How sorority recruitment taught me all I need to know about marketing

Sorority recruitment is exhausting. It is time consuming, often frustrating and requires an extreme amount of commitment. When I joined my sorority in Spring 2013, I had no idea the involvement surrounding this crazy process. After my first few recruitment workshops after my own initiation, I discovered that the basic tenets of Panhellenic recruitment distinctively mirror the basic tenets of marketing. After all, you are marketing your own chapter, aren't you?

The 4p's and basic tenets of marketing:

Price

Product

Place

Promotion

Price:

The first thing to keep in mind when marketing a product is the price. The same applies for sororities. Sororities are expensive, that can't be denied. When talking to a potential new member, sometimes it is important to remember that the cost of joining a sorority could be inhibiting them. It is important to show the VALUE of the product (or sorority) when discussing price in order to keep the buyer (or potential new member) engaged.

Product:

The ground level tenet of marketing is the product. Sometimes the product is just that, a product, but in formal recruitment the product is the sorority chapter. To recruit members, you must be able to effectively communicate the "product"- its benefits, features, appearance and uses. But you also must be able to read your consumer (or potential new member) well enough to know what features of the product will be the most important to them.

Place:

When girls go through sorority recruitment, often they are looking to expand their circle and join something much bigger than themselves. In order to effectively recruit them, you must know where else they are "shopping"- in this case, all other Panhellenic sororities. You need to remember once they leave your house, they will be going to talk to another house nearby. Similarly to marketing, once a buyer leaves the venue where your product is sold, you need to remember that they may be going to a store next door and looking at their version of your same product. You need to ensure your product (sorority) is housed appropriately in order to attract buyers. Examples of this include the environment in which you are recruiting, the environment in which other chapters are recruiting and using your channel appropriately to attract your target market.

Promotion:

In order for a sorority chapter to survive, they must initiate new members as older members graduate. It is hard for sororities to recruit new members without promoting their chapter in a variety of ways. Some of the best ways to promote a chapter involve being active and engaged on campus, enlisting positive public relations efforts and participating in formal recruitment. You can't be in the game without playing the game- understanding what needs to be done for product success. Formal recruitment is the ultimate form of promotion for sororities, just as different products have their ultimate form of promotion.