Eighty-one percent of marketers rated their blogs as useful, important, or critical. Simply put, those who blog are seeing the results. For parks and recreation agencies, you may wonder how a blog could be beneficial, so that's what we're going to talk about today. Here's how and why a blog can help support your goals:Improve communication with your members/customers1. Post your blog articles to social networks - You're always looking for interesting things to post to Facebook and Twitter, right? Writing your own blog posts gives you something to say through social media. Be sure to post your articles on your social networks to increase engagement and visitors.2. Have members/customers write guest posts - It's more powerful when praise comes from customers rather than the organization. Therefore, ask happy customers to write reviews of your programs for your blog. This will live as a testimonial, but in article form.
Increase Participation and Revenue
3. Announce registration periods - Write articles about your upcoming registration periods with details about early-bird registration, online signups, and in-person registrations. At the end of the article, offer a link or clickable button that leads right to your registration system.4. Post your recreation guide - Do you create an online recreation guide? When you create it, post it as an article on the blog: "Fall 2012 Recreation Guide is Out: Start Picking Programs Today!"5. Highlight new programs - You know the trendy workouts and classes. When you offer a new one, turn it into an article that will get people excited to sign up. At the end of the article, give them a link or button to click that leads directly to registration for that class.6. Post about upcoming events - Cover your events on the blog in a benefit-focused way. If you are targeting families, describe why parents and kids will both have a good time. And as mentioned above, include a call to action right to the event registration page.7. Cover previous events with pictures - Use the blog as a central way for event participants to reflect on the event through pictures and a write-up. As a side benefit, people who didn't attend could see this article and want to sign up for your next event.8. Write to attract local Google searchers - Search engine optimization can be a big part of a marketing blog. Each article can be written in a way to attract a phrase that is commonly searched. Learn how to do this process here.9. Use calls to action - As mentioned a few times above, a call to action is crucial. Whatever you cover in each blog article should have a clear call to action for the reader. If you want them to register for a program you are writing about, give the link directly to that program's registration page and make it prominent.
Build a Healthier Communities
10. Post videos/tips about workouts - Beyond becoming self-sufficient, many parks and recreation agencies strive to help make their citizens healthier with recreation programs and great parks. To work toward this goal on your blog, post workout videos and tips. Then, include a call to action that will entice them to sign up for a program that relates to the article.11. Cover the benefits of your programs - Many times, people won't take action if they don't see the clear benefits. When you write your articles, be benefit-focused. How will this help the reader get in better shape/improve lifestyle/meet people?12. Announce community-wide programs - If you have community-wide initiatives like weight-loss challenges or fundraising programs, announce and cover them on your blog. People like to be included and read about these types of programs.
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