Sample Tools for LMOP Outreach

Many of the tools presented here provide samples for you to use or adapt for your organization, or they can serve as a springboard for your own outreach ideas.

Select the type of tools you'd like to check out:

Marketing Tools Media Tools Helpful Information Index of Samples  Marketing Tools The marketing tools listed below can help you get the word out about the environmental and economic benefits of your landfill gas (LFG) energy project and your commitment to renewable energy. Marketing efforts often include two types: "external promotions" for the community and general public, and "internal promotions" for your organization's employees (including management), customers, energy users, and shareholders. It's a good idea to conduct internal promotional activities within your organization before undertaking external promotions for the public. External promotions are generally higher profile, and are best done after your staff is aware of your LFG energy project, the project is well underway, and you feel comfortable with the project's progress. Marketing activities can include events, such as presentations and site tours, and written communications, such as advertisements, posters and newsletters. Select some of the topics below for ideas on internal and external promotions.

Toolkit Home Communicating the Benefits of Landfill Gas Energy Projects Promoting Your LMOP Participation Sample Tools for LMOP Outreach Feedback Form

• Invitations
• Talking Points for Presentations, Speeches, and Briefings
• Process Illustration
• Checklists for Groundbreakings, Ribbon Cuttings, and Site Tours

For LMOP Partners and Endorsers (Note: password needed to access these tools.)

• Advertisements and Posters
• LMOP Logos
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Brochures and Flyers

Other ways to market your LFG energy project include:

Periodic Reports. Shareholders and associates will appreciate the image- and community-relations building generated by including information on your project's renewable energy products and your LMOP participation in organizational reports.

Tabletop Displays and Booths. Showcase your LFG energy project by creating a display to take to community events, county fairs, and sidewalk sales. Use the opportunity to show off not only your well managed landfill, but also the benefits that come from the LFG energy project. Booths and other displays need not be expensive — some photographs of your project tacked to a piece of cloth are all that you need. If you feel like creating a more elaborate display, you can purchase a standing or tabletop display from a display company and create laminated posters with velcro backing to hang on it.

The size of your display is something you want to consider. Will you travel long distances with it? Do you want something easy to set up and dismantle? To what kinds of events will you be bringing it? A display company in your area can help you answer these questions and guide you in the right direction.

Web Sites. Using the Internet to promote your project can help you reach a wider audience. Your Web site can provide up-to-date information about your project's development and its contribution to pollution prevention. Consider creating a virtual site tour to encourage visitors to learn more about your project. You might want to include a link to the LMOP Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/lmop to help answer any other questions the community might have about LFG.

 Media Tools

Accurate and succinct information provided to media contacts improves your chances of securing media interest in your event or project. Also remember that working cooperatively with reporters will help gain greater access to the general public and help ensure that your project is represented accurately. Here are some tools for maximizing media interest in your LFG energy project:

• Press Releases
• Media Releases
• Newsletter Articles

Other ways to get your message to the media include:

• Follow Up with Reporters. It is up to you to call the reporter to whom you sent your media materials to offer your help in answering any questions. The reporter may then want to interview you to obtain additional information. Your expertise gives the story credibility, and the reporter gets first-hand access to the facts. Before your phone call or interview, review Holding Successful Interviews for tips on working with reporters.
  
  
• Media Kits. Faced with demanding deadlines, reporters may pass up potential news stories that are interesting but are not packaged in an easy-to-use way. By doing much of the preparation work for them, you make their job easier and give your project a better chance of grabbing their attention. Consider developing a media kit that provides a reporter with the elements needed to create a story, including basic information, such as name, event date, and the benefits of LFG. Be sure to include the name of a contact person that the reporter can call for more information, and send the kit to a specific person, such as the community reporter, events section editor, or an environmental reporter. Consider including photographs in your media kit, if available, and the name of your EPA LMOP territory manager as a reliable source of background facts.

 Helpful Information

You want to be prepared when you approach your media contacts, make presentations, or respond to customer requests; the information here can help you.

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Introduction Letter
• Talking Points

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