There are several ways to promote your Club and the events that your Club runs. These can generally be broken up into on-campus and online promotion. Don’t forget to include the Arc Clubs logo on all of your promotional material because you will need to provide this to Arc when applying for an Activity Grant (see Clubs Handbook Section 25 for details).
Promotional & Advertising On-Campus Guidelines
Promoting on campus is a great way to encourage students to attend your events. You can promote actively or passively as outlined below.
Posters
a) Noticeboards are for the exclusive use of UNSW students and staff and are the only approved location for the affixing of posters.
b) Posters that are affixed to any unauthorised campus infrastructure1 will be removed promptly by EM. Any damage to infrastructure incurred during the removal may be reported to the UNSW Conduct & Integrity Office and charged back to the relevant group, club, sponsor, or approver of the posters. For example, posters glued to surfaces may, during removal, lift or damage paint or plaster.
c) Posters that include content contrary to University policies and codes (e.g. inciting hatred against a race, gender or religion) will be promptly removed.
d) Posters from unaffiliated groups, including those not clearly identified as a UNSW club, society and/or organisation of UNSW or Arc, will be removed promptly by EM.
e) To maximise the number of voices across campus, each affixed poster should not exceed more than 1/4 of the whole noticeboard.
f) To affix posters to the noticeboard, tack pins or tape should be used. Glue should not be used on noticeboards and, if used, will be removed at the organisers’ expense.
g) EM will remove all posters on all noticeboards on the last Friday of each month, regardless of content.
Map of all the Noticeboards at UNSW!
Banners
a) Only UNSW students and staff may display banners on campuses promoting events or activities for affiliated clubs, societies or organisations.
b) For safety reasons, banners must affixed to infrastructure will be promptly removed by EM. Exceptions will be made for UNSW/Arc official activities (e.g., Open Day, Orientation Week etc.), when banners will be safely installed and anchored by authorised EM contractors.
c) Banners that are contrary to these Guidelines or otherwise considered unsafe by EM will be promptly removed.
Flyers/Leaflets
a) Only UNSW students and staff may distribute flyers/leaflets that are associated with events and activities for affiliated clubs, societies, or organisations.
b) To avoid pollution of the environment, all flyers/leaflets that are discarded across campus must be cleared from the campus environment and disposed of appropriately (ie in paper recycling bins) by the club/group distributing them.
c) Flyers/leaflets left in buildings, rooms/spaces on surfaces will be removed by EM at the next scheduled area clean.
d) Flyers/leaflets, including content contrary to University codes/policies, will be removed promptly by EM.
e) Costs associated with removing flyers/leaflets placed on vehicles within the campus grounds may be referred to the UNSW Conduct & Integrity Office and/or charged back to the relevant group/club.
A-Frame/Sandwich Boards
a) Only UNSW students and staff may use A-frame/sandwich boards to promote events for UNSW- affiliated clubs, societies, or bodies.
b) A-frame/sandwich boards must be positioned to avoid safety risks, such as hindering emergency egress paths and/or walkways
c) EM will instruct organisers to remove A-frame/sandwich boards that are deemed to be unsafe. Any failure to follow a safety direction will result in a referral to the Conduct & Integrity Office.
d) Content on A-Frame/sandwich boards that breach University policies/codes (e.g. inciting hatred against a race, gender or religion) will be promptly removed.
Chalking
a) Chalk may only be used on bitumen surfaces across campuses. Removal of chalk from other surfaces, such as pavers, walls, and tiled surfaces is costly and may be charged back to the individual and/or referred to the Conduct & Integrity Office.
b) Other materials such as crayons, ink or any type of paint are not permitted on any infrastructure as defined above.
c) Any content deemed contrary to UNSW policies/codes (e.g. inciting hatred against a race, gender or religion) will be promptly removed.
d) Chalking will otherwise be removed by EM on the next business day.
Other Display Materials
a) Subject to b) below, Affixing stickers on any University infrastructure is prohibited.
b) An exception is made for UNSW/Arc official activities that have been approved in advance by EM. Stickers with an approved adhesive will be permitted for a specified period. Organisers must promptly remove when the approved period concludes.
c) Display materials reasonably believed to be from an unaffiliated group/club will be removed by EM at the next scheduled clean for that area. Costs associated with removing stickers may be charged back to the individuals or groups responsible.
Active Promotions
- O-Week
- One of the best ways to attract new members to your Club is to have a stall at O-Week. Clubs should regularly read the Arc Clubs Newsletter for details on how to apply.
- During O-Week, make sure you have people at your stall that can tell students about your Club and help them to sign up.
- It’s also good to have activities, flyers, free stuff or food to entice people to your stall, however there may be restrictions on what you can have at your stall (more details about this are released in the lead-up to O-Week).
- Think about what would make you approach a stall.
One-on-one
- Another effective way of promoting is to talk to people. Tell them who you are and all the details of your Club/event.
- Don’t overwhelm people. If they don’t want to talk to you, don’t harass them. There are plenty of other students to approach.
- If you’re approaching people, make sure you don’t outnumber them. We also recommend not having more than two Club members approaching a group.
- It’s always good to give people a flyer/postcard/business card with details on it once you’ve finished talking to them so that they remember what you’ve told them and know where to find more information.
- The best times for one-on-one promotions are in the morning/afternoon as people are arriving at or leaving university, and at lunch time around the quad and the library lawn.
Lecture Promotions
- Just before or after a lecture, or during a break.
- Ask the lecturer’s permission, unless it’s before the lecture and they haven’t yet arrived.
- Keep it short; most people aren’t going to remember what you’re talking about.
- Give the most relevant information – what and when it is – then give them a way to find out more information.
- Might be a good idea to leave flyers near the door so people can collect them on their way out if they’re interested.
- Best to talk to classes that you’re in – get your Club members involved to talk to a wider range of classes
Sales Desks
- If you’re trying to sell tickets to an event, you might want to book an outdoor space and a table to sell tickets. See Clubs Handbook Section 23 for details on how to book an outdoor space.
- Make sure you take a cash box, tickets, and signs with you.
- You can also sell tickets to events through an online platform such as Eventbrite Other Clubs/Residences
- If your Club members are also members of other Clubs or Residences, encourage them to talk to them about your events.
Promoting your Club – Online
Online promotions are the most effective way to promote to an off-campus audience and attract students who are on campus less often.
Emails and Arc Clubs Newsletters
- Send out an email to all of your Club members with details of your event.
- You may also like to include a link to another online platform where students can buy tickets.
- Keep reminder emails to a minimum! A few well timed ones are more effective than spamming.
- To have your event advertised in the weekly Arc Clubs Newsletters, please send through details about the event (date, time, location, link to the Facebook event) via email to clubs@arc.unsw.edu.au at least 2 weeks before the event
Paid advertising
- If you’re having a big event you might want to pay to have your event advertised through Facebook or Google ads.
- This is probably not cost effective for small events.
Understand Social Media
Social media platforms are a great way for anyone to find out the latest and greatest events that your club has going on. Social Media platforms are one of the best ways to communicate and strategically reach a diverse range of people.
Here are some of our top tricks for managing a social media account:
- Know your members, not just what they want as an event, but what they want it to say about them. If you hit the nail on the head, then not only will your promotional message resonate, it will also incentivise them to share it publicly. E.g. An In-depth talk on the history of knitting reflects that not only is knitting a fun hobby but the members of the club are well-informed.
- Have consistent material to create a routine. Members may internalise this routine, so they will be reminded of your club around the time of your events whether they are attending or not. This keeps your club on the top of mind so they are more likely to suggest it to others.
- Tell stories and actively engage with your audience. We use social media to keep up with each other, so do not forget this for the sake of promotion. Take the opportunity to foster your community online with interactive posts. E.g. “What is your favorite medium to draw with?” To prompt discussions in a creative society.
- Inform and entertain rather than just promote. You want to be providing value when you enter a feed since there is constant competition for attention. Take advantage of post scheduling to bulk prepare these posts ahead of time.
Platform Specific Tips
There are a number of popular social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Discord or event video content platforms like Tiktok/Reels. Your society’s promotion strategy should understand what each of these platforms are best for and intentionally select the ones that your marketing team will be utilising.
- Majority of the student audience uses Facebook to keep up with events, thus it could be use as the official mode of communication, including your Club Official Page, Member Groups/Sub-groups or a space to publicly share your events.
- Check out your Insights tab to get an idea of your peak audience time, what content seems to do the best and how your activities are drawing engagement
- Facebook have great resources on their Business Help Center for more tips & tricks
- Instagram relies heavily on visuals. Your content is key, and you should use Instagram to build on your Club’s Image.
- Consider looking into basic photography tutorials and design principles before you post.
- Similarly, use templates from online marketing platforms such as Canva to theme your work. Consistency in imagery is needed to create a unified and memorable brand for your Club.
TikTok/Reels/Stories
- Quick video content is easy to consume and is becoming an increasingly popular way to market or inform an audience
- These also tend to be a product of the times and trends. If you intend on taking advantage of trends, you must keep in mind that the content must come across as genuine.
- Video content allow you to make accessible content, including voice overs, closed captioning, and visuals to support your message
Discord
- Best for community hosting away from in-person events
- Fosters engagement as people can remain anonymous if they so choose and there is no pressure to be constantly responsive
- Getting a server off the ground requires consistent effort, but once you have a few key regulars the effort to maintain engagement lessens
Accessible Social Media
Often creating accessible media simply slips our minds, but this leaves out a many in your community that may wish to participate. Here are some easy ways to make sure you included absolutely everyone!
- Closed Captioning – Use subtitles or captioning features to allow an alternative way to view your content. Some Online platforms allow you to turn a Subtitles or Closed Captioning feature on, but it’s often much better for a human to transcribe to ensure the translation is correct. Most videos on Facebook and Instagram are first viewed on mute, so including captions also increases the reach of your marketing overall.
- Alternate text – Not everyone can enjoy the pretty images you put up on your Instagram. In this case you can use alternative text (in the advanced settings of Instagram when you edit a post) Write as if you are describing the image over the phone. Consider the colours, context, and emotions in the image.
- CamelCase – Hashtags often look like a jumble of words, and it just takes the simple uppercasing of each first word to make it easier for people to read #ClubsAreAccessibleForAll
- Be aware of how things come across in text-to-speech. - This encapsulates good alternative text practices, but also mindful emoji use. If you are curious how many emojis is too many, listen to a text-to-speech audio of a clap back tweet.
- Clear contact details – Many important questions regarding accessibility may not be sufficiently addressed in a venue’s description. Make sure you have a key person that is easy to contact for further help and be sure to have this information listed on your event notifications.
We have an Arc Clubs Executive focused Facebook Group! If you’re a current executive, join here to get all the latest opportunities and reminders directly to your news feed, as well as a direct pipeline to your fellow execs in your times of need.
FAQs
Where are we allowed to chalk on campus?
The only places you can chalk on campus are concrete floors in open spaces (i.e. not under cover). This means you can’t chalk on the tiles on the main walkway or chalk on stairs. Your Club’s affiliation may be suspended if you do not follow these rules.
Can we promote our Club or Club events through posters or flyers at Arc?
We have a limited amount of space available in the Arc Clubs space that Clubs can use to promote their events. Bring your flyers to the front desk and we’ll see if we have any space for you.
Can Arc put out Club or Club events in the email newsletter, or on the Arc Website or Facebook page?
Email the Clubs team with details of your Club and/or event, and we’ll see where we have room to help get the word out. The earlier you contact us, the better your chances.
