Transition Document - VP Marketing

Overview

The VP of Marketing is responsible for promoting Blueprint’s mission across campus and keeping members informed about what’s happening within the organization. From managing social media to posting important announcements on Discord, this role requires a solid understanding of all aspects of Blueprint. You will be planning the marketing timeline per semester and delegating relevant tasks as well as maintaining brand image with website through Design team. This document outlines the key responsibilities of the VP of Marketing and offers advice on how to thrive in the position. You will be working closely with VP Design for designing posters, VP Recruitment to ensure alignment with sponsor marketing and VP Engineering to ensure designs match the image portrayed on our website.

Responsibilities

Announcements

When making announcements for events, application timelines, etc., we post on three different platforms to ensure that as many students as possible see it:

Posts go out on Monday. Day before and day of reminder texts are sent.

• Discord – Our primary form of communication. Use the #announcements channel and @everyone. Make sure to double-check the announcement to ensure that all the details are accurate and there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes. If it’s an event, make sure to include the flyer in the announcement as well. Draft your messages in #marketing.

• Instagram – For events, we typically post the flyer. In the caption, provide the event details as well as a brief description of what the event/GBM is about. Ensure that the poster is zoomed out, and utilize the Spotify playlist here (access granted by Lucas Ha) for music. Recap posts go out the following week, including pictures of the event and a thank you!

  Additional Instagram tasks include:

  • Reply to all comments
    

  • Connect with:

    • Incoming students

    • Tech professionals

    • Blueprint alumni

   

• Newsletter – The weekly newsletter should be sent out every Monday so it gives students enough notice for the following week's events. The content for the newsletter is typically a roundup of the week’s announcements and upcoming events. Include any important reminders or deadlines. Refer to this guide for how to send the newsletter.

While there is no strict timeline, we typically announce on all three platforms at least one week in advance, then provide a reminder the day of or the day before via Discord and our Instagram story. There is no need to mass email members for individual announcements unless decided on by the E-Board. For example, if applications for project teams are due, we might make an exception and send a mass email instead of waiting for the weekly newsletter.

Social Media Management

Firstly, before the start of every semester, the VP of Marketing will work with VP Operations & President to confirm the preliminary event schedule and establish a marketing calendar for all the following tasks to be completed in a timely manner by the respective team member.

Blueprint is active on Instagram and LinkedIn. Your responsibility is not only to maintain announcements but also to grow these platforms and showcase our work. Currently, our Instagram is filled mainly with clipart flyers — we’d love to see more content highlighting our members and team culture in the future. Feel free to archive old or irrelevant flyers and make use of the pin feature.

LinkedIn is geared toward more professional content. This includes announcing the hand-offs/recaps of Non-Profit projects and celebrating important milestones like the launch of our website. You can also post about alumni events, recruiting events, and member accomplishments.

As we grow, we need to keep our professional network informed about our accomplishments. This requires handwriting all of our posts. We value the human aspect at Blueprint and it is unacceptable to generate posts. AI assisted writing is permitted only if it is not creating the content using AI. Marketing Team must attach relevant images from the event to these posts. 

To access the LinkedIn and Instagram, you must be made an administrator by a current Blueprint Admin to make posts. Please reach out to Ananya Shrivastava (ashrivas1@stevens.edu) if you need access.

Ensure Photos are Taken At Events

You do not have to be the photographer yourself, but ensure there is a dedicated person taking photos at events or GBMs. Once photos are taken, upload them to the "Photos" folder on our shared Google Drive. 

Flier Creation for Events/GBMs

We have a Canva Pro subscription — check the Password Manager for access. Undergraduate Student Life requires flyers to book rooms, so make sure your flyer is completed at least one week in advance. Canva Pro includes premium assets, so feel free to get creative! Here is our design guide for you to be able to create fliers and request the help of design team appropriately.

Each flyer should include:

• Day/Date – e.g., Thursday, 3/27

• Time – e.g., 9:15 P.M.

• Room – e.g., Babbio 210

• Event Title – e.g., "Coffee & Code"

• Brief Description – What the event is about; highlight free food if applicable

• Blueprint Logo (optional)

• Logos of Collaborating Organizations – If applicable

Aim for clarity and visual appeal — your flyer is often the first impression someone will get of our event!

For fliers, Stevens has some requirements and disclaimers that we must include. 

For Events & GBM Fliers:

"People of all identities are welcome to participate in programs offered by Blueprint. Stevens does not discriminate against any person on the basis of sex, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender expression or any other basis prohibited by law."

For Public LinkedIn Posts/Website Correspondence:

"The views and opinions expressed on this channel are solely those of Stevens Blueprint and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Stevens Institute of Technology."

Graduation & Merch

Gathering student interest on topics such as graduation stoles, cords and merch is your responsibility. Try and make sure communication is as direct as possible (send out final interest forms with payment information). There should be example forms in the drive to use as templates.

Future Goals

Project Teams Promotional Videos

We wanted to make really cool videos about ourselves so that Blueprint leaves a lasting impression. Check out this video from another chapter as our inspiration.

• Current status: Filmed content mostly available (must film Lucas)
  
• What's left: Script and film Lucas' part and start joining videos together and finish video
• Why it matters: To promote and grow our presence with sponsors, NPOs and students with visually impactful media.

Short Form Videos

In order to maintain our relationship with the student body, the marketing team will strategize to create relatable content to post on our social media platforms. Examples include DIAL videos of summer internships, Blueprint conferences, Blueprint event recaps and more. 

• Current status: Published Day in a Life videos
• What's left: Make more fun and relevant blueprint reels
• Why it matters: To promote and grow our presence with students and appeal to student body

Marketing Team

You may find yourself in need of someone to assist with promotions. From writing, to creating and posting, this role can be a lot of work! Here are some roles to consider having on your team.

• Scribe
  • Writing all the text to be posted on various platforms
• Creator
  • Responsible for weekly posters and design content to be released on platforms
• Photographer
  • Responsible for the media and videos utilized for the content to be posted & creating short-form content to longer videos to be posted for student engagement & general visibility

• Current status: In ideation should you need it
• What's left: Recruitment and beyond
• Why it matters: To create strong content and not burn out one role!

How You Can Succeed in This Role

Be Creative and Grow Social Media

Your job is not just to post announcements! Think of ways to spread the word about Blueprint’s mission and market the appeal of our organization. Take inspiration from other clubs on campus and don’t be afraid to voice your opinions on how to improve Blueprint’s visibility and branding.

Kudos

One thing about Blueprint that left a lasting impression on me was how much everyone uplifted one another. There will be bumps along the way, however as a favorite quote of mine goes "break all the rules but stick with the team" (or something). You will have to choose between doing things your way or how your team wants to but you will make the right decision every time. Just don't forget to use your role to uplift your team back - highlight their progress and achievements too!

Stay Organized

This is a very detail-oriented role, so staying organized is paramount. Use the E-Board meeting minutes and our shared Google Calendar to stay on top of event dates and deadlines. Try and ensure posters are done as early as possible to push out unexpected PR for collabs and recaps instead during the school year. Organize your files, documents, and contacts in a logical manner so that they are easily accessible when needed.

Be Proactive with Communications

Stay on top of communications as soon as event logistics are finalized, your role will require a lot of communication with everyone on the team.The timing of announcements is important — if you’re waiting on details from another E-Board member, follow up early! Be prepared to address questions or feedback from Blueprint members.

Be Strategic with Announcements

Too many announcements can be counterproductive and cause members to tune out. Keep communications detailed but concise. Use formatting (bold or italics) to highlight key information like time, location, and deadlines.

The Exec Team is Here for You

Remember, you’re not working in isolation. You’ll work closely with the VP of Engineering, VP of Operations and VP Design. If you ever need support or have questions, reach out to the President as well. The executive team is a resource for brainstorming, troubleshooting, and offering fresh ideas.

Key Resources

List every tool, account, document, and platform your successor will need.

Summer / Off-season Tasks

Task	Owner (Role)	Target Date
Marketing Calendar	VP Marketing	Aug 1
Posters for Fall (post event planning)	VP Marketing	Sep 1