Chapter Websites: Why worry about them?

This article is written by Chief Risk Officer Gregory A. Roskopf and is part one of a three part series on managing your web presence. The series will share the Why, How, and What of creating a better online representation for your chapter.

Your roommate told you about this great burger joint on campus. You are famished and looking for a meal, but don’t want to walk across campus only to find out the burgers are 19 dollars each, so you decide to check their website. Forty nine seconds later, you realize they don’t have a website. Never mind, you are going to McDonald’s - the risk of disappointment isn't worth the effort.

Not the best first impression.

Swap out the burger joint for your Rush event and you have a problem. Your web presence is a crucial first impression and cannot be ignored.

In today’s world, the words "rush" and "recruitment" take on completely new meanings. Some schools don’t even allow the term rush because of how antiquated it has become in their community- but that’s another story for another time. For your chapter or colony, online and social media presence requires a new level of initiative. Especially when it comes to the recruitment process. It is not good enough to just have a website and Facebook page, you actually have to use them.

An inactive site is almost as bad as not having one, maybe even worse. It shows that you don’t care.

The good news for you and your group is having an online footprint does not have to be difficult. It requires being intentional, thoughtful, and engaging. It becomes an opportunity to tell your story, the story of the men in your chapter as well as the story of TKE. This is your chance to demonstrate the brotherhood that exists in your chapter or colony and illustrate for potential members why they should be excited to receive a bid or come check out the next event.

So why is this so important? Think of it like this: no football team ever starts from the 0-yard line on offense. OK, how does football have anything to do with recruitment? It’s quite simple actually. Your online presence in the form of a website and quality social media accounts is now the kickoff to potential new members getting to know you. It starts the conversation for you. The better you tell your story here; the more engaged the potential new member becomes; the better they can return on the information; the further along they are in wanting to join TKE.

Today, if someone wants information they grab their phone, open their web browser and head to Google. What comes up if we google your chapter? Go ahead, try it, I will wait.

OK, you are back. Was it what you expected? Does it tell the story of your chapter and compel potential new members to take action by reaching out? Does it scream join TKE? If it doesn’t, why not? You are losing opportunities with students, parents, and community members.

Your credibility matters. Taking the time to develop your online footprint and have a website that engages the audience is crucial to your success. Use these virtual spaces to have conversations with others. Don’t let this simple step in sharing the great things TKE has done for you and your chapter brothers sit idly by.

The next two articles in this series will cover more of the how to build it and maintain it. First, you have to sell yourself on it. In all seriousness, how could you not!