LAFA’s Fort Polk Newcomer’s Blog Taking Off and Taking Sponsors

By LAFA Staff

LEESVILLE, La.--The Fort Polk Newcomer’s Blog, created in 2021 by Louisiana Armed Forces Alliance, has some booming statistics, thanks to a partnership with the Vernon Parish Tourism Commission. Now, LAFA is wanting to expand its sponsorship of the blog. 

The blog provides useful, positive information to soldiers and families moving to the area. 

“LAFA staff created the blog in an attempt to influence the perception of Fort Polk among families considering the base as a duty station,” said Rick Allen, Chairman of Louisiana Armed Forces Alliance. “We wanted to give those who are anticipating a move to Fort Polk the opportunity to not just learn about our area, but see beyond any negativity they may have heard, because what they’ve heard is usually focused on how miserable training in the Box can be.”

Most soldiers who come to Fort Polk experience it from the perspective of training at the Joint Readiness Training Center (known as “the Box”), which is some of the toughest training in the world, since it is preparing soldiers for the hardest days of their lives: war. As many have learned and most of us know, it’s a false narrative. 

“The Newcomer’s Blog helps us get the message out about how warm and inviting our community actually is,” said Allen. 

In August, LAFA partnered with Vernon Parish Tourism to begin driving online traffic to the blog. 

“We’re excited about how successful the partnership is,” said Allen. “We’re grateful to John Crook and Tourism for sponsoring the blog and providing the momentum we needed for the blog to really take off.” 

The advertising paid for by Tourism includes Facebook ads that are targeted to geographical areas where soldiers go through basic and advanced training in Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. 

“We’re grateful to Tourism for financing the campaign and grateful to Logan Morris at the Vernon Chamber of Commerce who actually came up with the idea,” said Allen. 

This year, the Newcomer’s Blog has received almost 12,000 views from more than 5,500 visitors. The pages that get the most attention? Those focused on housing, jobs, education and fun things to do in the area seem to be getting the most views.  

And that’s not all. LAFA;’s social media reach is considerable as well. Since its inception in early September, the Fort Polk Newcomers Facebook page has reached more than 51,635 people. 

In May, LAFA created a discussion based Fort Polk Newcomer’s Group on Facebook, which now has almost 200 members who profess to be new to the area and stationed at Fort Polk. Additionally, more than 3,500 people have checked the group out since its inception.

And now, LAFA is providing members the opportunity to sponsor the blog and/or run ads on their social media space. 

“We would love for LAFA members to partner with us, similar to the way Tourism has,” said Allen. “Members could share in the cost of running the blog and at the same time get exposure for their business or organization to incoming soldiers and families.