EXTERNAL MARKETING
additional tips for getting more members

Marketing the many programs, benefits, events, and activities of NALS starts at the chapter level. Many times you are the first contact for a potential member, an attorney, or law office administrator. To effectively market NALS, you have to be prepared to provide accurate information whenever asked.

Build a Plan and Set Goals.
Does your chapter create a plan to market each year’s activities and number of new members you would like to recruit each year? If not, you should. All chapter programs, activities, and events for the year should have a plan. And for each plan you create, goals need to be established. Reviewing and updating goals periodically is necessary to make sure you are staying on track to meet the goals within the time frame that has been set.

What Do We Market?
Membership!
Probably the most important thing for chapter members to market is membership. All members are a part of the membership marketing team. In marketing membership and increasing our membership numbers, you are providing the legal community with better-educated legal employees.

Boss Appreciation Event.
Many chapters combine this event with recognition of outstanding chapter members and support professionals.

Chapter Meetings.
Chapter meetings are an excellent way to effectively market NALS. By extending an invitation to potential members, you give them the opportunity to experience the benefits of belonging to your chapter before they make the financial commitment to join.

Market chapter meetings by:

(1) Send postcards to nonmembers with information of upcoming meeting;
(2) Encourage members to invite students;
(3) Invite firms that do not have members in your chapter;
(4) Invite employers and office managers to a meeting so they can see what the association is all about; and
(5) If your meetings include dinner, have a drawing for a free dinner among those present.

Watch out for the following pitfalls when inviting potential members to meetings:

• Is the education topic interesting to invitees?
• Will there be an unusually long business meeting?
• Do not ignore the guest. Make sure he or she is not left alone.
• Always have membership information and NALS materials to give guests.