Irish Sailing Association - How to promote your club/organisation

National Conference & Awards Dinner 2010

www.sailing.ie

Promoting Your Organisation

Markham NolanFreelance Journalist

This is what we’re up against

Where is your organisation?

• What percentage of your locals know the club/school exists?

• How many could give directions to it?• How many have been inside the building?• How do you reckon they’d describe it?• How would you LIKE them to describe it?

GOALS

“Without goals you’re just kicking a ball down a big

grass rectangle”

GOALS

• Keeping Sponsors Happy

GOALS

• Keeping Sponsors Happy• Promoting Own Events

GOALS

• Keeping Sponsors Happy• Promoting Own Events• Celebrating Achievements

GOALS

• Keeping Sponsors Happy• Promoting Own Events• Celebrating Achievements• Lobbying for Interests

GOALS

• Keeping Sponsors Happy• Promoting Own Events• Celebrating Achievements• Lobbying for Interests• Attract new Members/Clients

GOALS• Keeping Sponsors Happy• Promoting Own Events• Celebrating Achievements• Lobbying for Interests• Attract new Members/Client• Mobilise/retain existing membership

BECOME THE NEWS

OLD MEDIAv.

NEW MEDIA

OLD MEDIAv.

NEW MEDIA

(Old doesn’t mean bad, by the way)

What’s the difference?

OLD• One-way• Shotgun approach• Struggle• Expensive• Finds the target

NEW• Interactive• Sniper-like• Simple• Free• Target finds it

Tried and Tested

88% of Irish adults read a newspaper

(That’s 3.1 million people)

Stop Press

“It’s not about getting into the newspaper.

It’s about getting into the journalists’ heads”

Old Media Rule #1

Journalists are lazy gits DEAL WITH IT

Old Media Rule #1(Journalists are lazy gits dealing with it)

Provide the kind of content they like/needPics Good/Bad/Ugly Good Press ReleasesBe available for commentResults, results, results ON TIME PLEASE

Old Media Rule #1(Journalists are lazy gits dealing with it)

Don't expect them to come out to youNever snort at a phonecallAlways have contact details availableGive notice

Old Media Rule #1(Journalists are lazy gits dealing with it)

Make it easy for them to find youAll information online, up-to-date, relevantMaps where possibleGoogle Small Business Centre

Number one, loads of info…

..and we didn’t pay a penny

Old Media Rule #1(Journalists are lazy gits dealing with it)

Make it easy for them to find materialPut photos onlineCaption the photosResults online

Old Media Rule #2

Know who you're pitching to

Old Media Rule #2(Know who you’re pitching to)

Do your homework on who does what in a paperNews v SportYou can be both, not at the same timeKnow the deadlines and working hours Don't be afraid to ask when is good

BECOME THE NEWS

Old Media Rule #2(Know who you’re pitching to)

Tailor your content to the outletWrite a good press releaseRemember the local media

Old Media Rule #3

EVERYONE LOVES FREEBIES

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Old Media Rule #3(Everyone Loves Freebies)

• Honorary memberships• Burger me senseless• (Open Days/fun regattas)• Be creative

Old Media Rule #4

Keep Holy the Sabbath

Old Media Rule #4(Keep Holy the Sabbath)

Monday's paper is written on Sunday

Nothing newsy happens on Sunday

GET IN THERE

THE PRESS RELEASE“Message for you, sir”

YOU ARE NOT WRITING A NOVEL

"From here you will be treated to a spectacle that will take your breath away. When all fifty yachts round the windward

mark and hoist their magnificently kite-like spinnakers, you will be met with an

eruption of colour, which will be etched in your memory for ever.”

(Actual press release to Afloat magazine)

YOU ARE NOT FUNNY, EITHER

(nor should you try to be)

Press Release Elements• Snappy, informative

headline (subject line)• All text in body of email,

NEVER just in a Word Doc attachment

• Punchiest, most sellable point of information up front

• Attributable quotes

• Clear detail on dates, numbers, any costs, etc

• "For more information" phone number

• Background info last thing of all

• GOOD picture if you have one (.jpeg format >500KB filesize)

BECOME THE NEWS

Embargoed PRs• PR people think placing an embargo on

something makes it seem exclusive

• Journalists think placing an embargo on makes the PR person FEEL exclusive

To Hire a Pro?

• For MAJOR events only• Hire someone with a journalistic

background if you want into the news• Shop around• Don’t go for a buddy - this is business

PERSONALISED PRESS RELEASES

• Only if you know the journalist, or have an idea that they might be interested

• Don't mail-merge it• Follow up with a phonecall

Sending In Pictures Is it an action shot?

Are faces visible in it?Does it include a caption/names?No head/shoulder/trophy photos?

Is it bigger than 500KB?Is it in .jpeg/.jpg format?

What makes this a good photo?

Space to lay text over it

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e of

th

irds>

Faces visible Lots of colour

Action fills the frame

Why is this a bad photo?

OVERWHELMINGLY GREYTiny area of action

Very far from the action

One face, partly visible

To Hire a Pro?

• You will get great quality shots• No need for them to be a marine photog• Opportunity for members’ vanity shots• Be clear RE: re-use rights, press use• Be clear about what you want• Cover as much ground as possible

Make pics available

• Post them online using free sites:– www.flickr.com– www.pix.ie

• Encourage members to add to galleries

WHAT ABOUT VIDEO?

Great for newcomersGives great idea of what goes on

Sign up for Youtube

It’s freeIt’s simpleEveryone knows itEncourages sharing

Using Video

• Simple camera• Prepare the subject• Keep it brief• Keep it light• Go close up• Think of background

WHY PUT ALL THIS MATERIAL UP ONLINE?

• 905,980 people in Ireland on Facebook. • 612,380 people aged 25 + (67%)• 399,440 people are age 30+ (44%)• 134,660 people are age 40+ (14%)

Stats as of August 2009

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Your members are already on FacebookThey are sharing videos on FacebookThey are sharing pics on FacebookThey are organising events through FacebookThey are joining groups in Facebook

Should they be sharing YOUR videos, YOUR pics?Should you be announcing YOUR events on Facebook?

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• Set up a week before this pic was taken

• Nationals being organised through the site

• Boats being sold in the discussion forums

• Journalist (me) using it to find contacts for a story for Afloat

BE CONSISTENT

• www.facebook.com/markhamnolan• www.flickr.com/markhamnolan• www.youtube.com/markhamnolan• www.linkedin.com/markhamnolan• www.twitter.com/markhamnolan• www.slideshare.com/markhamnolan

BE CONSISTENTWORKS FOR ORGANISATIONS, TOO

• www.twitter.com/AfloatMagazine• www.facebook.com/AfloatMagazine• www.youtube.com/AfloatMagazine• www.afloat.ie

WEBSITES ARE EASY

This is not good enough

Look down here(and it’s not even a link tothe actual website)

Just like MS Word…

Golden Rules For Websites•All material nice and fresh

(use it or lose it)•Contact details on every page

•Contact details up to date•MAKE IT RELEVANT

•MAKE IT EASY•USE FREE STUFF & INTEGRATE

Want to know more?Markham.nolan@gmail.com

Markham@afloat.ie086 2570 320www.expad.ie

www.slideshare.com/markhamnolan

3 Park Road, Dun Laoghaire

Co. Dublin, Ireland

T: +353 (0)1 280 0239 F: +353 (0)1 280 7558

E: info@sailing.ie W: www.sailing.ie

www.sailing.ie

Sport for all, Sport for Life

Contact Jennie Newitte: membership@sailing.ie

t: 01 271 0111

Good Online resources

Damien Mulley on Communications Bibles:http://tinyurl.com/mulleybible

Journalists on Press Releases:http://tinyurl.com/weckreleasehttp://tinyurl.com/scanrelease

More ideas on promoting sports clubs:http://tinyurl.com/growclub

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