Sadly, many clubs came up with a variety of reasons not to meet or find activities to engage their members during the COVID-19 pandemic years – as a result, marketing opportunities reduced and even disappeared with some clubs.
However, even in the worst of times – natural disasters, economic downtowns, civil unrests – Rotary is resilient and is still there.
In some cases, clubs are growing and benefitting, but for others the struggle continues. The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that the people and businesses are resilient – and so too should be service organizations.
Those clubs that are benefiting already are the ones which adapted, re-invented or evolved to meet this new environment and circumstances, transforming the way members meet and what they do as a club as opportunities arise.
COVID-19 has indeed presented us an opportunity for growth in many areas and across several strata – a message that was given by leaders from the onset. We knew the needs of our members would be different, we knew how we operated had to be different and we knew that we had to be innovative if we were to come out of the other side in good stead.
Out of the pandemic (as with many other devastating incidents), we are finding people who are seeking the need to contact, communicate and help. These same people are looking to social media for their connection guidance.
As of November 2021, Facebook easily remains the dominant social media platform in the world, with the 25-34 age group (males) being the biggest users. While this age group is also the most popular platform for Instagram users, it seems to be the preferred domain of females. Twitter and Pinterest for males in the 30-49 age group are clear leaders, while LinkedIn attract the 46-55 users, with genders being equal. TikTok and Snapchat are definitely the domain of the under 25s.
If we turn to Rotary in our District 7030 area, women represent about 44% of our membership (males 56%), and, unacceptably, we do not know the ages of 53% of our members. How can you help a club or district if you do not know what you are working with? Of the members that we do know their ages, it is very evident that we need to address the 40–60-year-old groups. Selecting the right social media platform can be beneficial in attracting members if it is shown that you are happy and active in the community.
Millennials and Gen X are more likely to share content on Facebook. Since 32% of influencers say Facebook is the best social media platform for influencer marketing, we might be reasonably safe and comfortable starting here.
Clubs that have continued marketing through the previous two years are likely to thrive, as they have stayed relevant and are able to recover quicker when things eventually "settle" and are already attracting new members keen to contact, communicate and help through a worthwhile organization.
We could all see the opportunity, just how many seized it?
Concurrently, marketing Rotary is based primarily on treating it more as a service (as distinct from goods). Many of us have experienced first-hand several of the challenges related to the unique characteristics of Rotary as a service. The fact that services are typically intangible experiences makes them challenging to communicate to would-be "customers" (i.e. members and/or stakeholders); and, the fact that "customers" are also integrally involved in producing the experience means they are difficult to standardize and quality is difficult to control. For these reasons – and more – it can be difficult to amply demonstrate a value or value proposition for something like Rotary.
Rotary "membership" is the classic example and, like other offered services, promoting Rotary comes with inherent challenges. Fortunately, there are some tried and true tips which can help us promote our organization more effectively.
Here are five tips for services marketing that have always proven effective and are directly relevant to Rotary:
- Connect with your customers (i.e. member and/or stakeholders) on a personal level – to ensure you understand their needs and wants. In the end, members perceive quality and value when their "volunteering" needs and wants are met through Rotary. We need to really understand our members’ needs.
- Ensure the brand projects confidence and credibility – because a strong brand helps reduce the risk associated with buying an experience. Make sure your internal and external communications reinforce the message that Rotarians are People of Action creating positive change in their communities and themselves.
- Use people to promote the brand – when it comes to purchasing services, would-be customers definitely prefer recommendations, testimonials and referrals from trusted sources – positive word of mouth is still the king in marketing . Educate and support your members to be great brand ambassadors for Rotary.
- Post regular, high quality content to build awareness and understanding – make sure the content you put out and share in your community captures Rotary’s brand essence, is credible and upbeat. Above all, be consistent.
- Find ways to continuously improve the customer experience – to enhance perceived value and satisfaction. Like other customers, our members’ expectations continue to rise; so too do their options for volunteering. We need to find new ways to increase member engagement, improve retention and build loyalty.
It is this last tip which reinforces that membership and marketing/public image are two sides of the same coin when it comes to promoting Rotary.