Marketing Your Organization’s Programs & Events

Questions
Planning
Goals
Publicity
Follow University Policies
Guidelines For Relatively Inexpensive Or Free Publicity

Marketing is but one aspect of planning an RSO program or event. Refer also to the Program Planning Resource Guide, a complete guide to event planning, including a section on marketing and promotion. Below is a basic outline for getting started with promotion of your event, followed by some specific ways of promoting programs and events.

Questions

Who is your audience? Even if the event is open to all students, are there specific populations that you want to target? What is the best way to reach this audience?

Part of determining your target audience is thinking about making an attempt to involve everyone. Obviously not everyone in the campus community can attend your event and that should not be your goal. But, would everyone be welcome at your event? Is your publicity gender neutral? Is your meeting accessible to people with physical disabilities? Would there be any type of race, ethnic, or sexual orientation prejudice? Being inclusive and sponsoring events that are open to the differences in others should be a goal of any RSO event/activity.

Planning

Developing a successful promotional campaign for your audience requires planning, time, and a budget. At a minimum, promotional materials should begin being distributed two weeks before the program date. A good tool to utilize is a backwards-planning calendar; starting with the date of the program, work backwards to establish task deadlines.

Goals

The answers to the questions listed above can assist you in developing your goals and creating a promotional campaign. Whatever publicity materials or methods you choose, they all need to grab your audience's attention, interest them, provide them with information, and motivate them to attend your event. Promotional methods should not only answer the questions, who, what, where, and when, but also why? Why should I attend this event? What will I gain? What are the benefits?

Publicity

When publicizing your event, plan on using at least three different methods of promotion. Publicity should be creative, attractive, and high quality. Information that should always be included:

* Day of the week and date
* Time
* Description of Activity/Event
* Location
* Rain Location (if applicable)
* Admission (Free or cost)
* Sponsor (with contact information for additional questions)

Distribute publicity in waves if possible. Using the backwards-planning calendar this makes it easier to organize. Make sure members of your organization are fully aware of the program and are prepared to make announcements, discuss it with friends and other people who may ask questions. Word of Mouth is still the number one way students find out about programs and events on campus.

Follow University Policies

NOTE: Student organizations may only use university facilities for events, which are intended primarily for students, faculty and staff. If you are promoting your event off campus or electronically, promotional material, advertising, or other publicity must state (1) that “attendance is limited to students, faculty and staff,” and (2) the name of the registered student organization as the sponsor of the event, noted clearly and prominently. The general public may only be invited to student organization events when a university department is the primary sponsor or co-sponsor.

To avoid a Student Organization Code of Conduct violation, be certain your members know not to post on telephone poles, garbage cans, sidewalks, stairs, steps, fences, trees or buildings and that they must not destroy or deface other organizations’ posters. Do not post on private businesses or residences without prior permission. If physical plant has to remove fliers/posters that are in violation of the Student Organization Code of Conduct, the student organization may be subject to sanctions.

These are only a few tips and information to assist you with your planning, however, many of these basic tips are often overlooked or forgotten. Keeping these tips in mind will make whatever type of promotional material you select more effective.

For more information on marketing your group, contact the Student Leadership Program at slp@odos.wisc.edu.

To avoid a Student Organization Code of Conduct violation, be certain your members are aware of the following policies. Each student organization is responsible for informing their members and volunteers of these policies and guidelines.
Posting
Do NOT post flyers or signs on telephone poles, light poles, garbage cans, sidewalks, stairs/steps, fences, trees or buildings. Do NOT destroy or deface other organizations' posters. Posting of flyers or signs in any of the above places is a violation of UWS Administrative code 18.06 (17) and carries a $153.50 fine. It is also a violation of Madison Ordinance 23.02 and carries a $68.75 fine per occurrence.
Posting on campus is limited to general bulletin boards and kiosks. In campus buildings, the posting of fliers and posters is only allowed on bulletin boards. Ask about approval to post in various buildings. In most cases departmental bulletin boards are maintained and regulated by individuals in the department's main office or sometimes the caretaker of the bulletin board is listed on the bulletin board itself. In "general use" buildings (Memorial Union, etc.), consult regulations posted on the board or contact the public service information desk.
Chalking
Do NOT chalk on University buildings, courtyard areas, vertical surfaces, or the archways of bridge walkways. Do NOT use paint, oil-based chalk, indelible markers or spray chalk.
The following information regarding chalking on campus was distributed by the UW Police Department. Chalking, an act of writing or drawing messages using chalk, is illegal by law. The UW Administrative Code 18.06(4) and Wisconsin State Statute 943.01 prohibit this activity. However, some chalking is allowed by the UW Police, UW Physical Department and the Dean of Students if the following restrictions are met and followed. 1.You can only use a water-based chalk. Oil-based and aerosol chalk will not come off over time of its own accord, nor through daily exposure to the elements; water-based will. Water-based chalk rubs off or smears when you wipe your finger over it. 2.You can only apply the water-based chalk on sidewalks. Marking on a vertical surface requires physical effort to remove it; it will not come off on its own. This means that a Physical Plant employee must spend time and materials to remove it. Student organizations may be fined if Physical Plant has to remove any chalking on vertical surfaces or if water-based chalk was not used.
Chalking is allowed only on University sidewalks and city streets and sidewalks. Only water-soluble chalk may be used.
Leafleting/Literature Distribution
Do NOT leaflet in campus classrooms of academic buildings. This activity is a violation of university policies and guidelines; student organizations may be subject to sanctioning under the Policy and Conduct of Registered Student Organizations as a violation of the Student Organization Code of Conduct.
The scheduled use of lobby space in academic buildings for other than official departmental activities will be the responsibility of building/facility managers. Only University related activities sponsored by organizations associated with the University should be scheduled in these spaces. Building/facility managers can identify lobby space for literature distribution for University related activities sponsored by organizations associated with the University. Such space must be made available to all University registered or related organizations on a consistent basis if it is made available at all. To reserve lobby space in academic buildings, contact the building/facility manager. Contact information for all building/facility managers can be found at http://www.fpm.wisc.edu/smoasp/FacilityName.asp

Guidelines For Relatively Inexpensive Or Free Publicity

For more information on specific methods of publicity, go to the Publicizing Your Events link in the SOO’s Program Planning Resource Guide:

http://soo.studentorg.wisc.edu/Renee_Web/publicity05_kiosks&bulletinboards.html

Be certain your members know not to post on telephone poles, garbage cans, sidewalks, stairs, steps, fences, trees or buildings and that they must not destroy or deface other organizations’ posters. Do not post on private businesses or residences without prior permission.