Marketing your Post is a great way to support your community and your veterans, by showing what your Post is doing for them. It also brings in new members and helps retain your current members through recognition of their involvement. Here are some ideas:
SOCIAL MEDIA
Website - create a website using Web Solutions - It links the State District and Post - so your members know what is happening at all levels. For further assistance, contact Drive Path web-developer David Strange at dstrange@pixel-bit.com or 248.232.1293.
Facebook - create a page or a group using Facebook. It is free and a great way to show others what your Post is doing in the community. You must have a personal Facebook Page to make a page or group.
Instagram - Get a free Instagram account and upload your photos - then link to your Facebook page -
HASHTAGS - A hashtag is a word or phrase, like #socialmedia, preceded by the number sign (#) that categorizes content on social media platforms, making it discoverable by users searching for that specific topic. When you add a hashtag, your post becomes part of a larger, searchable collection, increasing its visibility beyond your existing followers and fostering engagement within communities of shared interest. Always use #VFWpostXXXXX (substitute the X's with your post number) - also use #postpride #stillserving #VFWca #VFWcadistrict2 - you can use others such as: #VFWbuddypoppies #MemorialDay #VeteransDay #NameOfYourCity - #Nameofyourevent - don't use spaces - mush the words together by using a capital letter instead of a space (*see examples above)
By putting the hashtag at the bottom of your comments on Social Media - ie Facebook, Instagram, X, and it becomes searchable in any of the search engines, including google. This is FREE and promotes your Post across the social media spectrum.
SUBMIMTTING ARTICLES
VFW Checkpoint - Submit an article with photos to Checkpoint. Their newsletter arrives in your email. Read all about the great work of VFW Posts around the country and how your Post can be featured in an upcoming issue of Checkpoint or the VFW magazine. Enjoy the articles and remember to let us hear about the good things your Post is doing in the community. Older issues are archived: 2009-2018 Back Issues
VFW Magazine - Submit an article with photos to the national VFW Magazine.
LOCAL MEDIA
Local Newspaper - Invite the local newspaper to come to your event, take photos and write an article. To find the contact, look for the section which lists the editor and photographers with submission information. Or, if the newspaper is on-line, check there for a contact.
