Recruit more than ever this Try Dive season

We are now fin-deep in the traditional Try Dive season for clubs, the perfect time to bring potential new members into the pool and give them a taste of just how wonderful scuba can be.

Try Dives are a great way of getting more trainees on your forthcoming Ocean Diver courses, so here are our top tips to ensuring you get the very best out of the season and hopefully recruit more new trainees than ever.

If you are short of instructors please ask for help so this doesn't restrict Try Dive initiatives and new member intake. You may wish to read the Need more active instructors in your club? blog post. Or, to cut to the chase, please contact Diving Support Advisor Geoff Bacon on 0151 350 6261 or email geoffb@bsac.com.

1. Set a goal outcome for the event

Want to fill your upcoming Ocean Diver course? Or maybe convert a certain percentage of try divers to members? Come up with a specific target which you can work towards.

e.g. eight new people to start an Ocean Diver course on 1 October. 

2. Write a simple plan for a Try Dive event

Structure the evening and keep organised - remember that you want these potential members to come back so you need to give them the best experience possible. But it's more than just an itinary, plan how you're going to get people to come to the event, who will help run it and when it'll be.

Utilise our 'How to run a Try dive Event' guide to help make a plan.

3. Delegate tasks

One person cannot run an event or promotional campaign alone. Delegate tasks and utilise all the resources you have available to you. Ask for help from other members of your club and play to everyone's strengths. 

e.g. use recent Ocean Diver graduates to greet Try Divers so they can talk about how great their experience was!

4. Nail your online presence

Digital marketing is the way forward and the best way to make a splash. Let everyone know that you're running Try Dives and when your next Ocean Diver course is beginning. Below are some 'Quick Wins' - easy ways to help gain traction online.

• Have a great ‘Learn to dive’ page on your website – this can either be seen as obvious or unnecessary, but either way, it's really important. Just having the words 'learn to dive' on your website will make you show up in more Google searches. For more information, see our 'Learn to dive' page guide.
• Create an ‘Event’ on Facebook – either for your Try Dive event or your Ocean Diver course, both will draw people in and make sure all your club members say they're 'Going' or 'Interested' so all their Facebook friends see the event too! For more on Facebook events, visit our Making the most of Facebook page.
• ‘Boost’ a post on Facebook to advertise the upcoming learn to dive course – or you can boost an event! For as little as £1 per day, you could get hundreds more people seeing your posts or events. Set the budget and how long you'd like the ad to run and you could get so much more interest. Find out more here.

5. Order plenty of materials

We have so much free promotional material available to you in the BSAC Shop - banners, posters, leaflets and don't forget the all-important Try Dive participant packs! I'm afraid you have to be a Branch Officer to gain access to the free promo materials but it only takes a moment to order them. For more information go to bsac.com/promomaterial.

6. Ask all members to promote the event

Even if they aren't attending or helping host, everyone can help promote the event. Be it online, in person or using all of the new print materials you ordered from the shop! 

7. Be excellent hosts

Ensure all visitors are seamlessly looked after and welcomed to the club. Take an interest in them and make them want to come back. When they arrive, ask why they wanted to do a Try Dive and what interested them about diving. After the session, invite them back to the clubhouse or social space for a chat and a drink.

8. Have an itinerary

Know exactly what is happening when and who is doing what. The slicker and more organised you are, the better it'll reflect on your club. Try not to keep the try divers waiting around for too long.

9. Follow up quickly

Answer all enquiries within 24 hours if possible and keep the try divers up to date. Send out a reminder before the event to everyone who has signed up.

Contact them again after the event to find out how it went, ask for feedback and if they're interested in signing up for the Ocean Diver course.

10. Debrief with your team

Find out what they think went well or not so well. Feedback any info gleaned from Try Divers so that next time you can improve if need be.