WELCOME TO HOW TO DEVELOP A CLUB NEWSLETTER

WELCOME TO ‘HOW TO’ DEVELOP A CLUB NEWSLETTER “THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN” ZC DOUG HARRIS, PRESENTER

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN IN JUST THE PAST FEW YEARS, DIGITAL SOCIAL MEDIA HAS MOVED INTO THE MAINSTREAM OF EVERYDAY LIFE. VYING FOR YOUR ATTENTION ARE OVER 400 SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES LIKE FACEBOOK, TWITTER, FLICKR, LINKEDIN, MYSPACE AND TUMBLR. W. W. W. HAS OVER 1. 96 BILLION WEB PAGES COVERED BY 645 MILLION WEBSITES. (SOME STAGGERING NUMBERS) AVAILABLE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS IS YOUR DIGITAL SMARTPHONE WHERE YOU NOT ONLY HAVE LIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, BUT CAN INTERFACE ON-THE-GO WITH NEWS, SPORTS, APPS, INTERNET, GAMES, EMAIL, BANK ACCOUNTS, MAPS, PHOTOS (THE LIST CAN GO ON AND ON). YOUR CLUB MAY HAVE A WEBSITE, FACEBOOK PAGE OR TWITTER ACCOUNT. SO, WHY BOTHER RECAPPING YOUR CLUB’S COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES IN A CLUB NEWSLETTER THAT TAKES FOREVER TO ASSEMBLE AND PUBLISH? FURTHERMORE, WHEN YOU DO HAVE A WEBPAGE, YOU SIMPLY ADD A LINK TO THAT NEWSLETTER THAT TOOK YOU HOURS TO PRODUCE AND ARE NOT GUARANTEED THAT THE INTENTED READER EVER ACTUALLY VIEWS WHAT YOU DILIGENTLY AND TIRELESSLY CREATED.

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN YOU MAY THINK THAT SINCE YOUR LOCAL LIONS CLUB HAS BEEN CHARTERED FOR 5, 10, 20, 30, or 70 PLUS YEARS, YOUR COMMUNITY KNOWS EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO! THE TRUTH IS THAT THEY ALL DON’T! EVER HEARD OF MCDONALD’S HAMBURGERS? OF COURSE YOU HAVE! MCDONALD’S WAS FOUNDED IN 1940 TODAY SERVING HAMBURGERS TO 68 MILLION CUSTOMERS IN 119 COUNTRIES, YET THEIR ANNUAL ADVERTISING (PR) BUDGET IS OVER ONE BILLION DOLLARS! MORE SHOCKING DOLLARS SPENT KEEPING A BRAND NAME AND INFORMATION IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC: WAL-MART - $2. 9 BILLION* ANNUALLY (*SPENT ON BOTH SOCIAL MEDIA AND PRINT MEDIA) KMART - $500 MILLION ANNUALLY OLD NAVY - $200+ MILLION ANNUALLY SINCE THE AFOREMENTIONED BUSINESSES ARE SO WELL KNOWN, THEN WHY WOULD THEY SPEND A FORTUNE TO ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO SEE THEIR NAME IN PRINT?

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN WHAT CAN HAPPEN SHOULD D 21 C CLUBS REMAIN COMPLACENT? LET’S COMPARE THE STATE OF KANSAS WITH THE STATE OF ARIZONA: KANSAS (MD 17): 2013 POPULATION: 2, 888, 905 BEING 33 RD LARGEST USA STATE WITH 5 DISTRICTS HAVING 257 LIONS CLUBS ARIZONA (MD 21): 2013 POPULATION: 6, 553, 255 BEING 15 TH LARGEST USA STATE WITH 3 DISTRICTS HAVING 120 LIONS CLUBS (43 IN D 21 C) EFFECTIVE JULY 8, 2014 KANSAS (MD 17) WILL BE REDUCED TO ONLY 3 DISTRICTS! THE MORAL OF THIS EXAMPLE IS: IF ANY LIONS DISTRICT IN ANY STATE DOES NOT GROW AND MAINTAIN VIABLE LIONS CLUBS, IT CAN BE EASILY ABSORBED INTO ANOTHER DISTRICT REGARDLESS OF CLUB COUNT.

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN CLUB NEWS LETTE RS CA N TAKE ON AN Y FOR M TH E EDIT OR W ISHES

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTERS MAY BE PUBLISHED MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY 1, 000’S OF NEWSLETTER TEMPLATES ARE AVAILABLE FREE ON THE INTERNET. (TOTAL 12 PAG ES) CLUB NEWSLETTERS CAN BE SIMPLE OR ‘OVER-THE-TOP’

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN ‘HOW TO’ WRITE AN EFFECTIVELY INTERESTING, VALUABLE AND INFORMATIVE NEWSLETTER

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN WRITING STYLES • SELECT A CATEGORY OR TOPIC FOR THE ARTICLE i. e. “Call of Action”, “Tips”, “Benefits”, “Resources” or “Information Only” • KEEP THE CATEGORIES OR ‘FOOTPRINT’ OF YOUR NEWSLETTER THE SAME IN EVERY ISSUE TO KEEP YOUR READERS COMING BACK • IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, THE ARTICLE OPENING STATEMENT SHOULD HAVE THE 5 “W’S” AND THE 1 “H” • ADD CREDIBILITY TO YOUR ARTICLES WITH QUOTES, FACTS AND STATISTICS • GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE; ALSO OBTAIN PERMISSION WHEN QUOTING OR USING PHOTOS YOU DON’T OWN • REMEMBER! YOU ARE NOT WRITING A NOVEL. JUST A FEW LINES TO INFORM THE READER PLUS GRAB THEIR ATTENTION AND KEEP THEM COMING BACK

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN ALL CLUB NEWSLETTER ARTICLES SHOULD FOLLOW SIMPLE RULES OF GOOD JOURNALISM SUCH AS: - REMEMBER THE BASIC WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY AND HOW OF THE STORY - KEEP THE ARTICLES INTERESTING FOR THE CASUAL READER - SUMMARIZE ANNUAL EVENTS WHEN POSSIBLE (PHOTOS TELL A GOOD STORY) - KEEP SENTENCES SHORT AND TO-THE-POINT - GIVE SUFFICIENT DETAILS, HOWEVER, SINCE NOT ALL READERS MAY KNOW THE TOPIC OR EVENT - A MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER IS JUST THAT…. . A NEWSLETTER AND SHOULD NOT BE A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT OF ALL YOUR CLUB’S AND LCI ACTIVITIES PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE - IF YOUR CLUB’S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER STARTS TO HAVE MORE THAN 10 PAGES, PERHAPS YOU MAY WANT TO HAVE TWO NEWSLETTERS PER MONTH RATHER THAN JUST ONE

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN WHO SHOULD RECEIVE YOUR INFORMATIVE NEWSLETTER?

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN SO YOUR CLUB CURRENTLY HAS AN EXCELLENT INFORMATIVE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER. THE NEXT OBVIOUS QUESTION WOULD BE: HOW IS YOUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER DISSEMINATED? YOU MAY HAVE AN ESTABLISHED LENGTHY EMAIL ADDRESS LIST INSURING THAT ALL CLUB MEMBERS AND PAST INTERESTED PARTIES, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS VIEW THE NEWSLETTER. SO YOU SEND OUT THE NEWSLETTER AND START ASSEMBLING INFORMATION FOR THE NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE. W-R-O-N-G! YOU WILL GET FAR MORE ‘BANG-FOR-THE BUCK’ SHOULD YOU GO TO THE NEXT STEP AND GET YOUR INFORMATIVE NEWSLETTER IN THE HANDS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES LIKE DOCTOR’S OFFICES, DENTIST OFFICES, CIRCLE K, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LOBBY, REAL ESTATE OFFICES, GROCERY STORES, BARBER SHOPS, (ANYWHERE THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS REQUIRED TO WAIT FOR SERVICES, ETC. )

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN DO YOU BELIEVE THAT ALL INTERESTED PARTIES HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR NEWSLETTER?

D 21 C ENJOYS A VAST MIXTURE OF RURAL AND METRO AREAS. YOU MAY THINK YOU HAVE EXHAUSTED MEMBER AND READER PROSPECTS SINCE YOUR CLUB HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR DECADES.

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN THERE ARE 21 FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES IN THE STATE OF ARIZONA. A POTENTIALLY UNTAPPED SOURCE OF NEW CLUBS OR NEW MEMBERS CAN BE FOUND ON THE NATIVE AMERICAN RESERVATIONS NEAR YOUR CLUB REACHABLE VIA YOUR NEWSLETTER. ONE-THIRD OR 7 OF THOSE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES FALL WITHIN THE BOUNDRIES OF D 21 C. A LIST OF THE 21 ARIZONA NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES PLUS THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE UPON EMAIL REQUEST.

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN (FEEDBACK FROM ATTENDEES ON THEIR OPINION AND EXPERIENCES WITH CLUB NEWSLETTERS) IN THIS AGE OF IDENTITY THEFT, HOW MUCH INFO IS ‘TOO MUCH’ REGARDING THE FULL NAMES, PHOTOS OF ALL CLUB MEMBERS, ADDRESSES AND AGES OF YOUR CLUB MEMBERS IN PRINT FOR THE WORLD TO SEE? EDITORS, ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION BEFORE REVEALING YOUR ENTIRE CLUB MEMBERSHIP ROLL INFORMATION WITH FULL FACIAL RECOGNITION VIA SOCIAL MEDIA OR CLUB WEBSITES: WILL THE ENTIRE WORLD, COMMUNITY OR CLUB MEMBERS BENEFIT BY REVEALING ALL THIS PERSONAL INFORMATION?

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN YOUR MONTHLY OR QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER DEFINITELY IS ONE MAJOR CLUB PRINT MEDIA VEHICLE IN MAINTAINING AN ACTIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN!

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN IN THE PUBLIC RELATIONS ARENA, THE GOAL OF ANY ADVERTISING AGENT IS TO GET AS MANY ‘IMPRESSIONS’ IN FRONT OF THE TARGETED GENERAL PUBLIC AS POSSIBLE WITH THE LEAST EXPENSE.

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN YES, THERE IS A PLETHERA OF PUBLIC RELATIONS DIGITAL SOCIAL MEDIA AVAILABLE, BUT THE PRINTED MEDIA (NEWSLETTER) IS BY FAR THE BEST LOWEST COST CHOICE TO TARGET YOUR DESIRED COMMUNITY AUDIENCE.

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN WHEN YOU UTILIZE ONLY WEBSITES, FACEBOOK OR TWITTER-TYPE VEHICLES TO ‘GET THE WORD OUT’, YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW IF YOUR DESIRED AUDIENCE EVEN STOPPED LONG ENOUGH TO GET YOUR DESIRED CLUB MESSAGE ACROSS.

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN (REPEATING) YOUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER DEFINITELY IS A MAJOR NECESSARY PRINT MEDIA VEHICLE IN MAINTAINING AN ACTIVE CLUB PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN!

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN HOW MANY ‘IMPRESSIONS’ DOES YOUR CLUB OFFER YOUR COMMUNITY MONTHLY, QUARTERLY OR YEARLY?

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN REMEMBER: YOUR CLUB’S SUCCESS IS NOT MEASURED BY WHERE YOU SIT; RATHER IN WHAT DIRECTION YOU ARE GOING! “IF YOU WANT TO SUCCEED, YOU SHOULD STRIKE OUT ON NEW PATHS, RATHER THAN TRAVEL THE WORN PATHS OF ACCEPTED SUCCESS. ” (Author: John D. Rockefeller)

THE NEED FOR A CLUB NEWSLETTER IN AN ACTIVE PR CAMPAIGN THANK YOU!