Tweet
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE MAINSTREAM - How to Improve & Attract New Members
By Michael Clarke, Liberty Rifles & Eric Tipton, 40 Rounds
Published on The Authentic Campaigner
INTRODUCTION - WE WANT TO SEE YOU SUCCEED
Contrary to popular opinion and social media, the authentic community does not want to see the mainstream hobby wither away and die. Internet fights existed before the forums, during the forums and they will continue to exist through Facebook and whatever form social media takes in the future. So, rather than feed this divide further, we have decided to write an open letter to the mainstream hobby about constructive ways we think you could improve. This is an earnest and sincere plea. Please do not disregard it simply because it is coming from "campaigners". OK? The mainstream used to be better and it can be better again. It is time to plan for the future. There are ways you can grow again. So, if you made it this far, please read on and we hope this provides you with some feedback that has proven to be successful on the authentic side, and we promise that none of this includes counting stitches...
RAISE YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND STICK TO THEM
We've found that time and time again, stimulation and challenges are what keeps guys interested. Expect your members to improve, help them improve, don't let guys squeak by with mediocrity. Pick something like headgear, and encourage everyone to upgrade. Pick a drill point like stacking arms, and encourage guys to work on it, drill it, and nail it down. The lack of expectations and loosening of standards has diluted into complacency and laziness, which is a sure way to lose members and discourage growth. Little things like no modern anachronisms, no cell phones, and no cars in camp. Taking your expectations seriously will set the tone for the rest of your group. Improvement is not a dirty word and it can be done in small doses, but ignoring it will only make things worse.
LESS IS MORE. BE PRUDENT WITH TIME
Don't go to every podunk event that comes along. Over-saturation can kill a group. Fewer events with more focus will encourage more participation and effort from your members, which will yield better results, and people will take notice that you have a solid group, doing solid work, and they'll want to be a part of it. Also, it is important to remember that everyone is trying to balance family life, work life, and hobbies. So focusing harder, on fewer events, and presenting a better effort to your members and others around you will encourage growth and participation.
THE SAME-OLD, SAME OLD
Whether you are attending Civil War events or going out to eat, if you do the same thing over-and-over, you will become burned out and so will the members of your organization. Recently, there was a mainstream organization that had a relatively low turnout last year. After the company meeting was held for 2019, the schedule was decided upon and guess what? It was the identical schedule as last year and the leadership expects the turnout to be better than last year.
If you combine fewer new events each year with a maximum effort for each one, it will invigorate your members by seeing more people at an event and doing something different. As you well-know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over-and-over and expecting a different result.
PROPER SCALE - BUILD FROM THE BOTTOM UP AND NOT THE TOP-DOWN
Proper scale for the size of your military unit and the corresponding commanding rank structure is the first, best step you can take towards being more authentic, growing your unit, and creating a successful environment for proper drill. If you have ten men in your group, portray a platoon with a corporal, and nine privates. Work on School of the Soldier! If you have thirty to sixty, portray a company, with a captain, possibly a Junior Officer, three to five sergeants, four corporals, and the rest privates. Do you have one hundred to two hundred? Now you're looking at three to four Companies, with a Senior Captain commanding the Battalion, and the previous identified structure for each Company. If you have six or more companies with thirty-plus men, now you're in the range of a Field Officer commanding the Battalion, some Battalion staff, General Guides, and a Color Guard. If you have to consolidate with other groups...do it! Nothing worse than a Colonel with forty men.
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR EVENTS - EBUFU - EVENTS BY US FOR US
It is our observation that at most mainstream events, reenactors are essentially hired hands. We know, because we too have attended these events and the way reenactors are treated is part of the reason we have created our own events today. In the EBUFU model, the reenactors control the budget, the expenses and the results and because we are contributing money and attention to the sites, it is OUR event. Hence, Events By Us For Us - EBUFU. This concept originated with the North-South Alliance and was adopted by campaigners because they were tired of the same old schedule - the afternoon battles on Saturday and Sunday, the ball on Sunday night and pointless battles in the middle of soccer fields that bear no resemblance to history. You have the power to change this by adopting a different model. If you aren't familiar with EBUFU, here are the main points:
- Find the land to host the event yourself or offer a fee to a private land owner and donate the proceeds to preservation of a worthy historical site.
- Start with the history and craft an event that centers around an actual event. Accommodations can be made to fit it into a weekend, but there is no need to invent something that already happened and it will be more meaningful for the public. This becomes part of the package that you put together to present to the event hosts.
- Instead of paying registration fees directly to the entity that is hosting the event, collect the fees on an individual basis from the participants yourselves, create a budget and provide the hosting entity with a budget that shows a net donation after expenses.
- Have your event with spectators... or not. It's YOUR event. One of the fallacies we see perpetuated across social media is that EBUFU events are held off in the woods and do nothing for public education. While this is true for some of our events, MANY of them are open to the public. We work with NPS sites as well as state and local locations.
If you do not take control of the events, you will always be at the mercy of the people holding the event. Present a plan. Create a budget. Pitch this concept. You might be surprised at the response if you have a good plan.
CREATE AN EVENT YOU WOULD ATTEND AS A PARTICIPANT
Events tend to start with "I have always wanted to do xyz scenario". This is good. If you want to organize an event that you think others will attend, consider it from the perspective of an attendee. Based on the historical record and the feasibility of accomplishing it, ask yourself: "Is this something that would appeal to you if you were attending?" "Is it even possible to pull it off?" "Is there land available to do it?" These are all questions you need to ask yourself before putting anything out in public. If this event idea is something you would be willing to attend as a participant, it is a good start. But, no matter how good your idea is, you have to be able to execute it. This is where the rubber meets the road.
Most successful events are derived from well-known historical events. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but generally, the more known the scenario, the better your chances of attracting participation. You may have an obscure dream scenario that appeals to you, but will it have a wider reach? When you are marketing something, you are competing with many other ideas. Yours needs to stand out and name recognition certainly helps. So, ask yourself, “Does this event have some cache? Is it an event that will strike a chord with people?” If it passes this test, what comes next?
MARKETING - UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA
This was recently posted on the First Federal Division Facebook Page regarding a GAR Conference Call in which the FFD participated:
"Also, it was talked about how it seems like the hobby is in trouble due to the Social Climate & how the hobby is starting to splintering too much into different factions between campaigners & mainstreamers & how bad the recent Gettysburg event went."
"Seems like a lot of events are drying up or going away, it is getting harder to find events. We need to focus on the bigger events & support those that are still around. So many events not working with each other on scheduling & so this is splitting our numbers too thin."
THIS is a problem. It seems to us that the mainstream spends more time complaining ON SOCIAL MEDIA than using SOCIAL MEDIA to coordinate. This is the very mechanism that can be used as a tool to attract younger people and grow the mainstream hobby. By constantly talking about shrinking numbers, canceled events, politics, etc. you are becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are marketing weakness, insecurity and doubt.
If it seems like the authentic side of the hobby is dominating social media, it is because we have embraced it and coordinate it between different groups. Every event has its own Facebook Group and most events have individual company Facebook Groups. Deconfliction is common and an overall schedule is put together on the Authentic Campaigner years in advance. The authentic hobby is not only growing. It is thriving. We are hosting events that on average are larger than the ones we did 10-15 years ago. This is not some haphazard thing. It is on purpose and by design. It is modern marketing. We didn't necessarily WANT to be on social media. We HAD to be there, because that is where the audience is and that is where you need to be as well - putting forward a positive message.
CONCLUSION - TIME TO MOVE FORWARD
As the saying goes, a rising tide lift all boats. ALL of us want to see Civil War Reenacting succeed. We have certainly gone through changes in the hobby over the last several years. We had the conclusion of the 150th anniversaries. There is some political pressure surrounding our events. A whole generation of reenactors has aged out of the hobby. This is reality. Look forward. Please take our advice here to heart. We all have the ability as a hobby to reach more people directly than we ever have had before. Go where the market is. Younger people are on social media. There is an interest. You just have to find them. The days of setting up a card table outside of a library to recruit new people are over. Embrace technology. Make improvements. Build from the bottom-up. It has worked for the campaigners and authentics. We would love to see it work for you as well.
Comment