Community Based Social Marketing
Restoration of the Chesapeake Bay is an enormous undertaking that requires a many-pronged approach. An important piece of creating a healthier waterway is to prevent further degradation by changing polluting behaviors. Community-based social marketing (CBSM) is a strategy which uses information about target audiences’ barriers, perceived benefits and motivators to changing their behavior, to craft specifically focused marketing tools that will effect positive social change. CBSM tools are focused on targeting specific, identified barriers and benefits.
Community Based Social Marketing is a low-cost way of preventing pollution of your local creeks and rivers. Although it takes work and dedication, it can cut down on major pollution sources of nutrients, bacteria, sediment and toxins. You can limit the pollution coming from your property and encourage your neighbors to do the same, without having to install costly stormwater management projects, by using a CBSM Behavior Change campaign.
Want to Learn More?
Behavior Change campaigns have been developed for numerous behaviors and implemented around the world. For each pollution source below, you will be able to see case studies and tools for different campaigns. WSA also has its own pre-developed campaigns (leaves, pet waste, rain barrels) that will make pollution reduction easier!
IN ORDER TO EXECUTE A SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY- BASED SOCIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN, THERE ARE 5 MAIN STEPS:
SELECT A BEHAVIOR AND DEFINE A TARGET AUDIENCE.
MEASURE THE BASELINE OF YOUR BEHAVIOR.
MEASURE BEHAVIOR CHANGE/ EVALUATION.
DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT YOUR STRATEGY.
IDENTIFY THE BARRIERS TO, BENEFITS OF, AND MOTIVATORS FOR THIS BEHAVIOR.
The first step is choosing the right behavior. It is important to target a behavior that people are currently not doing, that they are willing to start doing and that will have a measurable positive impact on water quality. For example, if you want to encourage people to fertilize their lawns only in the Fall, but nobody in your community uses fertilizer, this is not an appropriate behavior to choose.
In order to change behaviors, you should increase the benefits and lower the obstacles of engaging in the desired behavior. Overcome barriers with appropriate social marketing tools, while trying to highlight the benefits in each of your tools.