As the Vice President of Public Relations (VPPR), your role is crucial in promoting your club and its activities. This is a great opportunity for you to learn marketing, social media, digital marketing, and branding skills that can be added to your resume. Below are some marketing strategies to get you started!
Members
Current Members: People who are actively involved in your club
Past Members: People who were previously involved but are not currently active
Potential Members
Interested Individuals: People who have shown interest in joining but haven’t yet
General Public: Local residents who might benefit from joining but are not yet aware of the club
Local Community Groups
Community Organizations: Local non-profits and cultural groups
Schools and Colleges: Educational institutions in your area
Professionals
Local Business Owners: Entrepreneurs and small business owners
Young Professionals: Recent graduates and young career-focused individuals
Public Sector Employees: Government and public service workers
Plan Ahead
Include Important Dates
Utilize Multiple Platforms
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter
Website: Keep it updated with event information, blog posts, and member highlights.
Email Newsletters: Send regular updates and event invitations.
Canva: Create visually appealing graphics for social media and the website (see Resource Page for how to use this for free!).
ChatGPT: Use ChatGPT for drafting posts, generating content ideas, and refining your messaging.
Club Meetings and Events
Announcements: Post about upcoming meetings, events, and contests.
Recaps: Share highlights and photos from recent meetings and events.
Live Updates: Post real-time updates during events to engage followers.
Club Achievements, Awards, Goals, and Success Stories: Share news about awards, anniversaries, and recognition your members or club has received. Post updates on the club’s progress towards its goals.
Member Spotlights
Achievements: Celebrate member achievements, both personal and professional.
Birthdays and Milestones: Acknowledge member birthdays and Toastmasters anniversaries.
Member Stories: Feature a member each month with a brief interview and photo.
Educational Content
Tips and Tricks: Share public speaking tips, leadership advice, and other relevant
Quotes: Post inspirational quotes related to communication and leadership.
Resources: Highlight useful resources from Toastmasters International.
Fun Themes
Themed Announcements: Add the theme to meeting announcements and calendar invites. For creative ideas, the National Today publishes fun holidays for every day of the year and see this list of 400+ Meeting Ideas.
Contest Posts: Share the themes on social media.
Engagement: Encourage members to participate in themed activities and share pictures!
Community Engagement
Local News: Post about local events and news. See this sample news release.
Collaborations: Promote joint events with local organizations.
Shoutouts: Give shoutouts to local businesses and partners.
Social Media Management
Tools: Facebook, Google, or Canva for scheduling and creating posts.
Templates: Use templates for consistent branding and quick post creation (See Brand Portal, log-in required).
Analytics
Tools: Google Analytics for website traffic, social media insights for post-performance.
Reports: Regularly review analytics reports to inform your strategy.
Design and Creativity
Canva: Create visually appealing graphics for social media and the website.
Stock Photos: Use free stock photos provided by Toastmasters on Lythos.
Reviews and Feedback
Google and Facebook Reviews: Encourage members and attendees to leave positive reviews on Google and Facebook. Regularly monitor and respond to reviews to build your club’s online reputation.
Toastmasters International Resources
Helpful Resources provides PR tools, training, and resources.
The Brand Portal has templates for business cards, stationary, and websites (log-in required)
Toastmasters Brand Manual has branding resources for clubs.
District 27 Resources and Training
Attend Trainings: Ensure that you attend District and Division PR trainings to stay updated on the latest PR strategies and tools.
Report to District: Regularly report your club’s PR activities and successes to the District.
Access District Resources: Utilize the resources provided by the District PRM to enhance your PR efforts.
Reshare Content: Regularly reshare District YouTube videos, Facebook posts, LinkedIn updates, and Division posts to ensure your club’s activities are lively. This will attract attention from the public and create a buzz around your club.
Be Active in Contests: Participate actively in PR contests to further engage your audience and showcase your club’s dynamic presence.