The most effective publicity campaign combines different forms of communication together to have the biggest impact. There are several ways you can do this:
Flyers
Good flyers will be:
- Attractively produced.
- Good quality — a colour postcard holds more attention than a black and white piece of paper!
- Containing all the main information in a clear and easily digestible format — remember that people will be reading them ‘on the go’, so need to be able to quickly work out what is happening, and when.
- Checked and accurate before printing!
- In plentiful supply — if there are 10,000 people in your university then why would you only print 500?! Better to have too many than too few.
Check out this example of an excellent flyer… it was so attractive that many students kept them long after the week, and even pinned them to their walls.
For more examples of good flyers see here.
For advice on handing out flyers see here.
Posters
- Posters need to be clear and bold, so that they quickly communicate the essential information.
- Put posters up in busy footfall areas, especially where people are likely to be waiting, such as bus stops.
- Check whether you need permission to put them up, and get it, if necessary.
- Be ready each day to replace posters that get torn down or posted over.
- Consider a ‘teaser campaign’ where posters gradually show more information over the course of time before the Events Week begins.
The CU in Kaunas, Lithuania, came up with a creative idea to increase the reach of the posters. After putting them up all over town they ran a competition on social media encouraging people to take a selfie next to the poster and then post it online. Anyone who did was entered into a competition to win a prize.
Clothing
You could produce T-shirts or hoodies (depending on the weather) which advertise the Events Week.
Don’t feel the need to include all the information — the main logo is enough, and reinforces the other forms of advertising the students will receive/ be exposed to.
An intriguing question may be more effective than a Bible verse?
It’s helpful that all the members of the CU don’t wear it during the events themselves; otherwise it can make guests feel like the odd ones out!
Some CUs are able to make a profit on the merchandise they sell, to help support the Events Week.
The University
The University authorities or the Students Union may be willing to advertise the events themselves through their own channels. This may reach more people than you can, so can give even greater credibility to your events.
Human Signposts
When an event is about to start, why not position human signposts outside, pointing the way to the events? A person holding a billboard with a big arrow and the talk title will be more engaging than a poster!
Get Creative!
See here for some examples of creative forms of publicity…
Things to do
- Decide. Which forms of physical publicity will you use and produce?
- Design. Find someone to design your publicity, and get it printed in good time.
- Train. Help the CU to know how to use the publicity well.