# Marketing

Covering marketing standards for L1/L2

# L1 Standards - Marketing

## Overview

L1 marketing is about reliable execution. An L1 marketing member can take a task (e.g., writing a caption, taking photos, creating a social media post) and complete it on-brand without needing someone to clean up afterward. They can tell the team's story/describe core outreach programs if asked, and show up consistently. L1 is the standard every active / full-time marketing member is expected to reach on YETI.

## Benchmarks
| # | Benchmark | Description |
|---|-----------|-------------|
| 1 | Brand Fluency | Produce an on-brand post from scratch (correct palette, fonts, logo placement, tone) without consulting the style guide during the task. |
| 2 | Content Production | 5+ published pieces (posts, blog, newsletter) that required no major revision before going live. |
| 3 | Tool Proficiency | Complete an end-to-end task in Canva, Lightroom, and the team's scheduling platform without getting stuck. |
| 4 | Copywriting | Caption, sponsor thank-you, or event announcement that is clear, on-brand, and audience-appropriate in one draft cycle. |
| 5 | Reliability | Meet deadlines 90%+ across a full build/comp cycle and communicate proactively if something slips. |
| 6 | Team Knowledge | Deliver a confident elevator pitch covering: team number, name, location, founding year, notable achievements, current robot, and season game. |
| 7 | Program Literacy | Name and describe each core outreach program without looking it up: RISE with YETI, QCRA classes and camps, Girl Scouts merit badge, Doyenne Inspiration West, #FIRSTEmpowered, Go Green, FLL/FTC tournaments, The Zone, Roof Above. |
| 8 | FIRST Ecosystem Awareness | Explain the FRC/FTC/FLL/FLL Explore pipeline and FIRST's mission in practice, with real examples. |

## Assessment Process

### 1. Portfolio Review

You will be expected to maintain a portfolio of your work in Google Drive. Your portfolio should be a running record of your marketing work throughout the season. Start it on day one and add to it as you go.

#### Suggested Portfolio Structure

```plaintext
Marketing Portfolio — [First Last]/
  Published Work/       ← final versions of posts, graphics, newsletters, etc.
  Drafts & Revisions/   ← early drafts showing your process (optional but helpful)
  Copywriting/          ← captions, sponsor emails, announcements you wrote
```

What belongs in it:
- Every post or piece you published, with a note on what it was for
- Any written copy you've produced

What does not belong:
- Work that was heavily revised by someone else before publishing
- Files without context (unlabeled exports, random screenshots)

A good portfolio should make it easy for an evaluator to see what you made, when, and for what purpose. If the folder is disorganized, that already tells part of the story.

### 2. Structured Conversation

You will be expected to walk a mentor/leader through your portfolio. Some sample questions might be:
- Show me your strongest post, why does it work?
- Walk me through the design process for this piece
- Give me a 60-second elevator pitch to a potential sponsor about YETI
- Name our "big 3" outreach programs and give a brief description about what they do

### 3. Reliability Check

Subteam leads and mentors will evaluate candidate reliability, with an emphasis on communication and meeting deadlines.

# L2 Standards - Marketing

## Overview
L2 marketing is about strategic ownership. An L2 member plans, initiates, and elevates the team's marketing, going beyond executing tasks they're assigned. They've demonstrated they can develop a content strategy, represent the team externally, mentor L1 members, and understand how YETI's programs connect to broader goals.

**Prerequisite**: L1 must be completed before pursuing L2.

## Benchmarks
| # | Benchmark | Description |
|---|-----------|-------------|
| 1 | Content Strategy | Plan and execute a 4-week content calendar with documented rationale tied to the season arc. |
| 2 | External Representation | Present or speak on behalf of the team in at least one external context (sponsor meeting, Impact presentation, awards interview, etc.) with positive mentor feedback. |
| 3 | Mentorship | Review and give actionable feedback on 3+ pieces of L1 member work, improving the output without redoing it yourself. |
| 4 | Metrics Awareness | Pull social analytics and explain what is working and what is not, citing specific numbers. |
| 5 | Capstone Deliverable | Serve as primary author on at least one high-stakes artifact: sponsor packet, Impact/EI essay, pit display, or equivalent used in a real context. |
| 6 | Program Storytelling | Independently develop a compelling narrative around one team program — human angle, photos/quotes, impact and mission alignment. |
| 7 | Cross-Program Strategy | Articulate how YETI's programs connect to broader goals (sponsor retention, award submissions, community presence, pipeline) and why each one matters. |

## Assessment Process

### 1. Portfolio Review
Your L2 portfolio builds on your
L1 portfolio. The evaluator is looking for evidence of strategic thinking: did you plan things, or only execute what you were assigned?

```plaintext
Marketing Portfolio — [First Last]/
  Published Work/
  Drafts & Revisions/
  Copywriting/
  Strategy/             ← content calendars, planning docs, campaign briefs
  Analytics/            ← screenshots or exports from social analytics
```

What belongs at L2:
- A documented content calendar with rationale
- Analytics pulls showing you tracked and interpreted performance
- Your capstone deliverable

### 2. Structured Conversation
You will walk a mentor through your portfolio. Sample questions:
Walk me through how you planned this content calendar and why you made those choices
Pick an outreach program and pitch me a content piece about it on the spot: what's the angle, who's the audience, what's the takeaway?
Show me an analytics report and explain what it tells you
How would you onboard a brand-new marketing member on their first day?

### 3. Peer Signal
Mentors will ask 2–3 members—typically L1 members you've worked with—whether you helped them improve their work and whether they sought you out for feedback. This is separate from the portfolio review.

### 4. Real-World Test
Before your assessment, you will be given ownership of a bounded campaign — a sponsor outreach push or a full week of social content. You are responsible for planning it, executing it, and reflecting on what worked. This is evaluated alongside your portfolio.