Frag Swap Information

[bkv1997]

Please don't anyone take anything here personally, but I obviously missed something at the meeting. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention, who knows, but we need to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Below is what I PERSONALLY see as most important. If you disagree please post your thoughts this is just a discussion.

1) We need a flyer.

2) Everyone spending the amount of time required to update the spreedsheet with 90 addresses is not a wise use of time. Spending the same time on the below activities would be much more beneficial, however we need a flyer first.
a) Target a select group of Newspapers.
b) Target a select group of Radio Stations.
c) Get all local petstores to post a Flyer of the event.
d) Get the Aquarium to post a Flyer of the event.
e) Communicating with near by clubs Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville etc....
f) Getting donations
g) Updating and posting the event on multiple online forums.

If we get all that done and still have time and want to go back and contact every newspaper we can.

Lets Keep this thread as a serious discusssion and on topic.

Thanks
Brandon

 

[Ironman]

I agree brandon, Getting the target odience should be priority number 1, then when theres extra time reach out to the general public. I would love to do whatever is best for the expo, but my time is very limited and If I have to put off family time it needs to be productively spent, I just dont see alot response coming from the newspapers. maybe Im wrong

 

[RevReefer]

Well I totally agree with the above list. I see it as being prioritized just right.

We need to really focus on this area and surrounding clubs IMO. The newspaper is good for this area and then all the others after we finish focusing all of our efforts on the target audience.

Thanks.

 

[Butch 36]

I just wish they had something like that in louisiana,or mabey they do i'm just starting in marine tanks ,,,so I don't know....

 

[Pterois]

Hiya,

I wanted to make a couple of comments on the event, having participated in the last two here in Chattanooga and one in Atlanta. I've learned some things from the other club presidents who've hosted these events.

Yes, we do want to advertise the event via internet and we will, but not everyone in this hobby is even aware of the web sites we frequent. We need to keep this in mind. Traffic into the event is key to getting participation in the future. I thought we had a good turnout last year, but several people said they wouldn't come again with such a low turnout. Some clubs traveled 6-9 hours to attend the event.

Local pet stores refused to post flyers last year, because it was a conflict of interest. Dividing up and making contact with the store owners to establish a relationship and understanding of what this event is about is key to changing that attitude.

At the frag swap meeting, we agreed that Timothy and I were in charge of marketing. Jobs were handed out in a committee fashion, and I feel it needs to stay that way to be organized.

Duties were discussed and divided as follows:

Bryan--visit Fishmania, Aquatic Illusions, and Fish Yip
James--locate newspapers and free advertising (he could use some help on this as it's a big job)
Philana (James' wife)-Raffle tickets and greeter
Christina (James' daughter)-Raffle tickets and greeter
(we need 2 more raffle ticket and greeters)

Raymond-Michaels Aquatics and The Fish Store
Chris Edwards-we nominated you for Bermuda Triangle
Brandon-Fish Paradise and MRC, Internet advertising
Timothy, Angela - Marketing


It will take everyone's participation to make this event a success, and I appreciate all the time you're willing to put into it. Once the flyer is ready, I think we need to have another sit down for just this project.

Thank you Tina and Brian for returning your newspaper list so fast!

Angela

 

[Ironman]

Angela, I dont think anyone was saying dont do the newspapers, but it seemed to be made as a priority that all papers be contacted and that everyone be given a portion of the list to make contacts. that wasnt originally discussed. Personally I dont ever read anything in the papers and wouldnt even have a guess where to look if we had a add in the paper. Not that its a bad idea but I personally dont see it as being important enough to have every member spend there time trying to contact newspapers. Maybe Im wrong?

 

[CrazyFrags]

Though odds are I won't attend, I'll be more than happy to contribute some stuff for donations, as well as posting the info on my website. Should be up and running a little better by then.

Couple thoughts:

1. for the LFS, invite them to donate and attend the swap. If the tables are free/cheap, I bet they could spare an employee to man them for a good sales opportunity. Key is you want to work WITH the local stores, so they see some benefit in it (since they are, in the end, businesses).

2. I agree on the newspapers. Unless you're taking out a full-page ad, you may want to see if you can cheaply get a simple classified ad. Hobby magazines may be better to look into.

Wish I could help out more!

 

[Timothy]

The PR List

The list is far more useful than for this one event. The list also has no affect on the flyer which I am working on furiously every minuite I am at home. It will be completed in the next few days and it will be very effective.

The thing to remember is that the club is new and not yet established. Our value to the stores actually is somewhat limited right now becase we haven't done enough of the work to become the well known entity that we need to be. Ask ten strangers on the street where they would go if they wanted to learn more about reef tanks and I doubt any of them would say the local reef club. Some of them would be aware of local stores though. We need to become better known than the stores. Currently we really are not that valuable to a stores customers as we would be able to direct individuals to multiple stores where they might only know about the one. If our only source of new people is the stores themselves we will NEVER be anything more than a possible loss of business to them. The PR list is the cheapest way to become well known amoung people who have no awareness of the stores yet. Having a constant supply of newbies that need to find a store will make us infintely valuable to the stores no matter what they think about us.

The idea of the newspaper list is to get a list of places to send PR Listings too. If you send a PR listing out, many newspapers will actually consider running an article to go along with your event. It is not inconcievable that they would do a article on reef keeping or the club itself. If we can get even a few newspapers to do that we scored really big because you can't even buy publicity like that. Forget a full page ad, give me an article any day. With 15 years of advertising experience I cannot overstate the value of press releases for getting your existence announced.

The thing to remember is that the work we are doing is not just for this particular event. The idea is to get a list that we can send out announcements on even our monthly meetings. I see this as a key thing to do to increase membership and attendance and visibility over the long run. The stores will come running if we are percieved as the first place people come for reef keeping advice. If they see us as a group of people who sell frags they will never give us the time of day. Our value to the stores is in bringing new people into the hobby. Let's do that. The way to do that is to tell the world we are here and are willing to help get them going if they want to learn more about reef keeping. We can use this free advertising but stores can't because the are commercial. That gives us reach into areas that stores can't afford and don't have. To get access to that the stores will have to support us, for us to have it all we have to do is this little bit of work to create the PR list. It is a small price to pay for a reusable asset I say.

We broke the list down into smaller pieces to spread the work around. The idea is that you review the listing and see if you can easily find the contact info for the listing. If not skip it. If it's one that seems particularly valuable please do go to a little more effort to get the information. For example it wouldn't take a brain surgeon to skip punytown arkansas' little leaque news but we certainly want a good address on the major papers in Atlanta and Nashville. Run through the list and get the biggies and easy ones first. Any is better than none and we can fill in more over time.

Trust me on this guys, having this list will be well worth it in the long run. How many of you guys found the information you needed in a hobby magazine? How many of you looked for local reef events and stores in a hobby magazine? The power of newspapers is the word of mouth value. Even if you didn't see the article yourself, if you are into something that appears in the paper chances are someone will mention the information in the article to you.

Having this list will benefit us a lot in the long run but we can and should get the high priority ones first.

 

[Timothy]

It appears that everyone is agreed on the other items on Brandon's list. Is the consensus that we don't do the list at all? Brandon, do you want to bring it up for a vote? Let's decide and move on.

I would like to point out one more aspect of this discussion that should be considered though. Priorities and timing are two different things. Of the items Brandon listed the only thing I see as time critical are...

1. Get the flyer done.
2. Contact other clubs.
3. Identify the target list of News outlets if we opt to do that.

I see the other items on Brandon's list as items that need to be done but not immediately. I don't think you want flyers on the wall 3 months before an event but you may want to get listed in some online calendars, etc. that early. Newspapers and radios, etc. need the most notice as they usually have a lengthy review/validation process.

My point is that timing and priority is not the same thing. Just because an item is a higher priority doesn't mean it needs to be done first. It just means it's more critical that is is in fact done. What drives scheduling is more about dependencies. Sending out the announcement will require the list so there is a dependency. Sending out requests for donations requires the flyer so there is a dependency.

Does anyone have a different view on the timing of things? Because I sense that this isn't really a priority discussion so much as a question of WHEN certain things need to be done. If for example someone thinks the posters need to go up right now then that is a whole different discussion from what I am understanding from the posts so far. My perception is that most people are wating on the flyer before they can contact vendors, etc. I thought that's why we were having people help fill in the list as they had time... because later we will be much busier on more critical things. Am I missing something here?

I don't think we need to get crazy because we let the last schedule slip... we just need make sure we do everything this time. I think we are moving things right along myself. Let's decide and move on either way.

 

[Pterois]

I agree with the priority list.

This is a big project for a small club, and it will take all of us working together to be successful.

 

[bkv1997]

Is the flyer going to be completed by the 14th's meeting?

 

[Timothy]

Certainly. It's pretty much done now. I just want to create a few more variations to see which people prefer.

 

[bkv1997]

you da' man.

 

[Ironman]

brandon you said I was the man when we went to see brokeback mountain last week. :mrgreen: just kidding!
that sounds great timmy, Im sure it will be awesome.

 

[sabotaged]

bwahahahah

 

[bkv1997]

ya ya ya

"I wish I could quit you"

HEHE ok no more quoting broke back.

 

[Ironman]

dang man, you accually watched the movie. :nono: :protest: :hernoseen
shame on you.

 

[bkv1997]

Heck no i didn't watch that movie.

I just hear everyone poking fun at that one line.

 

[bkv1997]

Timothy...

Can you post a link to the flyer for me please...

Thanks
Brandon

 

[bkv1997]

Please...