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Summer SINGsation 2009: Marketing & Membership Funnel
A summary of the discussion on the marketing and membership funnels and the path to membership is in the Attachment section below

Summer SINGsation 2009: Marketing Survey
(Summary of survey from Networking Session with Marketing and Membership)
Ten chapters (include one from another region) were represented in our meeting and we asked for 1 survey from each chapter. Here's a recap

• 8/10 have an official logo for their chapter
• Uses for logo: letterhead, business cards, advertising, signs, website, informal notes, clothing, name badges, show program, banners, riser trailer, bumper stickers, tattoos, flyers, cookbook
• 6/10 said they have used paid advertising and offered the following examples: newspaper, ad in men's show, business cards, facebook, radio stations, TV, weather channel, women's Expo; one chapter mentioned they no longer used paid ads because they were not effective
• 7/10 said Marketing has a voice on their Board or Management Team
• Role/Structure of marketing in your chapter
  
  • Marketing/PR chair w 2 assistants
  • Chair on BOD
  • Committee and Chair (4 responses)
  • 1 Person
  • Communications Coordinator on Team; PR/Publicity Chair w/ committee
  • Role as part of Team, Show, Communications, and Membership
  • PR/Publicity chair, also membership chair and BOD get/receive input
• Range of budget for Marketing: 1 response for "nothing, we do all free and viral"; 5 responses for "$100-500, 2 responses $500-1000, 1 response over $1000, and 1 not sure
• Ways Marketing and Membership coordinate in chapter:
  • TV interviews for fundraisers, newspaper info for clubs, events, etc
  • Advertising guest nights, put out news release with chorus leaders, activities, etc to get chorus name out to the public
  • Working to get this coordination started
  • We have been deficient in Mktg/Membership -- we now have a new PR chair and a membership chair
  • We use our updated website and have tremendous success with those contacts; membership area also our best marketing tool for membership
  • We invite prospective members to join us for special occasions to let them experience it before coming members; membership coordinates with Mktg or PR re advertising, etc
  • Distribution of info during performances; ads for members and performance opportunities
• If you could do 1 thing to improve your chapter's marketing, what would you do?
  • Have a committee to personally contact propsective sources for members and perofrmances
  • Be more diligent about getting info out to the news/print media
  • Advertising
  • Become more well-known to target audience and get more guests in the door
  • more awareness in the community
  • Run ads in free periodicals and/or radio/TV
  • Touch more markets - more women's groups
• What can the region do to help you with M & M?
  • Innovative ideas
  • Make the website eaier to navigate and information more accessible to prospective members
  • Professional tool CD/DVD to advertise show or membership drive
  • Collect/Collate successful marketing campaigns for other Reg23 choruses - thus eliminating the need to re-invent the wheel
  • A public serivce type ad to be plates on local TV stations would be a great tool
  • Share examples of successul campaigns in other chapters - what actually works
• NOTE: There is a new page for Marketing Showcase--- need folks to share what's worked for them!
  
• There's also a place to share successful Membership Campaigns

PR vs Marketing: The Distinction
(from Regional Management Team Handbook)
The terms public relations and marketing are often used interchangeably. However, they refer to different but similar activities. Professionals recognize the distinctions, although grassroots practitioners may not. Textbook definitions may appear confusing; therefore, practical differences are cited here.

Marketing is selling, whether it be a tangible product such as a ticket to your regional convention or a service such as membership in Sweet Adelines. The end result of the marketing process is a transaction, e.g., money for a ticket, money for dues, etc. The marketing process always involves a transaction. Marketing communication, briefly, is a one-way communication such as broadcasting ticket price and availability via a variety of media. When a prospective buyer hears your marketing message she decides whether or not she will buy.

The public relations process prepares target audiences to be receptive to marketing messages. Awareness of the quality of your product is built through public relations, e.g., an appearance on a local early morning television news broadcast may attract the attention of potential ticket buyers and potential members. Public relations is a two-way communications process. You may broadcast a message and wait for a response. If the response is favorable, you may decide to keep broadcasting the same message. If the response is unfavorable, you have the opportunity to change your message to one that may be more positively received.

In the Sweet Adelines context, public relations is a process of developing relationships among your region, its choruses, and the public. [The job of the regional] Marketing Coordinator is to identify publics, establish mutually-beneficial relationships, and maintain those relationships in order to earn their goodwill leading to further successes. An important part of [the] job is to pass marketing and public relations skills on to those at the
chorus level.

Marketing Tips
(reprinted from April 2008 H2H)
Now that the new Sweet Adeline Year is upon us, it is time for goal setting and development of a plan for marketing your chorus.

What does your chorus do currently to sell itself? How do you get the word out in your community about your chorus? Does your chorus belong to your local arts council? Do you passively wait for performance opportunities to present to you or do you actively promote your services ? Does your chorus have a goal setting session each year? This often focuses on musical goals but should include plans for marketing and membership programs well.

If your chorus does not have someone in charge of PR/ marketing, why not volunteer to help in this area?

Our International marketing/ membership leaders have developed a new wide ranging marketing program that will be available this summer to supplement all the marketing materials already available to every chorus. This will include a wide range of marketing materials you can choose from including an online pressroom where you can customize pre written topics to send to your local press. Templates will be available so you can customize flyers, ads, business cards and just about any kind of advertising media you would want! There will be a much more extensive use of the web and it’s potential to reach new members as well. We will be providing more details as they become available.

Marketing Tips
(reprinted from Oct 2007 H2H)

The most frequent method of recruiting members is still word of mouth, and this means that all of you are members of your chapter’s marketing/membership team!

Here are some basic principles to remember when you are selling Sweet Adelines.

1. Share the love you have for the craft by letting others see your enthusiasm and passion for the barbershop style.
2. Use the words “a cappella”, “ 4-part harmony” when describing SAs rather than “I sing barbershop.” We all know that barbershop harmony is anything but old fashioned and out of date, but those who know nothing about us may have a preconceived negative idea associated with the word barbershop. Let’s get the potential member in the door to experience the thrill of ringing a chord first hand.
3. Make sure you always have up-to-date business cards in your purse, or in your car to share as well as some blank paper or 3x5 cards to get a name and phone number or email address so you can follow up.
4. Use “ conversation starters” - wear music themed jewelry or a button that promotes your chorus. Wear clothing with the SAI logo or chorus logo. Put a picture of your chorus or quartet on your luggage tags. Make the SAI web site your home page and download the SAI screensaver as well.

I would love to hear about the ways you share the word about SweetAdelines. Please share your ideas with me so I can pass them along to all our members.