In December's magazine of LAA is an article by Mike Barnard encouraging all LAA members to recruit on a personal basis as many new members as possible. He argues that this is a better solution than engaging a marketing company as it is cheaper and potentially more effective.
Current evidence suggests this may not be the case. Word of mouth has been available for some years now and appears to have a small effect on membership. On the contrary, my marketing friends tell me that to reach a much bigger audience, well planned, well designed, well written copy is required.
The text quoted in the LAA advert in SPLASH is uninspiring, dull and very unlikely to make much of a splash. I strongly urge LAA to engage some professionals who know their stuff who can work with the executive to come up with some arresting and engaging copy which reaches those thousands who struggle to fly beacause of economics but sadly have not heard of or understand LAA.
A plea for increasing the LAA membership
Moderators: John Dean, Moderator
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Brian Hope
- Posts: 1271
- Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:28 pm
- Location: Sheerness Kent
Mike was on the LAA stand at SPLASH on both days, pro-actively selling memberships and made 27 sales, an excellent efforrt. Is it really too much to ask our members to talk to their flying friends about the benefits of membership and the work that LAA does on their behalf? I certainly think not.
We are currently considering a number of ideas for growing the membership but engaging expensive 'professionals' is not one of them.
Having been on the stand at SPLASH myself over the weekend, enjoying the opportunity to chat to some of the many LAA members who attended the show, I was surprised by the number that commented on their disappointment that I no longer offered a voice of reason on the BB. Most of them were not active on the board but followed the debates on a regular basis. I shall therefore add a non official LAA view now and again where appropriate.
We are currently considering a number of ideas for growing the membership but engaging expensive 'professionals' is not one of them.
Having been on the stand at SPLASH myself over the weekend, enjoying the opportunity to chat to some of the many LAA members who attended the show, I was surprised by the number that commented on their disappointment that I no longer offered a voice of reason on the BB. Most of them were not active on the board but followed the debates on a regular basis. I shall therefore add a non official LAA view now and again where appropriate.
Good to hear that you'll add informed comment and opinion here again, Brian.
I thought the LAA presence at SPLASH showed we're a real force in GA - lots of helpers, and plenty of 'networking' going on.
The rack of LAA Today and PCS leaflets near the YES/Build-a-Plane area needed refilling on a couple of occasions through the weekend, so hopefully we'll see some newcomers taking up membership. At the very least, it's a positive image.
I thought the LAA presence at SPLASH showed we're a real force in GA - lots of helpers, and plenty of 'networking' going on.
The rack of LAA Today and PCS leaflets near the YES/Build-a-Plane area needed refilling on a couple of occasions through the weekend, so hopefully we'll see some newcomers taking up membership. At the very least, it's a positive image.
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