Creating Superfans: Kara Jensen’s Be Outdoors Arizona Hub Connects Agencies and Outdoor Enthusiasts

Freddy D: 00:02:04

Kara is a marketing professional with a passion for the outdoors.

Proficient in website design and social media use, she has been hired by the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, Arizona Antelope foundation, and Arizona Predator Collars to rebuild and manage their websites and she manages the Arizona Sportsman for Wildlife Conservation social media platforms.

She also has experience in public speaking and has been the Master of Ceremonies for the Antelope foundation and the Valley of the sun chapter of Quail Forever Fundraisers. Kara specializes in marketing messages, video and follow up systems, and event planning.

followers on Facebook. In: 2020

Hello Kara. Welcome to the Business Superfans Podcast show.

Kara Jenson: 00:02:59

Thank you, Frederick. It's a pleasure to be on here and everything's going absolutely fabulous. Thank you.

Freddy D: 00:03:05

Tell us your story of what led you to become the owner of the beoutdoorsarizona.org website.

Kara Jenson: 00:03:16

I was involved in a bunch of conservation organizations and ran into these guys that were running this several years ago. Their website had crashed and I thought, I can help you out. I can rebuild your website, put your calendar back up.

Their goal at the time was to connect a bunch of the smaller organizations that had outdoor workshops or camps for kids that taught outdoor skills.

They had 35 partners at the time and I helped them grow that to about 150 partners, rebuilt their website with a robust calendar system and started a Facebook page. I had gotten that up to close to 10,000 people and it was going very well. And then one day the board came to me and said, we've met our goal.

This is what we wanted, was to connect all these organizations to create a next steps program. So if you went to one event and you started to learn something, you wanted to learn more.

There was another event by another organization to continue the process until you were comfortable enough to feel that you could go out on your own and do it. They met their goal. They didn't know what else they could do with the organization and the board hadn't even met in about six months.

They told me they were going to try to sell it to the Environmental Education association or State Parks and they turned out that they didn't have the money or the manpower to keep the program going. The board came back to me and said, we're just going to shelve the program and maybe somebody will take it up in another year or two.

You'll lose Absolutely everything. And you'll start all over by scratch in a couple of years.

Freddy D: 00:04:56

Oh, absolutely. Because you've got those partners that invested and are accounting for the traffic off of the website for their businesses.

It's got a lot of value for Arizonans as well as visitors to the state of Arizona because it helps them find activities, events and a multitude of different things, which is all outdoors kind of stuff. So it's really cool.

But you're absolutely correct because those partners would have lost confidence and they would have affected their business and they would have not wanted to come back.

Kara Jenson: 00:05:33

And then even at that, their boards of directors change every year or two. So it had all new people on board. They wouldn't even know who we were. And just a lot of different factors than just the social media factors.

If that page stops posting, no one's going to come back to it. I don't know what possessed me, but I just blurted out, let me run with the organization. Let me have it. I'll run with the mission. And it was.

What did I just say? Tried to put the words back in my mouth. But I'm really passionate about it and I enjoyed doing what I was doing.

So I had the organization and so I plan to beg to do expo at the Game and Fish Expo. They have an outdoor expo. It brings in about 40,000 people. So I bought some T shirts and hats and some.

that was going to be March of: 2020

I have an organization all about events and there are no events. So it gave me a year to really figure out how can I run a nonprofit by myself and build a board and what could the nonprofit do? The rest is history.

I've got a huge organization on what it does for the nonprofits, for the businesses and for the end users, parents.

Freddy D: 00:06:55

Let's talk about what it does for those three groups that you just mentioned.

So let's talk about one of the groups and then we'll talk about the next one and the next one as to how that site benefits because it's a bi directional benefit. So your it benefits you as well as it benefits them. And actually it's a trifecta because it actually benefits also the user on your website.

Kara Jenson: 00:07:19

Right? Yeah. My partners would be what I consider my partners are my nonprofit.

These are organizations that are environmental conservation or youth oriented and they have educational programs outdoors.

Now some of them can have tours, some of them have camps where they actually take you out and teach a fish, teach you how to hunt, teach you how to camp, how to set up a tent, all sorts of things like that. Some of them actually have work projects where you go out and you clean up trails or streams or even highways.

So there's a lot of different types of activities. And all those people are free to put their calendar on my calendar. And so I'll import their calendars. They have a very small description.

There's no picture. There's no information that would really entice anybody to go check it out for the first time.

So we put a little marketing effort into it and give all the information that somebody needs to feel comfortable enough to go for the first time.

I'm creating a membership for partners now where they'll get a lot more, where I help them out pretty grants, do extra promotion like professional video of their events will also help with volunteers. I have a volunteer database that can put their listings on to say we need this kind of volunteer. We also will do events.

They won't have a table fee to come be at an event. I also will help them with things like warehousing, printing, if they need fulfillment services, all sorts of things like that.

A nonprofit really needs to be successful.

Freddy D: 00:08:58

Going back to your background, which is marketing.

Kara Jenson: 00:09:00

Yes.

Freddy D: 00:09:01

Now, what about businesses? How can businesses benefit from being on the website?

Kara Jenson: 00:09:06

What I have for businesses is there's several different types of memberships that they can have. They can have something as simple as a small fee to put their events on the calendar. A lot of them have classes and outdoor skills classes.

So they can put their events on a calendar for a very small fee. I can also offer hyper targeted advertising.

So if they're in, say, Flagstaff and they're a fishing store, they can be on the fishing events in the Flagstaff area. Same thing with if they're in Sierra Vista or if they're in Tucson.

So I've got multiple markets and they can be the exclusive retailer in that area on those sorts of events. So the ads that they're paying for are going directly to the targeted customer that they want to reach.

It's not going to someone who will never be interested in walking into their store. I can plan events where I bring in some of these nonprofits and have activities for kids.

We make it a big to do to where we, I was going to call them parking lot events. We bring the nonprofits in, have activities, have displays and maybe a special sale and more people come in to visit the store on that Day.

Freddy D: 00:10:14

Very cool.

So to tie this into creating business super fans, you're basically helping promote those businesses, whether it's a nonprofit or for profit exposure, onto your platform, which has got a big audience, because people are searching for activities of what they can do and adventures that they can go on, et cetera. So those businesses and organizations are going to be grateful and become your super fan of promoting the website to patrons.

Kara Jenson: 00:10:51

And when we connect the businesses to these nonprofits, what they're going to end up doing is aligning them with what their customers value most.

That allows them to no longer have to resort to discounting to attract or retain those customers because they're offering more than just being a place to sell something which makes them a super fan to their customers.

Freddy D: 00:11:14

What about your donors and stuff like that? I noticed on a website there's a place for donors. How does that work?

Kara Jenson: 00:11:21

I do have a donation button, and right now we're asking just for operating expenses to keep the website up and running. I just signed up with a donation platform called Harness, and it is another thing that I will be offering my nonprofit partners.

We create campaigns on this software, and they can be sent via text, social media, and I can help raise money for them, or they can actually get their own version of Furnace for themselves.

So that's what we're going to be doing, is making donations for ourselves just to keep the doors open, just to keep that calendar going and all the other resources that are on the website for end users in finding outdoor activities.

Freddy D: 00:12:05

Okay. Can you share a story of how the portal helped one of your partners in attracting more business?

Kara Jenson: 00:12:14

I'm in the process of one in particular right now. Going to be my poster child for the campaign software, and we'll be launching that soon.

He's a new nonprofit that takes kids out, teaching outdoor skills to young men that don't have fathers. They're brand new. And I met him about six months ago.

So he can't get grants right now because they have to be in business for two years to qualify for grant. But I can get a grant for them. So I'm working on getting grants and then getting them donations until they can get their own.

Right now I'm driving traffic to. It's called Field and Faith. So we're driving traffic to them and we're starting a donation campaign to help them ramp up until they can get grants.

Freddy D: 00:12:57

That person gets pulled up, that's going to be a super fan.

Kara Jenson: 00:13:00

Exactly, exactly. And I just, I even mentioned it to him, and he's told me that he's gotten a request.

I was like, you need to have one for fatherless girls and have some male influence in these girl and teach them the sort of confidence throughoutdoor skills. I thought it'd be a great idea. Who knows, I might be starting something else.

Freddy D: 00:13:15

What he's providing is really important because I went through cub scouts and boy Scouts. I still remember some of the things from those days and I still remember how to tie some of the knots. I did the 22 mile hike and stuff like that.

I was one of the top in our troop. I ended up being one merit badge short to being an eagle scout. But that's another story for another day.

I understand the value through Be Outdoors Arizona. You're helping a nonprofit do some things that are very important, especially in a young life. Helping them build confidence in themselves.

Kara Jenson: 00:13:54

Right. And with the way our youth right now are experiencing so much stress, mental health issues are off the charts right now.

It's just amazing what these kids are going through and what they see and are exposed to. The need to get them outdoors in nature is so important.

In fact, our whole organization is based off of Richard Loeb's life book, Last child in the Woods. He coins the term nature deficit disorder. And that's what we're all about getting.

Freddy D: 00:14:23

If you think about it, when you and I were kids, we were out riding our bicycles, we were climbing trees, we were going camping, we were playing games outside, we were playing catch baseball.

I remember even building model cars and going into the hobby shop and they had slot cars and you would race them on a track and there was a prize for winners. We had hobbies back then and activities. So what you guys are doing with B Outdoors Arizona is helping people get back to that.

And it's also what I really like about it is it's a portal. So I don't have to go to 12 places to find. What do I want to do this Sunday? I can go right to here and find out what's going on outdoors in Arizona.

Kara Jenson: 00:15:09

Exactly. And some of these organizations are really small and even if you search for them, they can be hard to find on the Internet.

I also have all the resources you need. I have all the maps to different trails and waterways and boat ramps, fishing spots.

I have all the county parks in the state are listed where you can go find them and what events they have going on and just a lot of other educational things. As far as the different kinds of little land, public land and private land and state land and what you can and can't do on that and how.

So that and all the fees too. So if you want to know if you're going somewhere there's some sort of fee that you have to pay, know that to it.

Freddy D: 00:15:46

Yeah, we went traveling. We pull up the state park and she says you got to pay to get in.

Fortunately, I sweet talked the guard lady and she says, okay, I'll give you 15 minutes to go tour the park. Before we paid for anything, we wanted to see what it was like and to come back and do camping there.

Kara Jenson: 00:16:04

I, I do plan on a membership where the end users get discounts to different attractions such as the butterfly Wonderland Arizona, the wildlife park and arboretums and desert botanical gardens and those sort of places. I just haven't started that program yet.

Freddy D: 00:16:22

Let's dive deeper. How can people help you get the word out?

Kara Jenson: 00:16:27

Basically just going onto my website, theoutdoorsarizona.org and sharing it with friends. We also have a Instagram page and a face and a Facebook group. We're building that group up.

I also have one of my volunteers, she does video editing for me. She's over in New York and she started a TikTok page for me. So we're on TikTok and she makes some really cute videos there.

Any one of those, just type in Be Outdoors, Arizona and we'll pop up on any of those platforms. Tell you what, my volunteers that just been so instrumental and that's where I really use the superfans ideas.

When they come on board, I send them one of our Be Outdoors hats. I. I recognize them on the website. I do a post about them on Facebook and LinkedIn and, and give recommendations on their profiles.

I've got the video editor. I'm helping her build her own video business. So anything I can do to help them because of what they've done for me.

I usually get a volunteer for a month or two, but these guys have stayed with me for six months to a year now as it's been on.

Freddy D: 00:17:30

So you're applying the things from my book and they work?

Kara Jenson: 00:17:34

Yes, they work. In fact that I have a little mascot. He's a stuffed javelina. So I take pictures of him and take him places and post those.

And three of them said they wanted one. One had already gone out and bought one. So I shipped the other two their javelinas and then reimbursed the other woman who bought one. And they do.

They go out wherever they are and take pictures of his name's Javiel and host them for me. They're very happy with working with me and being on my team and it's awesome.

Freddy D: 00:18:03

So those are your super fans in your organization and they're doing it for free because they believe in the cause.

And more importantly, as we've talked in the past, you appreciate them, recognize them, and express gratitude for the things that they're providing, which are the three key components in the Creating Business Superfans book.

Kara Jenson: 00:18:26

That's true.

Freddy D: 00:18:26

Very exciting.

Kara Jenson: 00:18:27

Thank you.

Freddy D: 00:18:28

So can we talk about how we can help blow this up for you and more importantly for your partners?

Kara Jenson: 00:18:36

I am having a webinar next Tuesday, August 3rd at 6pm it quickly touched on the benefits of being outdoors, especially for your kids.

And then I'm going to go into how to use the website as far as where you find events, how to use the filter bar, and then where to find all these other maps and other resources that I have on there. And then the social media aspects. It's only 30 minutes.

I will have a Q and A session because I want to find out what the end user wants from the website, suggestions, I want to hear some ideas from my end users or what else would be helpful. So I'm excited to have that Beoutdoors Arizona.org webinar and you can sign up there free. It's only half an hour and you'll learn a lot.

Freddy D: 00:19:22

Are you going to create that as a video and then share it on social media?

Kara Jenson: 00:19:25

I could probably do that. I like to do my videos more live, like out in stores.

Freddy D: 00:19:30

That's why I created a business Superfans accelerator is to help come up with clever little ideas to accelerate your superfan creation capabilities.

Kara Jenson: 00:19:43

That's a good idea. I hadn't thought about using the webinar as that video. So I'll record it and we'll see how it goes.

Freddy D: 00:19:49

Yeah, you can record it while you're doing live and you can always edit it, but then you've got something you can repost and who knows.

Kara Jenson: 00:19:55

Great idea. Thank you.

Freddy D: 00:19:57

I really like what you're doing and it's why I'm really glad that you were able to come onto the show because I think a lot of people need to know that this site exists because it makes it super easy to find a multitude of events.

Kara Jenson: 00:20:12

Every time I go to an expo and I have a bunch of stuff for the kids to look at and play with and the parents, when I tell them exactly what it is that we do, they're just so grateful. They're like, oh, this is exactly what we need.

We always have a hard time finding things I knew I was onto something when I did my first expo, and people were really clamoring for it.

Freddy D: 00:20:29

Yeah, you walked into your calling.

Kara Jenson: 00:20:31

I. Apparently I did.

Freddy D: 00:20:33

You're doing some good things, Carol. Anything else you want to chat about? Hopefully our listeners will go to check out the website and help donate for the cause.

Kara Jenson: 00:20:42

The only other thing is my little side thing. This has taken up a lot of my time, and I just never got back to getting some meetings.

But I would like to launch that again and make it a little more comprehensive. It's social, but it's all business talk, solving problems.

Freddy D: 00:20:59

Those are good events.

Kara Jenson: 00:21:00

No, no, we run it pretty organized as far as one person speaks at a time, one topic at a time. And when that person feels that they've got the answers that they want to work with, then if we have time, we go to another one.

So I have a couple ideas in mind, but maybe when I get that started as well, you can help me out with that.

Freddy D: 00:21:17

Sure. All right, Kara, it's been a pleasure having you on the Business Superfans podcast.

Show some great tips for our listeners about some outdoor activities that they can go and participate in. And they can find all Those activities.

Kara Jenson: 00:21:32

At Where Beoutdoors Arizona.org all right, thank.

Freddy D: 00:21:38

You very much for being on this Business Superfan podcast.

Kara Jenson: 00:21:40

Thank you for having me.