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Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
I am posting this here becasue I have no clue where else it might go. I hope it does not bother anyone.
I am looking for ideas. Last night at the local meeting of Ring 96, (chapter of the international brotherhood of magicians) I agreed to join a membership committee. This is a group of three of us who are willing to work at building up the dwindling membership of the club. So far I came up with... 1) contacting former members to try to bring them back. (the board member who heads the committee was ahead of me on that one) 2) Advertising (free) with fliers at the 4 local magic shops. 3) Finding a way to advertise at the local community colleges (3 or 4) I thought about elementary schools, but they have the built in problems of the fact that the kids don't drive and so are dependant on parents. Same for middle school. High schools lose that problem, but very few high school kids are going to put in the time to magic. This might get a couple of members, but only after and long hard and expensive effort. Also, ring 96 has neither the space nor the resources for a separate kids program. Anyone have any successful experience in this area? All answers appreciated. btw: not looking for people who want to know secrets. I want either potential performers or hobbyists. People who will respect the art. not looky loo's.
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
It would seem like you should target your audience. People are already in magic.
Have you tried contacting the IBM for a list of members in your area. I'm sure there are many who don't attend meetings. You could then send letters or email. Maybe tie it in with some special event. You could try posting a message here on the Café in the forum related to news and events or the IBM forum. Flyers in the magic stores is another good thought if they'll let you. Here's another thing you can do. Ask yourselves why people aren't coming. Then come up ideas to make your meeting more interesting to attend.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
Cliffg37 Inner circle Long Beach, CA 2491 Posts |
Hey there motown, thansk for the ideas. I especially like the last one. A little introspection and then a re-vamp of some meetings might do the trick.
Thanks
Magic is like Science,
Both are fun if you do it right! |
LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Cliff-
Social media marketing. If the club doesn't have a blog, a Facebook account, or a Twitter account, I recommend starting whatever's missing (and further recommend WordPress for the blog). You don't have to post daily, but weekly is good for search engine results...put in photos from club meetings, upcoming events, etc. Make contact with the local weekly newspaper(s). If the have a calendar of events, get the club in it...see who handles editorial content (as opposed to ads)... Send short "press releases" - mostly who, what, when & where. One paragraph is great. They have a balance between ad space and copy space, and often need to fill up a few inches at the last minute. They won't always run your event, but they will from time to time when they need filler. Also, any sort of special event - com test winners, guest lecturers,etc. They won't send anyone to cover it, but if you write it up yourself (BRIEFLY) they occasionally will run it (better chance if you include a photo with caption). If you run a small ad once (probably $50-$100) it will get you free space more often later than if you hadn't. And if any club members have their own businesses, ask them to consider taking out a one-time business card sized ad as well, and mentioning that they're with the magic club. The library is a good place for flyers, too.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
motown Inner circle Atlanta by way of Detroit 6127 Posts |
That's an excellent idea regarding using social media.
"If you ever write anything about me after I'm gone, I will come back and haunt you."
– Karl Germain |
Slide Special user 533 Posts |
The first step is to find out why people left in the first place. I would contact those who left, not to ask them to come back but to find out why they left. Based on the results, you might find you need to make some chnages to the way the club is organized and run.
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Kent Wong Inner circle Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2458 Posts |
I think many clubs probably face this same challenge. There are two key questions you need to ask:
1. What do potential members want to get from a magic club (that they can't get elsewhere); and, 2. What benefits do the magic club offer to members (that they can't get elsewhere). You may want to consider things like: a) member/non-member ticket prices for lectures b) members only events such as swap meets and competitions c) members only newsletters and classified listings d) members only teach-in sessions and workshops e) members only access to the club's library Kent
"Believing is Seeing"
<BR>______________________ <BR> <BR>www.kentwongmagic.com |
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