Request for Proposal – Online Reputation Management and Community Image Campaign

Summary

With this Request for Proposal (RFP), KCEDA seeks to acquire the services of a qualified marketing and/PR firm to support its marketing initiatives. KCEDA on-behalf of several community partners invites proposals from interested marketing agencies with experience in brand development/management; marketing; social media strategy, implementation, and management; website design and development; and market research. Preference will be given to agencies providing a broad range of services; subcontracts with local providers are acceptable. Bidders must follow exactly, and be responsive to, ALL requirements of this RFP. It is the bidder’s responsibility to provide all specified materials in the required form and format. Responses that are not in the required form and format will not be considered.

The contract period will be from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018. Based on performance, the contract maybe extended on a no-bid basis. Details pertaining to a contract extension are to be determined.

Objectives

Several community groups, organizations and companies have identified a need to launch an image campaign and reputation management strategy for Klamath County.  The idea is to create a positive brand reputation, building confidence in the region for visitors, businesses and professionals looking to move or work in the basin. The concept is to thoughtfully develop and leverage online content, messaging and public relations efforts from a variety of community partners. The successful firm will initiate the launch of a coordinated Online Reputation Management and Community Image Campaign. That engages at minimum social media, online forums, blogs, news sites, search engines and other Internet sources.  The strategy and approach will address the following tasks:

• Improving the tagging and search engine optimization of company-published materials, such as white papers and positive customer testimonials to push down negative content.^[17]
• Publishing original, positive websites and social media profiles, with the aim of outperforming negative results in a search.
• Submitting online press releases to authoritative websites to promote brand presence and suppress negative content.
• Submitting take-down requests for news and posts that do not highlight Klamath County in a positive light.
• Getting mentions of the business or individual on third-party sites that rank highly on Google.
• Creating positive reviews of the individual or business to counteract negative ones.
• Proactively responding to public criticism stemming from recent changes.^[20]
• Removing or suppressing images that are embarrassing or violate copyright.^[22]
• Contacting Wikipedia editors to remove allegedly incorrect information from the Wikipedia pages

Scope of Work

This contract requires a firm with the technical expertise and knowledge to guide the community through an innovative strategy and in-depth implementation 

 The scope of work will include the following:

Phase I Strategy Development

1. Serve as contractors (Community Groups) expert advisor for the development and implementation of the campaign.
2. Inventory existing and future stakeholders that are required to participate in campaign
3. Identify the primary and secondary audiences to focus the efforts of campaign on (i.e. new home owners, professionals, businesses, exiting residents, etc.)
4. Develop a three-year strategy based on the Klamath County attributes, business climate, tourism assets and quality of life.
5. Describe the tactics and technology used to implement the strategy. Please indicate any software purchases or technology requirements.
6. Develop actions to regularly monitor online content for negative postings, blogs or content that affect the image of Klamath County.
7. Develop a budget including revenue sources and expenditures both in cash and in-kind to support the efforts on the campaign.

Phase II Implementation

Based upon item A-F recommend a detailed implementation plan that includes quantifiable outcomes and metrics, as well a timeline for completion.  The plan should define roles, responsibilities of the contractor, consultant and stakeholders. Budgets should address a range of options that will provide an impactful program of work.

Submission Requirements

Interested firms are encouraged to keep their proposals brief and relevant to the Scope of Services. All proposals should include the following:

1. Cover letter with name, address, phone number, and e-mail address of the contact person; identify the capacity this person should manage and execute a marketing strategy and branding campaign of this magnitude.
2. Identify the project manager and the personnel to be assigned to this engagement (including names, addresses, current phone numbers, and e-mail addresses). Please include resumes for all team members, identify how many years this team has worked together, and a list of projects this team has completed or is currently working on.
3. Identify all sub-consultants (including names, addresses, current phone numbers, and e-mail addresses) and include a resume of related experience, how long the sub-consultant has worked with the marketing consultant, and how many projects the sub-consultant has completed, or is currently working on, with the marketing consultant.
4. Background on the firm and its experience in preparing comprehensive and strategic marketing programs and campaigns, especially for cities and public agencies.
5. A narrative that presents the services a firm would provide detailing the approach, methodology, deliverables, and client meetings.
6. Description of overall knowledge of Klamath County and the basin.
7. A list of online tools and techniques used to measure reach and effectiveness of the campaign.
8. A summary of any suggested approaches the City should consider for this effort.
9. A timeline for the preparation and implementation of the tasks/activities being proposed per Scope of Services.
10. At least three (3) public or private references for projects of similar nature to this engagement.
11. List of billable rates for all personnel assigned to project, including hourly rate, media commission percentages, and any other charges that are proposed.
12. A summary of the professional insurance coverage the firm maintains.

Submit the proposal in a separate sealed package entitled “Online Reputation Management and Community Image Campaign”. Respondents should submit 3 bound copies and 1 unbound reproducible copy by mail or courier. Submittals should not  exceed 15 pages,. All hard copy submittals should be directed to the contact below no later than 5:00 p.m. May 20^th, 2017:

Contact: