Publicity Chair

[thinkpink6453]

Hi everyone!
I currently was just appointed the position of publicity chair for Alpha Xi Delta. We recently just added this position to our slate and they told me I could do as I please with it. However, I'm looking for plenty of new ideas of what your chapters do for this position. I'm always open for advice and new ideas. Thank you so much!

[DubaiSis]

Will you be in charge of social media? There are some great Facebook and Twitter feeds out there you can emulate. And definitely contact FHQ for guidance. Especially if you are the first person to hold this position you want to leave the best kind of legacy and you could spin your wheels or worse make a bonehead mistake without proper guidance.

[thinkpink6453]

No we already have a social media chair, so that's why I am currently in a little bit of a rut. I'm trying to figure out what is left.

[DubaiSis]

Talk to your chapter advisor and FHQ. I'm sure they have a manual/plan/suggestions for you. And now is good so you can start getting prepared over winter break.

Oh, and whatever you do, keep track (samples, written copy, project plans, etc.) of what you do. This is a role that can translate really well to real world work experience on a resume. Treat it like actual job experience and think about what you do that an employer may want to see proof of/examples of in the next few years.

[IndianaSigKap]

I would get together with the social media chair and work together. Public relations can include anything that just gets your organization's name out there in a positive manner. For example, choose a sister of the week and write up a little bio highlighting her accomplishments to put on your chapter's website and/or facebook page. Assuming you have a small budget, you could sponsor letter days and if a sister participates in them all put her name into a drawing for a small prize like a $5 gift card to Starbucks. Work with your campus media to get your events publicized.

[AnchorAlumna]

I'll bet your chapter has just installed new officers.
How about press releases for each new officer? They should go to the girl's hometown newspaper. If she's from a big city like Atlanta, there is often a neighborhood section in the big newspaper, or even a small weekly newspaper that serves that area. They love news like that.

"Madison Teighlor Whoozitz was recently installed as vice president: membership for Alpha Alpha chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha sorority at the University of OurState.
Madison is a junior majoring in party crafts. She is the daughter of Cindy Lou Whoozitz and Brad Whoozitz of Whoville, Neb."

A bit of crowing for your sorority member, and it gets the name of the sorority plus a local person's name in the paper for a little publicity. High school senior girls and their mamas latch onto stuff like that - you'll be surprised who remembers it next fall.

Work with your social media chair on WHAT to put on your chapter Facebook page. The officer in charge of the website will need new pictures and info to update the website - work with her to get them and be on the lookout for them all year.

If you have a fund-raiser coming up, a whole campaign needs to be designed - press releases and pictures for the campus and local newspaper, a crawl for the Weather Channel in your area, posters, visits to the other houses to make announcements, etc. etc. plus working with your social media, alumnae relations, and website chairs.

[sweetongreek]

I'm VP Public Relations for my sorority, so I handle social media, but since there's already a position for that in your sorority, I would suggest you help with marketing with other officers. For example, your philanthropy events will need tons of promotion, not just with social media, so work with the philanthropy chair to get a team together to create signs & banners for the event (maybe posters) or even get an ad in the student newspaper to help with promotion.

A lot of what publicity has to do with is chapter image, both externally on campus and internally to members. This means attracting people on campus to philanthropies and keeping a good image for potential new members, as well as internally promoting sisters to attend social events, sisterhoods, etc. So your role can definitely be to create a consistent "brand" for the chapter.

Almost anything can become an aspect of publicity, whether it's having sisters wear their letters on campus or a sister representing the chapter on Homecoming Court. Our sorority does fun things like a "dress-up" day the first Monday of each month to promote our chapter in a positive light. In the Fall I gathered a team of girls to make signs and banners for our Homecoming Court nominee. I also oversee things such as the individual sisters' social media posts (such as inappropriate Facebook pictures--this may be something the social media chair already oversees).