Project Manager: Garrett Wood Marketing Director: Alexandra Koehler

Media Director: Miles Brown Creative Directors: Taylor Turner & Kaylee Polo

BUS 495-Professor Claudia Kimbrough April 30, 2014

   

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ................................................................ 3 Marketing Team Strategy ........................................................ 4-10 Background & Research ................................................. 4-5 T-Shirt Proof .................................................................... 6 Cooper & Bailey’s ............................................................ 7 Networking Events .......................................................... 8 Moore Forward Live! ....................................................... 9 Sales Pitch Presentation ................................................. 10

References ...................................................................... 10 Creative Strategy ..................................................................... 11-16 Slogan Description .......................................................... 11 Note Card ........................................................................ 12 Moore Forward Flyer ....................................................... 12 Commercial ..................................................................... 13-14 Promotional Video ........................................................... 14 Spotlight Videos .............................................................. 15 Colors and Fonts ............................................................. 16 Social Media Strategy ............................................................. 17-23 Social Media Research Initiative ..................................... 17-18 Increased Likes/Followers ............................................... 19 Hootsuite Account ........................................................... 19 Posting List ...................................................................... 20-21 Social Media Tutorial ....................................................... 21-23 Press Kit .......................................................................... 23 Information on Moore Forward ........................................ 24-29

 

   

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Executive Summary

There is no denying that entrepreneurism is growing at a tremendous pace in North Carolina. This is especially true in the Triangle. It’s changing not only the way business is done but it’s creating an entirely new way of life. This has made the Triangle a hub for innovation and others from around the North Carolina are noticing.

One of the organizations that has taken notice is the Moore Forward initiative based

out of Pinehurst, North Carolina. Moore Forward’s mission is to become a hub for entrepreneurs and be an agent of change for their community. They aim to make Moore County a place that welcomes entrepreneurs and contributes to their success. The problem they now face is simply finding a way to accomplish their mission. This is where our Business 495 class came into the picture. Throughout the semester we worked with Marybeth Sandell to try and formulate a way to accomplish Moore Forward’s mission.

There were many questions or issues that needed to be answered and addressed

when we first approached this problem. We were able to condense these into four main questions. These questions were:

• Who is our audience and how do we reach them? • How do we grow an online presence? • What kind of programming should we do? • Who should we be talking to at the universities and the community at large?

Using these questions as the starting point, we developed a strategy that we felt

answered these questions and moved Moore forward into a position of future success. This strategy included creating and implementing:

• Organizational positioning • Target identification • Market research • Physical marketing collateral • Social media tutorial • Creative recommendations • Event planning

   

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Marketing Team Strategy

Background When Moore Forward was introduced to us, Marybeth Sandell was the first person to ever work for the program. Moore Forward advocates for entrepreneurship by providing motivated innovators financing, networking, and mentoring support through sponsorships. Beyond that, Moore Forward hosts seminars and networking events to connect beginning start-up entrepreneurs with experienced and successful start-up business entrepreneurs. Their future is based on connecting entrepreneurs to create partnerships. That in turn will have the members collaborate new ideas to foster economic development and grow an established business climate in Moore County. Research

Before we sat down to further go over Moore Forward, we did preliminary research. We looked up who was in the community (complete demographics) as well as what was in the community (current businesses, educational opportunities, etc.). We wanted to correctly match up the vision of the current members of Moore County with our target market. Research helped us discover groups such as Moore Young Professionals and as well as the local “hot spots” where community members go.

When we started focusing on our target market for Moore Forward, we could not effectively define our target market(s). We went back and forth on which group we should focus our marketing efforts on. We constantly were struggling on who this target market was. And then once we identified them, we would strategize how we were going to effectively reach this target market. However, we kept going back and forth and changing our target market. From there, we decided to split up and take trips down to Moore County. We hit every town and reported back. After this trip, we all had a better understanding of the town and community.

This trip was beyond beneficial. We visually saw Moore County and gained a sense of what the community was like. We wanted to know what the community valued and what the current residents’ goals were for the future. Our mission was to market Moore Forward to potential entrepreneurs. However, the entrepreneurs needed to be in line with what the community wanted. After this trip, we were able to understand what the community was like, who the community consisted of, and where the community had the potential and goal to be in the future.

Further research helped us pinpoint details about the community as a whole. We were able to create a sales pitch that promoted Moore Forward as a program as well as Moore County. By learning about the residents in the area, we were able to develop flyers and coordinate a networking event that supported local businesses in the area.

Our research further consisted of interviews with local business owners. We asked owners about the success and struggles of opening a new business as well as the future plans for the business. One interview conducted was with the owner Cooper & Baileys

   

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where we acquired more knowledge about the process and struggles of being an entrepreneur. Moore Forward is looking at alternative marketing campaigns within Moore County. Advertising with t-shirts not only provides Moore Forward with walking billboards, but also provides the person wearing them with a conversation starter. Advertising with t-shirts is very cost effective, providing many views per $10.00 shirt compared to billboards, where advertising costs would be high. These t-shirts are also multi-functional; they could use them at any event that Moore Forward sponsors as giveaways and prizes. Our team came up with the theme on the t-shirt by matching phrases that Moore Forward already uses. These phrases, “Ahn-truh-pruh-nur” and “Play It Forward” both came from Marybeth’s business cards and match the overall theme conveyed by Moore Forward.                                                                  

   

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T-Shirt Proof

Moore Forward is looking at alternative marketing campaigns within Moore County. Advertising with

t-shirts not only provides Moore Forward with walking billboards, but also provides the person

wearing them with a conversation starter. Advertising with t-shirts is very cost effective,

providing many views for about $10.00 per shirt compared to billboards, where advertising costs

would be high. These t-shirts are also multi-functional; they could use them at any event that

Moore Forward sponsors as giveaways and prizes. Our team came up with the theme on the t-shirt by matching phrases that Moore Forward

already uses. These phrases, “Ahn-truh-pruh-nur” and “Play It Forward” both came from Marybeth’s business cards and match the overall theme conveyed by Moore Forward.

         

   

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Cooper & Bailey’s

                   

                                                     

Meghan Davis, owner of Cooper & Baileys, is an entrepreneur in Pinehurst, NC. She launched her clothing boutique in the summer 2013. She recently opened up a physical location in Pinehurst to promote her company throughout the upcoming US Open Golf Tournaments. However, this store location is a temporary lease, and she has hopes to re-locate her boutique in Charleston, SC.  

Interviewing local business owners was one of the most effective ways we gained insight about entrepreneurs in the area. We learned about the challenges that the owners faced opening their store, what they wished they had known while opening the store, the resources that would have benefited them during the process, and their future plans and goals for their business. Cooper and Bailey’s was the most formal interview we conducted. The other interviews were asking the owners simple questions and engaging in conversation while we were in Moore County. To gain further knowledge of what entrepreneurs in the area are like, interviews are crucial so future plans for Moore Forward meet the desired outcome for the community.

   

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Networking Events  

We propose to schedule a networking event every other month.

Agenda Format

!! 5:30-5:45 Check-in !! 5:50-6:00 Icebreaker !! 6:05-6:20 Presentation !! 6:20-6:30 Q&A !! 6:30-7:30 Networking, Eating and Drinking Possible Icebreakers !! Believe it or Not: Have a small sheet with several facts about Moore County (some

true and some false) after everyone has had a chance to look over them see how many people know their facts!

!! Question of the Night: You could do this for a number of events but at the check in table have a specific question and then the attendees are supposed to go find out others’ answers.

!! Birds of a Feather: At meetings and training events, most people tend to cluster with the people they already know. This is designed to mix your group up and challenge them to come up with as many things that they have in common.

!! Art Director: In this engaging activity, half the group gives directions while the other half draws. After have a discussion about communication and how to improve it in any business situation.

!! Pocket Scavenger Hunt: Put attendees into small teams and have them scavenge to find the normal and not-so-normal items compiled on a list they receive at the beginning (lipstick, pencil, etc).

MOORE  FORWARD  LIVE!  SERIES    

COLLECT   CREATE     COLLABORATE  

   

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Moore Forward Live!

On April 23, 2014, Garret, Miles, Taylor, and Alexandra presented to a group of 41 business professionals our semester work on Moore Forward. Garrett was able to intrigue the audience to want to learn about who Moore Forward is, what the organization plans to do to benefit Moore County, and the future goals and desired outcomes for Moore Forward.

The directors were able to elaborate on the marketing plan for Moore Forward. Alexandra went over the traditional marketing outlets from a sales pitch presentation, t-shirt proof (that was able to be printed and displayed at the event), and the planning of an event that brought together the desired entrepreneurs and members of the community to collaborate on ideas and network. Also, the market research that was conducted was discussed, such as interviews and web-based research of Moore County.

Miles discussed a newer form of marketing, social media. From Twitter to Facebook to Hootsuite, these marketing strategies required a thorough explanation since they are so new to marketing and many people have not engaged their business in these outlets before. However, Miles was able to convince many members of the audience of the growing social media market and how critical it was for businesses to participate in this marketing scheme.

Taylor addressed the creative marketing for a business. He explained the importance of engaging in these social media outlets and now was the best time because these channels will not always remain free. The visual aspect of marketing is critical to businesses and the changing dynamics of the market is people want to see a visual display opposed to reading an article. Taylor showed the video his team created on YouTube, which also showed how easy and accessible these videos were for consumers to access on this social media channel.

The event engaged the audience to want to learn more about the new ways to market their business. Many people were so intrigued they asked for us to send them our PowerPoint presentation. Further, the newspaper The Pilot created an article for our presentation on Moore Forward.

   

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Sales Pitch Presentation

We created two versions of a sales pitch for Moore Forward. This is a great tool to use to present to potential donors, mentors, and entrepreneurs. The first presentation created focuses on how Moore Forward can benefit a new entrepreneur on expanding their business, and what particular services they can offer. This particular pitch could be used to present to entrepreneurs aspiring to become members of Moore Forward. The second presentation focuses on what Moore Forward does in their community. This presentation could be used on Moore Forward’s website to aid visitors in better understanding Moore Forward’s place in the community.    

References

It is vital for entrepreneurs to build strong relationships with surrounding organizations and individuals. A list of references is provided with influential people around North Carolina. These individuals can be used as mentors for entrepreneurs, public speakers for events, and/or donors for financial needs. References can offer ideas, alternate point of views and insight to various topics. Many of these names are currently located in Raleigh, North Carolina and are experienced entrepreneurs. These individuals can be used to shorten the learning curve by using their past experiences and advice.  

           

   

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Creative Strategy

The purpose of Moore Forward’s advertising campaign is to convince our target audience, entrepreneurs between the ages of 30-50 years old, that Moore County is the right place to start their business. The things that appeal to our target market are a sense of community, personal value, and high quality of life. We wanted to create an aesthetically pleasing campaign to reflect positively upon Moore County so when people saw our means of advertising they were drawn to the area.

We have created a visual style that appeals to the young professionals that Moore Forward desires without alienating the older audience currently in Moore County. Through our creative activities, we have accentuated the qualities of the Sandhills area that appeal to the entrepreneurial target market.

SLOGAN DESCRIPTION

We chose to make the slogan “Connect.Create.Collaborate” because it is simple and explanatory. The three C’s create a nice ring and the words concisely describe the function of Moore Forward. The logo we have created to accompany the slogan encompassing the fundamentals behind the slogan. The logo allows people to get a general understanding of what Moore Forward is at a glance, without reading into the description.

• Connect - Moore Forward connects entrepreneurs with investors facilitating the transition of ideas to realities.

• Create - Moore Forward stimulates creativity and innovation by providing an environment where unique ideas can succeed.

• Collaborate - Moore Forward encourages the sharing of ideas and strategies among professionals to create a supportive business community where mentors provide encouragement and advice to eager entrepreneurs.

   

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NOTE CARD

We have created a notecard that can be mailed to prospective organizations or

potential entrepreneurs to generate awareness about Moore Forward and what it is they do. The notecard contains the slogan “Connect.Create.Collaborate.” and a brief description of what that means. The notecard also contains contact information so any interested persons can reach Moore Forward to find out more. The notecard will also be convenient to hand out at any conventions or meetings as an innovative type of business card.

MOORE FORWARD LIVE FLYER

This flyer will be used to hand out at local school or post around town to raise awareness of upcoming Moore Forward Live events. The flyer contains a brief description of the event to generate interest and encourage viewers to attend. We chose to change the name of the event from “First Thursdays” to “Moore Forward Live!” to create a more adaptable and exciting event. By removing the previous name, the event can now be held on any day of the week during any week of the

month instead of restricting it to the first Thursday of the month. We chose “Moore Forward Live!” to give the event a more lively, up-to-date feel. We believe this name will catch the attention of a younger crowd.

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!!! !

MOORE FORWARD LIVE! APRIL 23, 2014 CONNECT&|&CREATE&|&COLLABORATE&Moore%Forward%Live!%is%the%first%of%a%series%of%exciting%networking%events%for%business%professionals%in%the%Moore%County%area.%%

You% are% invited% to% come% listen% to% our% keynote% speakers% and%connect,%create,%and%collaborate%with%each%other%along%with%some%of%our%younger%business%professionals%who%are%seeking%advice.%%

Join%us%for%this%exciting%networking%opportunity!!!

!

! CONNECT WITH MOORE COUNTY PROFESSIONALS

!

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

!

SPEED NETWORKING

!

FOOD AND DRINK

PROVIDED

!

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Moore Forward

@MooreForward #MooreForwardLive

! HOMEWOOD

SUITES 250!Central!Park!

Avenue!Pinehurst,!NC!28374!

www.mooreforward.org!

5:30!pC7!p!Wednesday,!April!23rd!

!

!

   

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Commercial

When the resources are available we believe a commercial would be extremely

beneficial to Moore Forward. This commercial could be used at a State level, generating a buzz amongst young entrepreneurs in the Carolina’s. Here is the storyboard for a potential commercial:

   

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This video displays the diversity amongst entrepreneurs that Moore Forward desires. Moore Forward will be able to create a sense of safety between entrepreneurs and its economic environment. We want people to feel confident about bringing their “precious” idea to a rural area, reassuring clients that economic growth is probable.

Promotional Video

This is a standard promotional video that should be used across social media. It describes what Moore Forward does and why Moore County should be a destination for aspiring entrepreneurs. By using pictures from current Moore County entrepreneurs Moore Forward legitimizes the economic growth and creates pride amongst the community. When more pictures are available the video can be updated and improved.

   

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SPOTLIGHT VIDEOS

Spotlight videos are short informational videos spotlighting different successful

entrepreneurs in Moore County. These will be used to encourage potential entrepreneurs to open their business in a place with the potential for success. These videos would be posted on YouTube to create a presence on an additional social medium. These videos could also be posted on the Moore Forward website to add content and first-hand testimonies.

Ideally, these videos would not be interviews. We envisioned the owner of the business talking to the camera about their business while showing action shots of the business and any daily routines.

Since talking to a camera can be awkward, we created a list of questions that you can give to the business owners prior to meeting so they have time to think about what they want to say and an idea of the direction we would like the video to follow. If they are less fluent, you can also ask these questions in between filming to stimulate their conversation.

• Explain their company (purpose, main idea) • Anything that makes them unique • Things they do differently than most companies in their industry • Company values (what they are built on) • Any steps they have taken since day 1 that have helped them succeed • What growth they have seen • Why they chose Moore County • How Moore County has place an important role in their business’ success • Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

Here is an example spotlight video from Bull City Forward. This is the feeling we would like for the videos to have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0E33WewSbM Here is a list of companies that we think would serve as an interesting representation of the entrepreneurism in Moore County.

• Rail House Brewery (Contact: Mike Ratkowski mike@railhousebrewery.com) • K2 Solutions (Contact: Lane Kjellsen –assistant email: kgarner@k2si.com) • Tarheel Communications Solutions (Contact: Peter Stilwell

peterstilwell@tarheelcommunications.com) • Spartan Knives • Meridian Zero • Southern Pines Yoga Co. • Cup of Flow

 

   

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Colors and Fonts

               We chose these colors because they are gender neutral and can be used to tastefully appeal to members of each generation. These colors should be used in every piece of promotional material. By using the same colors consistently, people will more easily remember the Moore Forward name and brand. These fonts should be used:  Franklin Gothic Medium Verdana  Corbel  Mostra Nuova AltB  These are the fonts that we used throughout our advertisements. We chose them because they have a clean, professional look. These fonts complement each other nicely and can be used together to add variety within the works without adding chaos or taking away from the value of the content. We recommend that any future works requiring text use these fonts to create unity among all of the Moore Forward promotional materials.

   

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Social Media Team Strategy

The team began as a media team and during the process we adjusted our focus into a social media team. We took this approach due to resource constraints and the immediate needs of Moore Forward.

We found that not only did Moore Forward need to improve the content of their online postings, but needed to grow their online audience significantly. We initiated the process of building connections and reaching out to relevant parties through social media.

We implemented growth strategies across multiple social media outlets. We developed goals and provided tailored methods for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and utilizing Hootsuite to manage these accounts.

We recorded the practices and strategies in tutorials for each social media outlet. Coupled with examples from each and a sample calendar to help guide future use of the social media sites that we worked with.

One of the toughest hurdles in this area is dealing with the slow speed of organic growth. In a field where immediate results and communication are everywhere the patience to develop genuine growth can be hard to deal with, but will produce a much more sound social media foundation on which to build.

Social Media Research Initiative

The team began by researching comparable programs both locally and nationally to identify key numbers and best practices. These programs were chosen to capture a

   

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sample of organizations of different sizes in multiple environments who all share similar missions. By studying a variety of social media methods used by each to create and grow an online presence we were better able to craft a social media plan for Moore Forward. By studying these programs’ social media presence we were better able to create appropriate goals and develop methods to attain these.

The programs that we conducted case studies on:

! Bull City Forward ! Queen City Forward ! The Start Up Factory - Durham ! HQ Raleigh ! STARTUP New Mexico ! Alabama Launchpad

Our research revealed that Moore Forward’s biggest hurdle was size. Without a large

audience of like-minded individuals and organizations even the best content will fail to make a large impact in the social media environment. Based on our observations from the case studies we established goals for Moore Forward’s future online growth and ideal social media size for each outlet.

   

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Increased # of Likes/Followers

The Media teams first efforts to increase the amount of likes and followers for Moore Forwards social media pages, was to connect with local businesses and organization in Moore County on both Twitter and Facebook. We began by dividing Moore County and surrounding areas into 5 sections, Moore County, Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen, Carthage, Fort Bragg. We also connected with other entrepreneurial organizations within North Carolina. This allowed Moore Forward name to be exposed beyond the county’s borders. In total we followed 73+ Facebook accounts and 100+ Twitter. Another way the teams worked to gain likes and followers for Moore Forward, is by executing a ticket give away campaign. Any account that liked, followed, shared or retweeted any content posted by Moore Forward, was entered into a drawing to win two tickets to a local car show in Pinehurst in May. This initiative created a lot of buzz around Moore Forwards pages as well as gained multiple followers.

Hootsuite Account

A great tool for Moore Forward to use is Hootsuite because it works to consolidate all of your social media platforms into one site. Hootsuite will serve as an efficient website that will allow one employee at Moore Forward to control all social media sites. With this effective tool you are able to schedule posting for weeks to months in advance. For example an employee can spend one work day, to build content for an entire month for your organization. Another plus for using Hootsuite is one is able access this website on mobile devices via App Store and Google Plus. In addition, with Hootsuite your account receives free reports, with graphs to show number of clicks per day, top referrers and geographic data of followers.

Recommended uses:

   

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! Daily/Weekly/Monthly updates ! Countdown to a specific event or deadline ! Scheduling posts during holidays/out of office time ! Posting to multiple accounts simultaneously ! Calendar of upcoming posts help you see the spacing of your posts ! Tracking social media mentions, shares, retweets, and new followers

Posting List

Monday – Shark Tank Related Posts

Tuesday – Concours Ticket Giveaway - Like, Comment, and Share this post about the Sandhills Shark Tank

Wednesday – Moore County Business - Check out this awesome article about a local Moore County business!

Thursday – Shark Tank Related Posts - Reminder that the Shark Tank entrepreneur competition is Wednesday, April 2nd!

Friday – #ForwardFridays

   

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- A team of NC State marketing students are helping promote Moore Forward throughout their Spring semester! Check out this blog ___ - Check out our website for blog updates about local #MooreCounty businesses!

Suggested #Hashtag List

#SandhillsSharkTank #EntrepreneurCompetition

#Concoursd’Elegance #MooreCountyCars

#MooreForwardGiveaway #MooreForward #MooreCounty

#MooreBusiness #MooreCommunity

#MooreSuccess #SandhillsSharkTank

#startup #entrepreneurship

#innovation #competition

#NCSU #marketing

#collaboration

Social Media Tutorial

Twitter: 140 characters is the total amount of characters you can use to compose a Tweet. However, you do not need to use all 140 characters in a tweet. You want to make sure there is enough space for others to retweet and include your handle. Not only does Twitter help companies with promotion but it also has the ability to promote other accounts thanks to the “re-tweet” button. It is a key tool that Moore Forward can utilize to promote surrounding businesses and events.

· It would be ideal to set up a regular cadence of tweeting so that followers know when they are going to get updates form the company. For Moore Forward, it would be good to post tweets prior to events and daily tweets. Since Moore Forward promotes

   

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entrepreneurship and innovation, quotes about those types of companies is a good idea. Engagement rate doubles when tweets are published during the day (8AM - 7PM).

· 97% of the world’s largest brands are tweeting on average 30 times per week. Usually, Saturdays and Sundays may have a higher engagement rate, as that is when most people are not at work. For Moore Forward a daily basis would be ideal. The more tweets displayed on the account, the more times it will appear on peoples’ feed.

·

Facebook: Over 1 billion users all over the world use Facebook. It has the ability to provide articles, videos, special offers, contests, etc. Facebook will allow Moore Forward to test and see how many people are willing to participate in an event. Just like Twitter the posts will be synchronized and delivered at the same time through Hootsuite. After every event it is good to post an album containing all the pictures of the participants. There is no better way to attract people than by pictures.

LinkedIn: This is the number one professional social media tool. Almost 260 million business professionals all around the world use LinkedIn. They generally use it while seeking for new business opportunities. Sharing information, recommended articles, sponsored updates; companies’ pages has never been so easy.

Moore Forward can connect to businesses around Moore County and in the U.S. It can help people interested in the company build a portfolio of professional connections. LinkedIn also has the ability to target everyone (follower or non-follower) based on a set of criteria that would be chosen by Moore Forward. It is the perfect tool for Moore Forward to expand and tailor its network since it has the “who viewed your profile” section.

We suggest that Marybeth use her personal account to post interesting happenings and link back to Moore Forward. Also, join entrepreneurial groups, Moore County related groups, and NC business groups. If you have a chance to identify some of these, even better! Post updates to these groups periodically. You can also use LinkedIn to identify and introduce yourself and Moore Forward to business professionals and investors.

   

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Every event that is organized can be uploaded into their LinkedIn profile under the “Recent Update” section; which will allow other companies to be up to date with Moore Forward. The posts should not be as frequent as Twitter and Facebook however, Moore Forward should engage its colleagues by using a LinkedIn “follow” button in email signatures of employees in order to attract more followers. Moore Forward can also use the “share” button in company press releases, articles and other marketing content

Hootsuite: This tool is used to manage multiple social media accounts. Hootsuite allows you to schedule future posts and present your content on a single outlet (only Twitter for example) or across multiple platforms (sending the same message out to Twitter followers and on your Facebook). It is flexible and your accounts can be updated or changed at any time to delete or add posts.

Hootsuite should be used to schedule the foundation of your social media presence with more generic posts, countdowns, and recurring themes. You will need to monitor future news articles, live updates, and mentions. These activities will require having an eye on your social media accounts but with Hootsuite the time you will have to devote to upkeep of your online presence will be greatly reduced by having the foundation established.

Press Kit

This Press Kit will show you the presence of Moore County on the Web through

publications, articles and press releases. Check out how Moore Forward is helping

individuals and young professionals to “Connect, Create & Collaborate”. This Press kit is a

package that contains:

• Information on Moore Forward

• Service Information and Review

   

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• Press Publications and Aricles

• Press Release

   

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Information on Moore Forward

Moore Forward is an organization dedicated to promoting an opportunity and outlining the details of a multi-faceted social entrepreneurship initiative in the Moore County region. Since May 2012, Moore Forward has worked with Moore County’s Chamber of Commerce, Partners for Progress, Sandhills Community and many more dedicated stakeholders in order to promote this cause.

Moore Forward aims to attract creative minds interested in entrepreneurship and

innovation. It is dedicated to promoting innovation across multiple industries such as agribusiness, schools, technology and military. Our communities’ locations, also near major military research and agriculture hubs foster a variety of independent but interconnected initiatives. Our team is composed of professionals with different backgrounds. Their knowledge and experience in a variety of fields is tremendous resource to entrepreneurs in many industries. Here is a list of some of them:

" Dr. Aaron Spence – Chairman & Superintendent, Moore County Public Schools

" Hugh Bingham – Senior Vice President, First Bank district

" Pat Corso – Executive Director, Moore County Partners in Progress

" Patrick Coughlin – President, Moore County Chamber

" Dr. John Dempsey – President, Sandhills Community College

" Anita Holt – Strategy Consultant

" Gerhard Renner – Scale Finance

" Jeremy Reynolds – Co-Founder, Tangram Media, Inc.

" Matt West – Founder, Intangibles, LLC

" Fenton Wilkinson – Integrity Systems & Efficient Feast initiative

" David Woronoff – Publisher, The Pilot

" Marybeth Sandell — Executive Director & Financial media specialist

   

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Service Information and Review

Moore Forward strives to support innovation throughout the community at all stages in life. We accomplish this by organizing events throughout the year and here are some of them: Community Fellowships

o Setting up two Fellowships for Moore County residents with innovative business ideas

o Provide financial support as well as education and mentoring support during a pre-determined period

o Create a network of professionals for the participants

Up Start o Creating entrepreneurial classes and work space in Moore County’s public

schools o Reward the best ideas through competition at the annual Entrepreneur Expo.

Events & Networking

o Creating a “Shark Tank” competition for local students entrepreneurs o Designing a monthly “First Thursday” gathering to discuss experiences and

environment for local entrepreneurs

   

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Press Publications and Articles Sandhills Tribune

   

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Moore County – Partners in Progress

   

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Press Release

Moore Forward challenges local entrepreneurs!

More Forward, the local organization that is based in Moore County decided to organize a new event for the Entrepreneurs Summit in 2014. The new Sandhills Shark Tank competition will showcase aspiring entrepreneurs in Moore County.

Caddell and Kelly to Speak at “Shark Tank Sandhills”. To look for the right person to

speak at an event like the upcoming Entrepreneurial Summit and the “Shark Tank Sandhills” competition at Sandhills Community College, what do you look for? Clearly, one must look for the “entrepreneurial spirit.” Organizers for the event to be held on April 2 have found that spirit in keynote choices Larry Caddell and Scott Kelly.

Scott Kelly Larry R. Caddell

   

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