North Carolina RFP For Marketing & Communications Plan
Proposal Due Date: March 9, 2023 2:00:00 PM ET
SPECIFICATIONS AND SCOPE OF WORK
5.1 GENERAL
The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) seeks an experienced strategic partner to co-lead the development of a five-year marketing and communications plan in alignment with the System’s new Strategic Plan that provides a framework and guide for statewide, regional, and national presence.
The Vendor will work directly with the System Communications Executive Director to develop a plan that guides marketing and communications priorities and strategies through 2028. The plan should include, but is not limited to, advertising and sponsorship strategies; strategic partnerships – including opportunities for data and resource sharing; brand identity and positioning; market and industry priorities; social media, traditional media, and content marketing; and identify five-year goals and year-by-year success metrics.
In addition to the System Strategic Plan, the statewide marketing and communications plan should speak to the System’s approach to support enrollment growth at the 58 community colleges and to the State’s commitment to preparing two million North Carolinians with high-quality credentials by 2030.
The Vendor will be required to meet with senior leadership of the North Carolina Community College System, members of the State Board of Community College members and
North Carolina Community College Foundation, and additional strategic partners as requested by NCCCS. Following the development of the plan, the Vendor will present the findings, goals, and strategies to the State Board of Community Colleges and North Carolina Community College Foundation at a public meeting.
The proposal should include the following with itemized price as appropriate: the number of partnering hours, recommended approach to research and discovery needs, analysis of key competitors, a description of strategic marketing development approach, any software or other specialized tools for research or market comparison, and production and presentation of the plan.
5.2 TASKS/DELIVERABLES
The Vendor shall provide the following:
• Assess previous marketing and communications initiatives through partnering and strategy workshops with the System Communications Team;
• Coordinate with NCCCS leadership to develop statewide marketing goals and key performance indicators with
a focus on raising the profile of North Carolina community colleges, improving residents’ perception of
community college offerings, and driving enrollment growth to the 58 colleges;
• Conduct approved research and discovery efforts to inform a five-year plan, including review of recent
advertising campaign performances and System surveys;
• Meet with NCCCS senior leadership to assess opportunities, challenges, and priorities;
• Engage North Carolina Community College Presidents for input and feedback via meeting or survey;
• Draft and develop a five-year statewide marketing and communications plan that drives marketing and
communications strategies and advertising spend, focuses marketing priority to targeted audiences, and
provides a framework for additional future marketing and communications strategies;
o The plan should include, but is not limited to, advertising and sponsorship strategies; opportunities for
strategic partnerships – including data and resource sharing partner recommendations; brand identity
and positioning strategy; personas of key target audiences; market and industry priorities; social media,
traditional media, and content marketing strategies; and identify five-year goals, key performance
indicators, and year-by-year success metrics.
o The plan must reflect and speak to the diverse audiences and state regions as well as incorporate
strategies that reflect differing access to media,
• Develop and present the plan to the State Board of Community Colleges and North Carolina Community College Foundation.
5.3 PROJECT ORGANIZATION
Vendor shall describe the organizational and operational structure it proposes to utilize for the work described in this RFP and identify the responsibilities to be assigned to each person Vendor proposes to staff the work.
5.4 TECHNICAL APPROACH
Vendor’s proposal shall include, in narrative, outline, and/or graph form the Vendor’s approach to accomplishing the tasks outlined in the Scope of Work section of this RFP. A description of each task and deliverable and the schedule for accomplishing each shall be included.
