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  4. Plan your own promotion

Plan your own promotion

Letting your community know that the brigade is on the lookout for new volunteers can be done in a variety of ways. We have worked with many brigades across Aotearoa and developed a formula that comprises a high impact promotion over a short period culminating in an event at the station that is dedicated to attracting volunteers.

Decide on a call to action

You’ll need to decide on a call to action. What do you want people to do? Attend an event, send an email, make a phone call or attend training.

We recommend holding an Open Night on a weekday – often brigades will choose to dedicate a Training Night for this, to make it easier for current volunteers. This two-hour event is dedicated to talking to people about volunteering at your brigade and showing them around the station.

Choose your promotional channels

Where does your community get their information? You might have a local newsletter, or community Facebook page that everyone uses.

We recommend using as many promotional channels as possible to create a bigger impact, and so that your message can be seen widely across the community. Here are a few channels to get you started:

  • Posters
  • Leaflets/mailbox drop
  • Social media and community Facebook pages
  • News media
  • School newsletters
  • Neighbourhood Support

Five tips for your promotion

   
1. Identify your audience
 Are you targeting a specific group within your community or the community as a whole? If your brigade is looking for daytime responders, focus on looking for people who work or live near the brigade and are available during the day.
2. Keep your messaging friendly

Keep your messages upbeat and framed positively – focus on the benefits of volunteering and how it can help keep your community safe and strong.

Encourage brigade members to share the same messages.
3. Show off your people
 Your brigade is the best asset you have for promotion. Using photographs that show the team spirit, comradery and friendliness of your brigade members will increase your appeal.
4. Involve the whole brigade
 Encourage brigade members to help get the word out.  Asking them to like and share the Facebook posts will increase the reach of these posts across your community.
5. Keep it short
 Choose a 7 to 10-day period to run your promotion. Any longer and the materials will have less impact. Once the promotion period is over, it’s good to take down posters and banners so the next time you run a promotion people notice it.

 

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