June 2011
June/01/2011 19:15
Happy Summer!
If it is not in your neighborhood yet, I hope you have had at least a day or two of hints of summer. Here in the Puget Sound area, we don’t usually count on summer being here until July 5.
The square dance year is drawing to a close. Many clubs have had their last dance of the season. Others are planning for their last dance. Many of those feature strawberry desserts or ice cream. Just because the dance season is over or your particular club has stopped dancing for the summer does not mean that there is no dancing.
Summer is the perfect time to dance to other callers or with other clubs that you aren’t able to dance with during the square dance season. It is also the perfect time to plan some dancing as you vacation in other parts of the state or country.
One of the first special dances of summer is the 60th Washington State Square & Folk Dance Festival, June 17 and 18. This year it is in Enumclaw, right at the foot of Mt. Rainier. The square and round dancing will feature our state’s callers and cuers. Come support your own caller and cuer. Come dance to callers and cuers from across the state. You should find information elsewhere in this magazine.
Circle 8 Ranch is one of our state’s great dance resources. There are dances every weekend all summer long, either Mainstream, Plus, Rounds, or Clogging. Occasionally there is a whole week of dancing. If you are a camper, either with an RV or a tent, there are plenty of spaces in the fresh mountain air. If you are not a camper, there are a few cabins or it is just a short drive to Cle Elum and a comfy motel room. For those of you in the Seattle area, it is just a short drive east on I-90 to the Ranch. Larry and I sometimes drive up for a Saturday night dance and then home to our own bed. It is a great opportunity to dance to callers that you might not have a chance to dance to otherwise. And you get to meet and dance with new friends from around the state. Check out the Circle 8 Ranch ad in this magazine or their website for this summer’s schedule. http://www.circle8ranch.net/
One of the weekends at Circle 8 this summer is the 42nd Annual Leadership Seminar, July 8-10. This weekend is for any square dancer. You don’t have to be a club officer or even interested in being a club officer. I (Susan) will be the emcee for the Friday night dance, which features all the callers in attendance. Saturday night features Steve Edlund from Canada, a caller you don’t want to miss. He will also be giving a keynote address on Sunday morning. In addition to dancing in the evening, there are dance workshops, informative buzz sessions, and golf games, after parties, and of course, eating. There is more information in each Footnotes magazine along with a registration form. Come dance and have some fun!
There are many other special square dance events in the summer. Look for the ones in your council or the council next door. You can also find dances on the State Federation web site, http://www.squaredance-wa.org/, on the Events tab. Lots of special dances are listed there. I would be sure to call the contact number to verify dates and times. Sometimes the ads get copied from year to year so they don’t always reflect the current dates and times. While you are out dancing, don’t forget your new dancers. Invite them to go with you.
If there are not many dances in your area in the summer ask if your local callers association will host a dance or two. Or even your own caller. For example, in our own backyard, the Mt. Baker Teachers, Callers, & Cuers Association (MBTCCA) host Summertime Dances all summer. Dances start the first week in June and continue through the last week in August. These dances provide an opportunity for the new dancers in our council to keep dancing all summer. It gives them more floor time and builds their confidence and competence. When your new dancers are more confident they are more likely to show up at fall dances and become active members of your club. These dances are also a great opportunity for your inactive club members to come back and brush up before the fall dance season starts. The MBTCCA Summertime Dances are on a weekday night so that weekends free for other summer activities or special festival dances. The dress is casual.
Mt. Baker Council is lucky to have two summer dances during the week. The MBTCCA dances are in the south end of the council. In the north end the Mt. Baker Singles and Skagit Squares dance all summer too. There is something for everybody.
Don’t just share the information about the summer dances with your new dancers and club members. Invite your new dancers and other club members to come to the dances with you. It is important to set the example to keep dancing. Also when you go to a dance with someone else you become better acquainted. The saying is that “Square dancing is friendship set to music.” What better way to get to know each other than to go dancing together?
The bottom line is that even though your club might not be dancing in the summer there are still plenty of clubs who are dancing or there are plenty of special dances to go to. Just get out there and do it. Invite someone to go with you. Have fun! Keep dancing!
Also don’t forget to start talking to your non-square dancing friends, family, baristas, clerks, neighbors, and casual acquaintances about coming to lessons in the fall. The start of lessons is only a few short weeks away. Plan a get-acquainted dinner and party dance a couple of weeks before your lessons start. Have all you club members bring interested friends and family. Ask your caller to call a fun party dance to introduce your guests to square dancing. Start planning now!
It has been our pleasure to write this column this dance season. We look forward to seeing you in a square this summer or somewhere along the way.
If it is not in your neighborhood yet, I hope you have had at least a day or two of hints of summer. Here in the Puget Sound area, we don’t usually count on summer being here until July 5.
The square dance year is drawing to a close. Many clubs have had their last dance of the season. Others are planning for their last dance. Many of those feature strawberry desserts or ice cream. Just because the dance season is over or your particular club has stopped dancing for the summer does not mean that there is no dancing.
Summer is the perfect time to dance to other callers or with other clubs that you aren’t able to dance with during the square dance season. It is also the perfect time to plan some dancing as you vacation in other parts of the state or country.
One of the first special dances of summer is the 60th Washington State Square & Folk Dance Festival, June 17 and 18. This year it is in Enumclaw, right at the foot of Mt. Rainier. The square and round dancing will feature our state’s callers and cuers. Come support your own caller and cuer. Come dance to callers and cuers from across the state. You should find information elsewhere in this magazine.
Circle 8 Ranch is one of our state’s great dance resources. There are dances every weekend all summer long, either Mainstream, Plus, Rounds, or Clogging. Occasionally there is a whole week of dancing. If you are a camper, either with an RV or a tent, there are plenty of spaces in the fresh mountain air. If you are not a camper, there are a few cabins or it is just a short drive to Cle Elum and a comfy motel room. For those of you in the Seattle area, it is just a short drive east on I-90 to the Ranch. Larry and I sometimes drive up for a Saturday night dance and then home to our own bed. It is a great opportunity to dance to callers that you might not have a chance to dance to otherwise. And you get to meet and dance with new friends from around the state. Check out the Circle 8 Ranch ad in this magazine or their website for this summer’s schedule. http://www.circle8ranch.net/
One of the weekends at Circle 8 this summer is the 42nd Annual Leadership Seminar, July 8-10. This weekend is for any square dancer. You don’t have to be a club officer or even interested in being a club officer. I (Susan) will be the emcee for the Friday night dance, which features all the callers in attendance. Saturday night features Steve Edlund from Canada, a caller you don’t want to miss. He will also be giving a keynote address on Sunday morning. In addition to dancing in the evening, there are dance workshops, informative buzz sessions, and golf games, after parties, and of course, eating. There is more information in each Footnotes magazine along with a registration form. Come dance and have some fun!
There are many other special square dance events in the summer. Look for the ones in your council or the council next door. You can also find dances on the State Federation web site, http://www.squaredance-wa.org/, on the Events tab. Lots of special dances are listed there. I would be sure to call the contact number to verify dates and times. Sometimes the ads get copied from year to year so they don’t always reflect the current dates and times. While you are out dancing, don’t forget your new dancers. Invite them to go with you.
If there are not many dances in your area in the summer ask if your local callers association will host a dance or two. Or even your own caller. For example, in our own backyard, the Mt. Baker Teachers, Callers, & Cuers Association (MBTCCA) host Summertime Dances all summer. Dances start the first week in June and continue through the last week in August. These dances provide an opportunity for the new dancers in our council to keep dancing all summer. It gives them more floor time and builds their confidence and competence. When your new dancers are more confident they are more likely to show up at fall dances and become active members of your club. These dances are also a great opportunity for your inactive club members to come back and brush up before the fall dance season starts. The MBTCCA Summertime Dances are on a weekday night so that weekends free for other summer activities or special festival dances. The dress is casual.
Mt. Baker Council is lucky to have two summer dances during the week. The MBTCCA dances are in the south end of the council. In the north end the Mt. Baker Singles and Skagit Squares dance all summer too. There is something for everybody.
Don’t just share the information about the summer dances with your new dancers and club members. Invite your new dancers and other club members to come to the dances with you. It is important to set the example to keep dancing. Also when you go to a dance with someone else you become better acquainted. The saying is that “Square dancing is friendship set to music.” What better way to get to know each other than to go dancing together?
The bottom line is that even though your club might not be dancing in the summer there are still plenty of clubs who are dancing or there are plenty of special dances to go to. Just get out there and do it. Invite someone to go with you. Have fun! Keep dancing!
Also don’t forget to start talking to your non-square dancing friends, family, baristas, clerks, neighbors, and casual acquaintances about coming to lessons in the fall. The start of lessons is only a few short weeks away. Plan a get-acquainted dinner and party dance a couple of weeks before your lessons start. Have all you club members bring interested friends and family. Ask your caller to call a fun party dance to introduce your guests to square dancing. Start planning now!
It has been our pleasure to write this column this dance season. We look forward to seeing you in a square this summer or somewhere along the way.
“For one moment our lives met, our souls touched.” – Oscar Wilde
Happy dancing,
Susan and Larry
May 2011
May/01/2011 19:11
Happy May!!!
May always brings to mind spring flowers. As I write this, the trees are just beginning to burst into bloom. Spring is a beautiful time in Washington State. This month I would like to share some random thoughts.
Through the years there have been many conversations and numerous articles written about the image of square dancing. What do people think of when you mention square dancing? Pouffy skirts. Overalls. Fiddle music. Country bumpkins.
Many people in Square Dance Land work tirelessly to overcome this image of square dancing. Square dancers represent all walks of life. There are teachers, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, laborers, secretaries, nurses, young and old people, and everyone in between.
Square dance music producers work hard to have a variety of music available to callers. The range of music today includes the old fiddle tunes but also show tunes, the latest country songs, and current pop hits.
Yet the image of square dancing persists in the public eye. Sometimes I think that we are our own worst enemy. Last month, we talked about advertising and promotion. I mentioned the need to proofread your ads and fliers. When we issue ads or fliers or even club newsletters with misspelled words, we reinforce the country bumpkin image.
Here is a list of some of the most often misspelled words. Now what often happens is that we type the words correctly but then we use our spell check program. The spell check program flags them as misspelled because they are unique to Square Dance Land. You can add them to your spell check dictionary. Be sure you spell them correctly or you will perpetuate the problem.
Round dance leaders are cuers. One round dance leader is a cuer. Our dance programs are Mainstream, Plus, Advanced and Challenge. One of the professional organizations for square dance leaders is CALLERLAB. The professional organization for round dance leaders is ROUNDALAB.
Also you need to pay attention to correct word usage. How many times have we seen fliers with their instead of there or your instead of you’re? Too many times to count, I think. If you are not sure which one to use spell it out. An example would be: “you are invited” rather than “your invited.” The second one (your) is the wrong word. Your spell check program won’t catch that it is the wrong word because it is spelled correctly. It just doesn’t say what you want it to.
Then there is that ever-pesky apostrophe. It is virtually never used to form a plural, and it is almost always used to form a possessive. For example, “LOT’s of fun” should be “LOTS of fun” and “the States 2011 Festival” should be “the State’s 2011 Festival.” (These examples are from the March Footnotes.) Be careful with the word its. With an apostrophe, the contraction it’s means “it is” or “it has.” The possessive pronoun never has an apostrophe, making its similar to his or hers in that respect. An apostrophe is legitimately used to form the plural only of a single lower case letter—as in mind your p’s and q’s—something rarely found in a dance article or flier.
Most of the names of our square dance clubs already end in an S. Where the name is considered a plural form, the possessive is created by appending the apostrophe to the end, as in “The Dancing Squares’ hoedown was a great success!” (See http://goo.gl/xDLb for more about the apostrophe.)
The challenge this month is to do your part to improve the image of square dancing in your corner of Square Dance Land. Proofread and proofread again before printing your ads, fliers, and newsletters. Now we are all human and make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up; try to do better next time.
May always brings to mind spring flowers. As I write this, the trees are just beginning to burst into bloom. Spring is a beautiful time in Washington State. This month I would like to share some random thoughts.
Through the years there have been many conversations and numerous articles written about the image of square dancing. What do people think of when you mention square dancing? Pouffy skirts. Overalls. Fiddle music. Country bumpkins.
Many people in Square Dance Land work tirelessly to overcome this image of square dancing. Square dancers represent all walks of life. There are teachers, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, laborers, secretaries, nurses, young and old people, and everyone in between.
Square dance music producers work hard to have a variety of music available to callers. The range of music today includes the old fiddle tunes but also show tunes, the latest country songs, and current pop hits.
Yet the image of square dancing persists in the public eye. Sometimes I think that we are our own worst enemy. Last month, we talked about advertising and promotion. I mentioned the need to proofread your ads and fliers. When we issue ads or fliers or even club newsletters with misspelled words, we reinforce the country bumpkin image.
Here is a list of some of the most often misspelled words. Now what often happens is that we type the words correctly but then we use our spell check program. The spell check program flags them as misspelled because they are unique to Square Dance Land. You can add them to your spell check dictionary. Be sure you spell them correctly or you will perpetuate the problem.
Also you need to pay attention to correct word usage. How many times have we seen fliers with their instead of there or your instead of you’re? Too many times to count, I think. If you are not sure which one to use spell it out. An example would be: “you are invited” rather than “your invited.” The second one (your) is the wrong word. Your spell check program won’t catch that it is the wrong word because it is spelled correctly. It just doesn’t say what you want it to.
Then there is that ever-pesky apostrophe. It is virtually never used to form a plural, and it is almost always used to form a possessive. For example, “LOT’s of fun” should be “LOTS of fun” and “the States 2011 Festival” should be “the State’s 2011 Festival.” (These examples are from the March Footnotes.) Be careful with the word its. With an apostrophe, the contraction it’s means “it is” or “it has.” The possessive pronoun never has an apostrophe, making its similar to his or hers in that respect. An apostrophe is legitimately used to form the plural only of a single lower case letter—as in mind your p’s and q’s—something rarely found in a dance article or flier.
Most of the names of our square dance clubs already end in an S. Where the name is considered a plural form, the possessive is created by appending the apostrophe to the end, as in “The Dancing Squares’ hoedown was a great success!” (See http://goo.gl/xDLb for more about the apostrophe.)
The challenge this month is to do your part to improve the image of square dancing in your corner of Square Dance Land. Proofread and proofread again before printing your ads, fliers, and newsletters. Now we are all human and make mistakes. Don’t beat yourself up; try to do better next time.
“When our spelling is perfect, it's invisible. But when it's flawed, it prompts strong negative associations.” – Marilyn vos Savant
Happy dancing,
Susan and Larry
PS. A little something for all you square dancers and gardeners out there…
How to Plant a Square Dance Garden
Author Unknown
First plant four rows of peas: Preparedness, Promptness, Perseverance, Politeness.
Next plant three rows of squash: Squash gossip, Squash criticism, Squash indifference.
Then plant four rows of lettuce: Let us be truthful, Let us be unselfish, Let us be loyal, Let us be thankful.
No garden is complete without turnips: Turn up to volunteer, Turn up with a smile, Turn up with determination.
Let's all get to work on our garden!
April 2011
April/01/2011 19:07
There is now a Marketing Manual from the CALLERLAB Marketing Committee. It can be downloaded for free at this site –
http://callerlabknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CALLERLAB-Square-Dance-Marketing-Manual-V1-2b.pdf
Happy Easter!
I mentioned in previous articles that advertising was TOO BIG a topic to address in those particular columns. Advertising needs its own article or articles.
Let’s start by defining some of the terms that we throw around when we talk about sharing square dancing with the public and when we share information with other clubs in Square Dance Land. Since the majority of us are not marketing/advertising experts, we tend to use the different terms to mean the same thing. But they are different.
Marketing (noun): the business activity of presenting products or services to potential customers in such a way as to make them eager to buy. Wikipedia says in part that marketing is the process of performing market research, selling products or services to customers and promoting them via advertising to further enhance sales.
Advertising (noun): the promotion through public announcements in newspapers or on the radio, television, or Internet of something such as a service or event in order to attract or increase interest in it. Wikipedia says in part that advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience to purchase or take some action upon products or services.
Promotion (noun): something designed to promote or advertise a product or organization; encouragement for the growth or development of something. Wikipedia says in part that promotion is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer’s purchasing decision.
Publicity (noun): something such as advertising designed to increase public interest or awareness in something; information used to attract public attention. Wikipedia says in part publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject.
Okay! As I see it, we have two very distinct groups that we are marketing to. The first group is within the square dance community, to other square dancers and other square dance clubs. We want them to come to our dances. The second group is the non-square dancing public, which we want to interest enough to come to square dance lessons. The first step for each is to come up with a Marketing Plan. Let’s look at them one at a time.
Marketing to and within Square Dance Land:
Marketing is the umbrella. It is the overall plan for letting everyone know what your club is doing and what a great club it is. One part of your plan is advertising. This is the physical part of the plan. This can be your club ad in your local square dance publication. It can also be the fliers that you take to your council or dancer association meetings. Another part of your plan should be promotion. This is the verbal communication part of your marketing plan. Promotion is announcing your club dances at other dances. It is also telling other dancers you meet about your club’s future dances. The final step is publicity. Publicity is what happens after the event. It is the word-of-mouth communication between dancers that attended your dance. Club A’s dance was so much fun! Don’t miss the next one! That’s good publicity. There can also be bad publicity. We went to Club B’s dance and no one from the club spoke to us.
How’s your club doing? Do you have a marketing plan that you have thought about? Or is it happening by accident?
From my observations through the years, where we, as a square dance community, frequently fail in marketing to other square dancers is with the advertising and promotion steps. With the advertising, ads are either not placed or some information is wrong, is missing, or is misspelled. Computers have made it easier to communicate. But in many cases, it is easier to perpetuate mistakes. Information from one ad or flier is cut and pasted to use in the next ad or flier. If careful attention is not paid to the details, the date of the dance can be wrong or the name of the caller can be wrong, if your club uses guest callers. With promotion, the same thing often happens. The club member making the announcements at a dance forgets to share the date or the time or the place or other special details. If you are in charge of the written advertising, proofread. And then proofread again. Or have someone else proofread it too. If you are tasked with making announcements make sure you have all the correct information. It is okay to have notes to refer to.
Advertising copy or the information on your fliers should closely follow what we learned in school about telling a story – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and in the case of square dancing, How Much. Announcements should cover the same points. The one thing that square dance clubs want is dancers to come to their dances. They want club members to attend and they want dancers from other clubs to attend too. If we are not giving them accurate information with our advertising and promotion efforts, it makes it hard.
Marketing to the Public:
Marketing to the public also begins with a marketing plan. It is the umbrella over all your advertising and promotion activities. For the public, though, you need to have more detailed specifics. Who are you going to be marketing to? Everybody? To a specific age group? Is it going to be to the 20-30 year olds? Or is it going to be to the 45-60 year olds?
If your advertising (remember this is the physical part) is the reader board in front of your hall, then you are limited to a few words giving the What (square dancing) and the When (day and time). This advertising is obviously for everyone who passes by your hall in the course of his or her day. Some will come and some will pass by.
If you want to target a specific group, then you will need to focus your advertising to appeal to that group. If you want more 60+ year olds, I would suggest advertising in the local paper, or your company newsletter, or an announcement in the church bulletin. If you want more 30+ year olds, I would suggest advertising in the local online newspaper, or on social networking sites. In addition to placing your ads specific places to appeal to specific groups, you need to use words that will catch their attention so they read on. Brainstorm about what those might be.
Promotion (this is the verbal communication part) to the public happens every time we tell our friends about how much fun square dancing is. Are we sharing the fun and benefits or are we sharing the challenges? It is also participating in community events. Is there a local fair your club can participate in?
Publicity is the result of your promotion. If you danced at the local County Fair, you were promoting square dancing. Having that noted in the local newspaper is the publicity that results from your participation.
I am by no means an expert on marketing or advertising. But I have read some articles and books. I would encourage you to do the same. There are some excellent ones out there. I certainly know what works when I am deciding to go to this dance or that dance. I also know what makes me cringe when I see ads or fliers with missing or wrong information or misspelled words. Or listen to announcements with incomplete information for the audience.
As I said at the beginning, this is a HUGE topic. I have barely touched the tip of the iceberg. My challenge to you this month is to talk about advertising and promotion in your club. Come up with a Marketing Plan. Don’t just do it blindly. Talk about the audience you want to reach.
http://callerlabknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CALLERLAB-Square-Dance-Marketing-Manual-V1-2b.pdf
Happy Easter!
I mentioned in previous articles that advertising was TOO BIG a topic to address in those particular columns. Advertising needs its own article or articles.
Let’s start by defining some of the terms that we throw around when we talk about sharing square dancing with the public and when we share information with other clubs in Square Dance Land. Since the majority of us are not marketing/advertising experts, we tend to use the different terms to mean the same thing. But they are different.
Marketing (noun): the business activity of presenting products or services to potential customers in such a way as to make them eager to buy. Wikipedia says in part that marketing is the process of performing market research, selling products or services to customers and promoting them via advertising to further enhance sales.
Advertising (noun): the promotion through public announcements in newspapers or on the radio, television, or Internet of something such as a service or event in order to attract or increase interest in it. Wikipedia says in part that advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience to purchase or take some action upon products or services.
Promotion (noun): something designed to promote or advertise a product or organization; encouragement for the growth or development of something. Wikipedia says in part that promotion is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer’s purchasing decision.
Publicity (noun): something such as advertising designed to increase public interest or awareness in something; information used to attract public attention. Wikipedia says in part publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject.
Okay! As I see it, we have two very distinct groups that we are marketing to. The first group is within the square dance community, to other square dancers and other square dance clubs. We want them to come to our dances. The second group is the non-square dancing public, which we want to interest enough to come to square dance lessons. The first step for each is to come up with a Marketing Plan. Let’s look at them one at a time.
Marketing to and within Square Dance Land:
Marketing is the umbrella. It is the overall plan for letting everyone know what your club is doing and what a great club it is. One part of your plan is advertising. This is the physical part of the plan. This can be your club ad in your local square dance publication. It can also be the fliers that you take to your council or dancer association meetings. Another part of your plan should be promotion. This is the verbal communication part of your marketing plan. Promotion is announcing your club dances at other dances. It is also telling other dancers you meet about your club’s future dances. The final step is publicity. Publicity is what happens after the event. It is the word-of-mouth communication between dancers that attended your dance. Club A’s dance was so much fun! Don’t miss the next one! That’s good publicity. There can also be bad publicity. We went to Club B’s dance and no one from the club spoke to us.
How’s your club doing? Do you have a marketing plan that you have thought about? Or is it happening by accident?
From my observations through the years, where we, as a square dance community, frequently fail in marketing to other square dancers is with the advertising and promotion steps. With the advertising, ads are either not placed or some information is wrong, is missing, or is misspelled. Computers have made it easier to communicate. But in many cases, it is easier to perpetuate mistakes. Information from one ad or flier is cut and pasted to use in the next ad or flier. If careful attention is not paid to the details, the date of the dance can be wrong or the name of the caller can be wrong, if your club uses guest callers. With promotion, the same thing often happens. The club member making the announcements at a dance forgets to share the date or the time or the place or other special details. If you are in charge of the written advertising, proofread. And then proofread again. Or have someone else proofread it too. If you are tasked with making announcements make sure you have all the correct information. It is okay to have notes to refer to.
Advertising copy or the information on your fliers should closely follow what we learned in school about telling a story – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and in the case of square dancing, How Much. Announcements should cover the same points. The one thing that square dance clubs want is dancers to come to their dances. They want club members to attend and they want dancers from other clubs to attend too. If we are not giving them accurate information with our advertising and promotion efforts, it makes it hard.
Marketing to the Public:
Marketing to the public also begins with a marketing plan. It is the umbrella over all your advertising and promotion activities. For the public, though, you need to have more detailed specifics. Who are you going to be marketing to? Everybody? To a specific age group? Is it going to be to the 20-30 year olds? Or is it going to be to the 45-60 year olds?
If your advertising (remember this is the physical part) is the reader board in front of your hall, then you are limited to a few words giving the What (square dancing) and the When (day and time). This advertising is obviously for everyone who passes by your hall in the course of his or her day. Some will come and some will pass by.
If you want to target a specific group, then you will need to focus your advertising to appeal to that group. If you want more 60+ year olds, I would suggest advertising in the local paper, or your company newsletter, or an announcement in the church bulletin. If you want more 30+ year olds, I would suggest advertising in the local online newspaper, or on social networking sites. In addition to placing your ads specific places to appeal to specific groups, you need to use words that will catch their attention so they read on. Brainstorm about what those might be.
Promotion (this is the verbal communication part) to the public happens every time we tell our friends about how much fun square dancing is. Are we sharing the fun and benefits or are we sharing the challenges? It is also participating in community events. Is there a local fair your club can participate in?
Publicity is the result of your promotion. If you danced at the local County Fair, you were promoting square dancing. Having that noted in the local newspaper is the publicity that results from your participation.
I am by no means an expert on marketing or advertising. But I have read some articles and books. I would encourage you to do the same. There are some excellent ones out there. I certainly know what works when I am deciding to go to this dance or that dance. I also know what makes me cringe when I see ads or fliers with missing or wrong information or misspelled words. Or listen to announcements with incomplete information for the audience.
As I said at the beginning, this is a HUGE topic. I have barely touched the tip of the iceberg. My challenge to you this month is to talk about advertising and promotion in your club. Come up with a Marketing Plan. Don’t just do it blindly. Talk about the audience you want to reach.
"If you don't believe in your product, or if you're not consistent and regular in the way you promote it, the odds of succeeding go way down. The primary function of the marketing plan is to ensure that you have the resources and the wherewithal to do what it takes to make your product work."
– Jay Levinson
"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." – Mark Twain
Happy dancing,
Susan and Larry
March 2011
March/01/2011 19:02
Happy Spring!
Let’s talk about new dancers this month. As I write this mid-January, fall classes are busy making plans for graduation in the next few weeks. By the time you read this in early March most classes will have graduated. Those classes starting in January will be about half way through lessons. There is celebrating all around Square Dance Land as these new dancers join us!
Your New Dancer Class graduated, now what? Did they all join your club? Some? None? Why not? Are they attending your club dances? Are they visiting other clubs?
A few years ago at a CALLERLAB Convention, Jim Mayo, the first chairman of CALLERLAB and a long time caller from the New England area, shared the following information. When square dancing was in its heyday, the classes each Fall were large. Twenty to twenty-five squares of new dancers were not unusual. He kept statistics on his classes. Between the time the class graduated in mid-March or early April and the end of the dance season only half (50%) of the class kept dancing. Only half of that number returned the following fall. If he started with 200 new dancers (25 squares) one year, the following year he had 50 dancers returning to help with the next class or dance with the club.
The interesting thing that Jim shared was that his statistics today are the same. If his new dancer class has 20 new dancers in the fall, after graduation only half continue dancing until the end of the dance season. And half of them or 5 dancers are still dancing the following fall. The difference is the magnitude of the numbers. If 50 people are dancing the hall looks fuller than if 5 people are dancing.
Back to my questions – what are the answers for your club? Now is the time to start planning for next years New Dancer Class. Now is a good time to invite one or more of your new dancers over for dinner or dessert or coffee and ask them. How did they choose your class? Did they go to New Dancer Dances? Did they join your club? Are they dancing now? Are they planning to continue dancing next year? If the answer is ‘no’ to any of the last four questions, find out why. Be open to hearing what they have to say.
Let’s look at these topics one at a time:
Where do New Dancers come from: This shows the effectiveness of your advertising or promotion. Did they come at the invitation of a friend? Did they see a flier or an ad in your newspaper? Did they see your club dancing and having fun with each other at a demonstration dance or local parade? Or even at an after-party at the local diner?
New Dancer Dances: Clubs need to get together to plan these. In recent years, too often there are either 2 or 3 New Dancer Dances on the same night/weekend or there are no New Dancer Dances. It is feast or famine. We encourage the new dancers to go to dances to practice their skills, to meet other new dancers, to dance to other callers. We had better actually have dances for them to go to. Numerous times I have had new dancers come ask where the dance is this weekend only to tell them the next New Dancer Dance is in two or three weeks. Or I have to tell them that it is a regular club dance this weekend and they can’t come yet. They don’t want to wait. One reason to have New Dancer Dances every week is to get the new dancers in the habit of dancing regularly.
Many new dancers have shared that they don’t feel confident going to other dances. Square dancing is one of those activities that you have to practice in order to get better, to build your confidence. If your new dancers don’t feel confident going by themselves to other dances, go with them. Make it an impromptu club caravan.
If your club has a Club Caller, talk to him/her about inviting your new dancers to attend your club dances beginning half way through the lessons. I’m talking about dancing the whole dance, not alternating tips with new dancer tips and club level tips. Possible benefits – bigger dances, more confident new dancers, new dancers and club members knowing each other better, and stronger club dancers.
I have a revolutionary idea! How about all the clubs in your council or geographic area, if councils overlap, agreeing that all club dances after Week 10 are student level dances? You just won’t announce them as student level dances. New dancers and club members can dance together. It eliminates the “them and us” differences. Your club is likely to be visiting those clubs anyway. Go together! It will give the new dancers more dance opportunities.
Will your club members miss dancing Dixie Style to an Ocean Wave or Spin Chain Thru for three or four club dances? I don’t think they will notice. They will probably be relieved that they don’t have to remember how to do those calls. Will your Club Caller and/or Guest Caller have to work harder to not use Recycle and Scoot Back for a few dances? Yes! Are they up to it? I say yes! If they say no, give me a call. A few of my caller friends and I would be glad to help you out. If you have Guest Callers and want to try this idea out, please let them know before they get to your dance so they have time to prepare their program.
Club membership: One goal of having New Dancer Classes is that they join the club. Once the new dancers join your club you need to keep nourishing that relationship and make them feel welcome. Many of us, who have been around a long time, fall into conversations that draw upon that history leaving our new friends out of the conversation.
Remove any barriers to having dancers join your club.
There are many levels of club participation. Help your new members find one that works for them. There are also many clubs to join. If the night when your club dances is not going to work for your new dancer, help them find a club dance night that will work. Don’t be mad that they are not joining your club. Be happy that they are square dancing!
Dancing now and into the future: This is closely tied to club membership. New dancers that join a club, I believe, dance more and for a longer time. If you haven’t seen one of your new dancers for awhile invite them to go to the next dance or visitation with you. Dinner plans before a dance or a plan to carpool may be just the incentive to get them out dancing.
Don’t forget, some people take square dance classes to try it out. They come and then they are gone. Next year they go try something else. We need to be kind. Have fun with them while they are here and then let them go. If they enjoy their time in Square Dance Land, I’m convinced that they will come back someday. Even if they don’t, they will have good memories of their time here and will speak positively about square dancing.
The challenge this month is to talk to your new dancers. Find out how they got here; what is working for them; what is hard. Invite them to join your club. Welcome them. Nurture them along so we can dance together for many years. Start planning now for your next New Dancer Class. Take what you have learned to make some changes.
Let’s talk about new dancers this month. As I write this mid-January, fall classes are busy making plans for graduation in the next few weeks. By the time you read this in early March most classes will have graduated. Those classes starting in January will be about half way through lessons. There is celebrating all around Square Dance Land as these new dancers join us!
Your New Dancer Class graduated, now what? Did they all join your club? Some? None? Why not? Are they attending your club dances? Are they visiting other clubs?
A few years ago at a CALLERLAB Convention, Jim Mayo, the first chairman of CALLERLAB and a long time caller from the New England area, shared the following information. When square dancing was in its heyday, the classes each Fall were large. Twenty to twenty-five squares of new dancers were not unusual. He kept statistics on his classes. Between the time the class graduated in mid-March or early April and the end of the dance season only half (50%) of the class kept dancing. Only half of that number returned the following fall. If he started with 200 new dancers (25 squares) one year, the following year he had 50 dancers returning to help with the next class or dance with the club.
The interesting thing that Jim shared was that his statistics today are the same. If his new dancer class has 20 new dancers in the fall, after graduation only half continue dancing until the end of the dance season. And half of them or 5 dancers are still dancing the following fall. The difference is the magnitude of the numbers. If 50 people are dancing the hall looks fuller than if 5 people are dancing.
Back to my questions – what are the answers for your club? Now is the time to start planning for next years New Dancer Class. Now is a good time to invite one or more of your new dancers over for dinner or dessert or coffee and ask them. How did they choose your class? Did they go to New Dancer Dances? Did they join your club? Are they dancing now? Are they planning to continue dancing next year? If the answer is ‘no’ to any of the last four questions, find out why. Be open to hearing what they have to say.
Let’s look at these topics one at a time:
Where do New Dancers come from: This shows the effectiveness of your advertising or promotion. Did they come at the invitation of a friend? Did they see a flier or an ad in your newspaper? Did they see your club dancing and having fun with each other at a demonstration dance or local parade? Or even at an after-party at the local diner?
New Dancer Dances: Clubs need to get together to plan these. In recent years, too often there are either 2 or 3 New Dancer Dances on the same night/weekend or there are no New Dancer Dances. It is feast or famine. We encourage the new dancers to go to dances to practice their skills, to meet other new dancers, to dance to other callers. We had better actually have dances for them to go to. Numerous times I have had new dancers come ask where the dance is this weekend only to tell them the next New Dancer Dance is in two or three weeks. Or I have to tell them that it is a regular club dance this weekend and they can’t come yet. They don’t want to wait. One reason to have New Dancer Dances every week is to get the new dancers in the habit of dancing regularly.
Many new dancers have shared that they don’t feel confident going to other dances. Square dancing is one of those activities that you have to practice in order to get better, to build your confidence. If your new dancers don’t feel confident going by themselves to other dances, go with them. Make it an impromptu club caravan.
If your club has a Club Caller, talk to him/her about inviting your new dancers to attend your club dances beginning half way through the lessons. I’m talking about dancing the whole dance, not alternating tips with new dancer tips and club level tips. Possible benefits – bigger dances, more confident new dancers, new dancers and club members knowing each other better, and stronger club dancers.
I have a revolutionary idea! How about all the clubs in your council or geographic area, if councils overlap, agreeing that all club dances after Week 10 are student level dances? You just won’t announce them as student level dances. New dancers and club members can dance together. It eliminates the “them and us” differences. Your club is likely to be visiting those clubs anyway. Go together! It will give the new dancers more dance opportunities.
Will your club members miss dancing Dixie Style to an Ocean Wave or Spin Chain Thru for three or four club dances? I don’t think they will notice. They will probably be relieved that they don’t have to remember how to do those calls. Will your Club Caller and/or Guest Caller have to work harder to not use Recycle and Scoot Back for a few dances? Yes! Are they up to it? I say yes! If they say no, give me a call. A few of my caller friends and I would be glad to help you out. If you have Guest Callers and want to try this idea out, please let them know before they get to your dance so they have time to prepare their program.
Club membership: One goal of having New Dancer Classes is that they join the club. Once the new dancers join your club you need to keep nourishing that relationship and make them feel welcome. Many of us, who have been around a long time, fall into conversations that draw upon that history leaving our new friends out of the conversation.
Remove any barriers to having dancers join your club.
There are many levels of club participation. Help your new members find one that works for them. There are also many clubs to join. If the night when your club dances is not going to work for your new dancer, help them find a club dance night that will work. Don’t be mad that they are not joining your club. Be happy that they are square dancing!
Dancing now and into the future: This is closely tied to club membership. New dancers that join a club, I believe, dance more and for a longer time. If you haven’t seen one of your new dancers for awhile invite them to go to the next dance or visitation with you. Dinner plans before a dance or a plan to carpool may be just the incentive to get them out dancing.
Don’t forget, some people take square dance classes to try it out. They come and then they are gone. Next year they go try something else. We need to be kind. Have fun with them while they are here and then let them go. If they enjoy their time in Square Dance Land, I’m convinced that they will come back someday. Even if they don’t, they will have good memories of their time here and will speak positively about square dancing.
The challenge this month is to talk to your new dancers. Find out how they got here; what is working for them; what is hard. Invite them to join your club. Welcome them. Nurture them along so we can dance together for many years. Start planning now for your next New Dancer Class. Take what you have learned to make some changes.
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw
Happy dancing,
Susan and Larry
February 2011
February/01/2011 18:56
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Let’s tackle the subject of money. Larry and I have been dancing long enough to see the door price creep up at most dances. Likewise, the cost of music, the cost of dues and the cost of license fees have increased. All these costs have increased but they have not kept pace with inflation or the increases we see other places in our lives. Why not?
The first night of one class the club president was bemoaning the shortage of new dancers. One brand new dancer overheard and commented, “Maybe there aren’t more people here because you are not charging enough.” Wow! What an idea!
Many conversations at dances, in club and council meetings, in the parking lot and even in online imply that the square dance world needs to keep prices low or people won’t come. Guess what? People aren’t coming with low prices.
A friend of mine who does not square dance but has experience in the entertainment field said she would expect to pay at least $10/hour for square dance lessons. For a 2-hour lesson, she would be perfectly happy to pay at least $20/night. She also said that she would expect 75-80% of that fee to go to the teacher/caller. Double wow!
Years ago, working on fundraising at my children’s school, I learned the axiom, “it takes money to make money.” It is not so different in Square Dance Land. A hall has to be rented, a caller and cuer hired, and advertising paid for before a dance or lessons can happen. Before the dancers come to dance and have a good time.
Most clubs dance in granges or community clubs. Some dance in senior centers or schools. How much are you paying in rent? Has your rent gone up every year? Why not? I was president of club (now folded) 13 years ago. Recently, I rented the same hall for a private square dance party. The rent was the same because we were square dancing. I’m sure that in 13 years the hall’s expenses (taxes, utilities, and insurance) have increased. A different hall manager shared that keeping his hall open cost $3000 a month, for taxes, utilities, insurance, and a nominal salary for a hall manager. That is not extra money for major maintenance projects like painting, new carpet, roof replacement, or floor refinishing. The extra money comes from keeping the hall rented as much as possible.
Hall managers talk with each other. They like square dancers because we don’t have keg parties and spill beer all over the hardwood floors. However, they don’t like square dancers because we rarely pay our fair share of hall expenses and upkeep. At one hall a private party will pay $55 per hour for a Friday or Saturday night. Is your club currently paying $165 to rent the hall for your Friday or Saturday night dance? Or is your hall rent less than half that amount?
Callers are the professionals in this square dance activity. Some callers regularly attend CALLERLAB conventions to refresh their calling skills and enthusiasm, and to network with callers from around the world. Many attend Caller Colleges every few years. Callers’ expenses include maintaining and updating calling equipment, annual dues and license fees, new music, clothes, education and travel
Teaching new people and calling a dance are labors of love for most callers. Are we being responsible stewards of the square dance activity to expect a caller to work for free time after time, or to pay callers the same fee for lessons or dances that we did 25 or 30 years ago?
Advertising is important to do and to continue doing. Advertising is a topic to be tackled all on its own.
So where do we get our money to hold dances and new dancer classes? From dance fees, lesson fees, club dues and maybe a fundraiser or two. What are your club dues? Council dues? State Federation dues? Have they been increased a nominal amount every year? What are your fees for lessons? Have they increased every year or two? How about your dance fees?
Lessons are the ‘loss leader’ of our square dance business. New dancer classes are what get new people in to club level dancing. What gets people in the door is sharing how much we enjoy this activity and the benefits we receive.
Dance, almost any type, is very popular right now due in large part to shows like Dancing With The Stars. The Happy Hoppers in Marysville sponsor their lessons with the Marysville Park Department. This year in their brochure square dance lessons were listed on the same page with ballroom dancing, salsa dancing, and belly dancing. Here’s how square dancing compares with other dance forms: salsa dance, $45 for 4 one-hour classes, ballroom dance, $59 for 6 one-hour classes; belly dance, $54 for 6 one-hour classes, square dance, $50 for 10 two-hour classes. Would you like the dollar per hour translation? Salsa dance is $11.25/hour. Ballroom dance is $9.83/hour. Belly dance is $9/hour. Square dance is $2.50/hour. Who values their activity?
As I have been writing this month’s article, the thought that keeps coming to mind is the old question, “is the glass half full or half empty?” I think that most of Square Dance Land has been operating with the attitude that the “glass is half empty.” As a result we have become miserly. “We can’t charge any more than this. People won’t come.” “We can’t pay any more than we are already.” I bet that if we would change our attitude to one of plenty, “our glass is half full,” things would change.
My challenge to you this month is to ask for more money and then pay more money. I know that the discrepancy between what we are paying/charging and what we should be paying/charging is too great to make the jump all at once. But little increases can make all the difference in the world. Start now and pay $10 more a night for hall rent. Surprise your landlord! Next fall increase your rent again.
You say you are not sure where the extra $10 will come from. Raise your door fee $1 or $2 a person. Yes, even for club members. While you are at it pay your caller and cuer more too, especially if you have not raised either their lesson or dance fee in the last two years. Or this year give them a bonus at the end of the dance season and raise their fees next year.
We can’t forget our square dance friends on fixed incomes. We want to keep them dancing as long as possible. Let’s get creative. We need to talk as clubs and councils and as dancers and callers to figure this out. We’re smart! We can do it together!
Let’s tackle the subject of money. Larry and I have been dancing long enough to see the door price creep up at most dances. Likewise, the cost of music, the cost of dues and the cost of license fees have increased. All these costs have increased but they have not kept pace with inflation or the increases we see other places in our lives. Why not?
The first night of one class the club president was bemoaning the shortage of new dancers. One brand new dancer overheard and commented, “Maybe there aren’t more people here because you are not charging enough.” Wow! What an idea!
Many conversations at dances, in club and council meetings, in the parking lot and even in online imply that the square dance world needs to keep prices low or people won’t come. Guess what? People aren’t coming with low prices.
A friend of mine who does not square dance but has experience in the entertainment field said she would expect to pay at least $10/hour for square dance lessons. For a 2-hour lesson, she would be perfectly happy to pay at least $20/night. She also said that she would expect 75-80% of that fee to go to the teacher/caller. Double wow!
Years ago, working on fundraising at my children’s school, I learned the axiom, “it takes money to make money.” It is not so different in Square Dance Land. A hall has to be rented, a caller and cuer hired, and advertising paid for before a dance or lessons can happen. Before the dancers come to dance and have a good time.
Most clubs dance in granges or community clubs. Some dance in senior centers or schools. How much are you paying in rent? Has your rent gone up every year? Why not? I was president of club (now folded) 13 years ago. Recently, I rented the same hall for a private square dance party. The rent was the same because we were square dancing. I’m sure that in 13 years the hall’s expenses (taxes, utilities, and insurance) have increased. A different hall manager shared that keeping his hall open cost $3000 a month, for taxes, utilities, insurance, and a nominal salary for a hall manager. That is not extra money for major maintenance projects like painting, new carpet, roof replacement, or floor refinishing. The extra money comes from keeping the hall rented as much as possible.
Hall managers talk with each other. They like square dancers because we don’t have keg parties and spill beer all over the hardwood floors. However, they don’t like square dancers because we rarely pay our fair share of hall expenses and upkeep. At one hall a private party will pay $55 per hour for a Friday or Saturday night. Is your club currently paying $165 to rent the hall for your Friday or Saturday night dance? Or is your hall rent less than half that amount?
Callers are the professionals in this square dance activity. Some callers regularly attend CALLERLAB conventions to refresh their calling skills and enthusiasm, and to network with callers from around the world. Many attend Caller Colleges every few years. Callers’ expenses include maintaining and updating calling equipment, annual dues and license fees, new music, clothes, education and travel
Teaching new people and calling a dance are labors of love for most callers. Are we being responsible stewards of the square dance activity to expect a caller to work for free time after time, or to pay callers the same fee for lessons or dances that we did 25 or 30 years ago?
Advertising is important to do and to continue doing. Advertising is a topic to be tackled all on its own.
So where do we get our money to hold dances and new dancer classes? From dance fees, lesson fees, club dues and maybe a fundraiser or two. What are your club dues? Council dues? State Federation dues? Have they been increased a nominal amount every year? What are your fees for lessons? Have they increased every year or two? How about your dance fees?
Lessons are the ‘loss leader’ of our square dance business. New dancer classes are what get new people in to club level dancing. What gets people in the door is sharing how much we enjoy this activity and the benefits we receive.
Dance, almost any type, is very popular right now due in large part to shows like Dancing With The Stars. The Happy Hoppers in Marysville sponsor their lessons with the Marysville Park Department. This year in their brochure square dance lessons were listed on the same page with ballroom dancing, salsa dancing, and belly dancing. Here’s how square dancing compares with other dance forms: salsa dance, $45 for 4 one-hour classes, ballroom dance, $59 for 6 one-hour classes; belly dance, $54 for 6 one-hour classes, square dance, $50 for 10 two-hour classes. Would you like the dollar per hour translation? Salsa dance is $11.25/hour. Ballroom dance is $9.83/hour. Belly dance is $9/hour. Square dance is $2.50/hour. Who values their activity?
As I have been writing this month’s article, the thought that keeps coming to mind is the old question, “is the glass half full or half empty?” I think that most of Square Dance Land has been operating with the attitude that the “glass is half empty.” As a result we have become miserly. “We can’t charge any more than this. People won’t come.” “We can’t pay any more than we are already.” I bet that if we would change our attitude to one of plenty, “our glass is half full,” things would change.
My challenge to you this month is to ask for more money and then pay more money. I know that the discrepancy between what we are paying/charging and what we should be paying/charging is too great to make the jump all at once. But little increases can make all the difference in the world. Start now and pay $10 more a night for hall rent. Surprise your landlord! Next fall increase your rent again.
You say you are not sure where the extra $10 will come from. Raise your door fee $1 or $2 a person. Yes, even for club members. While you are at it pay your caller and cuer more too, especially if you have not raised either their lesson or dance fee in the last two years. Or this year give them a bonus at the end of the dance season and raise their fees next year.
We can’t forget our square dance friends on fixed incomes. We want to keep them dancing as long as possible. Let’s get creative. We need to talk as clubs and councils and as dancers and callers to figure this out. We’re smart! We can do it together!
“Teamwork - the more you share and the harder you work together, the more you can achieve.”
Happy dancing,
Susan and Larry
