Doing Personalization Right
To imagine the future, it’s sometimes useful to turn our sights to the past. When the internet was first developed and became a part of our professional landscape, what did an organization’s engagement with their communities look like? And, how can technology improve our interactions with members today? Remember the early days of internet retail, for […]
My Music at Work: Why Sound Matters In Your Office
In our experiences, we tend to focus on looks before sound. We ask, Have you seen the new Stars Wars? – but the movie theatre uses dozens of speakers to immerse us in the environment of a single projected image. Similarly, articles focus on visual aspects of an office: should there be many desks or no walls or […]
Bringing the Real World into Virtual Events
The world connects virtually, and it is no different for the associations we serve. Building effective virtual programs drives value for members across borders, provides cost effective means for engagement, and creates a unique forum for networking and learning. But a common mistake in planning virtual programs is limiting the vision of the event to the […]
Analytical Mindsets in the Association Space: Part One
WHY DATA ANALYTICS? We are running into the future at top speed. We have more decisions to make and less time to make them, and without data we have an increased likelihood of making bad decisions or no decision at all. Now is the time for associations to take advantage of advancements in data to […]
Successful Association Sales: Selling Value Instead of Products
What is the difference between cost and value? Cost is the price your customers pay and value is what your customers receive in exchange for their money. Let me give you an example. Suppose you are in the market to buy a new car. You look at a Toyota and a Mercedes and note that for […]
What’s in a Name? Why language matters in your Webinar Strategy
One of the issues with which I routinely see organizations struggle is how to compete with free Webinars in their market place, or related, how to justify charging for some Webinars while offering others for free. Webinars have become a commodity item often closely associated with content marketing, meaning that a charging for them has become […]
Why We Changed Our Membership Model
Nobody wants to be put in a box. And in fact, it is equally as frustrating to attempt to engage a person and address their needs when they have been boxed in. When it comes to membership models, we can use this fact to re-think the way we attract and retain members. While traditional membership strategies […]
Four Ways to Get the Most out of Video at Your Next Event
Imagine being seated in a giant general session room with thousands of conference attendees. The lights go down, the crowd’s excitement builds, and the giant screens light up with….a PowerPoint presentation. Event fail! Everyone instinctively knows that an upbeat and engaging video is a great way to kick off a conference, but few people take the […]
Start the Churn Predictions, Hal
When we think of artificial intelligence, our first thoughts tend toward Hal in Stanley Kubrick’s classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. But we should probably think more along the lines of predictive algorithms that help us understand who will leave or stay with our association. Over the years, association management professionals have used a number of […]
The #1 Membership Development Mistake—and How to Avoid it
Recently I attended a networking event for a national women’s organization. I enjoyed the people and inquired about membership. When I didn’t get a response I did something most people wouldn’t do: I called their headquarters and found myself speaking with a membership representative. A REAL HORROR STORY: The rep who took my call didn’t ask me any […]