Garden State Council. Marketing Your Unit

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1 Marketing Your Unit

2 Index Cover Page 1 Index 2 Definitions & FAQ 3 Scope & Mission 4 Media Contact 5 How to get Started 6 Which Media? 8-10 Social Media Tips Negative Publicity 16 Other Ways 16 Sample Press Rel. 17 Sample Medial Alert18 Word Documents 18 FAQ Council Media Contacts

3 Definitions Marketing - The process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service Public Relations - the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public. Publicity - Publicity is the act of attracting the media attention and gaining visibility with the public Advertising - A form of communication for marketing and used to encourage, persuade, or manipulate an audience (viewers, readers or listeners; sometimes a specific group) to continue or take some new action. Communication - The activity of conveying information through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information FAQ To insure the continued strength of your unit you need to MARKET yourselves in your community via PUBLIC RELATIONS. PUBLICITY and ADVERTISING are your unit s primary form of COMMUNICATION to your community

4 Why Public Relations? Public Relations is often an excellent method to help sell your units scouting program to boys and their families in your community. Positive publicity can have a direct impact on your units membership, recruiting and fund-raising efforts. In addition, it can often provide a motivational boost to your advancement program by publicly recognizing the hard work, fun and accomplishment of the scouts in your unit. Document Intent The intent of this guide is to help you unit create and sustain your own active and successful public relations program. You questions, suggestions and comments on this guide are welcome.

5 Think Publicity all of the time! Sample Media Contact Sheet District and Unit Impact on Positive Publicity Name of Media Outlet Each district and unit in the must help focus on promoting positive public relations every day in you local communities. We must tell Scouting s story and success as often as possible to as many people as possible. Mailing Address Delivery Address Thousands of Scouting Articles and photos carry a strong, positive message each month about the presence and vitality of your unit and its impact in your community. We need your help in getting the word out! You can provide local media with information that communicates the fun and values of scouting. A newspaper is a business, and like most businesses, it is operated to produce a profit. At the same time, the newspaper s editors also recognize their responsibility to serve the people of their community and are always looking for items of local relevance. Your community want to read articles about a neighbor earning his Eagle, and the local Cub Scout pack collecting 1000 s of cans of food for the hungry. They also want to see photos of a Troop setting up a neighborhood watch, or local scout pitching in to help clean up a local park. Contacts Editor: Name Phone # Fax # Twitter Reporter Name Phone # Fax # Twitter

6 How To Get Started! Recruit a unit PR chairperson: This person would be responsible for getting out press releases and media alerts, obtaining photo s at events, maintaining the media contact list. (Ideally this person would be supported by a PR Committee) Develop a Plan: The unit leaders and PR Committee should identify what activities should be publicized, as well as how and when they should be publicized. This should be part of the process of establishing your units yearly program. Attempt to include only newsworthy activities in the plan. There s no guarantee that what you submit to the media will be published. You will also want to limit your submissions to items the paper s readership will be interested in. Lastly, be careful you do not wear out your welcome, and limit your submissions to an individual media outlet to 1 tem every 1-2 months (Excluding community calendars) Determine which media outlets are appropriate for your community and the type of item you are submitting: Newspapers, particularly local papers, are generally receptive to community activities, including Scouting. Some radio stations and local cable stations also report on community events. Social media should not be ignored, be sure to consider posting to community related Facebook pages and Groups and Well as Twitter and other social media opportunities. Call the media outlets to determine who you should be dealing with: Start with the list of Media Outlets provided on this site, but do not be afraid to make your own contacts. If you know of any additional media outlets please let the GSC marketing committee know, so we can update our list Establish a process within your unit for reviewing and submitting items: You do not want every Den leader to submit an Press release for the Blue and Gold dinner as an example. So create a process where Media Alerts, Press Releases, and Community Calendar updates go through a centralized review and submission process for your entire unit.

7 Tips!!!!! Answer the 5 - W s: Who, What, Where, When and Why Short & Sweet - use short sentences. Just the facts - stick with the facts, avoid opinions Make sure you really have news! As simple as it sounds, often people submit articles are not interesting enough for the media to use. Look at your item objectively by putting yourself in the editor s shoes. Consider combining events and activities into a single article. Although a community service project may be significant enough on its own, you could also include it in an article about upcoming activities. Don t forget to regularly thank the publisher/editor or other appropriate individuals responsible for printing your article. Your unit may want to annually present a thank-you with a plaque or certificate and if appropriate invite them to be your guest at a fundraising activity like a pancake breakfast, car wash, etc. Submit your press release as quickly as possible, even write a draft before the event, and update it when submitting. Old News is No News! Thank the reporter after the story runs, Don t just say thank-you as if the reporter did you a favor, also include comments about how well he covered the subject Photo Tips The saying A Picture is worth a thousand words is especially true when working with the media. Given a choice between two similar stories, newspapers will often choose the one with an accompanying photograph. In your photo: Limit the number of subjects so you can be close enough to closely see faces clearly Limit background clutter, try for a high contrast like a plain wall or trees Avoid glass or mirrors in your background; the reflection can ruin a photo When possible, take close-up actions shots with smiling faces (To show Scouting is fun) Remember to contact newspapers in advance to determine any requirements relating to the submission of photos. Caption A well-taken picture with a good caption will get more attention and help get your message delivered! Include a picture title and sufficient description Include names of subject(s0 in the photo DO NOT WRITE THE CAPTION ON THE FRONT NOR ACK OF THE PHOTO, INCLUDE AS AN ATTACHMENT Include your name and contact info with the caption

8 Which Media Outlet should you submit to? Weekly Newspapers Most weekly papers are community oriented making them ideal for Scouting related announcements Daily Newspapers On occasion significant or unusual scouting stories warrant submission to a daily paper. The council office usually generates many of these stories. For example, daily newspapers have published stories about scouts who have saved lives, and about council wide activities and events. As a result, the Council maintains relationships with daily newspapers in the area and can often assist you in cases where you believe an article should be submitted to a daily paper. Council can also combine similar stories into a single more newsworthy article, more likely to be published. If you are interested in submitting a story to a daily newspaper, first consider the following: Is your article appropriate for a daily paper? For the most part, daily papers do not publish prepared articles. They pay a staff or professional reporters to develop and write articles your story needs to be significant or unusual enough for the paper to assign a reporter. Professional reporters are paid to find angles that you might not want included in the story. For example, you could suddenly find that a write-up about your unit s door-to-door fundraising campaign is included in a larger, negative story about fraudulent door-to-door solicitors. Remember that you will have little to know control over how a reporter uses your story. If you believe your story should be submitted to a daily newspaper, contact the marketing director to discuss your idea.

9 Which Media Outlet should you submit to? Other Media Outlets Cable TV /Public Access TV Social Media Cable Most cable TV systems offer bulletin boards or public access channels, which provide short community service statements aired for non-profit organizations. Cable bulletin boards (CBB)are best utilized for simple announcements of broad community interest, such as fund-raising activities. CBB s are a good place to announce a car wash or pancake breakfast, but are not the most effective way to announce open houses for new members. Invite the local public access channels (Check with your town, local high school, or technical school) to major events (Blue & Gold Dinner, Pine Wood Derby, etc). Your scouts will also be thrilled to be on TV. Don t forget to let your units, and their families and friends know when your event will be broadcast!!!!!!!!!!!

10 Which Media Outlet should you submit to? Social Media Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social Media networks continue to expand into mobile networks. Internet users continue to spend more time with social media sites than any other type of site. Social Media is about building relationship!!!!!! Some examples of Social Media are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Quora, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, Flickr, YouTube

11 Social Media Tips from the NonProfit Quarterly link

12 Social Media Tips from the NonProfit Quarterly link

13 Social Media Tips from the NonProfit Quarterly link

14 Social Media Tips from the NonProfit Quarterly link

15 Social Media Tips from the NonProfit Quarterly link

16 Negative Publicity? The best way to avoid negative publicity is to avoid it!!!! If a situation arises within your unit or with one of its members that you think may result in negative publicity, it is CRITICAL to contact the IMMEDIIATELY!!!! Contact the Scout Director, or District Executive. Some example of situations that could result in negative publicity include: A serious accident or life threatening situation occurs during a scouting activity or event. A member of your unit or sponsoring activity is charged with a criminal activity particularly if the alleged crime occurred during or in connection with a scouting activity or event. A reporter contacts you, or your unit to discuss any scouting activities, programs or guidelines. Unless the inquiry is a direct response to an article, press release or media alert you submitted. (Call from the media should be referred to the ) Other ways to Publicize your unit WOW (Word of mouth) ewow (Electronic Word of Mouth) Visibility Look for service projects that are visible in your community and make sure you units wear their uniforms (Clean up a local park, Flag Ceremony at a local senior facility, Scouting for Food)

17 Press Release Additional Page Press Release First Page (If Necessary) HOW TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE Include some direct quotations from spokesperson, when possible. How to Write a News Release/page 2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: NAME DAY OF THE WEEK, MONTH, DAY, YEAR NUMBER While writing the release, think about what questions a reporter might ask, and attempt to answer them in the release. TELEPHONE ADDRESS Include the contact name and telephone number in the upper righthand corner of the first page, and the day and date in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, as indicated above. HEADING SHOULD STAND OUT (USE ALL CAPS, BOLDFACE, UNDERLINE, USE DIFFERENT FONT) Before releasing the document, obtain approval of the release from each person quoted. Also be certain that all names in the release are spelled correctly and that all titles and addresses are accurate. It is vital to check all facts and figures for accuracy before submission. When Used, Subheadings Should Be Written in Italics, Capitalize the First Letter of Each Word YOUR CITY, STATE* (Month Day) Include as many pertinent facts as possible in the first paragraph, including who, what, where, when, why and how. Stick to the facts and establish your event/announcement as newsworthy. ### Editor s note: Use an Editor s note to bring special attention to important information. For example, photo available upon request

18 Media Alert HOW TO WRITE A MEDIA ALERT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Day of week, Month, Day, Year CONTACT: Name, Title Telephone ***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT*** HEADING SHOULD STAND OUT (USE ALL CAPS & BOLDFACE, LARGE FONT) When Used, Sub-hearings Should Be Italicized, Capitalize The First Letter Of Each Word WHO: Include information on who will be at event. List most important individuals first and always include number of attendees. Embolden key information. WHAT: Describe why this is a newsworthy event. This is your opportunity to provide background information. Using brief, but standard language about your organization will help to establish yourself. The what section should be no longer than three, short paragraphs. Media Alerts should be ONE PAGE in length. WHEN: Date (Day of Week, Month, Day) Time (Designate AM or PM) WHERE: Location Name state or zip code) RAIN OR SHINE Address (No need to designate HOW: This section is not necessary, but useful if you are promoting an event that is open to the public. Use this to explain how to buy tickets or contact for more information.