Social Media

The club rebranding initiative was embarked on in order to improve the club’s visibility as well as its outreach to attract more members. We have also noted that JRAC is one of the few running clubs around the Centurion areas offering midweek training runs to its members. In the past our strategy to recruit more members was primarily by word of mouth.

The club has had a Facebook page for some time, however with very limited interaction as it was not updated regularly. The current leadership appreciated the untapped potential provided by social media platforms, therefore more focus was placed in activating the club Facebook page and keeping it fresh, informative and relevant with regular posts and interactions with Facebook users. We have noted the following positive developments as a result of this initiative:

a) Regular updates on planned club activities, including midweek runs, weekend long runs;
b) Post photos of club members participation at race events, thereby celebrating the club’s progression and successes;
c) Posting of member’s inspirational stories
d) Posts on club special events, including post-comrades celebrations, spring run, etc.;

Over the cause of the year we have noted an increase statistics around interaction with our Facebook page, with increased enquiries from non-members. Some of them eventually took up membership and a good number have indicated an interest to take up membership in the coming year.

Administration of a club’s social media platforms takes time, needs passion, skill and commitment, particularly if done on a part-time basis. Often times we would require development and posting of material at the last minute. We would like to specially acknowledge Ms Khanyisa Mhlaba, who has been assisting in this regard on a voluntary basis. This service would otherwise be a cost to the club.