Section 6: Publicity, Advertising and Co-Sponsoring
Public Relations Duties
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Prepare flyers and other publicity for events of the Association
Develop standards and style sheets for Association communications
Respond to requests for information
Establish and maintain relationships with other organizations
Maintain a presences on LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, and other social medias sites as appropriate
Newsletter Committee Description
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Solicit newsletter articles from the Board and members that are of interest to the membership
Format the articles received attractively
Include an invitation to present a workshop or offer an online course as part of every newsletter.
Email the completed newsletter to all contacts
Post the completed newsletter on the website
MCDA Advertising Policy (Approved 3/12/2012)
The following policy relates to fee-based products or events. MCDA prices advertising opportunities based on
their value to the purchaser. MCDA advertisers may be selling conferences, books, workshops, and other
professional development opportunities. The value MCDA can provide to other organizations for marketing
such things is described as follows:
1.
Exhibit at our conference: A person standing at a table can explain a product (goodwill from 100
people, perhaps 20 stop)
2.
Email: We can cause the message to appear in the email in-box of everyone on our list. This gets
seconds of prime time (870 people receive email, 140 - 160 opens)
3.
Advertising handout at conferences: We can get a catalog or colorful piece of paper into the hands
of everyone attending (goodwill from 100 people, perhaps 30 read it)
4.
Ads in our newsletter (various sizes) about 150 people open the newsletter
5.
Logo on our publications (newsletter - goodwill from 150 people; conference program - 100 people)
MCDA also needs to consider its reputation and what it stands to gain or lose by advertising the product of
another organization. When MCDA advertises products of others, we imply that we are endorsing the products,
possibly even co-sponsoring an event. If the products are desired, MCDA benefits by being the source of
information about things people want. Therefore, MCDA will always review the content of the advertising very
carefully and reserves the right to refuse to advertise any event that it deems questionable quality or competitive
with MCDA events or services.
We believe the pricing below is proportional to the benefit:
Member
Non-Member
Email (max of 3 per year)
$100
Electronic Newsletter or
Program
Full Page
Half Page
$60
$45
Notes
This disclaimer must appear at the
$150 top of the email: “This is a paid
advertisement.”
$110
$65
Quarter Page
Vendor Status
Advertising handout at
conference
Member Author’s Table
Exhibitor
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
$30
Membership + $20
$50
Free
$50
MCDA member authors may sell
their books at a group table in a
central location.
Exhibitor fees will be determined
Member Registration
Non-member
each year after the conference fee
+ $50 Registration + $100
schedule is determined.
$2000 See definitions in the Conferences
$1000 and Events chapter.
$500
$25
Advertising Content
The MCDA Newsletter editor and MCDA’s Board have the right to refuse any advertising that does not adhere
to the size specifications, is in questionable taste, is not in support of MCDA’s career development mission, or
is in conflict or competition with MCDA’s own events and activities. Advertising by MCDA members must be
for their own businesses or services, not that of another organization. Advertisers must provide camera ready
copy in MS Word or .JPG format. Any graphics should be placed within the copy provided. Payment must be
made by credit card using the advertising form found under the Newsletter tab on our website.
Vendor Members:
MCDA offers regular members the opportunity to advertise on our web page by paying an additional fee of $20
when they renew. These members are called “Vendors” on our website. We ask them to send a URL, a picture,
contact information and a brief description of available services to MCDA.Website@MDCareers.org. The
MCDA webmaster will post and update the person’s information on our site. The member can also edit this
information.
Ways of Working with Other Groups (Approved 3/11/2012)
Type of
Arrangement
Co-sponsoring
Description
Reciprocal
Marketing
A reciprocal marketing agreement can be set up for one MCDA event and one
event of another organization. A reciprocal agreement means that no money is
exchanged, but the advertising MCDA gives to the other association is roughly
equivalent to the advertising the other association gives to MCDA. We will not
enter into a reciprocal marketing agreement for events that are within one week of
another.
Both MCDA and another organization advertise the same event. On the event
registration form, we ask participants to specify their group affiliation and the
income is divided proportionally.
While true equivalence is rarely possible, in the judgment of the MCDA Officers,
these conditions should be met:
1.
The other association should have an email list approximately as large
as MCDA’s
2.
The constituents of the other association should be a relevant target
population for MCDA events and services
3.
4.
External Event
Marketing
The events or services sponsored by the other organization should be
deemed not to compete with MCDA’s events or services
The reputation of the other association should be positive in the eyes of
MCDA members
A presenter or instructor approaches MCDA to market an event or online course
making it clear that the income from the event will be paid to the instructor.
It is the goal of MCDA to appear to offer the same opportunities to all of its
members, so no offer should be accepted without asking our members if they, also,
would like a similar opportunity.
The MCDA Officers would consider this type of arrangement under these
conditions:
1. The instructor agrees that MCDA will keep 20% of the income plus all
expenses related to MCDA’s online registration and credit card processing
system.
2. The event has sufficient quality that MCDA wants its name associated with
the event.
3. The event is attractive to MCDA members and they are likely to choose to
attend.
4. Other members have been offered an opportunity to compete with this offer.
5. All marketing messages to MCDA members must be approved by the
President before they are sent to our email list.
When MCDA is approached by a presenter or instructor, the Officers will send an
email to the membership asking:
1. If the members are interested in attending this event
2. If any other member is a qualified instructor in this topic and wants to
prepare a competitive bid.
A week after sending the email, the Officers can make a decision based on the
response to the email.
Co-scheduling: We currently have a link on our website to MACD’s event list, but it is a good idea to look at
the schedules of other local groups. When we offered events on the same day or adjacent day to other
associations, those who belong to both groups are torn by these scheduling conflicts.
MemberClicks
Sept, 2008: MCDA contracted with MemberClicks membership software to provide an online presence with
bulk email option for publicizing events.
Description of MCDA
In October, 2006, MCDA reaffirmed the description which is currently on our website.
Publicity Policies and Procedures
The primary method of publicizing events is by sending emails to our members and the contacts in our online
database. Secondary sources include our LinkedIn Group, our FaceBook business page, our Twitter account.
Website Mass Email Use Policy:
All Board members (Officers and Committee Chairs) have the privilege of sending mass emails to our members
and/or contacts. Certain others also are given this privilege along with accepting other responsibilities (such as
the Event Registrar). This privilege should only be used for approved announcements. An announcement about
an event sponsored by MCDA automatically is approved, but the President should see it prior to initial
distribution. The President may approve announcements about events sponsored by similar associations if those
events do not compete with our own events. Any notice that is advertising a product is not approved. Approval
of the President is required for all other announcements. MCDA should not agree to advertise an event for
another association/organization that occurs within two (2) days of an MCDA event.
Public Service Announcements:
No public service announcements will be sent from the MCDA website because events sent from the MCDA
website appear to be sponsored by MCDA. However, there will be instructions on the Member Page of the
MCDA website inviting members to join our LinkedIn group and encouraging members to send any
announcement they wish through the LinkedIn Group.
We rarely have time to think clearly about such announcements. We often hear about great events or services
just before they happen. An immediate response, via LinkedIn, is a great option. On LinkedIn, all members
have the same privileges. By encouraging members to think of our LinkedIn group as an extension of our
MCDA website, we might get our LinkedIn group to be more active. People looking for a roommate at NCDA
or a ride to a conference can use LinkedIn also.
LinkedIn MCDA Group Policy
(to be posted on the Member Page of our website and the MCDA Group page on LinkedIn):
The MCDA group on LinkedIn can be used for any announcements, requests for information, or comments
about topics of common interest (career development and counseling skills and services). Announcements of
job openings, events, services, research opportunities, legislative issues in these areas are encouraged.
Announcements related to the career transitions of our members are also encouraged. This group should not be
used to fill unrelated jobs or for gossip. No more than two announcements should be made for the same event
or product. Send questions about this policy to MCDA.Website@MDCareers.org.