It’s time to crush the competition by using creative marketing. Who’s your competition? Any company/organization that provides recreation programs, youth programs, teen programs, fitness programs, etc. in your community.
Not everyone in your community reads your activity guide cover to cover. In fact, many of them probably don’t even open it. With any business, non-profit or otherwise, it’s important to get the word out about what is offered. I know your programs are awesome, but if people don’t know about them what good is it?
Everyone has a brochure/activity guide and a website. If it’s working for you great. If not, do some creative marketing. Here’s 10 ideas that may help you out.
- Place your acivity guide in places where people are waiting. Doctor’s offices, dentist’s offices, bus stops, salons, auto shops, and oil change shops are great places.
- Attach a flyer to the inside of restroom stalls. Instead of tape, get a plastic holder from an office supply store and screw it into the door of your restroom stalls.
- Create target audience specific brochures or activity guides. For example, a youth guide, adult guide, teen guide, sports guide, seniors guide, fitness guide, etc.
- Hold a contest. Do you need a new logo or are you looking for new program ideas. Do a press release talking about your current programs and your new contest. The winner gets one free class each season for a year.
- Publish a coloring book. Each coloring page has a scene with a kid or two enjoying one of yur programs. Find an artist who can do these easy cartoon renditions. At the bottom of each page title it with the appropriate program – “Silly Snacks with Jamie”.
- Keep your A-List customers happy. I’m sure you have some parents that put their children in a lot of your programs every season. Keep them happy and they will tell others how great your organization is. Send them pictures of their children having fun. Send birthday cards. Call and say, “Hello”. Give them a discount every once in a while. These are just a few ideas on how you can keep your A-Listers happy.
- Collect testimonials and add them to your brochure or activity guide, flyers, and website.
- Have a “Bring a Friend Day” for one of your programs or for all of your programs on a specific day.
- Produce your own television show for free on public access.
- Speak with your local utilities companies or cable company to see if they will include a small flyer in the envelopes that go to all the residents.
April 26th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Hi!
First of all, I love your website.
Second, we are interested in distributing a supplemental guide for youth and teen summer camps to those places where people are waiting (doctors, auto shops, etc). How have you done this in the past? Do you hand deliver program guides or mail them? If you mail them, do you have a form letter that you attach with the guides? Do you leave just one so it stays in the waiting room or do you leave a stack for patrons to take with them?
Thanks so much!
April 26th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
This idea came from a summer camp round table event that my colleague and I put together last year. So I contacted the person that mentioned the idea, Steve, and asked him your question. Here’s his response.
Hey Curt,
Good to hear from you. Well, to answer your question I go to the offices I want to leave our activity guides and ask for the office manager. I then request that I leave 10 copies of our guide, in the spirit of community (I supply them with one of those acrylic brochure holders that stand up on the table). If they say no I ask if I can place just one with their magazines. They never say no to that. I just make sure that I return with new guides whenever we get them. Once you get your foot in the door, you’re good to go.
One thing I do when leaving only one is to put the guide in a nice plastic magazine binder, you know, the ones you see a lot of times at hair salons.
I’ve never mailed them to the offices since all of the places are local. I think the personal touch is why I’m able to leave one or more guides. I feel that if I mail them they’ll just get tossed in the bin.
I do know that Amy…made deals with the offices in her community. If they allowed her to place a rack with multiple guides in their office she would add them to the list of partners that go in their activity guide. It’s one page titled Community Partners and on that page is a list of company names with their logos, if they have one.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.
Yours in Recreation,
Steve