Promote your glider operation

There is something wrong when we are organizing task groups to look at
digital media, but we don't think it's worth our time and/or resources to
have a significant presence at the largest aviation event in the world -
Oshkosh.

If we really want maximum exposure for our sport, we should make the SSA
convention part of the annual Oshkosh event. Not only would we have all of
the displays there for non-glider pilots to see, but we would also be able
to network with all of the key people in the FAA, AOPA, etc. who are going
to be there anyway.

Mike Schumann

"Frank Whiteley" wrote in message
...
On Nov 24, 10:33 am, MickiMinner wrote:
I think all of the above posters have the right idea...the concept is
to "grow" the sport,
but nobody has any grasp of what the numbers are of active glider
pilots,
instructor pilots, new rides, FAST offers, Calls to local glider
ports,
rate of activity.

I do believe that statistics, numbers need to be compiled.
We can't figure out if we need pull marketing, viral marketing,
publicity campaigns, and any other types of publicity until we know
what we are pushing for!
One Example of what we need to know:
Do we want to approach pilots with power tickets? Do we have better
success with youth? or better success at converting the power pilot,
or do we have a better success rate with the person that calls for a
"joy ride".

Omri has a a great idea that an individual giving the ride should have
the passion and personality to address the needs of the person
enquiring and taking a test ride.

the bottom line for me, is that we need to compile some data. Regular
surveys of the clubs, or reporting of how many calls/rides/instruction
requests/new members. Can't market what you don't know.
just my 2cents
Micki

Pulling hen's teeth while herding cats;^)

Actually, part of the digital revolution is that we are at the cusp of
such data retrieval. Most operations are likely using some sort of
accounting software from which reports may be derived. How, I've also
heard from COBM that commercial operators will be unlikely to share
such data. Among chapters, many are non-profit entities and must
provide information upon request (though may charge reasonable re-
production costs). However, past performance is not prediction of the
future. Both commercial operations and clubs can change in appeal and
performance, usually to a knee-jerk reaction to some event or a change
in internal politics, so I'm not sure a study will help market, though
it may help define what works.

Part of the problem has been the difficulty to keeping current contact
information for chapter leadership. The clubs & chapters committee
compiled that information and surveyed for about 110 chapters under
Dave Newill. However, club and chapter leadership changes every year
or two. The committee also used the WTF contact info to try and have
chapters complete some online information updates. We eventually got
about forty inputs out of 140 clubs and chapters, yet it remained time
intensive. This year the SSA office included a request for chapter
leadership functions in the chapter renewal process. Response has
been very good, thank you very much. Doug Easton has recently
provided the committee with a leadership view which will help us
communicate better with chapters.

Statistics and data collection is part of that digital media
experience that I've included within my draft proposal for formation
of an SSA Digital Media Working Group. This group will hopefully
examine, propose, and implement actions to leverage audio, video,
imagery, web techniques, social networking, webinars, mentoring, and
story boarding to place some strategic on-target, on-message links to
our sport and organizations. Internal data collection and
introspection is part of the mix. Annually I submit an input to the
world gliding report, but it's very limited due to the lack of
resources available.

As John Seaborn mentions, this will take some aggressive and committed
volunteers. I agree. We have significant individual talent and
effort out there. If we could get those individual to put ten or
twenty percent of that effort into a focused package of strategies
with a national, regional, and local emphasis, we'd move forward
rapidly. Without that framework, I think hiring national marketing
expertise would not give us the results hoped for. We need the
resources first. Yesterday, while sorting through some Soaring
magazines with a soaring friend, he mentioned that the SSA staffed a
marketing expert in the late 1970's. Before my time as an SSA member
(1980), so perhaps someone else can give us a history lesson on Sunny
Vesgo, "The Sunny Side" column, and the eventual outcomes. I'm told
there was much dis-satisfaction at the end of the day.

As far as what may work, see my committee post on the SSA web site
today on Leveraging the SSA FAST and SSA Introductory Membership for
chapter growth.

Frank Whiteley