Well, my questions really are:
What are we doing wrong?
What are we not doing?
And, I'm open for ANY ideas on getting shooters on the line.
We keep our current rate up, we're going to have fewer attendees than last year, and we all deserve better than that.
I know everybody is trying to do what they can to promote events, but, truth is, our results are dismal at best. And, it's not just a local thing.
How does the number of shoots (held and scheduled) this year compare to 2010's numbers? Just wondering if we're diluting the potential pool of attendees.
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Log, you raise a point many in the program raise. Most call it "reaching the saturation point", implying a small pool of ASers and too many ASs = drop in attendance.
In my view this is totally erroneous in that it assumes everyone who is a potential ASer has heard about AS.
I don't think that's true. I doubt you can point to any "market" - let's define market as, say, comprising everyone who lives within a 90 minute driving radius around an AS location - and say for sure that more than 1% of the people in that market have heard about AS.
And if you can point to such a defined market, and say, "100% - not 1%, not 10%, but 100% - have heard about AS", and only 1/10th of 1% come, then our problem and challenge simply shifts to convincing more of those people they need to come - as it's not likely 1/10th of one per cent will make us successful.
We can't afford at any point to "give up and go home" on this project. And if there is real market saturation - which I submit is not the case - in fact, we are nowhere even near it - the answer any of us should make is "so what?" We have to get people to AS. And if we have to sharpen up the message, sharpen up the ways we deliver it - then, by gum, that's what we need to do.
I will prob never be convinced that the American people - Americans - will sit idly on the deck of a sinking ship, and let it go under the waves - without doing something - without getting out of the deck chairs and doing something.
And if they have, in the 21st-century, morphed into such worthless beings as would let that happen, at least we have done our job, which is to leave no stone unturned to carry the alarm to them.
Remember, there are no guarantees that this program will be successful. I believe it will be, but I cannot guarantee it - that's up to the American people. And the persistence of our efforts.
That old T shirt my son has (posted pictures in the VA sub forum) got me to wondering if there'd be any benefit (and I don't know the cost) to having similar state oriented t-shirts made up for Appleseeds.
Some folks are really proud of their state. Some folks like to collect t-shirts/ball caps, etc. As advertising goes maybe it would get peoples attention better if they saw on the t-shirts that the event on the t-shirt had occurred in their state and therefor might be close to them or of more interest to them.
Just wondering.
Fred --
I wasn't talking about market saturation. I don't think we're there yet either, although I do think that in some cases we've saturated the "safe" venues for our message - gun stores, gun clubs, etc. - and that we need to do a better job reaching the non-gun folks. Libertyseeds will help, but we need to get posters and flyers into places that more people will see them, and I think we need more appropriate branding material for such venues - I've had people just flat out refuse to post stuff once they saw the AR Girl poster.
But I've posted on that topic before. What I was getting at was just a quick and dirty analysis of the numbers so far. Not that I doubt Nickle's math, mind you, but I just want to be sure we're actually behind in total number of attendees, and not that a similar number of attendees has been diluted over a larger number of shoots. Both scenarios would present the same way - lower average attendance at our shoots - and the dilution effect might be masked by the fact that it's hard to keep track of what's happening on a national scale.
Like I said - not doubting anyone's impressions of how the program is doing. I just think we need to have some good numbers so we can fix the right problem.
Anecdotally, I can say that our best promotional successes come from when we can get a booth at some high-traffic venue, like Cabela's or a gun show, and get instructors out there with flyers to start working the crowd. It combines mass-marketing with plenty of one-on-one opportunities, if you set up and run the booth correctly. Pressing the flesh is a time-honored technique because it works, and the more use we make of those venues, the better off our promotional efforts will be. I'll still say we need more options for branding materials - not every venue is going to accept a big banner with a little girl holding an "evil black rifle." I don't like the attitude, and I don't agree with it, but I've got to try to sell this product and I'm having a hard time getting my foot in some doors because of the marketing materials.
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Quote from: The Log on July 20, 2011, 08:34:06 AM
...we need to do a better job reaching the non-gun folks.
Yes, absolutely, and we need to keep hammering this point home to our volunteers who seem trapped in the notion of "gun shows" and "gun stores". We should be going after homeschoolers, women's groups, and anybody else we can think of. Which is where Library/LibertySeeds will prove very, very useful - which means we need to get our Red Hat/SB storytellers fired up to do 'em, as they are so easy to do.
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But I've posted on that topic before. What I was getting at was just a quick and dirty analysis of the numbers so far. Not that I doubt Nickle's math, mind you, but I just want to be sure we're actually behind in total number of attendees...
I don't know the numbers currently and will try to get someone to add them up, but I'm thinking we should be ahead of last year - which is not good enough, as we need to double over last year - actually, do better, even than that, since last year was only 37% growth or thereabouts.
Quote
I'll still say we need more options for branding materials - not every venue is going to accept a big banner with a little girl holding an "evil black rifle." I don't like the attitude, and I don't agree with it, but I've got to try to sell this product and I'm having a hard time getting my foot in some doors because of the marketing materials.
Then I suggest you get over to WL-X Promo and sign up, as that's where the promo materials like Poster Girl are developed.
I agree as to we need to cast the net ever wider, and we need to do whatever is required to do that.
So I'll see you over at Promo. O0
PS: Absolutely no problem with any of the rest of your post. In fact, it's "Well said." O0
+1 on the homeschoolers - I'm going after the CT homeschoolers now myself. I'm going to try a one-day shoot, possibly on a weekday once the school year starts up. It should make it easier to book a range during hunting season.
While I agree that Libertyseeds are easier to execute than a full shoot, you've got to keep in mind that trying to squeeze them in with the suggested number of shoots makes them non-trivial. Not complaining, mind you, but it would be nice to spread the load out some.
Random thought - can an IIT up-level to IIT4 at a Libertyseed? It would require a Shoot Boss to be at the LS too, so it doesn't spread the load out much, but at least it might encourage the IITs to step up.
Re: Promo-WL-X - yeah, I figured I was volunteering for something. :slap: I'll see you over there.
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I believe something that bears consideration is the pace that we are setting at our events.
At many events I've worked I've seen a tendancy for the SB and/or LB to drive the attendees, rather than to lead them. They seem to get all caught up in 'The AQT Grind', to the extent they lose sight of the intent of our rifle marksmanship program - instruction and skills improvement. If the attendees are being driven to throw rounds down-range at such a rate that instruction cannot be provided to them, their skills are not likely to improve beyond a certain point. Without ongoing constructive feedback from the instructors their potential is limited to natural ability, and they're not receiving full value for their investment in the program. Likewise, if every target is not analyzed after each AQT is fired, it is impossible for the LB to tailor the event to the needs of the shooters, and it is impossible for the instructors to provide instruction. This can lead to frustration on the part of the shooters, and if they go home frustrated they are much less likely to return or invite their friends/neighbors/family members to come with them to the next event.
Additionally, as we reach out to the non-shooter community we must be careful not to alienate the segment of the population we're trying hardest to address. If we're going to market our weekend events as family-friendly and try to get moms and kids on the line, it is counter-productive to run the event like a military boot camp. Most moms and kids I know have no desire to be pushed to a breaking point. And if a shooter wakes up on Monday morning so sore and beat they don't want to get out of bed, it's a safe bet they won't be back, much less invite others to come back with them. Being asked to 'drink from the fire hose' is one thing; being subjected to a beating by that fire hose is another entirely.
We all must remember that the underlying purpose of our events is not handing out patches - it's getting repeat customers, and it's getting them to bring others with them when they attend their next event. The patch will come in time as their skills improve - but if we drive them away after their first event (or, in some cases their first day), the skills will never improve, and ultimately we will fail to achieve our mission.
Quote from: Another D.O.M. on July 25, 2011, 04:51:11 PM
They seem to get all caught up in 'The AQT Grind', to the extent they lose sight of the intent of our rifle marksmanship program - instruction and skills improvement. If the attendees are being driven to throw rounds down-range at such a rate that instruction cannot be provided to them, their skills are not likely to improve beyond a certain point.
If a SB is not doing their primary job - evaluating the progress of every shooter on their line the above happens.
There are times when dimisinshing results on the shooters part results in the ceasing of the "AQT Grind" and it's back to squares or some other Drill is run to allow shooters - and, and IITs more time to 'instruct" shooters on whatever they or their SB suggests they work on with this shooter or that one.
Quote from: Another D.O.M. on July 25, 2011, 04:51:11 PM
Additionally, as we reach out to the non-shooter community we must be careful not to alienate the segment of the population we're trying hardest to address. If we're going to market our weekend events as family-friendly and try to get moms and kids on the line, it is counter-productive to run the event like a military boot camp. Most moms and kids I know have no desire to be pushed to a breaking point. And if a shooter wakes up on Monday morning so sore and beat they don't want to get out of bed, it's a safe bet they won't be back, much less invite others to come back with them. Being asked to 'drink from the fire hose' is one thing; being subjected to a beating by that fire hose is another entirely.
You're right Mark, A "one-sized-fits-all" approch to each and every shoot is not the way to run a shoot IMHO. Do I cover everything I need to at each shoot - you betcha but not always at the same pace or in regards to some drills not the same order, why? What I do as an SB all Saturday morning long is be a sponge and soak up what the bulk of the shooters on my line can do and struggle with - without this info I cannot effectively run the shoot to the benefit of the shooters at the pace the bulk of them can handle.
Quote from: Another D.O.M. on July 25, 2011, 04:51:11 PM
We all must remember that the underlying purpose of our events is not handing out patches - it's getting repeat customers, and it's getting them to bring others with them when they attend their next event.
The above is why I've always thought giving more and more classes of folks FREE admission only dumbs this whole thing down - give them a 1/2 price on the 1st shoot (buy in to show up) - then and only then do we give that person a FREE attendance to their 2nd shoot - THAT brings this to another level and CREATES a Repeat customer!
Promo, Promo, Promo will get more butts on the line, talking it up with whomever we can get to, groups, customers, friends, family, Libraryseeds, etc-seeds - We do it, but do all of us?
I live on 107 acres. In my woods I have six old cars and the junk price is up. I'm going to drag them out to the field and sell them to junk dealers. How does this relate to Appleseed? I figure I can get enough out of this junk to buy two loaner LTRs. I'll be making a chore actually worthwhile.
One of the cars is a 1957 Ford 4 door sedan and the sheet metal is in good shape. I would swap it for an LTR.