Getting Personal

Marketing has a reputation for shameless plugging for organizations and businesses, but for Alpha Phi Omega, nothing could be further from the truth. (For the most part- there's always some shameless plugging.) The trick to not getting categorized as shallow and insincere, especially when promoting APO to potential new members, is to make it as personal as possible. People tend to have better responses when they are treated as individuals and not as a mass. People in businesses, even though they can come off as cold and unfeeling at times, appreciate personal approaches to marketing as well.

When promoting Alpha Phi Omega to potential new members that are not acquainted with anyone in the chapter, it is important to be certain they are comfortable with the active brothers. A great way to go is during recruitment events, make sure a social brother is with them and another potential/active pair to relieve any stress of being the only non-active in that situation. It's kind of like a double date without specific elements of a date. Outside of events, say hello to people that you saw and be as available as possible to answer any questions or just be there for the person. You'd be surprised how many people want to just sit with you at dinner in silence! Just knowing that you are open and willing to talk to potential new members make them feel that much more at ease with joining the fraternity. When it comes time for the formal night/pledge ceremony, a handwritten invitation is the best thing a potential new member can get. In Theta Theta, that really gave the extra push for many to join. Taking the time to really reach out says a lot, and with the number of pledges Section 67 has had thus far, it is probably really hard for the VP of Membership and their committee to do it all. If you are not on the Membership committee, and especially if you are on PR committee, help them out with invitations. It is an important step for the fraternity to bring in the amazing pledges and it shows how much the fraternity cares about them before they even decide to go to the ceremony!

For businesses, it is a bit different because we are not recruiting them to be our brother, but to be a sponsor or contributor to the fraternity in its events. In order to really stand out to the businesses, you have to make your meeting(s) personal as well. Have the fundraising representative (whether they are the treasurer or someone on the committee) and PR representative go in person to businesses to talk about Alpha Phi Omega and what events the chapter is trying to gain funding. If the person in the business expresses interest, give them a letter that summarizes the discussion and contains the contact information of the treasurer and president. This is a great tool for businesses because if they contribute money or goods, they have something to show the higher-ups in the location and the corporate office so they can get the green light for their donation whether on that day or a week or two down the road. If it's the latter scenario, they have the contact information they need to get the contribution to the chapter. It is also a good idea to do a follow-up meeting with the people in the businesses who gave money or goods with thank-you notes. This will help with any future fundraising- decorum goes a long way in APO being remembered as an organization that was professional and an organization they would like to do business with in the future.

Marketing may turn a lot of people off, but when it is applied in a more personal way, it can prove to be very beneficial to the chapter and its relationships with people and businesses.