Public Relations, Marketing & Social Media Workshop...Legion.ca Honouring Veterans is our duty...

Legion.ca

Honouring Veterans is our duty

Public Relations, Marketing & Social Media Workshop –Presenter:

William Trefry – Public Relations Officer Charleswood Branch # 100

C h a r l e s w o o d – B r a n c h # 1 0 0

T h e R o y a l C a n a d i a n L e g i o n

rclwinnipeg100.ca

AgendaWelcome Comments / Opening Ceremony / Act of Remembrance

Here are the topics we will be covering today:

▪ What is PR

▪ Public Relations Officer – PRO Experience

▪ Effective PR

▪ Branch demographics

▪ Branding & Marketing

▪ Your Branch Branding

▪ Advertising / Printing / Promotions – Cost(s)

▪ Design Campaign

▪ Shared advertising / Promoting / Graphic design



Agenda cont’d▪ Benefits of creating a “design & look”

▪ Online presence & Branch branding

▪ Social Media – should you be on it?

▪ Social Media – Is it worth it?

▪ Make your Presence known

▪ Social media – tips & tricks

▪ Media relations

▪ About PR

▪ Media Outreach

▪ The interview

▪ Questions & Answer



Disclaimer / PreambleThis presentation has been put together by William Trefry, Public Relations Officer (2019)

of Charleswood Branch #100 of the Royal Canadian Legion. The points and views

expressed, are solely those of William Trefry, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or

views of Branch # 100 membership or Executive, MBNWO Provincial Command,

Dominion Command or any of its staff or Executive members.

This workshop today is a way for us to brain storm and share our ideas. As we know, our

membership numbers are decreasing each year. We need to get others, interested in

coming into our branches. I thought that I could share my knowledge and experiences I

have acquired over 25 years in various; executive management, volunteer, military, non –

profit and Corporate enterprises. As well I have training in executive leadership and

public relations. I hope we can collaborate on ways to improve upon the impact we make,

not only in our respective branches, but the communities we serve.

Thank you to each of you for willing to be here and share your thoughts & ideas with us all.



AcknowledgementsI would like to thank and acknowledge the following, for their contributions, support and/or

input into the materials and presentation of this workshop today.

• Branch # 100 Executive Committee

• MBNWO Provincial Command & Staff

• Dominion Command & Staff

• Rileys Printing – 155A Fort Street – Ms. Elaine Duncan

• Deb Edwardson – Branch #100 Manager

• Members of the following Branch #’s who are in attendance today: Branches 252 South

Osborne, 81 Prince Edward, 246 Polish Legion, 90 Fort Garry, 4 St. James, 43 Norwood St.

Boniface, Zone 62, 161 Arborg, 182 Gimli, 42 Selkirk, 11 Morden & 3 Transcona. – Thank

you Comrades for being here to make this such a success.



What is Public Relations (PR)“Public relations involves building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with an organization’s publics through timely and honest communications, event, and activities undertaken in the public interest, and a consistent adherence to the organization’s brand, including its core values.”

You are now the Branch Public Relations Officer or the PRO. Congratulations! So what does that mean? As the PRO, you are primarily guided by the Legion’s mission to:

• Support Veterans, including currently serving military and RCMP

personnel, and their families;

• Promote Remembrance, and;

• Contribute to community and country.



Public Relations Officer - PRO ExperienceA PRO’s level of experience and knowledge of PR varies widely, so there are a number of resources that can be found on the Dominion website. www.legion.ca

I have also put together, my own PRO Manual, where I have pulled a lot of the resources together into one binder.

What experience do you bring to your branch and portfolio? Our Executive Committee’s are comprised of “volunteers”. Maybe, you didn’t even put your name forward at an election? Maybe, like some branches, there were “vacant” positions on the Executive. And one day, you just happened to say…

“maybe I should put my name in to help out?” Poof.. Next thing you know you have been “appointed” by the Branch President, and you are the new PRO!

Congratulations! Or is it? Now comes the panic attack, and the realization that you are now responsible for ALL branch marketing and promotions. Creating and putting together a “newsletter” if your branch does that, or at a minimum keeping the entire branch membership up to date with all that is going on at the legion. Oh, and don’t forget, you are now expected to keep the Facebook page up to date and “interesting”. Let’s not even talk about Twitter or Instagram! We will be talking about social media later on.



http://www.legion.ca/

Effective Public Relations Public relations and marketing are really about “grabbing people’s attention”.

How do we do that? A lot of the success or failure, of a marketing plan is how we give people information we want to share. What “medium or method” do we choose to share that information and distribute.

• Sign(s) on bulletin board(s)

• Facebook page / twitter / Instagram / email

• Website

• Newsletter

It’s not just telling everyone “Meat draw this Friday at 6 pm” We have to recognize that we need to get that message to everyone! Not just the “regulars” that know every Friday night is meat draw. You have to grab the attention of the people that DON’T know about Friday night meat draw.

An important aspect of marketing you MUST understand. Know “who” you are currently targeting! But also who you “want to be” targeting! I think you will find they are not one of the same.



Branch Demographics – Understanding the #’s….Here in Branch # 100 we have approximately 750 members on the books. From those members, I can probably say, there are 30-50 active members. That’s less than 7%! And sometimes, we are lucky if we can get 3% - 4% to participate (depending on the event).

This is a challenge I expect most, if not all of your branches experience?

So, what do we need to do differently? Thoughts?



Branding & Marketing – Branch / Special Events

So you have your weekly happenings and events at your branch. Maybe you have a “special” event coming up. You want to get the word out. What should you do?

As I have already mentioned you want to “grab” people’s attention. Who are you marketing to for these events? If I may offer an opinion or observation.

I feel we have 2 challenges facing us when trying to get people in our branches.

1 – the members that are already coming into our weekly events, and are there week after week (for the most part). These members are bored, indifferent or don’t even bother looking at the notices or posts on the bulletin board(s) or social media pages. Not because they aren’t interested. It’s because it’s the same old event every week, that we have done the same way every week for the last ….. X# of weeks. If we want to appeal to this group, we have to switch it up! Make them take notice.

2 – the members we want to get into the branch for any of our events, have to be “wowed”, or at a minimum we have to make them curious enough to want to check it out.

How can we do this?



Your Branch Branding

What are some of the things you have done for your special events?



Here are some examples of some of the branding we have done for some special events here in Branch # 100 over the last few months….

Advertising / Printing / Promotions – Cost(s)

Now, when you look at the samples I just showed you, two things probably immediately come to mind…

1. I don’t have the talent to do that!

2. Our branch doesn’t have the money to do that level of advertising.

What do you think are the costs associated with promoting your events?

Let’s look at the types of advertising we do here in Branch #100.

• We have these table toppers you see. We have 24 in total.

• We use two sizes of advertising posters. We usually do 4 small & 2 medium

• Then we produce a quality looking ticket for each special event. Lets say we do 80

• Our monthly newsletter “Tank Talk” . We make about (30-50/month)

So…. Lets break down the costs….



Advertising / Printing / Promotions – Cost(s) cont’dNow for here at our Branch I have a sponsoring agreement with a local/national printing company that co-sponsors our printing needs so we get a reduced rate for all of our printing needs. I will base our current print demands on a full cost, I am confident I can get a reduced rate. But for arguments sake lets look at retail prices.

• Table toppers – 24 needed. 4/ sheet @ $0.80/sheet = $4.80 x 2 sides = $9.60

• Poster(s) – 4 small needed. 2/sheet @ $1.00/sheet = $2.00

• Poster(s) – 2 medium needed. 1/cardstock sheet @ $1.30/sheet = $2.60

• Tickets – 80 needed. 10/cardstock sheet @ $1.00/sheet single sided color = $8.00

@ $2.00*/sheet double sided color = $16.00

@ $1.40*/sheet 1 side color / 1 B & W = $11.20

• Newsletter “Tank Talk” – 40 printed each month @ $2.00* / copy = $80

So if I factored all of these in our monthly advertising printing budget would be: $110.20* + fees & design costs. Rough estimate $200 - $225/month. (Variables to consider)

* Note: These costs can be offset (partially/completely) with even 1 sponsor/advertiser.





Here are some samples ofadvertising options you could offer to businessesor community partners tohelp offset any advertisingor promotional costs beingincurred by the branch. These are just an exampleof what a small communitynewsletter does for ads theyoffer in their newsletter.You could offer this to a business on posters or even on back of your eventtickets. Just an example of an easycost effective way to reducebranch costs.

Design Campaign – What’s it worth?

Now of course those costs I just explained are the actual printing costs. One cost I haven’t spoken of yet is the “design” component of promoting/advertising. It is from this one “expense” of advertising I think we can work together to all benefit.

What if we created a COOP model for our branches? Pooling our resources? Sharing common costs so we are reducing the “design” expenses amongst multiple branches instead of bearing the costs all on your own branches.

How does this work you ask? Well in order for us to assess the benefits, we first need to look at what is happening in our branches each and every week/month? Take a look and make a list of all the “events” happening at your branch:

Bingo, meat draw, chase the ace (track the jack), 50/50, Friday Foods, Pool, Darts, Entertainment (weekly dance/karaoke), special event, seniors dance, seasonal special event (Valentines/Robbie Burns/St. Patrick's/Canada Day/Remembrance Day).

Now of these what do “multiple” branches offer? Can we cross promote / cross advertise?

Let’s look at these events and see what things couple potentially be shared? And the benefit of sharing.



Shared Advertising / Promoting / Graphic Design

What are some “similar” look & feel events that could potentially be shared amongst “multiple” branches when it comes to the design costs and/or some printing costs? What are other cost(s) that could potentially be shared?

(ex: iStock, common images, similar design costs, multi copy discounts)



Benefits of creating a “design & look” for eventsHere are some key points of interest when you are thinking of “promoting” or “marketing” your events at the branch. Does it matter what the posters look like? And should I be using Social Media Marketing for all of our events?



Online Presence & Branch Branding

Is your branch on the web? Is it your own website or a link to Dominion?

Do you have “branch” email? Do you know what I mean?

Why is it better to have “branch” email(s)? Privacy/Security (FOIP)

How could this effect the branch? (Succession planning?)

Who has control over all of your branch “on line” presence?

Do you know all the credentials for social media profiles? Who does? (manual)

Do you have a sign up option for member(s) to opt in and agree to receive notifications / meeting notices, etc. via email? Have you considered it? What are benefits?

Do you promote your branch as “wifi”? Why or why not? (millennials / nexus)

Some things for you to think of and take back to your Executive Committees and/or membership perhaps.

Now the fun topic…… “Social Media”



Social Media – Should your branch be on it?

As an organization that is struggling with dwindling membership numbers, and finding it ever more important to promote and encourage, both existing and new members, to visit our branches. We need our marketing efforts to result in more tangible numbers. Which is why using visual content & social media is a simple method to attract, engage, and acquire leads and customers.

Sure, everyone is talking about how important visual content is in your strategy. But did you know that including images in your posts & marketing, make your content (and your branch) more:

1) Attractive,2) Engaging,3) Understandable,4) Memorable, and,5) Relatable.

Branches need more of ALL of these five factors to help stand out in an overcrowded market with much competition! Images are a budget-friendly, simple but powerful tool to help you differentiate your business while communicating your message clearly and quickly.



Social Media – Is it worth the time / energyVisual Content Attracts Followers

You’re competing against others for space and visibility across social media platforms. Textual posts simply don’t get noticed because they lack the wow factor that separates your post from everyone else’s.

Images make a big difference in an overcrowded social media feed. Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without relevant images.

Including visuals in your social media posts can help attract new followers as well as keep the attention of your existing fans. Visual content is a quick way to:

• express your brand;

• convey an emotion;

• highlight important data;

• showcase your product and offers; and,

• increase traffic to your site.

https://smartbirdsocial.net/5-reasons-use-visual-content-social-media/



https://blog.kissmetrics.com/visual-content-you-need-to-use-in-your-marketing-campaign/

https://smartbirdsocial.net/5-reasons-use-visual-content-social-media/

Make your presence known & Don’t be afraid of change.

When I first took over as PRO in January I thought our Facebook page would be a waste of time and it wouldn’t be very “active”. Well… was I ever wrong. One of the first things I did when I took over as PRO here was to change the way things “looked”. I introduced new, fancier, more colourful and eye catching signs, posters and a completely revamped newsletter. And things exploded on our social media. People were commenting, liking, sharing and becoming engaged! Which is exciting! Then, Provincial/Dominion Command took notice of what was happening here at Branch #100. It created excitement, not just here but across Manitoba and North Western Ontario. We now have subscribers for our monthly newsletter in 4 different Provinces.

Don’t be afraid to be bold & loud. It is what we need. Make people sit up and take notice, and “want” to be a part of what is new and exciting at our branch and in our communities.

I’ve found in some branches, and I’m sure you have heard it too. The most dangerous phrase in the language is … “Anyone who has ever tried to initiate organizational change has heard, “We tried that and it didn’t work”, or “We have always done it this way.””

Just remember this saying… “Change is not always easy for an organization’s members. However, change is inevitable.”

Change is not a bad word, it is good.



Social Media – Tips & Tricks

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is one of the fastest growing forms of marketing there is. And, lets face it we are not all experts in this medium. Luckily you can use the internet. Now a days you can “google” just about anything and gets hundreds of ideas. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try different things when it comes to your social media.

Who here does social media “blogs” or “posts” for their branches?

What are some ideas that you would share about social media marketing?



Social Media – Tips & Tricks cont’d

Here are some other ideas:

• Make all events at the branch and actual “event” in social media. In that way you can do “live video” feeds from the actual event. (great tool for Facebook)

• “Check In” at events

• Make a calendar of ALL events at the branch and try to post, tweet, blog or update at least once per day.

• Make a list of “National Day” then post that. (very popular)

• Make a list of pages and other social media organizations to follow. If you see something that you think our members and/or guest would like “Share” and “post”

• Have a list of all the Branches in and around your City, area, Zone, District… and “like”, “Share” and repost for all branches, Provincial and Dominion. Now I’m not saying every post, but if you haven’t seen it posted or shared from another branch in your area yet, do it. We ALL need to work together.

• There is no “I” in team!



Media Relations Now, as PRO for your branch you would be responsible for dealing with Media and media releases, media advisories or basically any communication from the branch to the general public. This can be a daunting task, and one that should not be taken lightly.

I would recommend you contact the Dominion or Provincial Command staff, or you can access some great resources off of the www.legion.ca website. Login and you will have a wealth of information at your finger tips. This is an area that you must be cautious and careful. Dealing with media can be a very delicate matter and it usually takes time and experience to get comfortable speaking with them.

There are several mediums for “Media”. They can include:

• Print media (newspaper, newsletter, coffee news, periodicals, magazines)

• Radio media (CBC, local radio stations, private stations, webcasters)

• Television media (CTV, local TV channels, community TV)




About PR – Points to rememberWhenever you are acting in your capacity as Public Relations Officer, you are the “official” voice and face of your branch at the time & place you are dealing with media and or the general public. You must not let your personal opinions become the “point of record” in some situation.

Also when you are going to be speaking in public with any form of media, is it the right media, at the right location, at the right time?

Always keep that in the back of your mind and try to remember these few points:

• Reputation (Be aware of the Legion’s reputation and don’t tarnish it)

Personal & Organizational * Legion values * Trust

• Credibility (is the media rep you are speaking with credible in the publics view)

Personal & Organizational * Facts * Positive * Defend

• Audiences & Messages (who is the audience you are reaching and is the message in the right context for this medium, and is it at the right time)

What’s in it for me? * Right venue/medium * Tailored



Media outreachKeeping in touch with the general public is sometimes important for us and our branches. We want the community to know all the good that we are doing. You may need to keep the media informed of special events, or awards/recognitions, milestones, etc.

Here are some of the avenues at your disposal. Please refer to www.legion.ca

• News advisories

• News releases / Press release (PSA’s / Non-Profit)

• Backgrounders (biographies, facts, etc.)

• News briefings or conferences

• Technical briefings or conferences

• Photo opportunities




The interviewThere may come a time you may even have to perform an “Interview” or be “interviewed”. Again, if unsure or uncomfortable refer to Provincial/Dominion resources or on www.legion.ca . If you are here are some things to keep in mind:

• First contact – Refer to the right person. Reflect don’t react. Be timely.

• Gather information – Research the outlet/reporter. Understand the full context. Reach out to colleagues.

• Prepare – Create your main points/prep doc. Practice. Establish the link between the Legion’s work and Veterans/community.

• Interview – Always be pleasant. Remember you are in control. You can often correct yourself.

• Follow-up – Read or view the piece. Note things you’d do differently. Call back if

factually incorrect.



Sample stories

• National: e.g. Veterans as “political pawns”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/reevely-veterans-deserve-better-than-petty-politics-royal-canadian-legion-leader-tells-ontario-parties

• Provincial/territorial: e.g. Calgary Veterans Food Bank

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1442969

• Local: e.g. Legion branch opens bottle depot

https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/turning-empties-into-cash-for-callander-legion-986968



Here are some good resources:

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/reevely-veterans-deserve-better-than-petty-politics-royal-canadian-legion-leader-tells-ontario-parties

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1442969

https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/turning-empties-into-cash-for-callander-legion-986968

PR: Situations1. A belligerent Legionnaire speaks up at a provincial

meeting, raising her voice and accusing leadership of

ignoring her wish to put up a picture of a Veteran on the wall

at her local branch.

2. Someone is making false statements about the Legion on

social media locally.

3. You note that your local branch has received more poppy

fund donations than ever before and would like to do

something to say thanks to the community.

These could be good PR or bad PR situations. You need to know the

difference.



Also, please be aware of these points as well. As PRO you are the voice & ears for the “well being” of your branch& how it is perceived in the public. You always have to be aware of what is going on, or being said or done.

Media: Situations1. A local reporter calls you for comment after having spoken

to a disgruntled Legionnaire who claims he was unfairly barred

from his local legion because he was wearing motorcycle club

colours.

2. A local journalist wants your thoughts on artists who are

creating an array of new lapel poppies for Remembrance Day.

3. A national reporter calls, asking about the amount of money

donated during this years’ poppy campaign, and what you’re

doing with it.

If you are unsure of anything you are being told or asked, just say “no

comment at this time.” Be sure of your facts before “going on the

record” for anything.



Tools: staying current• PR manual (sample of mine – cost)

• Fact sheets

• Branch Survey

• PRO update

• All-branch

• Command or branch newsletters

www.legion.ca is a great resource. And staff at Provincial or Dominion Command are always available for support.




Questions ?



Thank you !

On behalf of the President & Executive Committee of Branch #100

we would like to thank you for participating in this workshop today.

It has been a privilege to share my thoughts & ideas with you, and I

hope you will come away from this with some ideas of how we may

be able to work together as a stronger unified group. And to allow

ALL of us to work stronger to increase our membership and the

impact we make in our branches & communities.



Just one (or 2) more things…On the table here I have a stack of “Workshop Questionnaires”

If you would be so kind as to take the time to fill them out, it would be helpful when I am recapping this workshop to Provincial & Dominion command. Also, after this I will be compiling some of the date and information we collaborated on today. It will be available in the form of an “executive summary” so that other branches that may not have been able to make it to this workshop will benefit from our efforts here today.

Also, in the future, if this is deemed a success I may be offering another workshop in other areas of our District and Provincial Command.

I will also have an order sheet for anyone that would like to put in a combined order for one of the “Public Relations Officer Manual” like mine.

Just a reminder our Branch Saturday meat draw starts at 3:00 pm, and tonight there is a special event between Branch #100 & MFRC “Wings & Wee Folks” – tickets are only $10 at the bar.



Presenter: Comrade William Trefry, Public Relations Officer (2019)

Charleswood – Branch # 100 The Royal Canadian Legion

Honouring Veterans is our duty

Public Relations, Marketing &

Social Media Workshop



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Public Relations, Marketing & Social Media Workshop...Legion.ca Honouring Veterans is our duty...

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