Surely engagement is a two way street? It seems plenty have something to say about things now, mainly off the back of a couple of Club statements.
It is Grange, yes. But in this digital age I think the Trust need to be a bit more proactive and behave a bit more like an online business. You can't just sit back and expect people to find you, and then hope that if they have stumbled across you that they will choose to return. Don't take this next bit personally because I think you have been a breath of fresh air in recent weeks, willing to listen and discuss things rather than the talking down and stropping off we've been used to from Trust board members in recent years, but in all honesty it's unlikely people will choose to return because most of the content the Trust put out is dry, stale and boring.
Melly has offered assistance in setting up a MailChimp service and that would be a start but it doesn't address the content and there's so much more they could do; run teaser campaigns, competitions, ask for input (not just from a prescriptive and restrictive survey), work with an affiliate to drive traffic or, easiest of all, just do something that's fun! It doesn't all have to be dry, dreary factual content - ask people for their best Cobblers memories, their favourite player, their worst journey to an away game, memories of Cobblers "characters" - the list is endless! Just start a conversation that isn't deadly serious, contentious, issue driven or trying to drum up support for a cause and will simply be a bit of a laugh.
That's what engages people, that's what makes them come back, that's what makes them like you. And when people like you, when you do have a serious point to make, they are more likely to listen and more likely to take your side. Have a look at the Simple Politics page on Facebook because they do a lot of this stuff brilliantly.
At the moment I think the Trust come over as a bunch of grumpy old men who would be much happier left to their own devices shuffling papers around the table in a WMC, a group who view their online presence as something they do begrudgingly and half heartedly because "That's just what you have to do these days". That's not the case. Digital is the way forwards, and should be at the heart of the the Trust's strategy, not simply seen as an afterthought or a cheaper alternative to mailshots.
