Public Relations (PR)

Public relations is one of the most important aspects of our sport, but unfortunately most of us really don't know how to do it effectively. Keeping our name in the news, generating newsworthy articles, and spreading the word about what we do and who we are makes it easier for us to move around within political circles as well as with private landowners.
There are three major groups to target when dealing with public relations, at least from our point of view; our members and potential members, the general public, and our legislators. Each group has a specific approach we need to apply when trying to promote our sport in a positive light.
While members and potential members demand more "detail", like where the trails are and what events would a club participate in, the general public is unconcerned about that. So we "market" ourselves differently. We promote each club and what is offered, like private acreage, educational classes, and more with most information generated at meetings and online forums. The general public sees our fundraising and community service events in newspaper articles or bulletins. The legislators however, are not "marketed". What we have failed to realize until recently is the importance of getting our word out not only to our members and the general public, but directly to our representatives.
The easiest way for a club to target all three groups is with a newsletter. EC4WDA Northeast Region has, as previously discussed, brought back our long forgotten quarterly newsletter, but let's not stop there. The benefits of a newsletter to the membership are that they are kept up to date and can see specifically what their club is doing. It's also nice to have your rig in print, too! A few extra copies left at your local library, post office, or mailed to your local paper brings your name to people who otherwise may not know what your club is about or even if it exists. And the greatest thing about the newsletter is the ease of putting it in an envelope and mailing it to your state representative's office.
Another item of interest is specifically addressed to the private landowner. OHV OPTIONS - A GUIDE FOR LANDOWNERS isn't loaded with new information, but it is a functional pamphlet that lays out the benefits of allowing OHV use on private property. I encourage members and non-members alike to use it when possible. More information can be found at the Adirondack Jeeps website or by emailing me.
One PR item your Northeast Region has begun work on is an educational, behind the scenes video similar to a Discovery Channel documentary. Storyboarding has just begun, but by using collegiate production classes we'll be able to create a quality video at affordable costs for use in mass media applications.
Our economic assessment is scheduled to be complete by May 1st and the 4x4 What's the Score booklet is scheduled for completion April 1st.
Finally, we have the help of a woman with many years of public relations experience creating media packets and press releases for a corporate headquarters in Portland, Oregon. She has agreed to look through our blogs, minutes, websites, and by-laws to find our "message" and the best way to present it. Being from outside the OHV world, her viewpoints should prove invaluable to our marketing strategy.
It is about marketing ourselves and creating our own "image". We've been the subject of "negative marketing" by the anti-access groups for too long.
Working together, we counter that with the truth today.