Oliver Waterhouse
Quaker Life
Hello everyone,
We had a good discussion on marketing with lots of great ideas fed in. Deb Arrowsmith joined and shared some of the thinking about how they have been marketing the space at Oxford Meeting.
Meeting House Matters in-person events in 2023
We are going to offer 3 in-person events in 2023 to bring Friends together to look at topics of shared interest and for peer learning and support. Please use the booking form linked below to register for any of the events in 2023.
https://forms.quaker.org.uk/mhm-23/
Most of the day will be in-person with one session online blended. At the event in Bristol on 18 April the blended session will be on health and safety.
Next online session
Marketing
General notes
What is the purpose of marketing your meeting house?
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Is it because there is a lot of space in a good location which can generate income for the Quaker community?
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Is it because you want people to know that there is a certain ethos to the premises attracts people into the space?
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Is the main reason for the building for Quakerism to flourish but there are a few rooms available that people might like to use for a small fee?
Think carefully about what the purpose of the building is and what you want to tell the audience and ultimately what you want to sell to the audience.
These examples of purpose show a range of the purposes of marketing. If your meeting is wants to offer a professional conferencing opportunity, the rooms will need to match the offer. If you are trying to reach an audience
that wants the space for birthday parties on a Saturday afternoon, you will choose a different way to talk about what you have available.
It was helpful to hear about the link between marketing and Quaker outreach. Done well they will both bring us as Quakers or as businesses into contact with new people. What do we do to support their activity? Is there
an annual budget for outreach which includes marketing as a specific activity?
We are reminded that marketing is a profession and that we should not assume that it can be done by anyone. Who in your meeting community is skilled in this work? Would they be willing to lend their expertise to the meeting?
How can they work with other role-holders, such a wardens or other workers?
Tips
When you know the audience that you are marketing your meeting house to think about the following.
Signage
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Make sure that there is good external signage to help people find the meeting house.
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Is it clear how to get into the building once you have found it?
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What does the internal signage say about the building and its community and other users?
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Does it look how you hope it might? Professional? Welcoming? Caring? Simple?
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Is it cluttered?
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Does the tone sound positive or negative?
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How would you feel if you walked into a different premises with signage similar to those in your meeting house?
Advertising
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Can you help people see what you have to offer?
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Could you put a picture of each room on the external notice-board so that people passing or arriving can see what the space looks like?
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Is there a locality magazine that you can put an advert, or write and article for? (Articles might be free and mean you can talk about a Quaker event)
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Online (see more below about social media).
Tools
Leaflets
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With clear information on it
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include the date and valid until if printing with prices
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Images that show the spaces and what hirers can expect
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Testimonies from other hirers
Website
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Information (as leaflets)
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Timetable of updating to ensure that it remains current.
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Hire related information able to be updated by the person who manages the lettings so it is always in date.
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Change the images annually so the client always sees what is currently on offer.
Social media platforms
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Nextdoor
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Facebook
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Instagram
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Halls for Hire
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Google Maps: verify your building / address
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Eventbrite: verify your address so that Google finds it
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Meet-up: use their spiritual events category
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Other platforms and websites are also available
Social media tips
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Choose one or more but don’t overwhelm yourself.
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Stick with what works for you and your premises.
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Post regularly and try to rotate content.
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If you have events add them early.
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Give a bit of time for scheduling routine posts so that you are not doing it as it happens.
Involving Friends
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Created a set of leaflets for Quakers to hand to other groups they attend to see if they would like to use the meeting house instead.
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Use Quaker communication channels such as the newsletters to talk about the space.
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Involve a group of Friends to open and close the meeting house when the warden is not working or on annual leave.
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Internal notice boards for information about what the building is used for:
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One for the Quaker community
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One for building specific things
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One for the hirers.
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Hold an open day for the Quaker community and invite hirers to come along.
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Ask members of the meeting to give tours of the building to encourage hirers to see what is now on offer.
Possible hirers or ways to get business
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Office space once a week for small charities.
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NHS, healthcare and other large public organisations. Try to get your meeting house onto their approved supplier list.
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If you have a day that is not popular keep it as free as possible for organisations that require a training space and are not fussy about the day.
In friendship,
Oliver
Oliver Waterhouse
(he/him)
Quaker Life Team Leader, Local and Area Governance
Quakers in Britain
020 7663 1007 (Direct)
oliverw@quaker.org.uk
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