Six Step Plan for Sustainable Rotary Club Growth

What will rocket your club to new
heights in membership growth!

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Membership growth is a primary focus for every service organization.

However, the challenge is not growth for growth sake. The challenge is to achieve sustainable growth to ensure long-term viability..  

Rotary Club growth requires a commitment by its' members to share their passion for living out the mission of the organization with others. As we know, enthusiasm is contagious.

I know what question is on your mind. "Is there a magic bullet that will propel my Rotary Club to unprecedented growth?"

Probably not! Sustainable growth is seldom that easy. It is a process that takes time.

And, the 'sustainable' part is hardest. Put simply, if your club has an influx of new members, will they become integrated and stay? 

New members add vitality and energy. The way they are nurtured and helped to blend into the life of your club impacts it's future. 

Why is that important? Because the work Rotary does in serving others is too important not to continue doing it through future generations. 

12 Posts Packed with Information to Help Build Your Social Media Community

Taking the mystery out of social media. 

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Social media success requires hard work. Period! 

But a methodical, organized approach will bring efficiency to your efforts. It will also eliminate the frustration that often accompanies early startups. 

Make no mistake, I love social media. As a writer, speaker and Rotarian, I find it fulfilling and fun to engage with these communities. 

I try to make a difference by helping others improve their ability to make a difference. Building the Rotary Brand is filled with ideas and tips for growing clubs and letting others know about the great work Rotarians do in their communities.

Rotarians, Rotary Clubs, Rotary Districts and collaborative partners from around the world are connected to the various BTRB social media sites. The analytics indicate more than 30,908 people have read posts on this blog site.  

The reality is that it is easy to become discouraged when you launch your first social media channel.  My purpose is to help develop a focused strategy that will help you select your content and bring predictability and ultimate success to your efforts. 

Writing and Formatting Tips to Increase Blogpost Engagement; Part Four

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Writing content for blog sites or other online platforms requires a different approach than writing essays, reports or articles for magazines and newspapers. Content that effectively tells engaging stories builds communities requires thought, discipline and crafting.

Some years ago online experts believed that blog posts should never have more than 500 words. They believed that people wouldn't read longer articles. 

That has changed. While short is always good, it must not be at the expense of meaning. 

The general rule of thumb today is to write as much content as you need to tell your story. Editing and common sense will tell you when the story is finished.

A judge in my city writes posts that are 7,000 words long. He has a large following in the legal community who read every word of whatever legal position he is putting forward. 

Part 3: Top 10 Ways to Promote Your Rotary Blog Posts

How to market blog posts

Written by Robyn T. Braley

So, you've published a brilliant blog post. You've told a compelling story. Now what? This post provides 10 practical tips for promoting blog posts. 

Rotary has amazing stories to tell. Blogging is an excellent way to tell them.

Blogging takes more time, discipline and planning than most other social media platforms. The challenge is to think long term and to develop an editorial strategy.

What does that mean? In simple terms, you've written your first post. What comes next? 

Building the Rotary Brand (BTRB) blog posts are serve a single purpose; to help increase the exposure and community engagement levels of your local club. Including social media in your strategies is a no brainer. 

Here is the good news. Once you have established a social media presence with channels like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or other platforms, you have ready-made tools for promoting your blog posts.  

But, before I ramble on, you may want to check out these recent posts. They will provide background to this article.

Part 1 - Write On! Blogging is a Great Way to Tell Stories and Build Communities! Tips

Part 2 - Choosing a Blogging Platform With the Tools to Enhance Your Stories

Part 2 - Choosing a Blogging Platform With the Tools to Enhance Your Stories

Written by Robyn T. Braley

So, you’ve gone through the steps and are ready to launch a blogsite as part of your Rotary Club’s brand program. Blogging is an excellent way to tell stories that inform and shape the opinions of others. It is an easy way to explain what you do and what you are known for. In other words, your brand.

Blogging takes discipline and hard work. To maximize the impact, set-up requires an organized and systematic approach. Choosing a platform that is right for you is a key part of the process and requires careful thought based on comparative analysis.

Part 1 - Write On! Blogging is a Great Way to Tell Stories and Build Communities! Tips

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Blogging is an excellent way to tell stories. A blog will help to build your Rotary Club's brand by informing and shaping the opinions of others and demonstrate what you are known for. 

Of all the social media platforms, blogging has cache and mystique. With your first post you will officially become a published writer. That is why making a good first impression is important. You want visitors to return to read your next post.  

Like every social media platform, there are protocols and practices that are unique to blogging. Success requires hard work and discipline.

Blogging is much like
 piecing together a puzzle.

Your ultimate goal is to build a community of followers who will become fans of your content. Communities grow when fed a steady diet seasoned with quality content that is relevant, trustworthy, authentic and transparent.

Then, there is writing style. Perfecting your craft and developing a style that is all “you” takes dedication and persistence. Writing content for blogs requires a slightly different approach than writing for print media.

Lights, Camera, Action! Tips for Shooting Service Club Videos Using Your Phone

Written by Robyn T. Braley

News flash! Video is a highly effective way to tell your story and build your service club’s brand. 

Why? It is the next best thing to being there. You can look viewers in the eye and speak directly to them. You can show them the background to your story. 

Video connects at an emotional level. Sound mixes with moving visuals to create a sensory environment that stimulates viewers.

Anyone with basic knowledge can shoot a short video, edit it, and upload it for the world to see. All from their phone!

Videos add tremendous value to your social media content arsenal. They are also useful for live, group or one-on-one presentations.

The online use of videos began when they were embedded into websites in the 1990's! Later, YouTube came onto scene as a standalone social media platform. Since then, a tsunami of applications have spread as other social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others developed video capabilities.

Photos That Tell Stories Are the Currency of Social Media and Online Marketing

Written by Robyn T. Braley

You’ve heard it a gazillion times, ‘A picture is worth 1,000 words.’ Well, it’s true!

Photos are a million-dollar aid for telling fascinating stories about life-altering projects that your service club has made possible. Photos are the currency of mainstream, online and social media communication.

Before going further, I must issue a disclaimer. I am not a professional photographer. I wouldn’t begin to try to explain the technical side of photography.

For my branding company's photography projects, we hire great shooters, provide creative direction and an outline of what we are looking for. Then, we get out of their way.

Amateurs Can Take Good Photos Too

As an encouragement for rank amateurs, I have taken photos with a $500 point-and-click camera that newspapers and automotive magazines around the world published. They accompanied a story I had placed about a client’s innovative automotive product, a catalytic converter.

The photo series was engaging. We placed a demonstration vehicle on a hill overlooking a dramatic cityscape. By pure dumb luck, there was a misty haze that made an air pollution statement. The catalytic converter had been invented to dramatically reduce emissions from diesel engines.

A creative idea trumped technical expertise.

Why Quality Content is the Key for Social Media Success. 21 Tips!

Written by Robyn T. Braley

Social media is the new go-to method for service club promotion. However, when not developed properly, your social media experience can lead to frustration. 

Don't get me wrong, if your club is not active on social media, time is passing. I want to help you make the leap by explaining the lifeblood of social media. Quality content is the foundation for success. 

If you are already active and have experienced success, there are ideas that will help you offer greater value to your digital communities. 

Social media is central to online communication and relationship building. At a club level, a program will help you ...

• Increase the club's profile
• Promote club activities
• Build an online community through likes, follows and connections
• Align with collaborative partners
• Communicate with members and circles of influence 
• Attract new members. 

Reduce Management Time and Increase Social Media Communities Using Automation

You know your club should do it. But, you've been putting it off for many years. You have a personal Facebook page and know social media can be addictive. Yes Virginia, even a time waster. 

But here you are. You may be a Rotary club President or sit on your club’s board as the PR Director. Or, you may be the youngest member of your club who has been designated the social media person. You’ve been tasked to look into it.