Executive Summary
Coral Vita is a nonprofit organization in the Bahamas. Its mission is to restore the world’s dying coral reefs. This organization uses land-based coral farms to quickly grow diverse corals that are more resilient against ocean warming and acidification. It offers large-scale reef restoration as a service to clients who benefit from healthy reefs, including resorts, hotels, government and marine park managers, reef restoration organizations and more.
Its top three strengths include its unique approach to the reef restoration process that helps it stand out from the competition; the land-based approach is more cost-effective than having nurseries in the water; and the ability to offer more diverse coral varieties that might have more difficult time growing in ocean-based nurseries.
Its three main marketing objectives are to grow as a service for resorts, hotels and governments; grow as a supplier to other coral restoration groups; and increase independent funding through donations and merchandise sales. Its marketing goals include generating high-quality leads, establishing industry authority, and increasing brand awareness with its target audiences: ocean resorts and hotel general managers, coral restoration nonprofit founders, and Coral Vita visitors and donors.
The content types most effective for these target audiences would be an ebook, blog posts, infographics, videos, newsletters, direct marketing and social media channels. The best channels for these content types would include the Coral Vita website and blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, newsletters and direct marketing via email, phone calls/video calls and in-person meetings.
1. Marketing Objectives
Organization Background
Coral Vita is a nonprofit organization based in the Bahamas. Its mission is to restore the world’s dying coral reefs. This organization uses high-tech, land-based coral farms to quickly grow diverse corals that are more resilient against ocean warming and acidification. The organization offers large-scale reef restoration as a service to clients who benefit from healthy reefs, including resorts and hotels, government and marine park managers, other reef restoration organizations and more.
Team members gather diverse coral samples and use micro-fragmentation techniques to grow more reef pieces in land-based farms. Scientists can use assisted evolution techniques to grow coral that can withstand higher temperatures and increased acidification. Team members then can outplant these corals into degraded reefs with the aim of restoring reefs and those ecosystems.
Some internal business factors that impact Coral Vita include deciding which corals to grow, growing enough coral to support the various clients they obtain, hiring the staff to assist in gaining clients and growing coral, obtaining funding to support the budget, and having the technology necessary to have land-based coral farms.
Some external business factors that impact Coral Vita include clients’ willingness to fund the reef restoration, the human impact that is driving reef degradation, and population’s interest in what the organization is doing.
Some examples of its competition are Coral Gardeners, Reef Restoration Foundation, Living Reefs Foundation, Reef Renewal Bonaire, and Reefolution. However, the majority of coral farming projects use ocean-based nurseries, rather than land-based nurseries. Additionally, many are focused on local restoration efforts, having volunteers assist in the process, and getting funding from grants, while Coral Vita is interested in large-scale growing, acting as a supplier of coral, and getting funding from clients who would benefit from restoration.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
- Unique approach to the reef restoration process; helps it stand out from the competition.
- Land-based approach is more cost-effective than having nurseries in the water.
- Nurseries not based in the ocean allow the company to have more diverse coral that might have more difficult time growing in ocean-based nurseries.
- Land-based nurseries also means employees, volunteers, guests, investors and other interested parties have easier access to see the site, rather than having to SCUBA dive.
- Providing coral farming as a service to resorts, governments and more means not needing to rely on grants.
Weaknesses:
- The company is dependent on organizations hiring them for the service, which means hiring team members focused on those sales opportunities.
- Because Coral Vita is unique in its land-based approach, the organization needs to find its own path without possibly benefiting from the experience from other organizations.
- Some volunteers might be more interested in alternative organizations that offer diving experiences, so it might be harder to find volunteers.
- The website is a bit unclear about what they do, and it takes navigating to multiple pages to get a full picture of the organization.
- No public data on production, restoration, clints, etc., could lead to lack of trust.
- Inconsistent social media presence.
Opportunities:
- Growing interest in coral farming and global push from environmental groups to preserve and restore coral affected by the climate crisis and human impacts.
- Ability to have more diverse coral options to increase diversity of reefs means other coral groups might be interested in using Coral Vita as a supplier.
- Encourage celebrities/influencers to visit the land-based lab to grow brand awareness.
- Large number of resorts, organizations, groups to reach out to for funding.
- COP27 created an adaptation fund for climate-vulnerable nations; could lead to clients.
Threats:
- Other organizations adapting land-based growing strategies, losing its unique approach.
- Damage to land-based labs from hurricanes.
- Ocean warming and acidification progresses so no coral reefs can survive.
SMART Marketing Objectives
Objectives:
- Grow as a supplier: Act as a supplier to other coral restoration groups: grow partnerships 3x within the next year.
- Grow as a service: Act as a hired service for resorts, hotels and governments that see the value of reef restoration: increase partnerships by 3x within the next year.
- Increase independent funding: Grow independent funding (merch, adopt a coral, partnerships with large brands, donations) by 20% within the next year.
Tactics, KPIs, and Targets
- Increase coral sales to other restoration groups
- Tactic A: Use data to determine the most important coral types to grow, and which ones are more difficult to grow in water nurseries vs land-based nurseries. Evaluate the demand for those types of coral and position Coral Vita as the supplier for these corals for other restoration groups.
KPIs & Targets: Increase sales of more unique coral fragments by 20% within one year.
- Tactic B: Position Coral Vita as a partner, not a competitor on the website. Clarify the website copy to position Coral Vita as a supplier.
KPIs & Targets: Increase partnerships with restoration groups by 50% within one year.
- Increase services sales to resorts/hotels and governments
- Tactic A: Create data sheets of hotspot areas (with high resort-reef ratios) that explains how restoring the reefs will benefit those businesses and governments over time. Make a cost-benefit analysis for the next 10 years for businesses/resorts and governments if they were to successfully restore the reef.
KPIs & Targets: Increase the number of services agreements with resorts/hotels and governments by 75% by the end of the year.
- Tactic B: Utilize local restoration groups as partners in these areas, acting as a supplier to the groups, which will require less of Coral Vita’s resources and bring more revenue to local groups.
KPIs & Targets: Increase partnerships with local restoration groups by 20%.
- Tactic C: Use COP27 as a way for wealthier nations/governments to support smaller nations/governments amid the climate crisis.
KPIs & Targets: Increase government partnerships by 25% within two years.
- Increase independent funding through merch and donations.
- Tactic A: Merch: Partner with a sea-based art group (like SeaWalls) to create limited edition and freshly designed merch that supports like-minded conservation efforts (reusable cups, water bottles, etc).
KPIs & Targets: Increase merch sales by 150% within one year.
- Tactic B: Increase social media presence to build a larger following and encourage adopt-a-reef and other donation options to fund the organization.
KPIs & Targets: Increase social media following by 200% by the end of the year, increase adopt-a-reef purchases by 50% by the end of the year, increase donations by 10% by the end of the year.
- Tactic C: Create a more engaging donation system on the site, providing multiple options, a “top choice” option and color-coded table. Include other donation options, such as adopting a type of coral (with more rare corals costing more) and including information about how critical the coral is to ecosystems. Use special events like birthdays and holidays to encourage donations/adoptions for other people.
KPIs & Targets: Increase donations and coral adoptions by 200% by the end of the year.
2. Target Audience Analysis
The target audience for Coral Vita is a bit complex because it is focused on so many different markets. It is mostly focused on B2B-style opportunities – partnering with resorts, coral restoration groups, governments – but it is also targeting individuals for purchasing merchandise and donations. With the B2B-style opportunities, I believe the decision-makers would still fit into general categories of the target audience.
In general, the target audience of Coral Vita would be multilingual English speaking working middle-class individuals (20s through 60s) located near the coast, who have earned at least a bachelor’s degree, are in serious relationships, and are concerned about the environment. They generally use laptops for work-based activities and mobile devices for personal use and business calls.
Personas
Coral Vita has three distinct “business” avenues for the nonprofit, and so the three personas for the target audience followed those avenues.
- Ocean Resorts & Hotels General Managers
A general manager of an exclusive coastal resort located near a coral reef. He is high-middle class, in his 40s married with children, has earned a master’s in hospitality. He has worked for the same resort group for several years, and he moves every two years to a newly developed resort as the general manager. He uses both laptops and mobile phones for work and personal life. He speaks English fluently, as well as at least one more language. He is well-read, does extensive research about the location of the resort to make informed decisions about its continued success. He is aware of climate change impacting coastal areas, but the business’ success is more important to him – although he wants to leave his mark as the general manager before moving on to the next location.
- Coral Restoration Nonprofit Funder
The founder of a small nonprofit focused on restoring coral reefs, which is too small to grow their own diverse coral varieties but could have the funding to purchase coral from a supplier. He (or she) has a PhD, is middle-class, is in his 40s-60s, lives near the coast, is married with children. He/she speaks English, but it might not be their native language. He cares passionately about the environment, so he tries to live a modest lifestyle that reduces his carbon footprint while also remaining in his financial budget. He uses a laptop for work and his phone for personal use.
- Coral Vita Visitor & Donator
A middle-class person in their 20s to 60s who speaks English and lives near the coast. They have earned a bachelor’s degree, are either married or in a serious relationship, and care about the environment. They use both laptops and mobile phones for work and personal use. They want to feel good about contributing to the fight against climate change, so they want to support an organization like Coral Vita by purchasing merchandise or “adopting” a coral.
Personal Bios
Manager Marcel
Marcel is the general manager of a resort in the Seychelles. He’s a 45-year-old white male who lives in the Seychelles while he manages the resort. He’s married to a 40-year-old woman, and they have two young children, ages six and four. His hobbies include golf (for business), tennis (for quick, high-endurance cardio) and running (a good, quick, practical workout).
Marcel was born in the Netherlands, but moves countries every two years as he becomes a general manager for newly acquired hotels within the parent company. He has earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality administration/management, then after working several years in hospitality management roles, gained his master’s degree in hospitality business.
He earns a salary of $115,000 per year. He uses mobile devices while on the go but mostly works on his laptop in his home or hotel office. As someone who is aware of pollution and the climate crisis, he tries to use reusable water bottles or coffee cups, but uses plastic water bottles and Starbucks to-go cups when it’s more convenient.
Marcel has done extensive research about the Seychelles before becoming the general manager, and he knows the value the coral reefs bring to the resort. He is motivated to make decisions like obtaining Coral Vita’s restoration services because he knows many of his guests come to the Seychelles for an exclusive, pristine experience, and it’s in the best interest of the resort to restore the health of the local coral so guests can continue to snorkel on their vacations and feel good about choosing a “green” hotel. Partnering with Coral Vita means that Marcel can feel good about the impact he’s made before he moves locations again to be the general manager of another of the chain resorts in a different part of the world.
Nonprofit Nicolas
Dr. Nicolas Mendez is the founder of the a reef restoration project. He’s a 62-year-old Hispanic male who lives in Cozumel. He’s married to a 58-year-old woman and they have two grown children, aged 22 and 20. His hobbies include SCUBA diving, swimming and reading.
Mendez grew up outside of Mexico City, where he obtained his veterinary degree. He first traveled to Cozumel in 1982 to SCUBA dive, and he decided to move to the Mexican island. In 1994, he decided to earn his PhD in marine biology with the Nova Southeastern University – a decision made after the Mexican government built an illegal cruise ship dock that damaged 97% of the surrounding coral. He returned to Cozumel afterward to found his reef restoration project in 2013. He earns for his salary $850,000 MXN (around $44,000 USD).
He typically uses his laptop computer in his office, but he takes calls and does quick searches on his mobile phone. He is not interested in technology or engaging online, so he does not spend time on social media or networking platforms. He tries to live a sustainable lifestyle within his budget; for example, he still drives a petrol car, but he opts to walk or bike when possible.
He wants to restore many of the coral in Cozumel, but his nonprofit has the capacity to grow only a couple of coral varieties. If it can fit his budget, he would be interested in working with Coral Vita to gain more coral varieties.
Donating Donna
Donna is a white, 28-year-old woman who lives in Jacksonville, Florida. She’s not married but has been in a serious relationship for two years. She works as an English teacher in a local high school, earning $48,400 per year. She uses her laptop most of the time for work, but uses her phone for personal use.
During the summer months, she volunteers with local organizations, including animal shelters and beach cleanups. She enjoys walking on the beach, going for bike rides and reading about current events. She is concerned about the climate crisis and has read about how coral reefs are dying off the coast of Florida.
On a summer vacation to the Bahamas with her boyfriend, she researches educational activities and comes across Coral Vita’s land-based coral nurseries. She and her boyfriend visit Coral Vita on their vacation, and they decide to buy two Coral Vita “Ocean Bottles.” When it comes time for Christmas, Donna decides to “adopt a coral” as a White Elephant gift, pairing it with a bottle of wine.
3. Content Strategy
Message and Goals
Manager Marcel
Message: Coral reef tourism represents a world economic value of $36 billion per year, according to Oceanwealth models. Over 350 million people annually travel to the coral reef coast of the world. However, by 2050, 90% of all reefs will be destroyed or damaged. To ensure continued tourism traffic to the area near the resort, it’s in the best interest of the resort to invest in the reefs by hiring Coral Vita to begin restoration processes. Coral Vita is an award-winning nonprofit that restores coral reefs using a unique land-based coral nursery to grow coral fragments. Hiring Coral Vita to restore your local reefs will ensure the continued coral tourism for your resort, and the partnership would allow the resort to market itself as a “green” option.
Goal: Generate high-quality leads and establish industry authority; engage 12 resort general managers per year to discuss the value of Coral Vita’s services to the local reefs; secure four service contracts per year.
Nonprofit Nicolas
Message: Half the world’s reefs have been destroyed or damaged, and that 90% will be destroyed or damaged by 2050. That’s why organizations like yours are working to restore reefs in your area. Small organizations have limitations in finances, personnel and time. Growing coral fragments takes a long time, and smaller organizations often struggle to grow a diverse number of corals. However, Coral Vita can grow a diverse number of coral fragments much faster by using land-based nurseries. Coral restoration nonprofits could save resources by purchasing a wide variety of ready-to-plant coral fragments from Coral Vita, allowing your organization to focus on the planting and monitoring aspect of restoration.
Goal: Generate high-quality leads and establish industry authority, engage 10 nonprofit founders per year to discuss supply partnerships with Coral Vita; secure two ongoing supply relationships with nonprofits per year.
Donating Donna
Message: Coral reefs support an estimated 25% of all known marine species. However, half the world’s reefs have been destroyed or damaged, and that 90% will be destroyed or damaged by 2050. The Bahamas’ reefs have been significantly damaged by climate change and natural disasters. Coral Vita is working to restore these reefs and reefs worldwide by growing coral fragments in unique land-based nurseries that people can visit. You can learn more about the reef restoration effort by visiting our labs for a tour. You can also support our organization by “adopting” a coral or purchasing a reusable water bottle made from recycled ocean plastic.
Goal: Establish industry authority and increase brand awareness; increase merchandise sales and coral “adoptions” by 150% within a year.
Content Types
Manager Marcel
For this persona, I believe the following content types would be most effective: Videos, blog posts, an ebook, infographics, newsletter and direct marketing. This is because Coral Vita will need to educate the general manager on why it’s in the best interest of the resort to hire its services. Videos, infographics and blog posts would be the most easily digestible (and visual) way for general managers to quickly learn about the nonprofit, reef restoration in general, what services Coral Vita offers, and why preserving reefs should matter to the resort.
If the general manager would want to learn more, having an ebook with more details would allow them to do more research. Additionally, having someone from the team have direct communication with the general manager would allow them to ask questions and feel more connected with the team.
Nonprofit Nicolas
For this persona, I believe the following content types would be most effective: An ebook, blog posts, infographics, videos, newsletters and direct marketing. The founder of this coral restoration nonprofit already knows about reef restoration, so they will want to dive directly into the nitty-gritty details with an ebook, videos or detailed blog posts that explains Coral Vita’s unique approach.
It would also be helpful for them to quickly understand through the ebook or infographics about how Coral Vita could save their nonprofit resources and improve their operations (save time and personnel, as well as add more coral diversity). After initial contact, having a direct marketing approach would allow the founder to ask questions and evaluate trust in Coral Vita.
Donating Donna
For this persona, I believe the following content types would be most effective: Social media, videos, blog posts, newsletters and infographics. This is because this person will have a limited understanding of the coral restoration process, and easily consumable content would be best for capturing their attention: infographics, social media posts and videos. Then if they develop an interest, they might want to learn more about the organization through other videos or blog posts.
Channels
Manager Marcel & Nonprofit Nicolas
The channels we would use for the content types directed at founders of coral restoration nonprofits are the same as for the general managers or resorts, though the angles would be different: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, the Coral Vita website and blog, as well as direct communications via email, phone/video or in-person.
- Create a downloadable ebook on the Coral Vita website (accessible with an email signup).
- Create blog posts on the Coral Vita website and share on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Post videos on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Share infographics on the website, as well as with Instagram and Facebook.
- Send monthly newsletters to people on the mailing list.
- Engage in direct marketing via email, phone calls/video calls and then finally an in-persona meeting.
Donating Donna
The channels we would use for the content types directed at a Coral Vita visitor and donor would include:
- Sharing engaging images and infographics on Instagram.
- Post videos on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
- Create blog posts on the Coral Vita website and share on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- Send monthly newsletters to people on the mailing list.
Analytics
Coral Vita could use analytics to measure if the marketing goals have been met:
- The number of video and image views or likes on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
- The number of followers on those channels.
- The number of visits to Coral Vita blog posts, plus Google Analytics on how people find the blog posts, how long they stay on the page, if they engage on other pages afterward.
- The number of email signups for access to the ebook and the newsletter, plus the number who actually opened and read the ebook/newsletters.
Content Creation and Distribution Calendar
Mondays: Publish blog posts once a week at noon. Tuesdays & Thursdays: Post on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter twice a week, at 10 a.m. (the most viewed time for social media). Choose rotate content posted based on video or blog post, or supplement with images geared toward visitors/donators. Wednesdays: Post video clips once a week, three shorter clips on social media and one longer video on YouTube.
Email a newsletter once a month. Post an updated ebook every six months.
Example publication schedule:
