Most publications attract a handful of true fans — readers who devour every post, share content on social media and open every newsletter. 

But in the long run, understanding who doesn’t regularly read your content — and why — is far more valuable. If you can identify the disconnect between your content and your audience’s needs, you can begin to close the gap and increase engagement. 

Still, it’s not always clear how to start. Here are four steps you can take to begin engaging disinterested readers. 

Understand your audience

You understand your fans, but what about the rest of your audience? Developing a complete picture of your audience will help you develop content that addresses their needs and provides genuinely helpful information.

The reality is your total audience will include multiple segments. These subgroups might be defined by:

• Niche or specialty within your industry
• Level of professional experience and seniority
• Geographic region
• Demographic factors, such as race and gender

There are many ways to identify these segments, but two tactics stand out.

First, take a look at any data and analytics you can access. Data will reveal basic demographic and behavioral information, such as where your audience lives and how they find your content.

To clarify further nuances, you can go one step further by surveying your audience. Be sure to leave a few open ended questions so you can gather feedback about what kind of content they’re most interested in reading.

Personalize your content 

Because no two readers are exactly the same, adding personal touches can help cater to a variety of perspectives. It can also pull readers deeper into your content by helping them discover more articles they might enjoy.

If your organization has the technological capability, you can implement website features that automatically recommend articles based on what a reader has previously read. This can create a variety of personalized journeys through your archive. 

If your website capabilities are limited, you can still segment your newsletter audience with relatively little effort. Rather than sending out one newsletter that contains a mix of content that not all subscribers will be interested in, you can create several newsletters that focus narrowly on specific topics. 

Nurture reading habits

When it comes to content, less isn’t always more. Publishing too infrequently can cause your content to fade from readers’ minds. If other outlets are filling the void, your content might be lost in the shuffle. 

To stand out in readers’ minds, it’s important to publish frequently and consistently. If publishing daily is out of reach — as it is for most organizations — a weekly cadence may be more reasonable. 

While your current staff may be unable to meet this pace, there are plenty of creative opportunities to increase the amount of content you publish. 

Launching a program for your readers to contribute content can increase the frequency of publication. If you’re unable to hire more full time staff, consider hiring freelancers to work on assignments as needed.

Step 4: Plan for the Future

Adjusting your content strategy using these tips may drive some initial results — but your content journey shouldn’t stop there. As your content gains traction, it’s important to step back, refine your plan, and repeat the cycle. 

Analyzing your results will help you set attainable, metrics-driven goals. As you identify content that performs well, you’ll be able to replicate the factors that make it successful and cater further to your audience.

BY ASSOCIATIONSUCCESS.ORG STAFF

9 October 2020

Welcome back to our AuSAE Member Chat Series – Half an Hour of Power. This week we are delighted to have sat down with AuSAE member, Matthew Fisher, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Chiropractors Association (ACA).

In a short 30 minute interview we discussed four key questions with Matthew to reflect on the last six months and look forward to the future post this crisis.

What do the next 6 months look like for your association and your members 

In the next few months the associations’ focus will be on reflection and making decisions on what we want to continue, stop and start doing more of. Over this period the ACA has sent over 100 separate pieces of communication for members from both a business and health practitioner perspective. We will continue to monitor the current situation for members and provide support as we move into a stable COVID operating environment.

After a successful membership renewal period, achieving a 95% retention rate, our focus will turn to non-member recruitment. The work we have provided over this crisis has impacted and helped not just our members but the profession as a whole.

Most importantly, as an Association CEO I will be encouraging the team to take a break, rejuvenate and prepare themselves as we move towards the end of the year. The toll this year has taken on everyone is something we all need to consider. The focus shouldn’t be just on our teams but ourselves as leaders of Associations and drivers of key business objectives. We can’t fill from an empty cup. 

Areas of concern

The biggest challenge for the organisation moving forward is aligning our strategic direction, public perception and ensuring the broader profession understand why we do what we do. Over the last few years we have worked hard in media and public relations to increase awareness and understanding of the profession and the role the ACA plays.

Areas of opportunity

As an association moving forward we want to ensure we capture and harness the great work we have achieved in the past six months. The impact we have achieved in advocating for the sector during COVID-19 is significant and affects the entire profession.

Looking forward into next year, we have an opportunity to focus on building the reputation and standing of the profession, building on positive public perception and increasing our penetration into the profession. 

Celebrated moments in the last six months

We moved out of our offices on March 24 and are still working from home. Over this period, the performance and culture of the organisation has improved. The team are working well together and this challenging time has aligned the team towards a common goal. We are seeing more communication, collaboration and understanding of one another.

The team have transitioned well and as a leader it does make you think about your options for office space and working arrangements. Do we really need an office, do we want to wear office attire again, do we want to travel as much as we were, do we want to commute back and forth? This year has shown that we can perform and operate successfully in a new working environment and this needs to be considered as we move back into business as “normal”.

Alexandria, VA, USA (24 September, 2020) — Advanced Solutions International (ASI), a leading global provider of software and services for associations and non-profits, today announced that Brookside Equity Partners has made a significant investment designed to support the company’s long-term growth and expansion plans.  Learn more at www.advsol.com/prASIinvestment.

ASI is the company behind the iMIS Cloud Engagement Management System (EMS)™.  Brookside Equity Partners makes strategic private equity investments in middle-market companies with a philosophy of partnering with what they believe to be excellent management teams to help create long-term value. The investment will be used to increase ASI’s market share in the global association and non-profit communities, enhance global product offerings, and support new initiatives.

“Brookside Equity Partners’ investment in ASI is a testament to the value of our strategic transition to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model starting in 2014, our talented staff, and long-term growth potential,” said Robert Alves, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ASI.  “Our partnership with this impressive, well-respected firm brings us access to patient and flexible growth capital in addition to an infusion of fresh ideas and experience that will guide us as we move into the future.”

“ASI is a world-class leader in the global association marketplace and we’re looking forward to working with the company to expand its market share,” said Donald L. Hawks III, Managing Director & President of Brookside Equity Partners.  “As one of the longest-tenured software providers in the association and non-profit market, ASI has continually delivered innovative technology solutions over its nearly thirty-year history and developed meaningful relationships with its loyal customer base.  ASI also has tremendous upside potential in the years to come and we’re excited to support this.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.  While Brookside Equity Partners is the primary investor, ASI is partnering with a number of financial institutions — including GarMark Partners and Investcorp Credit Management BDC, Inc. — that will provide debt and equity capital.  Mr. Hawks and Michael LaConti, Principal of Brookside Equity Partners, will join ASI’s Board of Directors.

About Brookside Equity Partners

Brookside Equity Partners LLC focuses on private equity investments, including direct control investments, majority or minority co-investments alongside of other investment firms, and, on a selective basis, investments in private funds or special situations.  Brookside Equity Partners emphasises LBO transactions but will consider a limited number of growth capital investments in partnership with other value-added investors.  The team at Brookside aims to partner with excellent management teams and co-investors to help create long term value.

Brookside Equity Partners is not a traditional fixed-term private equity fund.  Its capital, whether from individuals, families, or other sources, is evergreen, patient, and flexible.  Brookside Equity Partners investment horizons are determined by the needs of the businesses in which it invests, rather than by pre-determined investment periods.  This flexibility distinguishes the firm from other private equity groups which may seek investment realisations based on fund raising cycles rather than fundamental business reasons.  Management teams can take comfort in the fact that exit decisions will be made in partnership with management and not pressures imposed by outside limited partners.  In addition, investments are structured with a conservative capital base and term that are appropriate for the company.  Learn more at:  www.brooksideequity.com/.

About GarMark Partners

GarMark Partners provides direct lending and structured equity capital to a wide range of middle market companies and small businesses. Since GarMark's founding in 1997, we have invested more than $1.5 billion in over 75 portfolio companies covering a wide range of industries and transaction types. We provide capital for sponsored as well as non-sponsored transactions through offices in Stamford, CT; Vero Beach, FL; and Detroit, MI. More information on GarMark may be found at www.garmark.com.

About ASI

Advanced Solutions International (ASI) is a leading global provider of cloud-based software to associations and non-profits.  We're the company behind iMIS Cloud, the Engagement Management System (EMS)™ that empowers you to engage your members anytime, anywhere, from any device.  Since 1991 we've helped thousands of clients grow revenue, reduce expenses, and improve performance by providing best practices, pragmatic client advice, and proven solutions.  Learn more at www.advsol.com.

A recent report found that associations that are focused on innovation have had more success in growing membership and meeting other challenges in the current environment—and overall. Here are three key reasons why.

In our current turbulent environment, innovation may be more critical than ever for associations to remain healthy and vibrant. The most recent edition of the Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report highlights the need to change and adapt. The report revealed a strong correlation between associations that had a growing membership and those that had established a defined plan for innovation. At the same time, associations that did not have a focused innovation effort were more likely to be experiencing a decline in their membership counts.

If innovation drives growth, how does it happen? In his book, How Innovation Works, Matt Ridley presents the foundations for the innovation process. He maintains that “innovation is not an individual phenomenon, but a collective, incremental, and messy network.”

Innovation requires effort and experimentation. Ridley cites the example of Thomas Edison. Many people had the idea for an electric light bulb, but Edison and his team were the ones who developed a commercially viable product. “He did so not by genius, but by experiment.” Edison’s team tested over 6,000 plants before he found the right option for the light bulb’s filament.

Associations’ innovation process is not unlike Ridley’s description. The elements that associations say make up their innovation efforts include active collaboration, forgiving mistakes, and providing encouragement to their colleagues who are focused on improvement.  As one survey respondent commented, “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. The only way of knowing if a tactic or strategy is going to work is by trying.”

 
Engaging Members Digitally
This year’s benchmarking research identified several areas where associations have been successful with innovation. One of the best examples shows up where member participation is increasing. Historically, the three legs of the stool where members tended to engage with an association were in book purchasing, buying insurance, and volunteering. Today these are some of the slowest growth or declining engagements for association members.
Interestingly, the products and services where associations report seeing growth in engagement now did not even exist years ago: mobile apps, webinars, and public and private social networks.

The products and services where associations report seeing growth in engagement now did not even exist years ago: mobile apps, webinars, and public and private social networks.

Shifting Membership Models
Adopting new membership models is also a key component of association innovation. In the past five years, 58 percent of associations have either adopted a new membership model or investigated making a change. The models most likely to be selected are a tiered membership or a combination membership structure. 
The tiered structure changes the membership relationship from who you are—like a job title or company size—to what you get in your membership package. This model offers a variety of membership options like gold, silver, or bronze benefits. The combination membership model, primarily introduced by individual membership associations, adds an organizational membership option available to allow for an entire department or company to access membership.

More Digital Marketing
Associations are rapidly shifting how they communicate with members and prospects. Each year in the benchmarking research, there has been a significant increase in the reported use of paid digital marketing tools. The data shows that 46 percent of associations now use some form of paid digital advertising. Thirty-one percent use retargeting ads to continue to follow and display ads to visitors once they leave their website. Additionally, the use of texting, while still rare among associations, has more than quadrupled in use over the last year as a communication tool.
Innovation is not only a requirement during challenging times. It is a constant need for associations. An article by Gary Hamel and Liisa Valikangas, The Quest for Resilience, makes the case to prioritize change. “It’s not about rebounding from a setback,” they write. “It’s about constantly anticipating and adjusting. . . . It’s about having the capacity to change before the case for change becomes obvious.”
Associations that have built innovation into their culture are finding help in weathering today’s storms. New challenges and opportunities are constant, so it is never too late to start.

October 6, 2020By: Tony Rossell

Tony Rossell

Tony Rossell is senior vice president of Marketing General Incorporated.

When everyone is affected by the same crisis, figuring out what you can do to help others is not always easy. Here are three ways one association, inspired by its members, helped them during a critical time.

In response to a recent blog post on keeping members close in challenging times, I heard from Keith Chamberlain, director of membership and experience at the Healthcare Financial Management Association, with some ideas he has implemented for members during the pandemic.

HFMA’s members are finance professionals in the healthcare field, and the association helps them navigate many challenges in the U.S. healthcare system. Knowing that its members had the backs of the clinicians they were working with during the pandemic, Chamberlain said, we asked, “What can we do to have their backs?”

HFMA created these new programs for its members in response to the pandemic:

Renew now, pay later. With the help of its IT team, HFMA created a “Renew Now, Pay Later” program for its largest group of members, who were lapsing on June 1. Members clicked a button stating their intent to renew and gave their credit card information, but HFMA didn’t charge it for 90 days, providing a grace period for payment.

It was not difficult to set up, Chamberlain said—the IT team simply created a new 90-day subscription for that group of members. HFMA already had monthly billing installed, so they just leveraged the technology to use monthly dues payments in a similar way. Fewer than 100 people have taken advantage of the offer, but those who have are “delighted” with the option, he said.

Sheri Jacobs, FASAE, CAE, CEO and president of Avenue M Group, said she has seen organizations extending their dues payments from 60 to 120 days. “It is my recommendation that associations do what they can to keep their members,” she said, “even if it means they will experience a loss in dues revenue.”

Responsive resources. In January, HFMA launched a new version of its members-only online community forum. Like many other online communities, this one has specialty areas focused on topics like revenue cycles and legal and regulatory issues. When the pandemic hit, the association’s business partners asked what they could do to help members, so HFMA created a unique forum for them where they could share ideas, solutions, and resources. It gave business partners “a place to reach out to their customers and connect in a way that was authentic and provided supportive value,” Chamberlain said. “It remains one of our more active community forums.”

Thirty-day free trial. In April, Chamberlain’s team unrolled a full-access 30-day free membership trial at a time when people in the healthcare space needed access to resources specific to their field. HFMA’s publishing team had ramped up content related to Medicaid reimbursement and other pressing healthcare topics, which new trial members could now access when they needed it most. That program brought them “hundreds and hundreds” of new members, Chamberlain said. Almost 60 percent of those new members have stayed on past their free trial.

Many associations had been slow to change until the crisis hit, which Jacobs attributes to their tendency to evaluate the “risk of change without considering the greater risk of maintaining the status quo.” Cognitive bias causes people to resist change because, she said, “they focus on what they might lose rather than what can be gained.”

HFMA’s experience is a good reminder to consider the second part of that equation.

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Lisa Boylan.

Many associations judge the success of their social media campaigns by likes, rather than whether that content leads users to engage further on their site. Changing how social media is used and measured can improve engagement and help generate revenue.

In today’s COVID-19 world, all associations are looking for ways to maintain revenue and membership. Social media can help, but only if you use it right, contends Dan Stevens, president of WorkerBee.TV, Inc.

“Social media is a really a low-cost recruitment tool, advocacy tool, and marketing tool, if used effectively,” Stevens said. However, “if you are publishing full stories, full videos, full anything on social media, you are accelerating your own demise.”

The problem with using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even LinkedIn to publish your content is that it leaves your members and prospects on the social media platform, rather than drawing them to your site, where they can dive deep into all your association has to offer.

“I always joke that likes are for losers,” Stevens said. “It’s about awareness and conversion, not likes.”

So, how does an association use social media as a jumping off point to pull people into their content, particularly paid offerings? Stevens recommends a drip approach, where you offer a tiny snippet—micromarketing—to pull people to your site.

“Micromarketing gives awareness and pulls people into the full story on your ecosystem and your brand, where you can monetize with advertising or pay per view,” Stevens said. “They may say, ‘This is good, and I’m going to sign up and do something for free.’ And that’s how the internet works: People have to try before they buy. What you [as an association] have to do is create those experiences to pull people in.”

The good news is that associations are poised to easily create these experiences because they have awesome content. Stevens noted that in a typical year most associations only get about 15 percent of their members to attend their annual meeting. “When you interview members, they always say the meeting is a top benefit and has the best content,” Stevens said, noting the association’s best content should go wider than 15 percent of members.

But this year, with most associations moving to virtual conferences, they now have recorded sessions chockfull of good content they can use to draw people into their ecosystem.

“Why not take that great one-hour session and produce a three-minute version for your website and a 30-second social media version,” he said. Then post the 30-second version on social, where people can click through to see the three-minute version on your site. Associations can then charge for access to the full session or place it behind a member paywall. “We are seeing incredible conversion rates, when you go from micromarketing to microlearning to full learning,” Stevens said.

That said, Stevens notes that every interaction doesn’t have to be about pulling members back to your platform. Staying on platform and engaging can be useful at times. “Social media is a great way for you to have a two-way conversation in real time,” Stevens said. “It is a great way to test ideas, test themes, and see if people in a specific category care about topics. It’s a chance to post content and take a pulse of what’s important to the audience you are attracting and that may influence your programming mix.”

Whatever mix you use on social media, the key is to make sure that it makes sense from a revenue-generating perspective. “If you can’t convert, you’ve basically built another cost center, not a profit center,” Stevens said.

If an association finds its members aren’t as active on social media and wonders if devoting limited resources to this is a good idea, Stevens said that social media is also where you’re going to find your future members.

“If my future recruitment is based on attracting the young demographic who views content as free and thinks ‘I can find everything online, why do I need to pay?’ then you really have to engage to get them,” he said. “You have to get them to engage in your environment, so they can say, ‘This is worth paying for.’”

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Rasheeda Childress.

It’s not about pushing short-term campaigns or even long-term purchases. You want to win over customers to your side, according to the CMO Council. Here’s how you can make emotional loyalty work for you.

Not all loyalty is created equal, and if it feels like a simple transaction, it could harm the overall effectiveness of your marketing strategy.

That’s a takeaway from a CMO Council study on loyalty, which found that 43 percent of marketers identified their customers as being “transactional” in nature. The result of this is that, while another 43 percent of respondents called building deeper customer relationships a “top priority” in the next year, only 11 percent of respondents felt that their current engagement strategies were going to help them reach their long-term goals for growth, profitability, and engagement.

“Too many of these organizations are building relationships with line items and invoices, instead of the actual people behind the voice and the transaction,” said Liz Miller, the CMO Council’s senior vice president of marketing.

So how do organizations get closer to the broader goal of drawing lasting, meaningful customer relationships rooted in emotional loyalty? Some key points underlined by ‌Loyalty That Lasts: Evolving Growth Strategies to Activate Emotional Connections with Brands.

Put less focus on purchases, and more on overall experience. The report highlights how loyalty is often defined by what consumers buy—with 58 percent of respondents expressing the belief that loyalty is reflected by repeated purchases—rather than how they interact with the brand. The report suggests that leaning on unwavering attachment rather than individual purchases has the effect of creating a stronger bond of loyalty. “While this definition may still involve transactions, and more specifically purchases, these organizations have chosen to prioritize the bond over the scheme, building lasting relationships with their customers instead of just developing programs that develop more lucrative single outcomes,” the authors state.

Build toward a deeper relationship. The report notes that emotional loyalty comes in multiple parts that come together to create a stronger whole: a general affinity, a long-term attachment, and trust that the brand will do the right thing. It requires something more than a mere habitual purchase. “These are the touchpoints that bring brands and consumers closer together, but genuine loyalty is an outcome—a goal that can only be achieved by truly knowing your customers and carefully nurturing every relationship you have,” the report continues.

Think toward the long term. Trying to grab customers based on a series of well-executed campaigns may help to juice numbers over the short term, but it’s better to lean on an engagement strategy that focuses on long-term nurturing over short-term growth. And that requires a long discussion about what customers mean to your organization and how to best serve them, so that they not only stick around but also care about what you represent. “Emotional loyalty isn’t a campaign or scheme implemented in one department. Emotional loyalty can’t be achieved by just installing a new system or adding a new solution,” the report adds. “A path towards emotional loyalty must start and stop with a foundational evolution of how a brand thinks, sees, and respects their customer, from their data to their voice.”

This article has been sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Ernie Smith.

If you’re looking to create a memorable virtual conference, here are five ideas for injecting some fun—and even animals—into the attendee experience.

Here’s something we all know about virtual attendees by now: They don’t just want to sit in front of their computer all day watching speaker after speaker. So, what can you do to spice things up?

Back in June, I wrote about some ways associations could surprise and delight their attendees in the virtual space. And I also spent some time discussing how to create informal online networking opportunities.

I’ve come across so many other ideas and possibilities since then that I wanted to share some of the more unique ones. Here are five of those:

Guest goat. Looking to add a new face to your meeting—and maybe not a human one? Well, Sweet Farm, a nonprofit animal sanctuary, could be the perfect option for you. Sign up for its Goat-2-Meeting experience, and Paco the llama, Juno the goat, Magnolia the cow, or Steve the rooster could join on camera. Also included is tour of the farm by one of its guides.

Snap a pic. There’s usually a line at the photo booth at every in-person event. And while you may think this is one element that has to go by the wayside in the virtual environment, think again. There are plenty of options out there that will allow participants to create and share fun photos and animated GIFs. Plus, associations can add their own branding and other customized overlays.

Go on an escape. While attendees aren’t traveling to your meeting, that doesn’t mean they can’t slip into a different environment during your event and do some teambuilding at the same time. One option is a virtual escape room where attendees are broken up into teams and have to solve problems or answer clues to unlock the “virtual door.” Companies like Play With a Purpose can create custom escape rooms that are directly tied to an event’s sessions or goals. In an interview with Successful Meetings, CEO Sharon Fisher talked about building a custom game this summer for a financial services company. “That entire game was based on the content of the meeting,” she said. “So, they had to not only be able to answer some questions about the content, but also apply it and show that they understood a way to use it in their world before they could get the answers and solve the challenge.”

Musical notes. In a previous post, I mentioned the “Daily Kazoom” that took place during the joint meeting of the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and the Association of Genetic Technologists. But there are several other ways to bring a musical element to your virtual conference. One idea is to have attendees write a song—a remote team anthem—with the help of a world-class musician. And another is to host a virtual karaoke party.

Share a meal. For INFLUENCE 2020, the National Speakers Associations hosted digital dine-arounds where attendees could sit down for a casual mealtime conversation with NSA luminaries, including current board members, past presidents, and award winners.

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Samantha Whitehorn.

The all-digital format of virtual events allows associations to extend the life of the information presented by remixing it in new ways—taking a cue from the world of content marketing using “atomization.” Here are a few strategies to try.

While conferences are traditionally built as live events, the newly virtual nature of these events means that consumption habits are changing.

That can be tough for an association that’s used to doing something in just one way. But the truth is that trying to distribute content in a purely digital way can actually be freeing, giving you room to experiment while encouraging a more strategic method of sharing.

There’s a name for this in the world of content marketing: content atomization. This idea, which dates all the way back to 2008, involves taking existing information and content, strategically breaking it up, and placing it in new contexts, using a format that makes sense for the additional platforms.

You may be wondering, what’s the difference between this and simply repurposing content, something associations are already known to do? One explanation comes from the marketing technology firm UberFlip, which notes that the distinction comes down to the scale.

“While repurposing or recycling content can also be an effective tactic for low-resource content marketing teams, it doesn’t necessarily resolve the issue of effectively using content ideas and spreading thought leadership through your content,” the company’s Victoria Hoffman writes.

Atomization is effective for extending the reach of small marketing shops, and it can also come in handy for associations that are trying to reach their audiences with virtual event content.

What could that look like? Here are just a few ideas:

Build listicles around event content. Attendees probably don’t have time to watch every session in your virtual event, so why not do the curating for them? For example, grabbing key quotes from each session and putting them in a roundup could give that content a second life. The result is you’re remixing a new piece from the atoms that wouldn’t be as effective on their own.

Turn compelling points into social content. Cool data points or anecdotes could wow an audience who is listening at that very moment. But weeks later, they still have value—turn those data points into social objects like images, videos, or text items. In many ways, atomization underlines the new presentation of existing content, and this does that in spades.

Leverage hashtags. The work of atomization doesn’t have to stop with your most recent virtual event. The popular #tbt, or Throwback Thursday, hashtag offers a great example. Many associations have strong archives, and those can be leveraged to promote current events with relevant content from popular hashtags. This could help draw in new audiences.

Stretch out the event over a long period. Most virtual events are built around a set time period, but given that much of the content is evergreen in nature, the timeframe can expand. In recent months, groups such as the United Fresh Produce Association have experimented with building on-demand platforms for their virtual content, which gives up some of the “event” mindset for convenience. Playing with this model by dripping out pieces of content over a long period of time can help maintain long-term interest in the subject matter. Presenting the content this way could even generate revenue: In the case of United Fresh, the offering is free to members, but $100 for nonmembers.

Use the event as a basis for a white paper. Content atomization doesn’t have to be built around trying to hit people with convenience, good timing, or quick, “snackable” information. It can also be a useful tool for longer-term lead generation, say if you’re trying to reach new members or promote a service. With that in mind, building a longer-form white paper from elements of the event could help strengthen its strategic value over time. The goal with atomization is to use the research and information to create something new and useful—and a white paper could do that.

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Ernie Smith.

Associations have more information at their fingertips but often struggle to put it to good use. A new study suggests a few ways to connect data and strategy.

Associations gather a lot of data. They know a lot about where their members and customers are from, what they purchase, and what offerings they like and dislike. However, that’s not quite the same thing as being a data-driven association. Data, in itself, isn’t meaningful. Data-driven leaders make decisions about what data points are most meaningful and build a strategy around them.

Late last month, McKinley Advisors and Association Analytics released a survey report, “Data and Analytics: Driving Association Strategy and Operations,” that puts some structure around what that kind of strategic thinking can look like. By and large, COVID-19 has prompted associations to engage more deeply with data, according to the report. More organizations are using dashboards, and they’re keeping an eye on new people who have engaged with their virtual events. But associations can still struggle with making the entire organization see the value of data.

Often, associations “have someone working independently on data, and they may not know how to translate that into layman’s terms or get people on board with it,” says Shelley Sanner, CAE, McKinley Advisors senior vice president for industry relations. To that end, the pressure is on leaders to evangelize on data’s behalf. Sanner and Julie Sciullo, CEO of Association Analytics, shared four ways to do that.

Find meaning in your virtual-meeting data. According to the report, some associations are seeing a 70 percent increase in participants in their “ecosystem.” That’s not necessarily paying customers or new members, but they are people who have chosen to engage with the association in some manner. Now’s the time to use what you know about them.

“With virtual meetings, you actually have all of the data points you ever wanted, but are you leveraging them?” says Sciullo. “Is there are certain demographic that’s growing? A region, or job type? It’s important not only for now but in the future to determine who are the individuals who are going to want to continue to engage virtually, because we’ll have a hybrid world in the future.”

Make data more accessible across the organization. Association Analytics has found that data transparency matters a lot to rank-and-file association staffers, particularly millennials, who expect to be able to conduct what Sciullo calls “self-service BI.” Membership data can often be slow to reach employees who need to act on it, and leaders should work to clear bottlenecks.

Among survey participants, “a lot of times, information was being shared with the leadership team or executive team and didn’t always trickle down,” she says. “So those employees felt a little lost about where they fit in to the association’s overall strategy. Transparency allows them to understand how and where they fit.”

If you want to get your entire staff behind your strategic direction, it’s important to have staff engaged in it. “At an organizational level, associations are reporting that they are using data, but once you trickle down to the department level, it’s not used as frequently,” says Sanner.

Focus on growth opportunities. More than half (57 percent) of the association leaders and staff surveyed cited “lack of organizational data strategy” as their top data-related challenge. Rather than gathering data for its own sake, think about where you want to improve.

“People don’t always know what to look at, but whenever we’re talking to people on where they should start, it’s simple: Where do you make your revenue?” Sciullo says. “It can be as simple as that, looking at three metrics around membership revenue.”

Engage the board. A third of those surveyed said that it’s not accurate or only slightly accurate to say that their association uses data to “inform and engage our volunteer leaders.” Considering that the board is the association’s leading strategic decision-making body, that’s a troubling finding.

Sanner and Sciullo agree that boards don’t need the same kind of detail that staffers do but that better access to data is essential. “Board reports may not drill down into the same level of granularity, but it can align everybody,” Sciullo says. “Now everybody’s looking at the same data so they can make strategic decisions and staff can make operational decisions. Everybody can be rolling in the same direction.”

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Mark Athinakis.