TITLE DATE Discover Sailing Club Implementation Plan 2013 Part 9. Club Promotion September 2013

Implementation Plan 2013 You should now be hearing sound – if not check your audio and ensure you are in slideshow (full-screen) mode This is Ross Kilborn, Sport Development Director at Yachting Australia This presentation is the ninth of 11 in the Discover Sailing Club Implementation Plan

The Monthly Topics Feb(1)Program Introduction & Purpose (2)Planning & Prioritising MarThe gemba Report AprilTackers Sailability MayDiscover Sailing Days Discover Sailing Hosts JuneDiscover Sailing Experiences & Courses JulySafety, Risk Management & Membership Protection AugThe Sailing Pathway SeptCrewing OctClub Promotion NovMeasuring Results DecSummary & Future Plan

Club Promotion – some logic gemba tells us … Sailing is an attractive sport But 85% of Australians are not interested at all in it (2% participate, 4% are very interested and 9% are neutral) Those that are interested, who are not already in it, see it as unaffordable and clubs as inaccessible These facts need to drive our club promotion Target the 15% who are interested – generally within a 30 min drive of a club Get the message and language right Use very targeted media (no good spending money on broadcast and main media to reach the 15% )

Your message should be Sailing is safe (responsible), fun, friendly and adventurous It is not expensive for most people – they dont own a boat – they crew. It is not about racing or competition – its about social fun !` Target demographic groups e.g. kids and families, should be targeted rather than the sport for life message Contemporary language should be used – e.g. Discover is more appealing than try, come, or go Learn to sail / courses not training Images should be of people having fun on boats – not boats or racing Membership is not what people initially want – they want to discover sailing – present the options and pathways

The media …. Current members – the most likely source of new participants is the family and friends of current members. How do you engage them in attracting new members ? Local area marketing – most new & potential participants live within 30 mins of your club, in fact probably pass by it Digital and on line media - more marketing promotion and communication now happens on line, compared to other media

Local Area Marketing Is the signage on the outside of your club welcoming to potential visitors ( they dont want to be members straight away ) Is the Discover Sailing Branding prominent ? Do you have a great relationship with your local media ? TV, Radio, paper etc. Sailing offers great colourful stories. What about local council ? If kids are a priority – what about local schools ? What about local business ?

Member get member Do your members understand and appreciate the Discover Sailing Program ? Do they know who your Discover Sailing Host is ? Do you offer incentives and rewards for them introducing new members ? Do you have an introductory or trial membership offer ?

Digital and Social Media Your website is your priority – gemba confirmed that nearly everyone who wants to get into sailing starts with a web search Does the front page of your website make it easy for someone to find out more, contact your Discover Sailing Host(s) etc Social media such as facebook is very important to some groups and for engaging initial participants

The Discover Sailing website Aims to be a portal to clubs – directing web traffic to club sites Clubs profiles on the Discover Sailing website tell the public about your club – make sure your information is correct and up to date Discover Sailing Centres – it will display all your upcoming courses – if you have loaded them It has lots of good information that your club site can link to

What else does Yachting Australia help with ? The Discover Sailing Program – 10 components The Brand – the more clubs that adopt it the bigger it will be Information and insights on what and how to market – the gemba Report National Discover Day A range of downloadable resources from logos to media releases for your club to use Promotional materials – look in the Yachting Australian on line shop – stickers, banners Access to Creative Parrott Ph or for Discover Sailing design services

Summary Yachting Australia will undertake limited PR, and does not have the budget for main media marketing Even if we did it probably would not make sense But sailing is an attractive sport Clubs are the driver of the marketing promotion Yachting Australia and State Associations role is to help clubs with effective marketing and promotion The Discover Sailing Program offers the insights and resources to grow participation and ultimately club membership