In Rotary a lot is mentioned about having good Public Image (PI) to enhance the Rotary brand to the general public.

PI if you’re unaware of it is the very fine art of managing communications not only between an organisation and the public but also between ourselves. Whether the news is good or bad, people will always have something to say about you, your business perhaps and even your Rotary club. So how can social media improve your clubs public image efforts?

Social media allows you to engage in the conversations taking place about your club as they happen. Social media also creates the opportunity to change the conversation, increase the awareness of Rotary’s brand, and improve your search engine optimization (SEO). That basically means the more your club is active on social media the more hits and searches you will come up on in Google, the more potential members will actually find you.

Understanding social media relations is an important part of your PI effort. The audiences your club is trying to reach or influence are spending time on and being influenced by social media, this is where the conversation is happening and Rotary and especially your club needs to be at the forefront of it. Good social media PI participation means also connecting with and engaging with influential people who can help to promote a positive brand image for Rotary. Think about engaging your local member of Parliament for example on social media and see if they can help promote your club and members with a friendly shout out on their own social media accounts. It is also important to identify and empower positive Rotary brand ambassadors from your own club or district to help “sell” the good Rotary public image.

Building positive relationships with your clubs fans and followers helps dispel any negative brand attention and accentuate what’s positive about Rotary and the things Rotarians are doing in the world. But here is the kicker, social media is already over saturated with content so you must have something interesting to communicate to your audience. So keep it fun, friendly and informative and it will work well for your clubs public image.

Article by Evan Burrell