Club Communication Material Changes
During the International Board of Trustees (IBT) Strategy Session last May, one of the top topics was improving communications with our current, potential and new members. The IBT recognized that the monthly communications were fundamentally sound, but some improvements can (and should) be made.
What Needed to be Improved?
- We are simplifying and restructuring our Club website (airstreamclub.org).
- We are updating our monthly printed Blue Beret Magazine.
- We are formalizing our digital communications plan.
- We are expanding our popular Quarterly “Campfire Chats” to address Eastern and Western time zones.
Website Improvement Project
- Improve the website “Search” function (DONE: Completed in June 2023).
- Utilize our website analytics (historical data on top pages) to restructure the website such that the popular areas are easier to find and use: Rally/Event Info, Courtesy Parking, Membership Portal, New Member Information, etc.
- Restructure the information used by Club leadership (forms, policies, helpful guides, etc.).
- Status: The project team pulled from Region volunteers has been formed and is beginning its work.
Blue Beret Magazine
Our Blue Beret Magazine dates back to the formation of our Club and remains our primary communication with our members. Published and printed 10 times yearly, the Blue Beret Magazine has had regular improvements over the years. The shift from print to digital publications is seen throughout our Club; the vast majority of Region and Local Club material has already gone digital due to the preferences of members, printing and mailing costs. So an updated plan was needed for the Blue Beret Magazine:
- Implement a minor design refresh using our Club “brand” colors, fonts, etc.
- Shift to quarterly (one every three months), focusing on content quality.
- Improve the digital reading experience for members preferring to read the Blue Beret Magazine online.
NEW! Blue Beret Bulletin
Regular email communications are a staple of most Clubs, membership groups and businesses. Our Club has been experimenting with email updates for the last year, but the goal was to formalize and structure under a predictable format:
- Design an email and mobile-friendly digital newsletter called the “Blue Beret Bulletin.”
- Monthly, focused on four to six “Hot Topics,” “Things to Know.” Easy to read, short, and designed to be consumed on a mobile phone, tablet or desktop/laptop.
NEW! Blue Beret Blog
“Blogs” are just short digital articles collected online for easy reading and later use. Again, these are used by many organizations, are very popular, and usually contain much informational and educational information. Our Blue Beret Blog was launched in June and can be found at: blog.airstreamclub.org. Members, Standing Committees, and partners have published more than 50 articles. The beauty of a “blog post” is that it can easily be reused by Local Clubs, Regions or simply pasted into social media posts. For example, here’s a great article on Caravan Risks and How to ‘Be Prepared’ for Them.
Publications Schedule
- Blue Beret Magazine: Quarterly in August, November, February and May.
- Blue Beret Bulletin: Monthly, excluding Blue Beret Magazine months.
- Blue Beret Blog: New posts every week or two.
- Membership Campfire Chats: quarterly
