About a year ago, the VK0EK planning team put together a “multi-channel” communications / marketing plan, and it included:

• Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, DX News Sites
• “Old School” Media – Direct Email, Telephone and a nice Newsletter
• Two web sites – heardisland.org (traditional web site) and vk0ek.org (blog site – first pioneered during the TX5K Clipperton DX-pedition)
• Face to face meetings at Hamfests and other gatherings

We actually shared this communications and marketing plan at the 2015 IDXC as part of DX University, and that presentation was put together and given by Rich, KY6R.

We also attended the Visalia IDXC, Dayton and Friedrichshafen hamfests and set up a presence where we could talk to interested DX-ers face to face. We also presented at several regional ham gatherings and local club meetings. Our team put a LOT of hours into getting our message out and meeting people face to face. We are very proud to report that (thanks to you for helping to make it happen), plus our Corporate Sponsors and Individual and Club Donors, all of our hard work was well worth it. One truly amazing fact is that nearly 40% of our funding needs was filled by corporate donors (tents, camp beds, etc) who were actually outside of the DX Community! We believe we have broken new ground in this regard.

For this site in particular – VK0EK.ORG, you can see some interesting statistics at this link:

https://vk0ek.org/2015/annual-report/

And we were very surprised how much traffic came in from ADXO (NG3K) and both Twitter and an “old school” channel – the good old Newsletter. Even though we only sent it digitally and make it available – completely for FREE here:

http://www.heardisland.org/HD_pages/HD_newsletter.php

We were surprised that over 2000 people are on our mailing list for it. It is very clear that ham radio operators and the DX Community enjoys new media channels as well as the older channels. As Rich discussed in his DX University presentation, DX-peditions would do well to create a multi channel communications program that uses any and all channels that you think might help you make your point. We feel that we are closing out 2015 on a great note in this regard, and we wish you and your family the very best of 2016 – and hope you make all of your ATNO’s, band slots and contest points!

73 es gud DX!