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Research and Marketing
You can reach out to the Marketing team early in your research journey to ensure timely and tailored communications.
Contact Research Marketing: researchmarketing@ulster.ac.uk
Research and Innovation marketing assets are also available on SharePoint.
Some of the things Marketing can help with include:
- Funded Research Projects
- Research Centres/Groups
- Research Outputs
- Visual Identity
- Large Scale Web Projects
What Marketing needs to know:
- Key milestones for your project
- Longevity of project
- Project Deliverables
- Stakeholders - Who would you like your research project to impact, and who needs to know about it for that to happen?
- Funder Marketing Requirements
Media Channels
Consider which type of media will best reach your audience, as there may be channels that they expect or prefer to receive information on. Below are examples of media types marketing have access to. Please note that types of media will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis depending on the research project and the media agenda.
- Owned: Website, Insight, Digital Screens, Research Insights, Social Media channels.
- Earned: Press releases, Media interviews, Organic social shares, Party conferences/roadshows
- Paid: Social media ads, Google ads, Radio ads, Billboards
Top Tips
- Be aware of external discovery - linking your research to the news agenda may help to increase its reach.
- Find the right place, right time for your research project in the wider world, make it shareable and relatable.
- Target the right people and understand your audience.
- Agree key messages with marketing - what are the main points of information you want your audience to hear, understand and remember.
- Tailor your language - avoid jargon or scientific language.
- Link information back to People, Place and Partnership and the Research Strategy.
- Work in partnership with Marketing to create a list of actions, with a loose timeline in place. An example - Funding announcement, Dissemination event, Progress update, Findings announcement.
- When communicating research, storytelling is important. Rather than presenting your research findings, it's important to craft a story behind your research that the audience will connect with.
- Highlight the impact or potential impact of your work.
- Anyone working at Ulster can create a webpage, find details on the Ulster Website Guide. Create your own page dedicated to your research area.
- Consider marketing costs when applying for funding.
Event Planning
Hosting an event is a great way to communicate your research directly with stakeholders.
View details on how to run an event at Ulster.
How to spark creativity at your event:
Location
- Try choosing an unusual/interesting event space - use community spaces, don't let the venue dictate the content e.g. use a library outside of working hours and make noise!
- Review the accessibility and comfort levels of your chosen space, think about how the space will make people feel.
- Be aware of accessibility for both physical and digital spaces.
Community and Partners
- Give agency to community/partner stakeholders for your research - generate ideas of what they like - don't overburden any partners - be clear from outset how involved each partner will be and what is expected.
- Be aware of consciously excluding groups - e.g. if hosting evening event, carers/parents may not be able to attend.
Engagement
- Make the event engaging/experiential for your audience to keep energy levels high.
- Take your audience on a journey - tell your research in story form, be enthusiastic, show your emotions - share key points in bite sized amounts.
- Aim to create a mutually beneficial experience.
