Visitors to this site have probably noticed that there have been some visual changes to the site. As the person heading up the Marketing and Communications to the region, I thought I would share what we are trying to do in terms of communicating with our members.

First a small history – When I started with the Region 20 years ago (has it really been that long?), communication from the region to its members was primarily via the US Postal Service. Information was sent out via PitTalk or we would get a flyer about an event in the mail. Email and the internet was something that was used by those computer types, not for public consumption.

As email, and more importantly, the internet became more central to everyday life, our methods of communicating to our members became more electronic. Need a schedule? It’s on the website. Change to the schedule? We put it on the web site. Is one of the programs having a meeting? It’s on the forums. Does the region need help with RAL or at a car show? Post something to the forums or the website.

The problem with all of this is that it requires our members to actively go search for the information. We had transformed our information systems from a push style, where the Region sent information to its membership and the only effort a member needed to exert was to walk to the mailbox, to a pull style, where the member needed to put in the effort to search for the information that we were providing. While we would like to think that all our members use ner.org as their home page, the simple fact of the matter is that the Region has been losing touch with its members.

In order to change this, we need to change how we communicate with our members. It starts with changing back to a ‘push’ system where our members are given information with little or no effort on their part. It continues with having multiple channels – using not just email, but social media as well. Finally, we need to reach out not only to members, but those casual participants that can be turned into valuable members.

In 2012 our focus will be on improving our communications. Our members can expect to see the following:

• Monthly Emails – The region has a Constant Contact account that has been used by Club Racing to communicate with its participants. At the end of 2011, we used it to send a broadcast email about the region’s annual meeting and awards banquet. Going forward, we will use it to send monthly emails to all members with whom we have an email address. These emails will include up coming events and meetings, links to important time-sensitive announcements, and general news about the region.

• Social Media – For those that have Facebook accounts, expect to see more on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/NERSCCA). While already fairly active, we can use it to reinforce email communications. Facebook (with over 1600 ‘Likes’) also has a certain amount of non-members that we can reach and is often the the first point of contact for those wishing to contact the club. We also have a Twitter account (https://twitter.com/#!/NERSCCA) While still in its infancy, please follow us to see what we might tweet.

• The Website – Finally, expect to see more content on the front page of the site. While the individual programs are still responsible for laying out their individual sections, we will try to keep the front page more fresh, not just for our members, but for prospective members that are interested in checking us out. Our primary goal will be to reduce the amount of dated stories and make sure that announcements are taken down once they reach their ‘sell-by’ date.

Ultimately, our goal is to make sure that all of our members are receiving all the information that they need and do so as quickly and efficiently as possible. You the member can help out by making sure we have the correct email on file with the SCCA and/or our Membership Chair (hint – if you did not receive two emails about the annual meeting, we don’t have your current email.) If you have read this far, thanks for your time. If you have any comments or suggestions, I can be reached at pzahornasky@gmail.com.

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