Mike Hogan: The Problem Isn’t Square Dancing. It’s How We Sell It.

600 Flyers. Zero New Dancers. What Are We Missing?Are we marketing square dancing to the wrong people?In this revealing conversation, Leslie talks with Mike Hogan, a square dance caller with more than 50 years of experience and a professional marketing executive with 35 years in the business. Mike brings a unique perspective to one of the biggest challenges facing square and round dancing today: how do we reach people who aren't already dancers?Mike challenges some of our long-held assumptions about marketing. Why did 600 flyers produce zero new students? Why don't today's potential dancers respond to the methods that worked decades ago? And what happens when someone searches for square dancing online but finds a website designed primarily for people who already dance?We talk about awareness, social media, websites, the marketing funnel, repetition, and the importance of giving people a chance to experience square dancing before asking them to commit to lessons. Most importantly, Mike explains why clubs need to stop waiting for someone else to build awareness and start taking an active role in creating the future of the activity.Mike's message is ultimately hopeful: there are people of every age looking for real connection and social experiences. They just may not know that square dancing can give them what they're looking for.Listen in—and ask yourself: Are we doing what it takes to reach them?Help Square Dance Revival! reach potential new dancers through our national campaign. Donate at squaredancerevival.org.Go to SquareDanceRevival.org for more information, including training materials to help clubs grow, where to find a club, newsletters, and information about our National Campaign to introduce the US to square and round dancing.