Watch the registration numbers

[siglite]

I just sent out "click here to register" links to 1000 email addresses in WV for the next four upcoming shoots, including New Martinsville.

[The Machine]

All to our "target audience" from the comfort of a computer...beautiful!    We'll see what transpires...

[MacMcM]

I sent out a blast to the western part of WV for the Nov 6-7 shoot...

Some folks will receive multiple hits, which is GREAT! Bet we don't get 14,000 to show up in 6 hours....

I will also do the same tonight at the PCGC meeting and offer rides to NMV and Stinson.. sorry, I can't make Beckley...

Mac

[The Machine]

Great job Mac!    I'll be working the electronic and phone circuits today. Surely, our efforts will translate into a boost in attendance. 

[The Machine]

Well, despite the noble efforts that the 3 of us put forth, it didn't seem to budge recent attendance numbers much; if at all. A few of us touched upon what it takes to get West Virginians out to our events at the recent Stinson AS. We did rule out simply shaking someone's hand and giving them some AS literature. Cold emailing a specific target group has yielded unremarkable results, as well.

I always ask those who attend our events where they heard about the program initially. The top 2 always seems to be "I read about AS in Shotgun News", or "I saw something on an internet forum". The internet forums are usually of the survivalist/gun culture variety. Secondary to these; some personal friend, family member, or respected associate, had attended an event and gave a favorable report.

I have not received any feedback, or inquiries about the program, from the great article which ran in the Gazette recently. Same goes for the very nice blog which Mountaineer has launched and maintained for us.

Folks, WV is one of the toughest--if not, THE toughest--nut to crack in the nation, for AS purposes!   Despite this, we have made headway!     So where am I going with all of this? Read on...

I wanted to remind everyone, as was mentioned on our WV IC conference call, we have a great "7th step" opportunity coming up next week. There will be a WVCDL open carry dinner near Morgantown on Oct. 16th. There will be some key people in attendance, and a perfect chance to perform some diplomacy on behalf of AS. I hope all who are free next Sat. can attend this one. Any specific questions about this gathering can be directed to siglite on this forum.

If we can get regional three-man/woman teams to attend events such as this, I believe we can get some mileage from it, in terms of attendance and new locations. It helps tremendously if one of our instructors has direct association, or a position of trust, with the host or some respected individual involved in such events. We will be testing this theory again on Oct. 16th...

P.S. I forgot to mention we'll be bringing the "Uncle Sam" banner and some SWAT reprints. If anyone else could provide the state flyer or some promo targets for strategic distribution, please do so.

[Fred]

     If it helps fortify you guys any, WV is seemingly no different from any other area of this country. WY, NM, NC - you name it, the "easy" ones have come to AS, and we're now trying to get the hard ones to come.

     Like you, we got NO measurable response from the big front page (in color, in the Sunday edition!) - and favorable! - Appleseed article in the major regional newspaper only 30 miles from the home range in Ramseur.

    Clearly, there is NO point in ever considering paid ads in newspapers.

    The advertising world is or should be a lesson for us. Why do you see so many ads?

    Because it takes so many ads to get a modern American off the couch to buy the product.

    Which is another way of saying "Persist!" - because you have to.

    Logic and rationality no longer seem to rule the day. What moves the modern American is continued hammering urges to do something.

    We have one advantage in this: personal contact and influence which surely trumpts impersonal advertising.

    Work to get people to help us "the Low-Tech way" - to make a list of all their family, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, friends - everyone they know - and systematically contact everyone on the list, and putting in a low-key, kind-and-gentle plug for AS.

     If we really want to be successful at this, we have to "armor plate" them with the knowledge that they will run into a wall of apathy, laziness, and wilful ignorance - and to be prepared for it.

     And to understand that the objectives are very low: if every one of them will recruit one person this year to come to an AS, the program doubles.

     What should keep all our noses to the grindstone is we never know if the next person we talk to about AS will "catch the fire" and be successful in recruiting a hundred - or more! - over the coming months and years.

[franklinfarmer]

I'm sure you all have thought of this, though I don't see it expressed in your comments...maybe you're forgetting.

Take an ad or article or email that someone reads.  Many people may have a very positive response.  They may, in fact, respond with a solid commitment to attend an Appleseed event, but they are *very* unlikely to respond on the time scale represented by your observations.  They will prepare for 6 months or a year, and then try to look up the venue they thought looked inviting with regard to their interest in marksmanship training and heritage.  Then they will try to fit it into their schedule, which may take a few more months...adding up to over a year perhaps before they make an event.

I'm not even sure that they don't have a sense of urgency---though that might be the first interpretation, and the actual time scale suggests it.  I think, however, that sometimes the real issue is people have some idea about entering into the Appleseed activity itself "prepared."  They know their equipment is perhaps marginal (or nonexistent) and they haven't been shooting (or haven't shot at all), so maybe even if they are very positively inclined (even committed), it takes a huge effort to prepare themselves mentally---as well as with the equipment and some level of familiarity.

One consequence of this is that measuring the effect of advertising for an event like an Appleseed shoot is probably extremely difficult.  Probably the way to do it, would be to pursue extensive surveying of how and when people got interested, committed to coming and actually came.  To complicate such an approach, people might not want to volunteer any or all of that information on the first exposure to the program/event.  So, you have another time lag.  Such analysis is probably just not worth it.

Another thing this suggests is that Fred's conclusion that multiple ads and continual urging may not really be justified.  Maybe you just don't see the effect of a single well done and well placed ad in the time scale of your observation. 

Having said all that, I'm all about word-of-mouth, especially if lots of resources are going into the media industrial complex for ads.

[lupis42]

I'm sure you all have thought of this, though I don't see it expressed in your comments...maybe you're forgetting.

Take an ad or article or email that someone reads.  Many people may have a very positive response.  They may, in fact, respond with a solid commitment to attend an Appleseed event, but they are *very* unlikely to respond on the time scale represented by your observations.  They will prepare for 6 months or a year, and then try to look up the venue they thought looked inviting with regard to their interest in marksmanship training and heritage.  Then they will try to fit it into their schedule, which may take a few more months...adding up to over a year perhaps before they make an event.

I'm not even sure that they don't have a sense of urgency---though that might be the first interpretation, and the actual time scale suggests it.  I think, however, that sometimes the real issue is people have some idea about entering into the Appleseed activity itself "prepared."  They know their equipment is perhaps marginal (or nonexistent) and they haven't been shooting (or haven't shot at all), so maybe even if they are very positively inclined (even committed), it takes a huge effort to prepare themselves mentally---as well as with the equipment and some level of familiarity.

I can't agree with that enough.  I found out about Appleseed in the late fall of 2009, but I didn't make it out until April 19th of 2010.  I could have made an earlier one, but I wanted to bring my wife with me, which meant fitting it into her schedule and a friend had mentioned that I would get more out of it if I had a sling and click adjustable sights, so I had to do some work on my 10/22... I imagine that a lot of people took similar approaches.

[The Machine]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

If it helps fortify you guys any, WV is seemingly no different from any other area of this country. WY, NM, NC - you name it, the "easy" ones have come to AS, and we're now trying to get the hard ones to come.

The operative word is "seemingly", Fred.    Come down here and run your special "Advanced IBC" and we can talk about it, after hours.    No, we are in no way completely exclusive in the "prying folks off the couch" dept., but there are several barriers here that aren't so obvious.

We have one advantage in this: personal contact and influence which surely trumpts impersonal advertising.

    Work to get people to help us "the Low-Tech way" - to make a list of all their family, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, friends - everyone they know - and systematically contact everyone on the list, and putting in a low-key, kind-and-gentle plug for AS.

Yes I agree, this is the proven method that has not only worked here, but is a staple of AS promo success nationwide. A concerted, sustained effort in this particular area, would be foolish to pass up.

Take an ad or article or email that someone reads.  Many people may have a very positive response.  They may, in fact, respond with a solid commitment to attend an Appleseed event, but they are *very* unlikely to respond on the time scale represented by your observations.  They will prepare for 6 months or a year, and then try to look up the venue they thought looked inviting with regard to their interest in marksmanship training and heritage.  Then they will try to fit it into their schedule, which may take a few more months...adding up to over a year perhaps before they make an event.

Actually, it has been noted that probably the majority of folks who have attended our WV events fall into this category. Like you stated, the sense of urgency doesn't seem to be reflected by this, but as they say "it is what it is". 

Probably the way to do it, would be to pursue extensive surveying of how and when people got interested, committed to coming and actually came.

I've been consistently doing this the low-tech way and simply asking people who attend the shoots how they found out about the program. The results are mentioned above.

[siglite]

The marketing weenies (no offense to AS's marketing weenies) will talk about things like branding, name recognition, and that all important concept called "top of the mind awareness." 

Every exposure Appleseed has, successful, failed, whatever, builds this awareness.  How much to soft-drink companies compete to be the first brand that pops into a consumer's mind when they hear the words "soft drink."  We cannot spend billions on global advertising campaigns.  But the marketing folks will tell you that every single time they hear or see the brand, it builds that awareness.  When people hear the words "marksmanship" OR "history," I want that to generate the word "Appleseed" in the word association game. 

How do you do that?

Repetition in as many venues as possible. 

Some West Virginians have seen the word "Appleseed" in the Gazette.  Some have seen it at gun shows.  Some have seen it at ranges.  Some have heard it from 7th steppers, in person. 

Were I running the Appleseed ship of state, I would design billboards in targeted markets.  I would play on that simplicity.  They'd be a bright yellow background, with three words in the largest font that will fit on the board.

HISTORY
MARKSMANSHIP
APPLESEED

No more.  Let them google to find out what in the world the billboard means.

But then, I don't have $900/month to donate to a high-visibility board in this area. 

Hey.... I just had a thought.

What if we did just that.  $10 in plywood, $20 in stencils, and two cans of spray paint.  Those three words.  Plop them at strategic interstate ramps here and there.

[sear]

Take an ad or article or email that someone reads.  Many people may have a very positive response.  They may, in fact, respond with a solid commitment to attend an Appleseed event, but they are *very* unlikely to respond on the time scale represented by your observations.  They will prepare for 6 months or a year, and then try to look up the venue they thought looked inviting with regard to their interest in marksmanship training and heritage.  Then they will try to fit it into their schedule, which may take a few more months...adding up to over a year perhaps before they make an event.

YES!

I heard about Appleseed almost two years ago, and thought it worth looking into. (Not from a paid advertisement, but from reading about it on gun blogs.)

I attended the Ramseur 8-10 RBC and earned my Red Hat today.

[The Machine]

Hey.... I just had a thought.

What if we did just that.  $10 in plywood, $20 in stencils, and two cans of spray paint.  Those three words.  Plop them at strategic interstate ramps here and there.

Thoughts lead to action...action leads to results...at least that's the way it's supposed to work.    This signage idea will be a great topic of discussion on our trip to MoTown! I bet we can talk vanrichten into a trial run. 

[franklinfarmer]

Another thing that I'm sure is in the minds of many---be it the dark side, or the ugly side, or whatever you want to call it---which I think is worth mentioning:

I attended an Appleseed to become a rifleman, and I'm involved now to help others become riflemen.  A .22 rimfire rifle is a wonderfully effective *training tool* in the training of a rifleman.  And while it may be the only tool/hardware needed to obtain our rifleman patch, if that is the end of it, we have failed.  Of course, the software objective is much more important.  Every high power shooter who participates, gets the patch with his M1A and settles back comfortably into his couch is a failure.  Nevertheless, there is a difference between having a nation of people with patches that say rifleman (and even ones that go around having fun getting others to earn patches) and having a nation that has rearmed itself and is effective both with its hardware and software.

This is a number I'm afraid of losing sight of---that I'm afraid of the program losing sight of.  Of course, if that's outside the mission now, we should probably take the empty words off the shirts.  If not, then getting the real message across and getting the instructor corps to complete the process probably deserves as much attention as, say, the principle of doubling.

[sear]

Then perhaps we need some kind of Rifleman follow-up. There must be some tactful way of suggesting that people engage or stay engaged, but it must be person-to-person and not a blanket mailing or e-mail.

Contact each new Rifleman after several months and ask if Appleseed changed anything for him/her. (Of course we don't need to contact those who take Orange hats or those who repeat their Appleseed attendance.)

[MacMcM]

How do we know that ANY of our past attendees "returned to the couch"?

I'm a "glass 2/3 full" kinda guy. I prefer to think that our message gets thru to every attendee.
Being essentially immeasureable, our influence on them is only a subject of speculation, so..... We have to
make certain assumptions. My assumption is that we have a profound effect, and our graduates are better
citizens than they were before!

I do think we need a local list of Riflemen to keep in touch. They have persisted and show the promise of
at least 7th stepping for the cause. A good pool to call on in the future.

Good thread,

MacMcM

[The Machine]

This is a number I'm afraid of losing sight of---that I'm afraid of the program losing sight of.  Of course, if that's outside the mission now, we should probably take the empty words off the shirts.  If not, then getting the real message across and getting the instructor corps to complete the process probably deserves as much attention as, say, the principle of doubling.

I don't think you'll get much argument from some against what you say franklinfarmer, but the "official" policy of the RWVA has always been "we are a heritage and rifle marksmanship organization"; period. We don't tell people what to think or do; we just want them to start thinking for themselves and doing something...other than occupying a couch! 

Just take comfort in knowing that there ARE some men and women out there amongst us who value the principles of individual freedom above anything. It's almost impossible to track how many of such people there are--definitely outside the scope of our organization--but I'd venture to guess it's a very, very, small minority of the population. Look how tiny the group of people wearing a Rifleman patch is in comparison to the general population. The subgroup of those Riflemen, who you've spoken about, are an even tinier minority yet. How do we increase our chances of locating the Davises, Parkers, Morgans, and Murpheys? Running the largest amount of people through our program in the shortest period of time; as I see it. 

[siglite]

This is a number I'm afraid of losing sight of---that I'm afraid of the program losing sight of.  Of course, if that's outside the mission now, we should probably take the empty words off the shirts.  If not, then getting the real message across and getting the instructor corps to complete the process probably deserves as much attention as, say, the principle of doubling.

I don't think you'll get much argument from some against what you say franklinfarmer, but the "official" policy of the RWVA has always been "we are a heritage and rifle marksmanship organization"; period. We don't tell people what to think or do; we just want them to start thinking for themselves and doing something...other than occupying a couch! 

Just take comfort in knowing that there ARE some men and women out there amongst us who value the principles of individual freedom above anything. It's almost impossible to track how many of such people there are--definitely outside the scope of our organization--but I'd venture to guess it's a very, very, small minority of the population. Look how tiny the group of people wearing a Rifleman patch is in comparison to the general population. The subgroup of those Riflemen, who you've spoken about, are an even tinier minority yet. How do we increase our chances of locating the Davises, Parkers, Morgans, and Murpheys? Running the largest amount of people through our program in the shortest period of time; as I see it. 

If you get one person off the couch a year, and actively involved, you are having an impact.  At a WVCDL event recently, we had a delegate tell us that before a vote, he'll sometimes call the person that handles his email, and ask "how many for and against."  He said the response is usually something like "six to one."  And he went on to explain that by six to one, it was NOT a ratio.  That was a literal tally of all of the calls and emails on that issue.

We live in a state absolutely rife with apathy.  If we each get one person willing to make a call, write a letter, or send an email, we are actively, and deeply influencing our system at the state level.

So if anyone in AS ever doubts that they're making an impact, please remember, as small as we are, and as few as it might seem we reach, we are, without question, making a difference.  The law of averages is actually IN OUR FAVOR no matter how much it might seem to be the opposite.