What are Some Advertising Methods for Conversation Cafés?
Kat Gjovik here, with the scoop from our "2-years and going strong" CC at Andante Coffee. We're a weekly CC on Bainbridge Island, a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle (so we're considered part of the Seattle-area community).
1) Email Listserve
"... for the sole purpose of providing announcements, notices and information regarding the Bainbridge Island Conversation Café."
At this point, it is a "newsletter" list, messages posted by the moderator only. At last count, we have about 90 subscribers. As the Café host and list moderator, I post a weekly notice about the up-coming CC, which includes basic logistics, topic for the week, and the CC Process and Agreements. If anyone would like to see one of our weekly postings on the Pegasus LIST, you are welcome to subscribe, even temporarily; send an e-mail to: [email protected] , or, send me an e-mail and I'll forward an example of our postings. It's easy to set up a similar list, for free, at Yahoo.
Results: This LIST is valuable in keeping in touch with dozens of people. Some subscribers are "regulars" at the CC; some pop in once a month; others watch for a topic that piques their interest, and some have never participated...but keep reading. It's also fairly easy for me :-)
2) Newspaper
I put a calendar item in our local semi-weekly paper (mid-week edition comes out day before our CC). It's free, and usually reads something like this (note: On every last Thursday of the month, our topic is "Open."):
Conversation Café: Hungry for conversation? Drop in for open, public dialogue on a variety of topics and add to the diversity of perspectives. This week, the topic is "Open," and will emerge from the ideas brought to the table. What are you eager to talk about? Conversation Café is open 1st and 3rd Thursdays (except holidays); all are welcome. 7-8:30p.m., at Andante Coffee, 123 Bjune Drive (in Winslow, near the corner of Bjune and S. Madison) and add contact information.
Results: I think this is an important piece; although it does not bring in hoards of people all at once, it does catch people's eye, continues to generate inquiries, and it demonstrates that CC is a regular occurrence. I have learned too, that when I haven't gotten the notice to the paper before the deadline or if they had to cut it due to space limitations, the "regulars" notice :-). Many who are not active on the internet rely on the calendar as a source of info about the topic.
3) The coffee shop
The most generous and community-oriented owner, makes space for announcements. A half-page notice in a plastic page protector announces the topic for the week and is posted on the wall by the fireplace. We also have a short stack of the quarter-page CC handouts on the counter by the cash register - this is one of my personal favorites because they're visible, simple yet appealing, and people tend to pick them up and put in their pockets. (This is the one designed by Fred in Toronto; can be downloaded from Host Resources - see "Handbill.") Baristas are also a wealth of information - they answer questions about the topic, the time, etc.
Results: The café itself is probably the most valuable source of information and PR for the CC - regular patrons, visitors and drop-ins alike see and hear about the CC.
4) Word of mouth
Although we haven't been particularly intentional about this, many newcomers to our CC heard about it from or were invited by "regulars" (we have a solid core of devoted CC'ers). For our anniversary in January, we invited each participant to bring a friend.
5) Press
We have had only a small amount of press coverage. In January, 2004, we had our two-year anniversary, so we sent a special press release to our local paper and to a new non-profit monthly "Community News" paper that is mailed to every household on the Island.
Results: Hard to quantify; I think articles in the "Community News" will be great for outreach.
6) Organizations
We have just started talking about approaching local organizations (faith-based, Senior Center, Arts & Humanities Council, etc.) with an offer to make a presentation, convene a special CC for their "members," and/or provide information about our CC they can post in their newsletters, on their bulletin boards, etc. (This idea was brought up in a recent CC...by the participants!!)
Results: We're hoping this will generate much interest, and be the source for new hosts and new cafés in our area.
About the location for a Conversation Café:
A coffee shop/restaurant is a visible, open and public place which is most likely, I think, to attract mainstream public, be accessible to "drop-ins," increase potential for "strangers talking with strangers," provide an ambiance that feels like a coffee klatch (sharing coffee, tea, bakery goods and/or a meal), and is a partnership with a local business.
We've just started talking about meeting rooms at the library, churches, Senior Center, etc, and their different and equally valuable qualities. A "plus" for these places is that prospective Café participants are in their natural settings and begin with some understood "common ground" (faith based, living spaces, organization, etc.). We've identified two challenges for some of these places/organizations - to find topics that are "mainstream" and bring out a broad diversity of thought, and to bring the amenities of a coffeeshop (coffee, food, decor) into a meeting room.
All for now.....best wishes for your Café!
Kat