When it comes to member-based organizations, a strong onboarding process sets the foundation for long-term engagement and retention. However, many organizations face challenges in their orientation processes, including suboptimal structures, inconsistent communication, and impersonal procedures.

Thankfully, there’s an easy (and effective!) way to provide engaging introductory journeys for new members: the creation of your own onboarding plan. Without further ado, let’s explore the five simple steps to designing an orientation experience that’s right for your organization!

Step 1: Outline a 30-60-90-Day Onboarding Plan

A 30-60-90-day plan offers a phased approach that helps pique members’ interest and keep them coming back for more. This sets proper expectations for new members and consistently provides them with something to look forward to. By gradually introducing your organization’s benefits and opportunities over time, you create a natural progression that builds excitement and commitment.

Here’s how best to structure your organization’s onboarding process:

Day 1-30: Welcome and Orientation

• Send a personalized welcome email that includes a message from leadership and a clear roadmap of the onboarding process.
• Provide a welcome packet that includes essential resources (including helpful items like benefit overviews, event calendars, and contact information).
• Invite new members to an orientation webinar where they can learn about your association and ask questions.
  • To avoid continuously running orientation webinars, schedule them at set times throughout the year (e.g. every three months); make sure to include these dates in your welcome package!

Days 31-60: Promoting Participation

• Send out invitations to join special interest groups, committees, or mentorship programs. This advertises additional benefits (like networking!) and offers value.
• Provide educational resources (such as exclusive articles, case studies, or videos) to deepen engagement; remember, content creation doesn’t have to be difficult!
• Host opportunities for collaboration through discussion forums or social media groups.

Days 61-90: Fostering Long-Term Commitment

• Highlight member success stories to build inspiration–and showcase industry role models!
• Send out surveys to evaluate the onboarding experience and gather insights for future improvements.
• Provide periodic updates to mark a clear path for further involvement–leadership opportunities, volunteering roles, and advanced learning programs are all great ways to keep members interested in what you offer.

Step 2: Leverage Multiple Communication Channels

Different members connect in different ways, so meeting them where they’re most comfortable makes all the difference! A multi-channel approach ensures no one falls through the cracks while also creating multiple touchpoints, reinforcing your organization’s continued (and future) success.

Social Media & Community Groups

• Create exclusive LinkedIn or Facebook groups for new members to foster connections; be sure to post regularly to keep up the engagement!
• Assign community ambassadors or veteran members to engage with newcomers and answer questions–sometimes it’s easier to ask a fellow peer than it is to approach the organization itself.
• Encourage members to introduce themselves and share their goals within the group. The more members can network amongst themselves, the more bonds are formed, the more value your organization offers.

Webinars & Live Sessions

• Host live Q&A sessions to address common concerns and provide real-time support. Be sure to schedule these regularly and in advance so that they can be included in your event calendar. The purpose is to have members attend, after all, so you want to ensure everyone is well aware before the registration cutoff!
• Feature guest speakers or senior members to discuss the value of active participation. These talks can be combined with “Speaker of the Month” or industry veteran “Ask Me Anything” sessions–which can then be repurposed into future educational content.
• Record sessions and provide on-demand access for those who are unable to attend the original live session; these on-demand offerings could be included as a member benefit or used to generate non-dues revenue through sales. You could even combine these options–allow anyone to buy access to your recordings, but provide members a hefty discount. Everybody wins!

Step 3: Foster a Sense of Belonging

True engagement happens when members feel that they’ve found a place within your community. Creating meaningful connections from day one transforms newcomers from passive observers to active participants who genuinely want to contribute!

Interactive Welcome Events

• Organize virtual meet-and-greet sessions where new members can introduce themselves and connect with one another. Keep things light and welcoming–think of it as a “coffee chat” rather than a formal meeting.
• Conduct speed networking activities to facilitate quick connections. Even just 5 minutes can spark lasting conversations!
• Use icebreaker activities that align with your organization’s mission and values; this helps your members feel connected to each other and to the community.

Create a Check-In Strategy

• Send periodic emails to members with information on upcoming programs and explain how to register. Be sure to add friendly tips (like “Don’t miss our quarterly get-togethers–they’re great for making new connections!”) to make it feel more personal.
• Review new member activity (such as engagement scores) within your organization every couple of months to identify re-engagement opportunities. If someone hasn’t joined any events yet, reach out with a tailored invitation: this shows you’re paying attention–and, more importantly, that you care.

Add a Personal Touch

• Send handwritten or digital welcome notes from organization leaders. Individualized interactions go a long way in making people feel valued from the very beginning.
• Feature new members in newsletters or social media shoutouts to help them feel recognized in the community while also celebrating their arrival.

Step 4: Encourage Two-Way Engagement

The most successful onboarding experiences recognize that new members bring valuable perspectives alongside their fresh enthusiasm. Rather than simply delivering information, create opportunities that benefit both sides.

Gathering Early Feedback

• Use quick surveys or polls to assess member expectations and preferences. Keep them short and engaging, as members are more likely to respond when it takes less than a minute to do so.
• Ask open-ended questions in welcome emails to encourage direct responses.
  • For example, you could ask questions like, “What are you most excited to explore?” to push for a more genuine conversation.
    • Be sure to offer them an outlet to share their answers, too; a designated staff email or social media account can provide just the solution.
• Monitor engagement levels through analytics like email open rates, event attendance, and engagement scores. Data is the most accurate fortune-teller of all!

Make it Interactive

• Encourage new members to participate in forum and social media discussions by posing questions or sharing their experiences. For instance, you could ask, “What’s the best career tip you’ve received so far?”
• Offer incentives for engagement, such as small prizes (like coupon codes, raffle entries, or even physical merchandise) for completing onboarding milestones. Gamifying the process keeps things fun and motivating!
• Implement a buddy system where existing members are paired with newcomers. Designated peer-to-peer connections can help your members feel more at ease.

Step 5: Monitor & Adapt the Process

Even the best-designed processes need regular fine-tuning to remain effective; what works for one generation of members may require adjustments for the next. Thankfully, being responsive to change can ensure that your onboarding process continues to deliver results, regardless of how your audience evolves.

Track Key Metrics

• Engagement rates: Pay attention to the number of members attending events, opening/clicking emails, and participating in discussions; this will show you how popular your offerings are over time.
  • Robust Association Management Systems can also provide you with engagement scores–actual point values assigned to members based on their engagement with your platform.
• Retention rates: One of the easiest ways to judge the efficacy of your onboarding process is by tracking the percentage of members who renew their membership after the first year. The higher the retention, the better your organization is at catching the attention of new members.
• Survey feedback: Surveys, polls, and other direct forms of feedback collection will provide clear insight into what worked well and what needs improvement. You’ll be hearing it straight from the source!
• Drop-off points: On the other side of the retention coin, it’s crucial to identify when members have disengaged so that you can swiftly address any potential pain points.

Iterate, Iterate, Iterate!

Improvement is a constant state, and even a small step forward is still a step.

• Regularly review onboarding reports to identify trends and areas for further improvement. Make this part of your quarterly routine to stay ahead of the curve!
• Experiment with different approaches by promoting more interaction through gamification tools. Try points, badges, or challenges that reward progress.
• Keep onboarding content fresh through a steady stream of member success stories and other resources. This demonstrates that your community is continually evolving and offering new, exciting things.

Conclusion

Creating an exceptional onboarding experience isn’t just about checking boxes–it’s about transforming how new members connect with your organization from the very first interaction. When newcomers feel welcomed and supported right away, they’re more likely to become active participants instead of passive observers.

While tailoring messages to individual member activity may require more effort (though less than you would think if your organization takes advantage of automation!), it demonstrates that you value them, while also making your services feel directly relevant. You’re building a personalized roadmap: the more you guide them toward opportunities that match their interests, the more they’ll invest in your community.

Take a moment to evaluate your current onboarding strategy and ask yourself: What steps can your organization take today to enhance the experience for new members? 

Start small, gather feedback, and refine your approach for lasting success!

References

Fischer, K. (2025). Tetherform. Tetherform. https://tetherform.com/blog/designing-an-effective-new-member-onboarding-process-90-day-guide?

Julianne Fitzpatrick. (2024). Top 10 Tips for Effective Member Onboarding from Association Experts. ASAE. https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/articles/an_plus/2024/02-february/top-10-tips-for-effective-member-onboarding-from-association-experts

Kerri L. McGovern, MPP, CAE and Meagan Roloff, CAE. (2025). Start Strong: Five Onboarding Strategies to Set Your New Members Up for Success. ASAE. https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/articles/an_plus/2025/06-june/start-strong-five-onboarding-strategies-to-set-your-new-members-up-for-success?

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Analytics are the secret weapon that allow you to make real data-driven decisions, ultimately letting you create a strategy that offers members a more personalized (and way better!)  association experience.

If you’re flying blind without data backing you up, take a minute to consider your options. It’s a risky move to go based on vibes alone, and your competitors may already be using analytics to help them up their game!

Thankfully, it’s never too late to start using data. In this article, we’ll be breaking down how your organization can start using analytics like a pro. Let’s begin!

What is Member Analytics?

Before we dive too deep, let’s start with the basics. Member analytics is all about collecting and making sense of data on member behaviour. It helps give you better insight on what your members want, how they engage, and what keeps them coming back, year after year. When considered correctly, member analytics can guide you towards actionable growth opportunities in your association.

How Associations Use Analytics to Boost Engagement

Smart organizations don’t just guess what their members want. They said that when you assume, you… Well, you know the rest.

Instead, when it comes to making strategic decisions that impact the organization, tech-savvy organizations typically use data to:

• Personalize experiences, making members feel special and seen.
• Track trends in engagement (a.k.a what’s hot and what’s not) so that you can do more of what works (and less of what doesn’t!).
• Spot at-risk members before they leave; it’s all about retention, so knowing who’s on the fence about renewing is vital for targeting outreach.
• Optimize marketing and messaging to hit the right audience every time–better campaigns mean better engagement, after all!

Types of Member Data You Can Track

If you want data to work for you, you need to know what exactly you should be tracking. Here are some key metrics you’ll want to keep an eye on:

• Demographics: Age, location, job title—these data points can help you craft better messaging.
• Behavior: What content are they interested in? How often are they logging in? This can help you tailor your communications.
• Engagement Metrics: Event participation, email open rates, social media interactions–these all indicate investment.
• Feedback: Surveys, reviews, and direct member input are vital; after all, what better place is there to get your information than straight from the source?

Every organization is different, so don’t hesitate to add additional, more specific data points to your list. Sometimes you just have to throw some spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks!

Key Benefits of Leveraging Analytics

Now that you know what to track, it’s time to talk about why it matters. Harnessing the power of data analytics can transform your association by providing crucial insight on what changes should be made (or not made!) to help you get closer to achieving your organization’s goals.

So, let’s talk implementation: what can you do with the analytics you gather?

1. Create Tailored Experiences

Nobody likes a one-size-fits-all approach. Data lets you segment members into groups to send more personalized event invitations, content suggestions, and messages that actually resonate.

2. Enhance Decision-Making

No more “winging it”! Data-driven insights help you make smarter, more strategic choices—whether you’re choosing what kind of events to host or debating how to tweak your onboarding process.

Look at the stats: where do people spend the most time on your website? What’s the typical renewal rate in the first year of members joining? Which events get the most engagement?

Asking these questions (and then finding the answers) will help your association perfect its processes across the board.

3. Optimize Marketing and Communication

Ever sent out a newsletter that nobody opened? Analytics help you understand what resonates with your audience so you can craft messages that actually get clicks.

Keep on eye on how many emails bounce, how many get opened, and how many links get clicked–then, experiment! It’s all about testing new things and finding out what works, what doesn’t, and what to try next.

4. Predict Member Behavior

Imagine being able to identify when a member is about to disengage before it actually happens. What if you knew which benefits members liked most? What if you knew what topics your members were most interested in before planning conference sessions?

With analytics, it’s not a guessing game–you can spot trends and take action right away. Reach out to those who have drifted away and remind them of all you offer; find out which benefits get the most engagement and promote them to new members; track which courses are the most popular and use them as a template for future content.

Implementing an Effective Member Analytics Strategy

Now that you know the what and the why of analytics, let’s talk about the how.

1. Set Clear Objectives

Consider: what do you want to achieve?

• More engagement?
• Higher retention?
• More event sign-ups?

Define your goals so you can measure success properly. Then: track it all! Knowing is only half the battle–make sure you’re following up with your own objectives regularly and checking your analytics periodically to make sure your initiatives are going as planned.

2. Align Analytics with Membership Goals

Your data should empower your association, not overwhelm it.

Instead of getting lost in endless metrics, prioritize tracking the key performance indicators (KPIs) that most impact your membership growth, engagement, and retention.

By aligning the analytics you pay the most attention to with your strategic goals, you can make data-driven decisions that enhance member experiences, strengthen loyalty, and drive long-term success.

3. Define Your KPIs

Keep tabs on things like:

• Engagement Scores

How much does each of your members engage with your sites? By tracking engagement scores, you can spot unengaged members and reach out to them directly before it’s too late.

• Retention Rates

If you see that members keep renewing year after year, that’s great–keep it going! However, if you see a lot of turnover in your member base, that’s a sign you’ll want to change up your association’s direction.

• Member Satisfaction

Solicit feedback from members to keep an eye on how happy everyone is with your association’s offerings. You can also track reviews and member correspondence to get a wider view of the general “vibe”.

If you notice more complaints than compliments, it’s time to try something new!

• Courses Purchased (and Completed!)

If you have a course that’s especially popular in your store, take note–the topic is likely particularly sought-after in your industry! But don’t stop there–you also want to keep an eye on course completions.

Meanwhile, if a course gets a lot of buyers, but not a lot of finishers–well, that means there’s a problem somewhere in the course itself. Take a deeper look to see where members are getting held up. Are the quizzes too hard? Are members stopping the video halfway through?

Remember: the more information you have, the better you can make your content!

• Event Attendance

Similar to your on-demand courses, it’s good to track how many people purchase and attend your events.

Even better, find out when members purchase–are they early birds, or do they wait right up until the last minute to get their tickets? Knowing this can help your association plan for things like discounts and promotions.

• Amount of Support Required

How many messages requesting support does your association receive daily? Weekly? Monthly? Do your socials get tagged by members seeking help?

Keeping track of how much support your members need will let you know what needs to be changed in order to keep things running smoothly. After all–a good platform can actually help you decrease your tech support tickets!

4. Choose the Right Platform

Not all analytics tools are built the same! Pick a platform that has the right features for your organization. For example, you may be interested in…

• CRMs can help you keep track of member and non-member information, making it easy to reach out individually or with campaigns.
• Admin Dashboards can give you real-time insights at a glance.
• AI-powered reports can help you track current member behavior and plan for the future easier than ever before.
• 360 member view analytics can show you each member’s journey across your platform, letting you know which of your features are the most valuable to your audience.
• Member engagement managers can automatically assign members engagement scores based on how often they access the platform, how long they’re on it, and what they do while they’re there.

5. Automate for Efficiency

Stop spending hours manually collecting and analyzing data! By automating data collection and reporting, your organization can reduce errors, save valuable time, and gain real-time insights.

Let automation free you from tedious tasks so you can focus on making informed, strategic decisions that drive business growth.

6. Ensure Data Accuracy and Security

Messed-up data means messed-up decisions. Make sure you keep your organization’s data clean with:

• Regular audits
• Privacy regulation compliance
• Cybersecurity training for staff
• Ethical handling (because member trust is everything!)

Conclusion

Let’s be real—data analytics isn’t just a nice bonus, it’s a game-changer. Without data, all you’ve really got is guesswork. Nowadays, with the advanced technology that can track our every move in the digital world, every move, click, interaction and transactions, provides a gold-mine of data. Tap into your organization’s data and draw conclusions based on facts!

So don’t wait to dive into the numbers–embrace the data-driven mindset, and watch your membership strategy go from basic to brilliant!

References:

Data, L. (2022, September 13). Leveraging Data Analytics to Improve Member Service | CU Management. CU Management. https://www.cumanagement.com/articles/2022/09/leveraging-data-analytics-improve-member-service

How to Use Data Analytics to Improve Member Retention in Unions | SwiftFox | Everything you need to compete. Whatever your goal. (2024). Swiftfoxcrm.com. https://www.swiftfoxcrm.com/blog-posts/how-to-use-data-analytics-to-improve-member-retention-in-unions

Schmitz, P., & Schmitz, P. (2024, September 25). Membership Insights: 3 Analytics to Enhance Engagement. AMR Management Services – an Association Management Company. https://amrms.com/member-engagement-analytics/

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The specifics of a membership manager’s job depend largely on their industry, the resources they have available to them, and their association’s values. There are, however, some common requirements and challenges to the job that managers face. Therefore, it can be beneficial and excellent practice for membership managers to put some good habits in place, including strategies that will help keep them on track with their service to members.

Create a Member Roadmap

There’s a progression for a member and consumer, flowing from the initial contact all the way to the point of being a long-term member. While every member has their own unique experience, the path has some standard checkpoints along the way. The more accurately a manager can map these out, the better they can understand their members. To accomplish this, think about every touchpoint an association has with a member, every contact point that could be made. After identifying every potential engagement step along a member’s journey, it’s time to fine-tune the associational responses that they receive.

How will a potential member first hear about your association? What promotional material will they likely get? Think about what type of information you want to provide to entice interest and Imagine you’re a prospective member doing an internet search. Test out some possible searches and see what the rankings indicate. Depending on your industry and your market, you may consider targeting more niche areas and keywords to rank in. Go through every step and try to give members what they would want at every stage. New members, first-time event attendees, prospective renewals, potential mentors, all require a unique approach.

Finally, connect this into one cohesive roadmap; if all goes right, a single member could touch every stage along the way. This will help you to create a continuous and evolving experience for members.

Set Your Targets and Track Them

As a membership manager, it’s important that you break down your overall goal into smaller, measurable targets. For instance, every manager is looking to drive growth, but growth is a collection of a variety of factors, including increased revenues, memberships, renewals, event registrations, and engagement. While some will ultimately be related and overlap, try to isolate your goals by zeroing in on known problems or shortcomings in the association. It might help to go through your entire member roadmap and look at each contact point, evaluating and assessing their individual effectiveness in serving your goals.

When divided into more manageable targets, managers can better focus their attention on a specific goal and measure the results. Take a look at where expectations are falling short and think of ways to improve your outcome. Once a plan has been devised, operationalize it for a set period of time, track the response, and compare it to your previous attempts. You want to commit to the new plan for long enough to get a solid data set, but don’t be afraid to acknowledge when the plan has failed. The ability to admit defeat and move on is important in any situation—know when to cut your losses and get started on the next solution.

Try Something New

When trying to arrive at a solution or improvement, membership managers should not be afraid to try something new. Now, this is typically easy when a fresh attempt doesn’t work, but when members and staff get used to a process or application–even if it doesn’t work particularly well–it can be difficult to make a change. Don’t be shy about making adjustments. Research all of the available tools and resources; consider how they might improve your current setup.

Most of the time, sticking with flawed processes is grounded in budgetary concerns. For example, an association may continue to use underperforming software because they extensively customized it, and making a change would cost money. While understandable, budgetary concerns should be weighed against possible production improvements. Will a change improve your efficiency, member engagement, or member satisfaction enough to warrant the cost? In the odd case, a change can help improve a situation even when something appears to be successful! Rather than changing a working process outright, however, try your alternative out on a test audience or for a short period first. Experimentation is the key to saving both time and money!

Keep Your Eyes and Ears Open

One of the most important habits for a membership manager is to listen to and watch what’s going on around them. First, pay attention to your members. Reach out to them and ask them what they want as members and what aspects of their membership are falling short of expectation. Listen to what they tell you and make sure to actually use the information! When testing out new processes, request user reviews to see how they respond. Conduct surveys and give members as many opportunities to be heard as possible. The more say members have in their membership, the more invested they will become!

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Members are the lifeblood of every association. While maintaining a solid membership represents the central mission, acquiring new members remains a yearly challenge. According to the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, less than half of all associations increased their new member acquisitions in 2018 and nearly 25% of associations saw a decrease in renewals. To keep the fresh faces rolling in and the familiar faces smiling, associations must continue finding new methods of increasing and maintaining their membership. The following tips might just do the trick.

INTEGRATE SPONSORSHIP

Perhaps the most effective method for attracting new members and driving renewals is by improving membership value.  Although this can be done a number of ways, increasing sponsorship dollars and involvement can go a long way to achieving this goal. To increase sponsorship dollars, associations need to find more sponsors or find more innovative means of sponsor involvement. The key for the latter option is integration.

By better integrating sponsors in its initiatives, an association can provide sponsors with more valuable opportunities and offer higher sponsorship levels (and prices). This could mean giving sponsors direct access to an event audience as a guest speaker or allowing them to host a focus group. These opportunities can prove mutually beneficial if done right, ensuring sponsors want to maintain and further develop this relationship.

 PROVIDE VALUE IN VALUABLE LOCATIONS

Both new and established members look for value in their memberships. An effective method for an association to demonstrate value is to establish itself as an authority in the industry. This can be done online by starting or joining meaningful conversations. Try hosting informative discussions and providing actionable insights that potential members can join in on or, at the very least, notice.

To accomplish this effectively, associations need to identify where their potential members congregate and what interests them the most. This may require the association to divide potential members into demographic groups. It might start a LinkedIn discussion on specific industry topics or share relevant stories and news via Facebook or Twitter.

HOST MUST-ATTEND EVENTS

While it may sound easier than it is, hosting events that sponsors want to participate in and members want to attend is a powerful way to drive both renewals and new members. Associations can come up with a variety of ways to create a must-attend event, but demonstrating value is paramount. A great way to create value is to make the event unique, offer something members and potential attendees can’t find anywhere else.

This might involve taking some risks. Try discussing cutting-edge topics or projected industry trends. Recruit new speakers who haven’t done the industry event speaker circuit and those who bring with them new ideas. Integrate sponsors with similar interests to improve event workshops, focus groups, and discussions. Finally, invite or incentivize members to bring a guest and a potential new member.

 LISTEN TO CURRENT MEMBERS

One of the best sources of information for an association is their current members. This is a group that knows what they want and what they need from their association. Conduct a member survey to generate a list of improvements and share the results with members. Most importantly, make sure to address the feedback. Follow through on promises and prove to members that their input is important and highly valued.

TAP INTO PREVIOUS MEMBERS

According to the 2018 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, 16% of members choose not to renew their memberships on average. While these former members have a variety of reasons for not renewing, this group represents a very valuable source for both referrals and renewals. Equipped with these former member’s contact information, associations can use targeted advertising and offer special member discounts for best results. Facebook’s target audience feature can help streamline this process.

KEEP MEMBERS ENGAGED

Engaged members are often loyal members, and proper engagement starts at the very beginning. As soon as new members join, personally thank them and provide them with an orientation. Familiarize them with the association. Show them how to access member benefits and encourage them to participate in the community. If possible, connect new members with a mentor or a more experienced member to accommodate this process.

From there, keep your members informed. Notify them of current discussions, upcoming events, and professional development opportunities. Be sure to ask members what level of communication with the association they want and honor that feedback.

UNDERSTAND THE MEMBER LIFE CYCLE

Members want different things at different stages of their careers. While offering a one-size-fits-all benefit system might be easiest, it’s more effective to offer something for each of the various groups. If done properly, members will continue finding benefits in their association and continue their engagement over the course of many years.

The first here is to understand the member life cycle. Identify what the member career stages are and what professionals need at each stage. For example, new professionals might seek out events to attend or mentoring opportunities. More experienced professionals may look for continuing education courses or professional development workshops. Meanwhile, industry veterans may find value in more hands-on opportunities, such as volunteering with the association, delivering event speeches, or contributing content for training.

GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT

While paid advertising is a great way to get new members, there are other, more inexpensive methods. Natural advertising, for example, that which comes from members simply because they wish to share an association’s value with those around them, can cost nothing. For this to happen, however, members need a reason to discuss the association and they need to do so on a public channel.

Try starting a conversation on the channels your potential members use, like Facebook or LinkedIn. Encourage members to share stories or accomplishments, post pictures or give out event and workshop invitations. Even if this advertising doesn’t directly result in new members, it will generate a buzz and familiarity within the industry.

RUN A SUCCESSFUL MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

Membership drives represent one of the best ways to create an influx of new members. These concerted efforts to market an association and generate interest in joining can take on a variety of forms, but the results can prove very beneficial. To get the most out of a drive, develop a strategy, make a budget, and utilize all the resources available.

Membership drives might be as simple as an advertising campaign, email or phone campaign, incentivized referrals, or a resource giveaway. Some associations host small events, like luncheons, business spotlights, or speaker events, or larger events, such as networking events, charity drives, or conferences.

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In-person events, such as conferences and conventions, have long been the staple of associations’ non-dues revenue streams. In fact, as much as 41% consider it their most valuable source of ancillary earnings, according to Association Adviser. Organized properly, they can certainly help diversify revenue, create necessary brand recognition and member loyalty. However, in person events can also require massive time and resource investments, meticulous planning and execution as well as relentless advertising in order to be successful and profitable. A clever way to counter this drawback is to boost revenues from in-person events by selling merchandise, sponsorship packages, hotel rooms, etc. Nevertheless, the financial impact of these add-ons is singular and marginal at best. Meaning that the event cannot be recreated once completed. If ticket sales are less than expected, then the association may even end up in a deficit situation.

There is, however, a more effective and simple way to tackle the issue: ensuring that the event is additionally recorded and available online, on-demand. And that’s exactly what an organization we discuss below did; they were able to increase the conference revenue from $250,000 in 2017 to $300,000 in 2018. How did they get an additional $50,000? Keep reading to find out!

Making events virtual and allowing on-demand viewing lends the level of versatility and revenue increase that cannot be achieved with onsite-only events. It gives the members unabridged access to content, and provides more opportunities to monetize in person events. Once digitized, event sessions have many uses. For example, conference sessions can be sold as individual online presentations or grouped into thematic sections or sold as a package. Whatever you decide to do with the content, the key is to figure out what works best for your association.

A Case in Point: How an Association Added 20% to their Revenue by Recording a Single Conference Session and Offering it Online.

Let’s consider the following scenario. Imagine an organization, let’s call it Association of Professionals or AP for short. AP is an association with voluntary membership of roughly ten thousand, offering professional services and events, along with an annual conference. The conference is part revenue stream and also an effort to engage members and provide a venue for networking, sharing of ideas and knowledge as well as industry insights. And like many other associations, to entice members and bump up the attendance, AP offers professional development (PD) or continuing education (CE) credits as part of the conference. This type of incentive is especially pertinent to industries with mandatory continued education or training requirements.

Every year the AP board sits down to discuss the upcoming event and to review the previous ones for reference and improvement. This time around the procedure was no different, two of the past conferences—the 2017 and 2018—were compared and analyzed. There was just one caveat: some of the 2018 conference sessions had been recorded and available on-demand, so the revenues were no longer as similar as in the past. In fact, there was a significant change between the two events.

Consider this: only 1000 people or 10% of AP’s membership participated in both conferences. It was a two-day event with twenty sessions per day. The total revenue earned in the 2017 conference came up to $250,000 from all tickets sold. And the total for the 2018 conference rose to $300,000.

So, how did the introduction of recording and on-demand video affect the revenue numbers at the end of 2018? Well, AP was able to generate the additional revenue in a one-year period after the conference. It was achieved by recording just one! Session from the 2018 conference, and making the video available on demand for $50 through an online learning platform that is accessible through their website. In this case, only 1000 of AP’s 10,000 members bought the video. Imagine what could be achieved with more than one video and a good marketing strategy to go along with that. By the same token, simply repackaging and reusing, not even all, but some of your most popular sessions—the already generated and readily available content—your association could increase the revenue from events by a serious margin.

The Ins and Outs of Choosing the Right Approach for Your Conference and Event Recording Needs.

It is important to note that as a sort of a pilot project for AP, the process of picking the right technology and method was largely new and unknown. So, the organizers considered several options prior to agreeing to recording the 2018 event.

Just as in the year prior, they looked at numerous other ways of approaching this matter, including live video streaming. This has been a trend for quite some time. And to be fair, it’s not just a buzzword, there’s a myriad of applications to this fascinating technology, however challenges of implementing it are no less great. Trying to live stream even a single session, not to mention two or more simultaneously, requires meticulous preparation and serious technical capability and expertise. To put it simply: it’s an equivalent of running and broadcasting a live TV show for the duration of the event. The amount of planning that goes into that kind of production should not be underestimated.

Thus, having considered the pros and cons, AP decided to look elsewhere. On-demand videos was another option. It gave them the flexibility of post-production editing as well as full control over content to help avoid any potential issues associated with live events. Since this was a pilot project, hiring a professional videographer to help out with all the recording-related bits and pieces was a natural initial reaction. Having a professional in any setting can be a benefit, especially if it involves a learning curve. However, it should go without saying that hiring someone knowledgeable comes with additional expenses that must be factored into the budget.

Nevertheless, compared to a somewhat raw final product of recording videos yourself, today’s technology allows a lot. With tech capabilities of an average smartphone, video production easily falls into the Do It Yourself category. For example, Apple introduced support for high definition videos in its ubiquitous iPhones as far back as 2015. This is to say there’s really nothing holding you back from buying some sturdy tripods at a local or online store, and taking matters into your own hands—literally. At least that’s what AP’s event organizers ended up doing for their 2018 conference: Keeping cost under control and recording that session themselves!

The Sky’s the Limit for Revenue Increase from On-Demand Events and Conferences

There are several variables involved when offering video courses online, but luckily, the odds are all in your favor. If the lesser popular videos can remain online indefinitely, racking up views and generating revenue, imagine what a highly-demanded or mandatory PD/CE presentation could do. Indeed, it’s a gift that keeps on giving as your speakers and conference is constantly being promoted through the online sessions.

Remember that only 10% of AP’s members took part in the conference. This means a huge chunk of 9,000 people or 90% of AP’s audience and its potential revenue remained untapped. Some of those members might have not been interested in traveling and paying for food and accommodation, others might have not wished to take valuable time off work. Regardless of the reason, the opportunity costs – to use the economic term, of such inaction could be far too high, especially for associations with small non-dues revenue streams. Moreover, let’s not forget about the non-members. Having a quality mandatory lecture or highly sought-after event speaker at your conference could surely drive up traffic from outside of the member perimeter, which in turn would create more revenue as the non-member fees are usually higher. This also serves as a means to promote your events to both members and non-members.

Since scalability is truly limitless, such an investment can yield solid returns rain or shine. With potential returns like what we described with AP, the benefits of offering event and conference content online are boundless, and the sky’s truly the limit.

The post Benefits of Digitizing In-Person Events and Conferences for Associations appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

Members are the life blood of every association. Therefore, associations make concerted efforts to attract new members. While attracting new members is a critical component of a sustainable association, retaining existing members should not be overlooked. Every year, more associations are shifting their primary focus to member retention. The numbers don’t lie. Acquiring a new member can cost between five and twenty-five times more than retaining an existing member. This disparity becomes even larger when you consider the value a member brings to the association. Retained members spend more money within the association and are often more involved in association events than new members.

While attracting new members will always be incredibly important for associations, many are putting more emphasis on member retention by developing initiatives that foster member loyalty. But, if loyalty drives member retention, then the question becomes: what’s driving member loyalty?

Here are six strategies for creating loyal members.

1. Be An Industry Leader

This goes without saying, but members need to feel that their association is on top of everything industry related. At the very least, members want to feel certain that their association understands their industry better than they do. If the association provides industry news, industry changes and updates, a calendar of industry events or any combination of these things, members find more value and have another reason to connect with their association. This information can be hosted and updated on an “industry-related” webpage, shared through social media or sent out in a scheduled newsletter. What’s important here is that the member has access to a steady stream of industry information. This alone helps position the association as an industry leader in the eyes of its members.

2. Have a Plan

In the digital age, change is a necessity for all industries. Professions and professionals are required to grow and advance or risk being left behind. For a professional, this can be a daunting prospect, but associations can help ease the burden. Members rely on their association to inform them of changes coming to the industry. Associations that have a plan and are in-tune with their industry assure members that they are in reliable hands. Demonstrating a plan can be as simple as maintaining a content calendar, scheduling early membership renewals, informing members of industry events far in advance, adapting to industry changes quickly and allowing members to react to those changes through online learning and certifications. Planning for the future doesn’t have to make for additional work either. Many of these functions can be automated with the technology available to associations.

3. Result-Driven Content

When members are looking to renew their memberships, they weigh the benefits of the membership against the cost of maintaining it. They then compare that to other competitor associations. One effective way to build benefits for members is to create result-driven content. This is content that has measurable wins for members upon completion. That could be a certificate, a course completion diploma, or even a new license. Whatever the benefit is, it is quantifiable for the member.

Measurable and result-driven content is important for member retention because it stands out as a benefit for the member when it’s time for renewing. It provides the member with something to lose as well if they consider not renewing. Of course, result-driven content also acts as an important vehicle for further engagement, encouraging members to participate and connect with the association.

4. Personalized Touch Points

Associations build relationships with members through contact points or touch points. In the digital age, members seek personalization alongside these touch points. It doesn’t matter how large an association is, each member wants to feel that they matter and that they remain an individual. Thankfully, the tools available to associations make creating and sending personalized touch points easier than ever before. Touch points can be any form of contact, whether that be email, a response to a query, an FAQ, social media content, member feedback forms, surveys, etc. Every personalized contact with a member validates the member’s worth and the association’s presence. It also encourages greater participation and engagement from the member.

5. Multi-Tiered Member Engagement

Member engagement is not as simple as mass communication. Not all members are alike and, associations that treat each member the same risk alienating many. By creating subgroups among members, however, associations can save time while still maintaining some personalization in each contact. As members move through their membership and renewal process, they move down an engagement and participation funnel. Members move through this funnel at different speeds.

Similarly, members react differently to touch points. Some may actively reach out to the association. Some might only respond to emails. Some members might never communicate at all after registration. Group the members accordingly and reach out to these groups in ways reflective of their activity. There is no sense in dealing with a member that has already renewed and is readily active the same as those who have never participated. This small step will allow for an engagement process that saves time and money and reaches the right people with the right content.

6. Utilize Social Media

While most associations are using social media already, not all place as much emphasis on it as they should. Social media acts as an open channel of communication for an association. In addition to simply creating an online presence for the association, social media is a great place to run series-based content, post upcoming industry changes and events, address questions and communicate with members. For members, social media is a perfect spot to share success stories, ask questions, and initiate conversations and collaborations with other members. The bottom line is that social media increases member engagement, and better connects members to their industry and to the association.

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Future-proof Your Association

We’ve all heard a variation of that old adage, “nothing is more permanent than change.” Attributed to ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, it’s the idea that we are in a universal flux, and change is the only constant. As deep and academically distant as it sounds, the notion is very much relevant to our discussion today—associations must embrace change to stay relevant and competitive.

As the thought leadership space is getting more and more crowded, and swarms of previously unknown competitors nibble at the flanks, associations have to innovate, shift, and distinguish the value of their offering. In fact, only 50% of associations surveyed in the Marketing General Inc.’s annual 2018 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report believed they had “a compelling or very compelling value proposition.” However, among the respondents, those with membership renewal rates of 80% or more had done a much better job demonstrating the benefits to their members (54% vs. 39%). Failure to communicate benefits to members has also been echoed as a consistent top communication challenge in Naylor Association Solutions’ 2018 Association Communications Benchmarking Report. Such confluence of data is nothing new or surprising; inability to consistently relay value to members has always plagued associations for various reasons. No matter the reason though, without a solid value proposition and a cohesive message your organization might be “leaking” members.

Plan Your Communication

Speaking of cohesiveness, did you know that there is more than one approach to communicating with members while maintaining the integrity of the message? One size fits all strategy is no longer viable; members, especially the younger Millennials, almost unilaterally expect some level of personalization. You have to literally speak their language or talk the talk. Unfortunately, more than half (58%) of associations do not conduct any sort of segmentation or targeting for their communication whatsoever. Better overall planning and utilization of tactics particular to the platform of communication or even the department within your organization is the way to go.

However, this should not automatically entail considerable effort put into mobile or social media channels, as important as they are these days. In fact, print media is still in the top 10 channels of communication. If done correctly, planning your communication will surely add up to a genuine, consistent and effective participation. Keep in mind, member engagement is not a monolithic effort, but rather an amalgamation of direct and mediated communication methods that change and move with priorities.

Keep Tabs on Members

“What Good Is A Song” is the name of an oldie by Quincy Jones. The premise is that every song should bring some inspiration, value and meaning, otherwise it’s not worthy of listening. The same goes to all the membership involvement initiatives that do not measure anything or create useful data.

Associations usually have plans in place to increase their membership participation, and as a matter of fact, well over half or 62% do. Yet, not all measure it well—and a whopping 30% of them do not even have a procedure in place. It makes sense, since measuring, sorting, and then storing all of that information can be a tedious and even daunting task for those with less resources and technical capabilities. In spite of that, association executives should make an effort to support and encourage staff in collecting and measuring engagement. A well-measured engagement can be used as a solid base for future adjustments or changes to the strategy. One of the most obvious benefits is keeping abreast of members’ preferences and needs, which in turn leads to better services, overall satisfaction, and finally membership renewal.

Renewals are important

Despite being naturally focused on member recruitment as a source of growth, associations must not neglect renewals. It is necessary to employ impactful strategies to tackle membership renewal. Membership renewal is somewhat like wedding vows renewal—it’s more than just a financial commitment, it’s reassurance of trust. Members want to feel appreciated, and a part of a community. Thus, it should not be taken lightly on behalf of associations and members alike. However, sometimes renewals lapse, and it is critical to step back and give members a bit of time in those moments. According to the 2018 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, associations that have a higher renewal rate (80% or more) have done just that (88% vs. 79%). They are also “significantly more likely to offer a company/institutional/organization membership than those that do not (59% vs. 35%).

The latter is a very important point that goes to the core of this discussion—embracing change is an inherent aspect of staying relevant and competitive. And the trend of transforming the very essence of membership-based organizations, which is membership models, is picking up steam. Repackaging memberships and combining individual and organizational membership by “hybrid” associations, as they’re sometimes called, is becoming more prevalent, argues MGI’s Senior Vice President Tony Rossell. He further adds that those associations that include an institutional membership option on top of the individual see a 5-10 points hike in renewals.

Generations Change, So Should You

By now, we have established that knowing your members, anticipating their needs and proactively engaging with them via all applicable channels should be every membership organization’s objective. But it is also worth considering how social and generational changes outside of your control influence your membership segments.

For instance, Baby Boomers (those born between 1946-1964) still make up the largest chunk of membership with 36%, followed by Generation X (1965 to 1979) at 29%, Millennials (1980 to 1995) with 19%, and finally Generation Z (1996 and after) at 6%. Despite the fact that the ubiquitous Millennials come a distant third, they are the fastest growing group. Soon enough they will naturally catch up and take over the majority. Thus, anticipating and preparing for this shift is something to keep on the agenda. And many associations believe they’re actively communicating with members to better cater to their needs. For example, a solid 84% think they have an up-to-date, relative content. Nevertheless, only 20% or just 1 in 5 are convinced that they have a good idea about their members’, readers’ and even advertisers’ needs. As a result, certain practices with lots of potential get neglected, such as membership customization, which hasn’t changed in the past seven years.

As of 2018, only 18% of associations actually have a separate category for young professionals who are newcomers to the industry, the same percentage of associations as in 2011. New graduates are one of the most important groups for any association. Nearly two-thirds of all association members join within five years of graduation. Successful future-proofing of associations hinges on this member segment. Thus, customizing and tweaking membership benefits to fit new graduates’ preferences is of paramount importance.

Staffing

Finally, we’ve talked a lot about numerous external challenges and ways of dealing with them, but we have yet to mention the internal ones. While taking care of your members’ needs and simultaneously juggling multiple other objectives, it is easy to forget about your own. Respondents in both aforementioned surveys claim being impacted by lack of staff in key positions. In fact, close to half (46%) of associations think they are understaffed, and more than half or 51% of communications teams specifically, feel the same way. Insufficient staff (35%) is also mentioned as a top challenge. And more than half would actually hire more people if they miraculously received a 50% budget increase.

Having enough people, but more importantly in the dedicated positions, is extremely beneficial for efficient and effective communication. For example, staff phone calls still generate 37% of membership renewals, and are frequently used to welcome newcomers. It is also difficult to keep up with the volume and frequency of communication required for an effective engagement strategy without enough people. How will the members learn of the benefits and opportunities if there’s literally no one to tell them that? So, overall taking care of staff and having adequate amount of folks on the job could be the difference between success and failure for associations of any size.

The post How to Start Using Change: An Association’s Guide to Shifting Priorities appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

We sat down with the ODHA executive director Margaret Carter to get her take on the developments taking place in and around membership-based organizations. Margaret, a well-respected and seasoned leader, gave us a bit of an insight into the industry and the trends affecting her work.

Question 1: You’ve been a part of the association world for many years and you’ve seen lots of changes over those years. What changes surprised you the most?

Ten years ago, I did not anticipate that technology would play such a major role in everyday operations. We were early adopters of technology to serve our membership, for example, during the member renewal process. However, I did not anticipate that our membership would adapt so quickly, nor did I anticipate the rapid development and adoption of technology in everyday life.

Technology has really changed how we operate and what we focus on as an association. We have had to significantly invest in technology to keep up with all the changes. And of course, there are many opportunities to utilize technology, but with limited resources, we have to prioritize. This is a constant balancing act.

Question 2: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges facing associations today?

Associations, like many other organizations, are impacted by general economic and political constraints. We are definitely not immune to challenges that arise from uncertainty.

This can lead to a lot of what-ifs and can sometimes cloud the future direction and decision-making.

At the same time, associations must continue to meet membership needs while dealing with these difficult situations.

Question 3: What are you most excited about?

Our members and our future members. For students who are now entering their profession, we want to continue to demonstrate how we can add significant value to their career. Also, technology has provided us with a lot of data to analyze trends—sometimes too much data. We have to figure out new ways to utilize all this data to better serve our members. We are happy that we have this data because just a few years ago valuable data were not available.

The post Interview with Margaret Carter of the ODHA on Changes, Challenges, and Excitement in the Association World appeared first on Online Learning Solutions | Association Management System | Vocalmeet.

For most associations, innovation is the key to organizational success. In fact, according to the Innovation Benchmarking Research Results, a study conducted by the National Business Aviation Association in 2018, 80% of associations have adopted a “culture of innovation.”

But what exactly is innovation, and how does it benefit associations?

While innovation carries different definitions, in this context, it can be defined as solving member problems through product or benefit creation. Since solving member problems is the main order of business for most associations, the high percentage of innovative associations is not all that enlightening.

This study, however, can teach us about the state of innovation within associations. By observing the study’s trends and changes over the years, we can identify how far innovation has come in a short period of time, where it ranks among associational priorities, and where it’s headed in the future.

1. A Pervasive Ideology – 80% Host a Culture of Innovation

Despite the unchanging percentage of study respondents claiming that “innovation was an association wide practice” between 2016 and 2018, the culture of innovation has increasingly seeped into the associational framework. Over two years, more associations now create formal innovation goals (up 6% to 41%), more associations establish annual innovation goals (up 5% to 61%), and more associations experienced complete employee buy-in (up 6% to 38%).

A ripple effect of this growing ideology can be seen in the hiring trends within associations as well. Since 2016, the belief that “hiring the right employees” will spur on innovation decreased 6% to 52% overall. This appears to be a consequence of the belief that innovation is now an association-wide responsibility and not an individual’s. It could also signify that the innovative individuals are no longer the exception but the expectation.

2. Innovation Isn’t Going Anyway – 61% Setting Annual Innovation Goals

As more associations incorporate innovative technologies into both short- and long-term plans, it’s becoming increasingly clear that innovation is here to stay. Since 2016, associations with a track record of innovation increased 4%, with 31% of study respondents citing a five-year history of innovation in 2018. This history of forward-thinking also led to an increase in respondents rallying behind innovative technology. It seems that proof of concept is the most compelling evidence for those on the fence about technology.

Yet, innovation within associations is no longer just about improving “existing products or processes.” Associations that do not innovate risk being left behind. Between 2016 and 2018, 7% more associations saw innovation as a necessity, as 58% of associations now share that belief. In that same time, associations established more strategic planning and more market research. Meanwhile, more associations also witnessed their competition lead the way in terms of innovation, as 40% of associations stated competitors drove innovation. This would suggest that associations may lead or follow, but most will arrive at innovation either way.

3. Room for Growth – 49% are Developing Innovation

While a quarter of associations already have an innovation process in place, there is still plenty of room for improvement. But it won’t take long for the rest of the associations to catch up. In 2018, 49% of the associations were at least in the process of developing an innovation plan. More associations are now budgeting for technology as well. These associations are seeking new ideas and new technologies to improve their member offerings, and looking inside and outside the organization to find the solutions.

As per the study, more associations are attending conferences and events looking for innovative ideas in 2018 than before, and the number of associations that focus on education programs to stimulate innovation has seen a 5% uptick in the last two years (now 67%). For the technology providers, this is especially promising news. As sources of innovation, technology vendors were utilized by 28% of associations in 2018, an increase of 7% from 2016.

4. It’s a Team Effort – 49% Believe Departmental Cooperation Drives Innovation

As technological innovation is more commonly accepted as the way forward for member solutions, the responsibility is falling less on the shoulders of individuals. In fact, the number of associations setting individual goals is quickly decreasing (down 5% to 31%). Instead, associations look to promote from within ( from 60% to 63%), providing incentives for those current employees who help usher in the new age.

The renewed focus on association-wide solutions has also had an impact on inter-association relations. Not only are more departments working together to find innovative solutions, but technologies that serve multiple functions and departments are those most highly sought after. Across the entire study, cross-departmental cooperation saw one of the most substantial jumps between 2016 and 2018, moving from 40% to 49%.

5. Do More with Less – 21% Fear They Will Move Too Slowly

The vast majority of associations are utilizing advanced technologies and fostering a culture of innovation, and the results are convincing. According to the Benchmarking Research Results, 53% of associations increased memberships over the past five years, 62% have increased revenues, and 47% have increased their staff size. Yet, while the future looks promising, many expect there to be challenges.

Respondents cite a lack of resources and time as the primary challenges to innovation, as well as fighting the status quo, but most see greater concerns on the horizon. Some of the greatest fears for associations is being too slow to innovate (21%) and “maintaining a culture of innovation” (11%). As more associations emphasize the importance of adopting new and advanced member solutions, staying ahead of the curve or at least staying with the pack is as important as ever.

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Is your association stuck on deciding whether it’s time to embrace social media?

You don’t have to look any further than the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge or the AARP Take a Stand campaign to see why social media is the real deal when it comes to building awareness, driving engagement and accomplishing strategic goals.

But also consider this: nearly 80 percent of Americans are on social media, and the worldwide number of users is expected to be 2.95 billion by 2020. An audience awaits your association’s message!

With several options, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, deciding where to start might seem daunting. Even if your association is already using social media, is your staff being strategic and seeing the results they want?

Consider these four factors to get started and ramp up your engagement.

1. What do you want to accomplish?

First and foremost, associations should be using social media with purpose. How does social media as a form of digital communication fit into your larger communications strategy? Fundraising, promoting registration for an event or live webcast, announcing a new appointment or partnership, and sharing specialized expertise — these are just some of the reasons why associations use social media. Campaigns can be long or short-term, but each and every post on social media should have a call to action. What is your association asking followers to do and why?

2. Pay attention to timing, frequency, and content

Without a doubt, images — properly edited, formatted and shared to social media — get attention. But is that all you should post? How about videos, polls or blog posts? Audiences crave interesting, aesthetically pleasing and engaging content, and as long as your association has fresh material, it should be shared. The possibilities are endless, and associations should experiment with different types of posts — try different tones, such as including humor and serious posts. Over time, through analytics, you should come to understand what your audience finds interesting.

Ultimately though, whether it’s a weekly meeting or online document, associations should think about how staff can generate ideas for content and create a monthly schedule that lets everyone know what will be posted, when and by who.

Associations should also be aware of how existing visual identity can help build a social media brand that reinforces organization-wide objectives and communications goals. A simple example is to use color schemes and font-types that reflect your website design on any social media images.

Perhaps most importantly, and certainly when it comes to building a content schedule around certain posts, associations need to be measuring how their posts are performing — are posts popular in the morning, afternoon or evening of weekends or weekdays? By popular, we mean are they driving traffic and leading to the conversions you want to see take place on your website. Associations should also be asking how many times a day they should post content. Media platforms include analytics tools that help social media staff find these answers. It’s critical that associations train and empower staff to become the experts needed to help these social media accounts flourish.

3. Tweet, post, share: are all platforms equal?

To successfully use social media, associations need to deliver the right content to the right audience through the right channel. If you’re wondering whether you should focus on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, the truth is you should be focusing on all platforms. But you should be aware that your LinkedIn followers, given the platform’s purpose to connect professionals, will differ from your Facebook followers — and individuals will use each platform at different times during the day. Your social media strategy and posts should reflect these differences. Cross-promoting content on multiple channels can be highly effective, but can also frustrate an audience if they’re seeing the exact same image and words more than once and in more than one place. Associations should find unique ways to promote the same content. Doing so also addresses the fact that not all platforms are suitable for the same type of post — Twitter, for example, won’t allow you to post over a certain character limit. Be strategic and clever about how you’re sharing content in more than one place.

4. Social media is community driven

Associations should not be afraid to engage directly with their social media followers. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are designed to encourage dialogue and two-way communication, which ultimately leads to a captivated audience, as well as relationship and community building. In addition to posting content, associations should find their digital voice and embrace the opportunity to engage with the public. This can include starting discussions on relevant topics, providing answers to questions, moderating live webcasts, or connecting members with each other. Doing so will help associations get the most out of their online social media presence.

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