Marketing this is going to be a tricky thing. I've been a Linux Migration consultant and tehnical writer for three years and before that I was involved with a company in Lisle that made SIP based PBX boxes with a heavily customized version of RHL with the 2.4 kernel.  In the latter enterprise we were able to commit to conventional marketing. In my operation, I am mostly a one horse show unless the job is big.  I have to rely on a guerrila marketing approach. Magazine ads, a small radio spot, etc.  That is not gonna do it.  Not unless we had the money to canvass the Chicago area in a huge way.  There are two ways to get good marketing; one involves money, the other work. Since we don't have any money, we're going to have to focus on the other way. There is a great book on the market that should be required reading  "Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business" by Jay Conrad Levinson. Levinson gives chapter and verse on how to get your name out on a small budget. Some of the tips you'll find in this are similar to Levinson's tips, others come from my experience. Let's start with our own members Many community groups rely on members.  This is one place where a group should be less concerned with cost and more concerned with quality. Brochures Don't make the assumption that once a member signs on, they're yours for life. If we create a brochure or flyer that includes descriptions of the group and it's activities, we generate enthusiasm.  Have the brochure or flyer designed, not just typed up. If we can afford it, use a professional graphic designer to prepare our materials. If we can't spend that kind of money, try for a trade or a sponsorship or have a member with design skills and tools create our materials.  Have your brochures professionally printed. Again, it's an investment that pays off. Professionally printed materials makes a difference.  Bulk Mailing Once our materials have been printed, it's time to do a bulk mailing. If we don't have a bulk mailing permit, it's time for a trip to the Post Office. Non-profit bulk mailing permits allow you to send out large mailings for less than half the face value of a stamp. The Post Office will be happy to help us apply for a permit and teach us how to use it. Keep your mailing list up to date and growing. Print extra brochures Be sure you have a hundred or so extra brochures printed for display. Press Releases There are certain essential things that have to be in a press release: who, what, when, where, how. The first four are pretty obvious, as is the last; "how" is "how do I get more information ?".   The trick is to make the release interesting enough to get published. In a press release, don't make the mistake of providing too mcuh information. Tantalize, tease and generate interest. Ask questions: "Is your PC secure? If you were audited for licensing, would you be fined?" You get the idea. One cardinal sin here is to be dry and have no punch whatsoever. So when should we send out press releases? Every chance we get. Weekly papers are more likely to give us a story than the dailies. Weeklies have more room and tend to be more community-oriented than dailies. But it never hurts to ask. Follow up on press releases by giving a call and inviting the paper to send a reporter. If we do end up being interviewed for a news story, remember three things: 1) talk as though everything you say will end up in the story, but not necessarily in the right order, 2) NOTHING you say is ever really "off the record"… that just looks good on TV, and 3) you will not get to approve the story before it is printed. Whole books have been written on the art of the interview, all of them full of great advice; "don't be rushed," " think over every answer," etc. The best advice in each of them is summed up above. Radio is a great way to get the attention of people who make decisions on the spur of the moment. It's also a great way to create awareness. But working the radio angle requires thought, ingenuity and imagination. Pick your station(s) wisely Today there are more radio formats than ever before...Talk, Music, News/Talk, Adult Contemporary, Adult Alternative, Classic Rock, Oldies, Contemporary Hit Radio, Urban and many, many more. Each format appeals to a different demographic. A little research and thought will making choosing a radio station to work with easier. For instance, what we have is a little cutting edge and a disruptive technology. I wouldn't recommend trying to work with a conservative News/Talk station. On the other hand, a church or dentist may be listening to easy listening and they are people who could benefit from Ubuntu. We need to focus on trying to reach people like the ones who we wish to reach, preferably in the lower age brackets of that demographic. In general, I would focus on a 19 - 40 age bracket. This puts us looking at pop, Country, College music and Classic Rock type formats. When thinking about radio, remember one thing: unlike television, people usually listen to radio while doing other things, particularly driving and getting ready for work or school... you have to get their attention. We must tailor our efforts with this in mind. So how do we afford this? Public Service Announcements Radio stations are required by federal law to devote a certain amount of time to Public Service Announcements (PSAs). These are free announcements, usually read by the announcer, although some are pre-recorded. We can call the station or stations we are planning to use and ask about PSAs. Find out what their requirements are and, most importantly, find out who to send to it to. We would write the PSA as if it were a commercial, but keep it short. We must make sure we have the basic information in there... Who, What, When, Where, How. Some stations will re-write the information to their standards, but, by giving them something more than just the basics, we can sometimes influence how the information is presented. Some stations, usually the smaller ones, or the ones with a higher committment to the community, will be amenable to providing studio time for you to cut yer own pre-recorded PSA or will cut it for you. It never hurts to ask. In that instance, write the PSA ahead of time to the length we are asked. Make sure whoever does it reads it out loud, for timing and flow. Don't abuse the privledge of using the station's studio by taking time to write or edit copy in the studio. Almost forgot about one of the more interesting ways to get some exposure... the Talk Show. Most News/Talk stations have at least one locally produced show that might be interested in booking one of us for an appearance. Stations with other formats will have some kind of community service forum type show to meet their public service requirements, but that kind of show usually ends up in the wee hours of Sunday mornings. If we do get booked on a talk show, be sure to tease rather than give away. Tempt the listeners.... be upbeat, enthusiastic and entertaining. Above all else, be prepared when you walk in. You may not know what the host is going to ask you, but you do know what you need to get out... the basic information: Who, What, Where, When, How and how does one get information and help. It's best to write this stuff down ahead of time and take it with you. That way you don't get trapped with a case of the "ummms". It also gives you something to leave with the host when you go, earning you at least a few more mentions. Now, some of these things require Ubuntu Chicago be a official not for profit. That is not too hard, but perhaps that is something Ubuntu has thought of to provide?  I don't know. Cheers, Patrick <hr> <div>On 2/1/07, Rich Johnson <<a href="mailto:nixternal@ubuntu.com">nixternal@ubuntu.com</a>> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> On Thursday 01 February 2007, James Ruffer wrote: | Wanted to introduce myself.  I am a unix user and lover since 1995. | I am currently using SuSe 10 as well as Ubuntu. | My current Ubuntu is with vmware server with xp/vista/2003 server | solaris intel/mandriva/mepis and OS X. Welcome, and hello!  I see you are somewhat of an old schooler as well, and if I am correct, my assumption would be that you are a KDE user :) as am I. | My skills are not only computer geek but also Sales/Marketing. | I own a computer consulting firm/Colocation and Wisp in | NY. Sounds similar to me. I am into Executive Marketing, Business Management, and Entrepreneurship. Business is my passion as well. | I would love to contribute to this group.  Please let me know how I | may participate. Well as I am sure you are aware, there is so much you can do. Advocacy is probably #1 at this time. We are still somewhat wet behind the ears, but we continue to advance every day now. There is a great diversity of people on the team at this time and that is what makes working with it so great. We would love to have you contribute in anyway that you can. Advocating, handing out CDs, offering support if possible or pointing a person to an available support channel, or anything else you can think of. I am a horrible graphic artist and I haven't seen many "graphical" contributions from anyone in the group yet (except a few months back someone sent some really cool Ubuntu Chicago logos). If you have any marketing/design ideas that would make for a great flyer the help is always needed there as well. Thanks James for contacting the list and showing interest in the team. You are more than welcome to stay around and be a member of a wonderful community. If you have any further questions, as I may have been pretty vague in this respones, please do not hesitate to contact the list. Thanks again James, and we look forward to hearing more :) -- Rich Johnson <a href="mailto:nixternal@ubuntu.com">nixternal@ubuntu.com</a> GPG Key: 0x2E2C0124 -- Ubuntu-us-chicago mailing list <a href="mailto:Ubuntu-us-chicago@lists.ubuntu.com"> Ubuntu-us-chicago@lists.ubuntu.com</a> <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-us-chicago">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-us-chicago</a> </blockquote></div>