Toastmasters International -Cost-Effective Marketing Techniques

Group of Toastmasters club members smiling

Gaining new members is vital not only for clubs to thrive and expand but also to challenge and engage current members. Marketing your club doesn’t need to be costly, so if your funds are on the low end, try a few of these low-cost techniques to attract new members.

Display your spirit.

Encourage questions by regularly using items from the Toastmasters store—slip on a shirt or jacket, don a hat, sip from a water bottle, display the centennial book or commemorative magazine, or wear a pin.

Host a potluck.

A simple incentive is offering food at a meeting. Keep costs low and ask every member to bring a dish to share. Advertise the event to entice guests to come see what Toastmasters is about while enjoying a tasty, free meal.

Use social media.

Social media platforms are one of the easiest ways to market your content for free! Yes, there are paid advertising options, but begin with generating organic traffic. Post frequently on your club’s pages and share photos of members participating in meetings. Add photos and updates of your own progress to your personal pages too!

Embrace the Rotary alliance.

Connect with your local Rotary clubs to see if you can present about Toastmasters at one of their meetings, or consider creating a club for members of both organizations to join.

Follow up with guests.

Send a follow-up email or make a call to everyone who visits your club. Getting them in the door may be the first step, but you want to keep them coming back—it’s essentially continuous marketing.

Host a Table Topics to brainstorm recruitment tactics.

Ask club members to share their ideas for recruiting new members in a special Table Topics session. This could make the meeting more fun and give members the opportunity to share their ideas or play off something someone else said.

Host an open house.

Showcase all Toastmasters has to offer with an open house event. Advertise it in your community and online. Toastmasters International has templates for fliers that can be printed out at low cost or shared on social media.

Respond to Find A Club inquiries.

The new Prospective Member Management page allows all club officers to see Find A Club contacts, review when someone has scheduled a visit, and assign an officer with each contact to ensure no one is missed. Take advantage of this tool and connect with prospective members. The Prospective Member Conversion Guide has all the resources you need, including an email template!

Emphasize membership benefits.

Talk up Toastmasters whenever you can! This can be speaking with a potential member or simply a friend. Tell them how Toastmasters helped you as an individual.

Start a member referral program.

Ask every member to invite a friend to a meeting. Challenge everyone to bring a guest at some point during the year, similar to Toastmasters’ Plus One Pledge.

Build community engagement.

Create connections in your community by attending local events, such as a farmers market or a university club fair. Look into setting up an informational booth and garner attention with items from the Toastmasters Store, such as balloons.

Add testimonials to your website.

Take the opportunity to lean on digital storytelling through videos and pictures. Record a few members explaining why they joined Toastmasters and what they have gained from being part of the club and post them on your club’s website. Encourage members to share on their social media, and send to friends and coworkers who might be interested.