Which media should you use?
The idea of using different media types is to create engagement, visibility, convert contacts into uptake, promote and where appropriate sell.
Print could cover anything from newsletters, your own or an article in the church or community news-sheet, or Guild newsletter. Press releases and radio interviews need to have a current thread, there is no point telling them about something that happened last week, or something that’s not happening for another month yet. Their attention span is very short.
Social media is the interactive technology platforms that covers everything from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Pintrest, and everything in between. Most of this is free and relatively easy to use and helps spread your message far and wide quickly.
YouTube allows you to store video footage and live stream events, again make sure that there’s nothing there that will catch you out regarding health and safety and safeguarding, or that could bring ringing in to disrepute, but it’s a great way to show people what ringing is about if they can’t be there in person.
A website can carry all your information about your bells, your practices and service ringing, special ringing and other events and activities. This is more static than social media but does require regular updating to keep it fresh and interesting. You do need to be conscious of whether your website is for people who know nothing about ringing and might be interested in finding out more, or whether it is a repository of information for your existing ringers. I would suggest that most bellringing websites are a combination of both, but it would be wise to decide what is its main purpose.
Exhibitions either in the church or a community location needs to be eye catching. Short punchy text elements with lots of bright and engaging photos. People looking at an exhibition don’t tend to spend too long trying to read great swaths of text and looking at tiny little, dark photos. Make the text big and bold and the photos at least A4 size with good lighting and resolution.
If you are giving a presentation make sure that it is interesting (run through it with an outsider to check) and not death by PowerPoint. Can you get your presentation across without using PowerPoint for example? If you were all together in a room, could you get everyone creating something by using all sorts of materials and glue sticks galore; much more interactive and with something to take away with them at the end?
Vicki Chapman, CCCBR PRO