Marketing Techniques For Student Organizations

PR can be used for more than companies, it can also be student for student organizations on a college campus.  In my PR2 class, one of our projects consisted of having to come up with a PR Plan for an organization on campus.  I’m an active Circle K International (CKI) member, so that’s the organization that I’m making the PR Plan for with the rest of my group members.

Since this is our main focus, I was doing some research and came across a great article written by International President, Amanda Marfisi.  She lists of the Seven Best Ways to Market CKI, and these techniques can be used for other organizations as well.  The seven ways are listed below:

1. Tabling: don’t just sit behind a sign and hope people come to you! Have free food, handouts, fun music, or even a small service project. Getting people engaged as you talk to them is important.
2. Flyers: think of all the flyers you have seen around campus. Typically 8 ½ by 11, black and white, sometimes with color if you are lucky. Think outside the box! Use publisher and try different size paper, make a long skinny banner type flyer, or a vertical skinny tie poster! Be sure to use graphic standards
3. Chalk: this is not just a kindergarten past time, bring out the child in all your members and have them go out around the campus and chalk! In front of dorm rooms, University Centers, the library, etc.
4. T-Shirt Day: in one year of CKI you usually end up with at least 3-4 shirts (one from DCON, Fall Leadership Conference, the club, and ICON). Pick a day during the week where all your club members where the same CKI shirt (this works especially well on a small campus).
5. Door-to-Door: with technological advances, we sometimes forget the importance of a personal invitation. Each week send your board members out to a new dorm on campus. Flyer or brochure in hand, pair up and walk down each hallway knocking on each door. Personally hand them the flyer, explain who you are, and say how excited you would be to see them at your next meeting
6. Personalized Facebook Messages: going back to the technological, how cool would it be to get an individualized message from the president!? After a tabling event, and collecting several names, take an hour or two to send each person who signed up an individualized message on facebook. You don’t have to “friend” someone to send a message, they see the extra effort that you want THEM there, and you might be able to gain a new facebook friend!
7. Follow-Up: for those members who signed up, but didn’t make the first couple of meetings… don’t let them slip away! Or for those members who just stopped coming, follow-up. Send them an email message along the lines of “we missed having you at our meeting this week, we were really hoping to see you there. Hope to see you next week at this time, location. OR let me know if you want to see a list of the service projects to sign up for.”

These methods can be applied to almost any organization, not just CKI.  I would suggest if you’re a student group in need to some new marketing idea, try these out!

*Credit for this entry goes to Circle K International President, Amanda Marfisi based off her article call “Marketing CKI-7 Best” found in Circle K District Publications.