Communications
This season provided a great opportunity to expand the club’s communications portfolio with Covid restrictions easing allowing for more opportunities to be shared with members.
Social Media
The 2021/22 season saw the introduction and implementation of a new role with Erin Close stepping up to the plate as social media coordinator. This saw Erin get a feel for the different social media platforms we have, create content and make posts throughout the season and I have no doubt that everyone can agree that she’s done a fabulous job!
Our social media platforms continue to be an effective communication strategy showing growth in total audience and reach per post.
Our public Facebook account Woolamai Beach SLSC has grown by 500 followers this season to hosting over 3,300 followers, continuing to be one of if not the largest Facebook platform for a Victorian club.
The woolamaislsc public Instagram account has continued to grow from 1,301 to 1,550 followers with Erin working hard to document patrols and social events showing everyone what goes on at Woolamai on both a professional and fun level.
The Wooli Wipeouts continued their great work showcasing the many great opportunities they have encouraging female surf development on their Instagram.
Still in its fledgling state, the sustainability committee created an Instagram account to document their work and initiatives going forward. I have no doubt that this will continue to grow and flourish in the years to come as the club continues to focus on sustainability.
The club’s LinkedIn account exhibited consistent posting of member achievements and the newsletters and will have a greater focus on member profiles and acknowledgements in the coming season to showcase our wonderful members.
TikTok
Yep, that’s right, the club has a TikTok account! Along with Instagram reels, TikTok showcases some of the more fun stuff we get up to at Woolamai with board paddles, course footage and just an overall behind the scenes.
A huge thank you to Erin Close this season for her work as Social media coordinator. She has risen to the challenge, and I look forward to expanding the team with her next year to improve and streamline the communications portfolio.
Member communication
One of my main focuses stepping into the role as director of communications this season was to streamline the way in which information is communicated to members, with the implementation of the weekly update and the monthly newsletter. These publications were implemented with the intention of connecting all generations of the club, removing the need for members to use Facebook to stay up to date, and instead giving them multiple avenues to see what's going on. The Weekly update gets sent out every Thursday and consists mainly of upcoming training courses, club events, LSV events and just general opportunities that members might be interested in. The Monthly newsletter focuses on what’s been going on in the club the past month, with a focus on member achievements, completed courses and an overall reflection on the Month targeted at both club members as well as the wider community.
Merchandise
While merchandise and patrol uniforms were again impacted this season by COVID with reduced sales opportunities and supplier delays, it was fantastic to be back on the beach for Nipper’s sales. Best sellers this year were hoodies (especially on the final few days of Nippers when cooler weather hit), club and surf rescue trackies, long sleeved black tees and bathers. Our total sales were $21,913 (incl GST) with 526 items sold. Peak sales days included Nippers, 5 bronze camps and two SRC camps, which saw 162 participants receive camp tops and patrol uniforms in their correct sizes plus the opportunity to purchase bathers, red and gray trackies and other items to be warm and functional while on patrol.
Many thanks to everyone who has helped in all the many parts of merch and patrol uniforms, whether it’s been picking boxes up from the post office, counting items, packing crates, lifting crates from and to high shelves for me, sorting patrol uniforms, sales, fulfilment and stocktakes. Merch provides an opportunity for our club to identify visually as a tribe, as well as generate some income. With the advent (hopefully!) of more predictable stock supply and sales opportunities, next season is a time we can review and refresh our merch offerings, meeting the clothing preferences for the broad range that our members’ ages and club stages reflects.
I'm stepping down this season, having coordinated merch for the last five years.
Fi Blackmore - Merchandise Co-ordinator
Club Website
The club website stayed mostly the same with limited additions and mainly the task of upkeep. The navigation bar and pages got updated and changed as well as more interaction and connection between pages linking the website together as a whole. This season saw the expansion of the newsletter with new sections for the monthly newsletter and weekly update. The Nippers section was updated to include new information for participants as well as those seeking information on how to join the program. A photo gallery was also added in as a way for members to access photos from camps, courses, events, and social functions as well as for the general public to get a feel of the club. A big thank you for Terry Aslanidis for his work and many great ideas with the website making it as smooth and polished as possible.
A big thank you to Fi Blackmore for her dedicated service to the club and in particular the merchandise for the last 5 years, doing an amazing job of ensuring all members from nippers to Gerries look fabulous in Wooli colours.
Id also like to extend my thanks to Riley Fyffe for helping me out this season as I learned the ropes of the communication’s portfolio as well as his work managing the Bass Coast Series communications to an exceptional standard.
Thank you to everyone who took pictures on camps and courses, tagged Woolamai in their photos, helped out selling merchandise and everything else that made the season run smoothly.
As we head into the 2022/2023 season, the communications portfolio will be heavily expanding, with a focus of building a defined and efficient structure that focuses on the internal and external communication aspects of the club. Stay tuned over the coming months to see how you can get involved!
Forever Wooli,
Ryan Box
Director of Communications