvement would generate further conversations that would peak
the interests of federal and corporate sponsors.
Mark Mitsui is the Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Community Colleges in the Office of Career,
Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE). He
served previously as Vice President of Student
Sample Profile
(This is somewhat
fictitious and does
not fully reflect a
Services for South Seattle Community College

(SSCC),
Assistant
Dean
at
Green
River
Community College and as a tenured faculty at

Renton Technical College. He has also worked with a variety of
industry-higher education consortia to address skills gaps in high
demand sectors. He is very committed to serving under-represented,
under-served communities and led strategic student success efforts
to serve these communities, including initiatives to help both South
Seattle and North Seattle Community Colleges become minorityserving institutions.19
19
Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, Mark Mitsui, Deputy Assistant Secretary for OCTAE Biography,
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/staff/matsui.html. Accessed: Nov. 16, 2015.
13
Brand Positioning
AACC needs to define its brand identity, the unique proposition being that it is the premium
business development organization for its key publics in the D.C. metro area, by developing
effective framing and messages. Currently the organization is occupying close to no significant
space in the publics mind, the little that it does among its members is mostly related to
organizing networking events.
The intended position that the AACC brand needs to plan on embedding into the minds of
its key publics should focus on the themes of research and development, skill development, and
business support. Audiences must be able to recall these elements and associate it whenever
they come across the brand of Asian American Chamber of Commerce. The need for a brand
communication mechanism has become urgent for the organization in order to be able to begin
the process of influencing its key publics.
Framing
When considering how to draw key public attention to AACCs brand, the most reliable
framing components that apply to this communication strategy are attributes, actions and
issues. Considering the scope of AACCs core offerings, highlighting its attributes when
developing messages is important to convey what the organization has to offer that is different
or unique from others in the market. The key publics need to be aware of what to expect from
the brand and this is where the message being delivered should focus on presenting the
benefits that makes AACC appear unique as an organization.
Also the messaging needs to be framed around calls-to-action that motivates the key
publics to follow through with a desired course of action. This is also a critical point of focus for
AACC as its efforts should not be limited to highlighting the benefits but also providing avenues
for key publics to actively engage in. The final frame to incorporate into messages should focus
on solving an issue or concern that is relevant to the target publics. In case of AACC, some of
the issues to consider addressing through campaigns are subjects like shortage of women
representation in the technology industry.
14
Messages
Young Professionals
1) Primary Message: The Asian American Chamber of Commerce provides entrepreneurs
direct access to mentors with years of professional experience across diverse industries.
To learn more about the Faces of AACC, visit www.asia-americanchamber.org.
Secondary Messages:
I. Oanh Henry, one of our highly valued mentors, has owned and operated a print
advertising agency for nearly seven years and possesses over 20 years of prior
experience working in the IT Enabled Services (ITES) industry.20
II. Over 20 budding professionals attended the Multi-Cultural Chambers Business
Forum to listen to a panel of mentors speak on building sustainable businesses,
organized by AACC in association with Virginia Hispanic and Northern Virginia
Black Chamber of Commerce.21
2) Primary Message: The Asian American Chamber of Commerces specially designed
training programs help future business leaders achieve their goals. Come attend our
workshops to find out which program suits your needs.
Secondary Messages:
I. As the President Cindy Shao stated, the Higher Education for Asian-American
Students Symposium featured 10 leading industry experts today to speak to the
minds of tomorrow.22
II. AACC proudly hosted the Business Referral Group (BRG) meetings again this
year, with nearly 20 to 30 members coming together to plan strategic solutions
that help overcome obstacles to business growth.23
20
Allegra Fairfax Marketing, Meet the Allegra Team, http://allegrafairfax.com/about/about-allegra/our-team/, Accessed Oct.
14, 2015.
21
Asian American Chamber of Commerce, AACC News, https://asian-americanchamber.org/news/aaccnews, Accessed: Oct.
15, 2015.
22
15, 2015.
23
Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Committee Events, https://asianamericanchamber.org/eventscalendar/committee-calendar, Accessed: Oct. 14, 2015.
15
Business Owners
1) Primary Message: AACC helps business owners expand their market reach by providing
the most relevant and updated research data that guide smarter decision-making. Visit
our website and explore ways to excel your enterprise.
Secondary Messages:
I. A survey conducted by the AACC reveals the positive outlook of the Asian
American business community here in the Washington metro area. The results
showed that 95 percent plan to grow their business in the next 12 months.24
II. A recent report published by AACC, in association with the Food Marketing
Institute, has shown that 29 percent of the Asian-owned grocery chains are
failing to appeal to non-Asian customers in those communities.25
2) Primary Message: AACC attracts many talented professionals ready to explore career
opportunities in diverse sectors, creating an ever-growing pool for employers to tap
into. To learn more please visit and register for a stall at our upcoming Diversity Job Fair.
Secondary Messages:
I. Around 16 undergraduate and graduate students from George Mason University
and University of Maryland attended the Higher Education for Asian-American
Students Symposium to learn about employment opportunities for international
students.26
II. More than 200 job-seeking candidates turned up at the Diversity Job Fair hosted
by AACC, which was held on October 16 at the Fairfax County Government
Center.27
24
Asian American Chamber of Commerce, Survey Press Release, https://asian-americanchamber.org/news/aaccnews/270survey-press-release, Accessed: Oct. 15, 2015.
25
15, 2015.
26
15, 2015.
27
15, 2015.
16
1) Primary Message: The AACC is a bipartisan organization that strives to bridge the gap
between policymakers and the Asian American communities in the Washington metro
area. Register for our bi-monthly newsletter to find out about our work with
government agencies.
Secondary Messages
I. AACC is doing a great job to help college students learn about how to use their
education to carve a career path said Mark Mitsui, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Community Colleges in the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education
(OCTAE) under the U.S. Department of Education.28
II. Around 20 students from various universities attended the discussion panel on
Recruiting Students into Public/Private Sectors, where officers from the Central
Intelligence Agency explained the rigorous screening process.29
2) Primary Message: AACC collaborates with community development agencies on special
events to promote the growing Asian culture and opportunities within the Washington
metro area. Please visit our 5th Annual Passport to Asia to experience for yourself.
Secondary Messages:
I. AACC hosted the 4th Annual Passport to Asia event that was intended to
celebrate Asian culture and heritage. The event was successfully pulled off with
help from over 20 volunteer members and performances by the team at Santi
Budaya Performing Arts.30
28

15, 2015.
29
15, 2015.
30
15, 2015.
17
II. The 3rd Annual Touch of Asia event organized by AACC was held at the Virginia
International University and welcomed 150 attendees to enjoy performances,
food, and music originating from various Asian cultures.31
Strategies & Tactics

Key Publics: Young Professionals
Status: Members & non-members
Objectives: All
1) Strategy: Launch the mentorship program and promote it as a unique membership
prospect across social media, news outlets and website.
Tactics:
I.
Form the mentor team and make an announcement of it via media outlets, website,
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blog, and newsletter.
II.
Implement the Excel Yourself campaign on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages
to highlight mentor profiles and accomplishments that generate public interest.
III.
Conduct a series of webinars to discuss trending business practices hosted by a

mentor and a guest speaker, preferably one of the members.
2) Strategy: Develop strategically aligned training and development programs that offer
added values for the public.
Tactics:
I.
Host the BizMavens Leadership Forum, a daylong business plan competition in

collaboration with community colleges and sponsored by companies. To get an idea
on how to think creatively about promotions, refer to Appendix F.2.
II.
Organize skill-building workshops on aspects of professional development, such as

improving negotiation skills, using social media effectively and tips for securing
funds for startups.
31

15, 2015.
18
3) Strategy: Generate conversations around social causes and boost engagement through
active participation and donations.
Tactics:
I.
Develop a grassroots campaign that raises awareness for certain issues prevalent in
the D.C. metro area, such as lack of women in technology professions.
II.
Build pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn dedicated to representing a specific

campaign and to promote calls-to-action.
III.
Assemble a team of volunteers to assist community nonprofits with fundraisers that

generate awareness for causes such as autism and breast cancer.
IV.
Invite local business and ethnic magazines (e.g. Asian Fortune and Washington
Business Journal) to provide media coverage for the campaigns.
4) Strategy: Drive greater traffic to the website and establish it as a central source for
updates across multiple devices.
Tactics:
I.
Hire a Digital Marketing Manager, with experience in digital communication

strategies, to organize content on the website and social media channels. For a
detailed sample of a suggested job description, refer to Appendix F.3.
II.
Embed website URL consistently within all communication related materials (e.g.
emails and ads).
III.
Integrate social media channels on the website and confirm that the URL leading to
the landing pages work properly.
IV.
Create a separate blog space within the website that contains op-eds and articles
contributed by members as well as industry experts.
V.
Build online registration forms through the websites content management system
to ensure that publics are constantly guided back to it.
VI.
Optimize the user experience and discoverability of the website by updating

content, fixing current design issues, adhering to the best search engine
optimization practices, and making the site mobile-friendly.
19
Status: Non-members
Objectives: a)
1) Strategy: Improve non-member knowledge of events and programs to trigger interest
and drive attendance.
Tactics:
I.
Purchase mailing lists to send invitations based on targeted geographic and

demographic data.
II.
Choose a venue that is convenient and affordable for the attendees, preferably
omitting the need for a car.
III.
Promote aggressively on social media using hashtags, event pages, and calls to
action, with a new update each week leading up to the event.
IV.
Simplify the registration process to ensure that the forms can be filled out with
greater ease and less time.
V.
Offer early-bird discounts as well as group discounts for same organization

attendees. If necessary extend the deadline for early registration slightly to give a
second chance to bargain seekers.
VI.
Enhance emails by including ROI calculations (Appendix F.7) for an event or program
to help employees present a strong case to their supervisors for a sponsorship.
Status: Members
Objectives: b) and d)
1) Strategy: Encourage member participation at events and programs by offering proper
incentive mechanisms.
Tactics:
I.
Create merchandises, such as label pins and bumper stickers, tailored for committee
members to build a sense of entitlement to the organization.
II.
Develop a member referral system that allows current members who have referred
a new recruit to receive 10 to 20 percent off their membership renewal fees.
20
III.
Highlight a member with consistent contribution in the bi-monthly newsletter (refer

to Appendix F.1) and share through social media, website, and emails.
IV.
Launch a private online forum for members to interact and discuss issues that need
urgent attention and cannot wait till committee meetings.
Key Publics: Business Owners

Status: Members & non-members
Objectives: a) and c)
1) Strategy: Be recognized as a resource hub for Asian American business research and
policy information within the D.C. metro area.
Tactics:
I.
Build and promote an online database of primary research information that can be
accessed by members for free.
II.
Draft research papers with businesses and institutions (i.e. colleges) and publish
results via website, social media and blog.
III.
Prepare press releases announcing the formation of a new research committee that
will be open to members and non-members.
2) Strategy: Direct key public attention toward AACC as a source for finding qualified
jobseekers to employ.
Tactics:
I.
Create video testimonials, to be posted on social media and the website, of

members who are expressing interest in hiring employees for their businesses.
II.
Collaborate with local staffing firms to develop job placement programs for member
and non-member business owners who outsource hiring processes.
III.
Organize employment matchmaking events that encourage interaction between

employers and job seekers within the D.C. metro area.
IV.
Create an online portal integrated through the website where business owners can
post job notices, with additional features available exclusively to members.
21
Status: Members
Objectives: b)
1) Strategy: Incentivize members to participate more frequently in chamber activities by
offering value for their time.
Tactics:
I.
Populate the mentorship committee with members who are business owners with
around three to five years of experience running a company.
II.
Send reminders asking for written op-eds submissions to be featured on AACC

media channels.
III.
Enhance the email alert system to avoid issues associated with spam filters, which
leads to emails being lost as junk, so that members are reached effectively.
IV.
Recognize members at galas and events with awards that highlight achievements in
various sectors of business practices.
V.
Create a series of videos for YouTube titled AACCs Most Valuable Players, where
each month a member is interviewed about their work and experience.
VI.
Hold monthly brown bag sessions where AACC invites business experts and speakers
to conduct informal discussions.
VII.
Organize a business matchmaking event for member business owners to interact

with suppliers, investors, retailers and merchants.
Status: Non-members
Objective: d)
1) Strategy: Increase visibility among larger businesses to boost member recruitment
opportunities for AACC.
Tactics:
I.
Build a contact list of potential new members to send direct mail promotions and
registration information for events.
II.
Organize an information table at every event for non-member attendees to gather

details and possibly fill out membership forms.
22
III.
Create an invitation package (refer to Appendix F.4) asking vendors and exhibitors
to participate in events, such as job fairs, organized by AACC.
Key Publics: Government Representatives

Status: Members and non-members
Objectives: All
1) Strategy: Proliferate dialogue between Asian and Pacific American community and
government organizations.
Tactics:
I.
Promote partnerships with agencies like the Small Business Administration and build
awareness across social media.
II.
Organize face-to-face sessions with government officials from relevant departments

to discuss issues pertaining to the Asian business community.
III.
Draft a bill proposal with the help of policy and legal experts to pass on to senators
for legislation considerations.
IV.
Run a Twitter campaign to collect questions from the public about a specific issue to
include in a bill proposal.
2) Strategy: Strengthen relationships with foreign embassies and diplomats to pursue new
ventures.
Tactics:
I.
Host visits from international personnel coming on short trips to the U.S. under an
embassy initiative.
II.
Distribute invitations to foreign ambassadors and deputies and request their

attendance at events as special guests.
III.
Send emails and newsletters to keep embassy officials updated on AACC activities
and also keeping communication channel open.
23
Budget
This budget strictly provides suggestions on allocating the $5,000 and man-hours needed to implement the strategies and tactics.
Budget Items
Key Public
Status
Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Strategy 2
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Strategy 3
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Strategy 4
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Tactic 5
Tactic 6
Type of Unit
Cost Per Unit
Quantity
Projected Cost
Young Professionals
Launch the mentorship program.
Press releases, social media and newsletter posts
Visual designs
SEO activities
Paid ads
Invitation emails
Social media posts
Video recording and uploading
Develop strategically aligned training programs.
Location renting (i.e. college campus)
Press releases, social media posts and emails
Sponsorship package design
Participant induction workshop
Volunteer meetings
Partner meetings
Awards
Catering
Audio-visual equipment
Program design
Name-tags, pens and notepads
Invitation emails and social media posts
Generate conversations around a social awareness initiative.
Yard signs, bumper stickers and flyers
Video recording and uploading
Volunteer door-to-door activites
Build pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for campaigns.
Members & Non-members

Strategy Total
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
Man-hours
In-House
10 hrs/week
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
US Dollars
$5/day
30 days
Man-hours
In-House
5 hrs/week
Man-hours
In-House
10 hrs/week
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
Strategy Total
US Dollars
$130/hr
5 hrs for a single day
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
Man-hours
In-House
2 persons working 30 hrs/week
Man-hours
In-House
2 persons working 5 hrs for a single day
Man-hours
In-House
2 hr/week for 5 weeks
Man-hours
In-House
4 hrs in 3 weeks
US Dollars
$70 for order size of 1 - 9
5 plaques
US Dollars
Charged to attendees
US Dollars
Pre-purchased
One set
Man-hours
In-House
US Dollars
$0.80
200
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
Strategy Total
US Dollars
$4.00
50
Man-hours
In-House
35 hrs/week
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
Signage/dcor
US Dollars
Educational sessions
Equipment
Catering (snack packets)
T-shirts
Emails and invitation letters
Drive greater traffic to the website.
Hire a Digital Marketing Manager.
Embed website URL consistently.
Integrate social media channels on the website.
Create a separate blog space on the website.
Build online registration forms and embed them to the website.
Optimize the user experience and discoverability of the website
and make site mobile-friendly.
Man-hours
US Dollars
US Dollars
US Dollars
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
In-House
$10/person
$10/person
In-House
Strategy Total
$10/hr
In-House
In-House
In-House
In-House
In-House
$150
$150
$1,250
$650
200
$70
$170
$160
$1,200
$200
-
$200
10 hrs for single event

20 persons
20 persons
35 hrs/week
30 hrs/week
10 hrs/week
20 hrs/week
20 hrs/week
20 hrs/week
$400
$200
$200
$300
$300
-
20 hrs/week
24
Status
Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Tactic 5
Tactic 6
Status
Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Non-Members
Improve non-member knowledge of events and programs.
Purchase mailing lists.
Choose a venue that is convenient and affordable.
Promote aggressively on social media using hashtags, event
pages, and calls to action.
Simplify the registration process.
Offer early-bird discounts as well as group discounts.
Enhance emails with ROI calculations.
US Dollars
Man-hours
Strategy Total
In-House
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
25,000 contacts
20 hrs/week
$200
$200
-
In-House
In-House
In-House
In-House
15 hrs/week
10 hrs/week
20 hrs/week
US Dollars
Man-hours
Strategy Total
$0.80
In-House
500
30 hrs/week
$400
$400
-
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
Man-hours
Key Public Total
In-House
3 person working 60 hrs/week
$3,500
Members
Encourage member participation at events and programs.
Create merchandises, such as label pins and bumper stickers.
Develop a member referral system.
Highlight a member with consistent contribution in the bi-monthly
newsletter.
Launch a private online forum for members.
Key Publics
Status
Strategy 1 Be recognized as a resource hub of business research.
Tactic 1
Build and promote an online database.
Draft research papers and publish results via website, social media
Tactic 2
and blog.
Tactic 3
Prepare press releases.
Strategy 2 Direct key public attention to find qualified jobseekers.
Create video testimonials, to be posted on social media and the
Tactic 1
website.
Collaborate with local staffing firms to develop job placement
Tactic 2
programs.
Program planning
Program literature
Tactic 3
Forms, flyers and collateral
Equipment (tables & chairs)
Banners and posters
Tactic 4
Create an online portal integrated through the website.
Status
Strategy 1 Incentivize members to participate more frequently.
Tactic 1
Populate the mentorship committee with members.
Tactic 2
Send reminders asking for written op-eds submissions.
Tactic 3
Enhance the email alert system.
Tactic 4
Recognize members at galas and events with awards.
Tactic 5
Create a series of videos titled AACCs Most Valuable Players.
Tactic 6
Hold monthly brown bag sessions.
Program planning
Program literature
Tactic 7
Forms, flyers and collateral
Equipment (tables & chairs)
Banners and posters
Business Owners
Members and Non-members
Strategy Total
Man-hours
In-House
$100
-
Man-hours
In-House
40 hr project
$100
Man-hours
In-House
Strategy Total
20 hrs/week
$1,100
Man-hours
In-House
30 hrs/week
Man-hours
Man-hours
US Dollars
US Dollars
US Dollars
US Dollars
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
US Dollars
US Dollars
US Dollars
US Dollars
In-House
$0.40
$0.80
$5
$25
Outsourcing
Members
Strategy Total
In-House
In-House
In-House
In-House
In-House
In-House
In-House
$0.40
$0.80
$5
$25
60 hrs/month
40 hrs project
50
100
20
4
40 hrs/week
$20
$80
$100
$100
$800
2 hrs/week for three week

10 hrs/week
20 hrs/week
6 hrs/week for two weeks
20 hrs/week
10 hrs/week
40 hrs project
50
100
20
4
$300
$20
$80
$100
$100
25
Status
Strategy 1 Increase visibility among larger businesses.
Tactic 1 Build a contact list of potential new members.
Tactic 2 Organize an information table at every event.
Create an invitation package asking businesses to participate in
Tactic 3
events, such as job fairs, organized by AACC.
Non-Members
Man-hours
Man-hours
Strategy Total
In-House
In-House
Man-hours
In-House
20 hrs/week
5 hrs for each event
$0
-
20 hrs/week
Key Public Total

Key Publics
Status
Members & Non-members
Strategy 1 Proliferate dialogue among Asian community and government.

Promote partnerships with agencies like the Small Business
Administration.
Tactic 2 Organize face-to-face sessions with government officials.
Tactic 3 Draft a bill proposal with the help of policy and legal experts.
Tactic 4 Run a Twitter campaign to collect questions from the public.
Strategy 2 Strengthen relationships with foreign embassies.
Tactic 1 Host visits from international personnel.
Tactic 2 Distribute invitations to foreign ambassadors and deputies.
Tactic 3 Send emails and newsletters to embassy officials.
Tactic 1
$1,500
Strategy Total
Man-hours
In-House
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
In-House
In-House
In-House
Strategy Total
In-House
In-House
In-House
Man-hours
Man-hours
Man-hours
Key Public Total
Projected Total
$0
30 hrs/week
30 hrs/month for 6 months

20 hrs/month for 12 months
20 hrs/week
$0
$0
10 hrs/visit
3 hrs/month
2 hrs/month
$5,000
26
Calendar
The calendar outlines a suggested timeline to implement the strategies and tactics. This section can be modified to adapt to factors
such as scheduling conflicts and other unforeseen circumstances.
Year
Month
Week (Starting
Monday)
2016
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
4 11 18 25 1 8 15 22 29 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27 4 11 18 25 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28
Dec
5
12 19
26
Young Professionals
Status: Members & Non-Members

Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Strategy 4
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Tactic 5
Tactic 6
Status: Members
Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Government
Representatives
Business Owners

Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Status: Members
Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Tactic 5
Tactic 6
Tactic 7
Strategy 2
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
27
Year
Month
Week (Starting
2 9
Monday)
2017
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
16 23 30 6 13 20 27 6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25 2 9
Oct
Nov
Dec
16 23 30 6 13 20 27 4 11 18 25
Young Professionals

Strategy 2
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Strategy 3
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Status: Non-Members
Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Tactic 5
Tactic 6
Business Owners

Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Strategy 2
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
Status: Non-Members
Government
Representatives
Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Strategy 1
Tactic 1
Tactic 2
Tactic 3
Tactic 4
28
Measurement and Evaluation

The need to establish specific criteria is critical to measure the effectiveness of each
objective set earlier. This will help to obtain a broad perspective of how well the plan is
performing if implemented and also guide decisions on which components to modify. AACC can
use these benchmarks as a method of deciding which communication path aligns with its longterm mission and the kinds of publics it wants to reach.
Objective One: Increase non-member attendance by 25 percent from current rate at expos
and seminars organized between October and December 2016.
The performance of this objective can be measured by analyzing insights from a few free-ofcost sources that include registration information, conducting post-event surveys and observing
media mentions among others. Although it is a difficult task to keep an eye out for nonmembers attendance at an AACC organized event, there are methods of extracting the
necessary information:
Giving out a self-completion survey at the events is a great way to gather first-hand
accurate information with questions to flesh out non-members.
Using the roster and registration information to email attendees with a post-event
survey to narrow down the non-members.
Building a spreadsheet of the invitations sent out from the mailing lists, with a separate
section for non-member responses.
Monitoring the events social media mentions and keep track of non-member
responses. Free tools for accomplishing such a task include Hootsuite, TweetReach and
Social Mention among others.
Objective Two: Increase member participation and retention by 20 percent from current rate
by convincing members to join committees by the end of August 2016.
This objective is critical for AACC to be able to effectively engage its member base, which is
why its performance measurement metrics need to be well defined. Therefore a recommended
29
step forward would be to design a member performance chart (see Appendix F.6 for a sample),
using either Excel or Google Sheets, which tracks key performance indicators like:
Number of years as a member

o How long an individual has been associated with AACC, based on paying his or
her dues if not an active participant.
Number of successful referrals

o Knowing how many member recruitments in the last three years could be
contributed to an individuals actions.
Number of events attended

o Has been physically present at how many events in the last three years,
narrowing it down to ticketed or free.
Overall revenue from member

o How much of the revenue generated within last three years could be traced
back to an individual.
o What was the predominant source of income from them: dues, event fees,
donations etc.?
Participation in event committees

o How many times a member has attempted and fulfilled a role in committees
established to organize events in the last three years.
o Executive positions, such as Chair and Secretary, which require a bigger
commitment should be considered differently than general positions.
Engagement across social media

o Number of times member has tweeted, shared or liked an AACC post.
o Number of times member has contributed to the official blog on relevant
topics.
o Number of times member has promoted a hashtag, page, or content relevant to
AACC.
30
Objective Three: Boost brand awareness among key publics through website and social media
campaigns by 50 percent by the end of December 2016.
Many of the social media platforms today feature a free analytics tool embedded (i.e.
Facebook and Twitter analytics) that help evaluate how much brand awareness is generated
from actions such as mentions, likes, shares and tweets. There are other common methods of
finding out whether branding efforts are really finding success:
Conducting surveys and polls have been a standard when it comes to gathering
feedback on a brands reach, although these responses are limited to the sample size
and qualitative nature. Having data collected from such sources is useful because of it
tends to give direct insight into the minds of online visitors.
Another method that is growing in popularity is using search engine queries to discover
how many online visitors are finding AACCs content. This relies on keyword research,
which involves finding popular search terms that relates to a specific industry and using
them to optimize visibility across the internet. Tools like Google Analytics are capable of
finding keywords that are used when looking for and how AACC can fit into those
search patterns.
Reach and impressions are not just a way to measure engagement on social media, but
also for monitoring digital ads leading to website traffic. Impressions are referred to any
form of interaction that an audience has with a piece of content released by an
organization, which ranges from simply viewing a social media post to attending an
event based on an online call-to-action. Although there is no guarantee that an
impression indicates any genuine impact of the brand on an individual, it is a clear
pointer to the effectiveness of your visibility and targeting.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) analytics is one of the most streamlined processes of tracking online
brand awareness through digital ads. Tools like Google AdWords monitors the number
of clicks on an ad placed on a third-party site, which is important calculate conversion
rates. Conversion occurs when a user clicks through an ad and takes the desired action,
for example buying tickets for an upcoming event.
31
Objective Four: Increase member recruitment by 40 percent from current rate during
networking events held between May and September 2016.
This objective needs to be evaluated from the perspective of new members joining AACC
from the networking events. Assessment considerations should ideally include metrics such as
event visibility, conversion rates, number of invitations sent via email and the resulting
registrations from it. Using online tools like Eventbrite, the data collected from past events can
be used to make future decisions on which strategy leads to best results.
There are a few metrics that experts have emphasized when measuring the performance of
an organizations recruitment activities, which include:
The amount of time it takes between approaching someone at an event and receiving a
positive response expressing interest in joining.
Keeping track of where the applicants came from (i.e. networking events or referrals)
and which sources are responsible for bringing in new members most effectively.
The feedback from attendees at networking events is another great way to gauge
recruitment potential.
Calculating the turnover rate and retention rate are two fairly straightforward ways of
measuring recruitment efforts because they can potentially help identify to what extent
the post recruitment experiences failed to deliver upon the initial promises.
o Turnover rate = (Number of outbound Number of members recruited) x 100
o Retention rate = (Number of retained Number of members at the beginning of
a period) x 100
32
Conclusion
The Asian American community is the third largest population demographic, which
increased up to 60 percent in 2011 since the year 2000,32 in the Washington metro area. This is
the reason behind Cindy Shao and her team choosing to work diligently to help Asian
businesses grow and bridge the gap with other communities in the area. However the
organization is having trouble getting their message across effectively to its target audiences,
thereby lessening its impact. This communication plan is dedicated to helping AACC build a
sustainable method of reaching both internal and external stakeholders. The strategies and
tactics presented here are meant to provide a roadmap for AACC to foster stronger
relationships that will push the organizations capacity while ensuring a return on investment.
32
Carol Morello and Dan Keating, D.C. regions Asian population is up 60 percent since 2000, census data show, The
Washington Post, May 26, 2011, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-regions-asian-population-is-up-60-percent-since2000-census-data-show/2011/05/25/AGvgndBH_story.html. Accessed: Oct. 10, 2015.
33
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35
Appendix A: SWOT Analysis

Weaknesses
Strengths
Quality of events organized manages to

sustain continuous growth.
Small but dedicated group of staff and
members promoting organization.
Existing sponsors continue to maintain a
supportive relationship.
Members providing their considerable
professional expertise and support.
Many up and coming nonprofits as well
as young entrepreneurs joining enriching
the roster.
Opportunities
Build outreach efforts to attract more

sponsorships for events.
Generate strategies to launch programs
through partnerships.
Possibilities of introducing new benefits
for members such as skill training
workshops.
Hiring new staff specializing in
communications and PR can help
generate stronger ideas.
Can capitalize on loyal members when
pulling off Chamber events.
Shift attention to attract members from
medium and large enterprises.
Invest more behind research and
development activities.
Communication infrastructure is limited

and not prioritized enough.
Lack of brand awareness across social
media due to inactivity despite having a
presence.
Yet to identify core brand value
proposition and convey its uniqueness in
the market.
A considerable lack of internal member
participation and engagement.
Below average content offered online
through social media and website.
Website not optimized for search engines
or mobile phones. Site presentation is
aesthetically dull.
Not accredited by U.S. Chamber of
Commerce.
Threats
Alarmingly growing influence of identical

organizations in the area.
There are several institutions that offer
substitute services, such as Georgetown
University Center for Intercultural
Education and Development, turning
demand away from organizations like
AACC.
As new policy changes take effect in the
market, AACC runs the risk of losing
federal support.
Younger entrepreneurs and startups are
capable of neglecting AACC to the extent
that the organization loses brand
recognition.
36
Appendix B: Competitor Analysis

Factors
Asian
American
Chamber of
Commerce
US Pan Asian
American
Chamber of
Commerce
To be the
gateway to
corporate and
government
contracts, Asian
American
suppliers,
information
about Asian
Americans and
the Asia and
Indian
Subcontinent
markets
Asian Pacific
American
Chamber of
Commerce
To facilitate
business
relationships
among Asian
and U.S.
based
companies
and to
promote the
economic
advancement
of Asian
Pacific
Americans
Positioning
Statement
Dedicated to
improving the
economic
development
for Asian
Pacific
American
owned
business in
Washington
metro area
Brand Strength
Average
High
Average
Poor
Facebook
728 Likes
1,266 Likes
292 Likes
No presence
Twitter
419 Followers
1,069 Followers
No Presence
No presence
Media Coverage
No media kit
or press
conferences,
but some
press releases
drafted inhouse. Event
coverage in
small ethnic
based news
outlets, such
as Epoch
Times and
Chosun Ilbo.
Well prepared
in media
relations and
with consistent
press releases.
Extensive
coverage across
national and
local news
outlets, such as
Washington
Business
Journal, and
MarketWatch.
Mostly press
releases
drafted inhouse, no
considerable
coverage
across
external
media.
Outdated press
releases drafted
in-house. Close to
no coverage
across external
media.
Washington China
Chamber of
Commerce
To promote
economic growth
between Greater
Washington Area
and China Jiangsu
province with its
bordering regions;
strengthen the
bilateral trades;
explore business
investment
opportunities
37
Website Meta
Description
Asian
American
Chamber of
Commerce
US Pan Asian
American
Chamber of
Commerce
Education
Foundation
(USPAACC)
represents all
Asian American,
Asian
No
AmericanDescription
related, and
minority groups
in business,
sciences, the
arts, sports,
education,
public and
community
services.
Website Quality
2 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
1 out of 5
Web Traffic Rank

(Category: Business
and Industry)
Source:
similarweb.com
1,527,385
822,358
1,494,303
No Data
Top Keywords
Asian
American
Chamber of
Commerce,
Asian,
Chamber,
Washington
DC, Maryland,
Virginia, Asian
Business
Association
USPAACC, US
Pan Asian
American
Chamber of
Commerce,
Chamber of
Commerce,
Asian Chamber,
Asian Business,
Asian Small
Business, Asian
Certification
asian,
business,
membership,
event, pacific,
opportunities
wccc, jiangsu,
development,
business, county
No Description
38
Appendix C: Potential Publics

Publics
Self-interests
Influencers
Demographic
data
Psychographic
data
Born between
early 1980s and
Energetic and
Peers,
early 2000s.
driven toward
colleagues,
Possess a postNetwork building,
succcess. Care
Millennial professionals
classmates, secondary degree
seeking employment
about social and
families,
in business,
environmental
mentors
economics, or
welfare.
other relevant
fields.
Age between 20
Energetic and
to 50. Possess a
driven toward
Peers,
Network building,
post-secondary succcess. Advocate
colleagues,
seeking employment,
degree in
for equal gender
Female professionals
classmates,
seeking platform for
business,
opportunities. Care
families,
representation
economics, or
about social and
mentors
other relevant
environmental
fields.
welfare.
Age between 25
to 50. Possess a
Experienced in
post-secondary
their respective
Network building,
Peers,
Non-Asian business
degree in
fields. Seeking to
seeking business growth colleagues,
owners
business,
establish more
opportunities
mentors
economics, or
profitable ventures
other relevant
and relationships.
fields.
Either just starting
Age between 25
to gain experience
Peers,
to 40. Possess a
or have been in
Network building,
colleagues,fa
post-secondary
business for 2 to 4
Small business owners seeking business growth
milies,
degree. Own and
years. Open to
opportunities
mentors,
operate their own
suggestions and
clients
enterprise. Staff
looking for ways to
size is 20 or less.
reach new clients.
Considerable
experience
Age between 25 working in specific
to 50. Possess a industry. Looking to
Peers,
post-secondary
meet other
Network building,
colleagues,
Medium/Large business
degree. Own or
business
seeking business growth
families,
members
are part of an
professionals.
opportunities
mentors,
organization with
Locate
clients
staff size of 500 or opportunities for
less.
partnerships. Gain
visbility for
company.
Age between 20
Passionate about
to 40. Possess a
social and
post-secondary
humanitarian
Peers,
degree in
issues. Trying to
Network building,
colleagues,
business,
raise awareness for
Non-profit professionals seeking business growth
families,
economics, or
a cause and
opportunities
mentors,
other relevant
speaking to others
clients
fields. Working
about it. Seeking
for an NGO
potential donors
related to some
for projects.
social cause.
Age between 28
to 50. Possess a
post-secondary
Peers,
degree.
Ideologoically
Network building,
Government
colleagues,
Representing a
either siding with
promote agency activity,
representatives
parties,
government
Republicans or
community outreach
policymakers agency. Affiliated
Democrats.
with high-profile
officials and
contractors.
Media use
Relationship
to AACC
Social media,
Interested in
emails, print, joining if needs
online news aligned to what
and
AACC has to
magazines.
offer.
Social media,
Interested in
emails, print, joining if needs
online news aligned to what
and
AACC has to
magazines.
offer.
Emails, print, Willing to join

online news
and endorse if
and
mutual interest
magazines.
is detected.
Social media,
emails, print,
online news
and
magazines.
Need AACC's
help to grow
business
opportunities.
Would like to
support AACC as
Emails, print,
a way to
online news
promote their
and
own companies
magazines.
and gain access
to new clients.
Social media,
emails, print,
online news
and
magazines.
Need AACC's
help to grow
business
opportunities.
Would like to
support AACC as
Emails, print,
a way to
online news
promote their
and
own agencies
magazines.
and gain access
to a wider
audience.
39
Appendix D: Brand Communication Survey

The responses were collected from a sample size of 145 individuals who consisted of graduate
students and professionals from the nonprofit, corporate and government sectors in the D.C.
area.
1. What do you think the Asian American Chamber of Commerce does?
It organizes networking events for business owners of diverse ethnicity.
11.1%
It helps Asian-American businesses in the DC metro area grow.
29.6%
It conducts research on international business trends.
0%
None of the above.
3.7%
All of the above.
55.6%
2. Have you heard of Asian American Chamber of Commerce before? If yes, then
where?
Yes.
No.
14.9%
85.1%
3. Which of the following comes to mind first when you hear the acronym AACC?
Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce
3.7%
American Association of Community Colleges
33.3%
American Association for Clinical Chemistry
0%
Asian American Chamber of Commerce
29.6%
Other
33.3%
4. The first thing that crosses your mind when you hear the name Asian American
Chamber of Commerce is:
Cultural exchange programs
3.7%
Business development
92.6%
Workshops and trainings
25.9%
Happy-hours/networking
18.5%
5. Which of these organizations would you be most interested to connect with?

Asian American Chamber of Commerce
44.4%
Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
11.1%
U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce
44.4%
U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce
0%
U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.
0%
40
6. Would you be interested in learning more about the benefits (e.g. networking
events, training workshops) that AACC has to offer?
Yes
88.2%
No
0%
Other
11.8%
7. What would be a motivation for you to consider becoming a member of an

organization like AACC?
Professional networking
58.8%
Business partnerships
35.3%
Skill training and development
29.4%
Access to talent-pool
17.6%
Access to market research data
29.4%
Other
0%
41
Appendix E: AACC Communications Audit
Channels
Social Media
Primary
Purpose
To build
awareness
and update on
events, news,
and trending
topics.
Key Audience
Key Message
Tone
Voice
Current
members,
Young
Professionals,
Business
Owners
Notifications
calls to action
and
reminders for
programs
Casual
Direct
Newsletter
To update on
events, news,
and trending
topics.
All
Email
To update on
events and
calendar
All
To announce
upcoming
project
Current
members,
Business
Owners,
Government
Representatives
Press Release
Website
To build
awareness
and update on
All
events, news,
and trending
topics.
Past event
highlights
member
spotlights
Formal
calls to action
and
community
news
Calls to action
and
reminders for Formal
upcoming
events
Direct
Direct
Announcing
AACC's new
initiative in
coming
months
Formal
Direct
AACC news,
information
about
members,
contact
information,
event
promotion,
calls to action
Formal
Direct
42
Committee
Meetings
Events
Online Ads
Blogs
Publications
Discuss
programs,
marketing,
and
operations
Promote
organization,
offer benefits
to
stakeholders,
bring
community
together
Promote
organization,
offer calls to
action
Engage
opinions and
discussions
Educate
audiences on
AACC
activities
Current
Members
Brainstorming
new program
Formal
ideas and
details
Direct
All
New program
to offer a
desired
benefit to
stakeholders
Formal
Direct
All
Promote
AACC brand
and programs
SemiFormal
Direct
All
Share stories
on AACC
Informal
achievements
Indirect
All
Research
reports and
information
Direct
Formal
43
Appendix F: Creative Materials

F.1: Newsletter Template
44
F.2: Sample Event Banner
45
F.3: Sample Job Description

Asian American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to support
the Asian-owned businesses within the DC metro area by shining the spotlight on them. We provide a
highly visible and accessible platform to promote collaborative efforts between Asian American
enterprises and the diverse body of professionals, investors, and organizations operating in similar
fields.
AACC is seeking a Digital Marketing Manager to help maintain and develop our digital presence
(i.e. website, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) these include managing and designing content as well
as brainstorming recommendations for growth opportunities. The manager will report directly to the
Chair of the Marketing & Communication Committee, Oanh Henry, and constant contact with whom
must be maintained to ensure progress.
Core Responsibilities:
Prepare social media posts on a weekly basis.
Manage/edit photos, videos, and other contents.
Build/update contact lists for both internal and external stakeholders (i.e. press).
Assist with creating promotional materials for events (e.g. flyers, banners etc.)
Compose and distribute bi-monthly electronic newsletters.
Maintain marketing calendar and reminders for important deadlines.
Update content on website and assist with periodical maintenance.
Requirements:
Considerable writing and vocabulary capacity in English.
Strong familiarity with social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter etc.).
Proficiency in Google Docs and MS Office Suite (Word and Excel a priority).
Attention to detail and interest in creative problem solving.
Positive attitude, team player, and a sense of humor is welcome.
Basic knowledge of graphic designing tools (i.e. Adobe Photoshop, InDesign etc.).
Optional but preferred:
Completed or working towards an undergraduate/graduate degree in Marketing,
Communications or relevant fields.
Functional understanding of content management systems (CMS) and social media analytics.
Video editing skills; e.g. Adobe Premiere Pro.
Website skills; knowledge of HTML and/or CSS.
Possess a driving license and need limited transportation assistance, especially during times of
events.
This is a paid position with a compensation rate of $10 per hour and will require a minimum
commitment of 30 hours per week. Deadline for application submissions is February 22, 2016.
Interested candidates need to email a cover letter and resume to ohenry@allegrafairfax.com
46
F.4: Sample Exhibitor Invitation
47
F.5: Sample Sponsorship Package
48
49
50
F.6: Sample Member Performance Chart

Member Performance Barometer
No. of
No. of
No. of
Engagement
Overall
Event
Name
Years as Successful Events
on Social
Score
Revenue Participation
Member Referrals Attended
Media
Committees
Rate of
worked on:
mentions in
20
2015: 80%
Oanh
5
3
30
$5,000
8/10
Henry
Executive
Blog
positions
contributions
held: 15
in 2015: 4
Committees
Rate of
worked on:
mentions in
10
2015: 30%
Robert
3
1
15
$2,500
6/10
Sherretta
Executive
Blog
positions
contributions
held: 3
in 2015: 1
Ranking Score: 1 (Poor) 10 (Optimum)
F.7: Sample Event ROI Calculations
Estimated Event Value

Total employees attending
Number of employees to
include in calculations.
Networking/exposure value
Calculate the dollar value

that attendees can expect.
Potential lead generations
Estimate the number of leads

that one on one interactions
can generate.
Discount for members
Estimated ROI
How much discount

members enjoy, used as an
incentive for recruitment.
Calculate the total dollar
value that company can
expect from event exposure.
51

Strategic Communications Plan 2016-17 For The Asian American Chamber of Commerce

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Strategic Communications Plan 2016-17 For The Asian American Chamber of Commerce

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Strategic Communications Plan 2016-17

Ali Iqbal Murshed

School of Continuing Studies,

United States Chamber of Commerce, Accreditation, Accessed: Oct. 14, 2015.

Decisions are generally influenced by peers, colleagues, supervisors

support to launch a new venture. Looking for mentors to help guide

Washington metro area than men. Coming from affluent

competitive but at the same time work well in teams. A report in

2014 stated that 87 percent of millennials donated money toward a

Viable channels to reach them would be social media, website,

Joie Tolosa is a Financial Analyst at GTT

from the Philippines, Joie graduated from

Georgetown University with a Bachelor's

fictitious and does

degree in Financial Management in 2011. After graduation she spent

not fully reflect a

two years working as a consultant at Booze Allen Hamilton before

Make decisions based on input from colleagues, employees,

promote business venture in a certain area. Require skills and

education degree. The focus is on Asian Americans but other

Tend to be confident about their decisions, are passionate,

Viable channels to reach them would be social media, emails,

newsletters, website, grassroots (e.g. phone calls), and live events

promotional effort if it aligns with their business goals. They form a

University, where she majored in

Decisions are guided by coworkers, supervisors, senior ranking

Belong to the age group between 25 and 65 years and possess a

higher education degree. Come from affluent backgrounds and have

also diplomatic and respectful of others. Harbor leadership capacity

Services for South Seattle Community College

Community College and as a tenured faculty at

Asian American Chamber of Commerce, AACC News, https://asian-americanchamber.org/news/aaccnews, Accessed: Oct.

Strategies & Tactics

Conduct a series of webinars to discuss trending business practices hosted by a

Host the BizMavens Leadership Forum, a daylong business plan competition in

Organize skill-building workshops on aspects of professional development, such as

Asian American Chamber of Commerce, AACC News, https://asian-americanchamber.org/news/aaccnews, Accessed: Oct.

Build pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn dedicated to representing a specific

Assemble a team of volunteers to assist community nonprofits with fundraisers that

Hire a Digital Marketing Manager, with experience in digital communication

Optimize the user experience and discoverability of the website by updating

Purchase mailing lists to send invitations based on targeted geographic and

Offer early-bird discounts as well as group discounts for same organization

Highlight a member with consistent contribution in the bi-monthly newsletter (refer

Key Publics: Business Owners

Create video testimonials, to be posted on social media and the website, of

Organize employment matchmaking events that encourage interaction between

Send reminders asking for written op-eds submissions to be featured on AACC

Organize a business matchmaking event for member business owners to interact

Organize an information table at every event for non-member attendees to gather

Key Publics: Government Representatives

Organize face-to-face sessions with government officials from relevant departments

Distribute invitations to foreign ambassadors and deputies and request their

Cost Per Unit

Members & Non-members

10 hrs for single event

2 persons working 35 hrs/week

3 person working 60 hrs/week

3 persons working 60 hrs/week

2 hrs/week for three week

Key Public Total

Members & Non-members

Strategy 1 Proliferate dialogue among Asian community and government.