Posters and flyers

A great way to contact existing or potential members and volunteers is through posters or flyers, to tell them about the benefits that your club can bring to them.

Whether you’re promoting an event or simply maintaining relationships, sending out posters or flyers is a great way of adding a more personal touch by communicating directly with potential and/or existing members and volunteers.

You can send out flyers or leaflets in a targeted approach, using an up to date database of contacts, or by dropping them through people's doors more randomly. Read more about these marketing methods below:

Direct mail

Sending mail directly to people can offer a personal touch and show how professional your club is.  However, it can be quite expensive and time consuming with not only the mailshot to prepare, but also the postage costs. A good direct mail campaign will:

• Have an offer or promotion which is clearly explained
• Be relevant to the person receiving the mail
• Include a strong call to action i.e. what to do next
•  Have a means by which the campaign can be quantified once it is over, in terms of how many people responded, against how much it cost. You can measure response by asking people to quote a code or bring along a voucher from the mail. This way you can track how many people are directly responding to your campaign.

Flyer or leaflet drops

Whilst probably cheaper than a direct mail campaign, randomly posting flyers or leaflets is not as well targeted and typically has a low response rate. However, it is useful when you are looking to identify a potential target market within a larger area. For example, if a new housing development opens near your club it would be worth dropping leaflets around to make them aware of what your club offers. To make it worthwhile make sure your offer is clear and concise. Track how successful it is by asking people to do something different, such as requesting a special early bird discount.

Posters

If you have a location available to put up posters, for example in a local leisure centre, this can be an effective way to grab the attention of potential new members or volunteers. Be creative and make posters eye-catching and informative, try to avoid using too much text and just include the key information. Also make sure you check with the owner of the facility that you have permission to put up your posters.