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Whether your association’s magazine is digital, printed, or both, the concepts that make your magazine valuable to your members are the same. And, if your magazine is valued by your members, it benefits the association in a number of ways that include non-dues revenue stream and a platform to offer in-depth information about services and to share best practices from…

As people crave a return to pre-pandemic norms, association meeting planners are learning how to navigate a meeting environment that, in many cases, is still changing. The agility learned over the past two years that resulted in online events will serve planners well as they move through plans for their 2022 conferences. While some associations attempted a return to in-person…

Association leaders with more than 1,000 members are significantly more inclined to indicate that their members join for the continuing education to maintain professional certification or advance their careers, according to a 2021 report based on surveys of associations. The same report says learning best practices in the profession is the most likely reason for joining associations with fewer than…

People read online articles differently than they read printed articles, so it’s important to understand the difference between the two media to be sure the articles capture the audience’s attention. In Understanding the Differences Between Writing for the Web and Writing for Print, author Sheri Keyser points out that online articles are generally more informal and straightforward. Because an online…

The years 2020 and 2021 demonstrated the value of innovation in the association world. Finding new ways to provide educational sessions, engage members, and communicate without the value of in-person events was the norm for association staff. Although new ways of handling association business and services to members were valuable, it is not enough to look back on innovative solutions…

Ask association staff members if they are good at sales, and you’ll most likely be told that sales is not their job. The reality, however, is that developing sales skills, and imbedding sales in the culture of the association, is critical for an association’s long-term success. The first step to incorporating a sales mentality into each job within the association…

The emergence of virtual meetings, remote work, and online learning in the past two years highlighted an association’s technological capabilities – or lack of resources in some cases. Nearly half of the organizations in one study report accelerating their timeline for purchase of technology to meet the changing needs of the organization and its members. Each organization’s needs will be…

While leading an association through a global pandemic required enormous focus, flexibility, and quick thinking, 2022 will be a good time to step back and reflect on how leadership has changed – or stayed the same – as a result of what associations and members have experienced. Most leaders admit that they learned a lot about themselves, their staff, and…

Association staff members are great at getting to know members. Working with members on committees, meeting them at events, and talking to them during the membership onboarding process provide valuable insights into what they want from the association – as individuals. While these individual expectations and attributes are important, it is a dangerous strategy to base a membership campaign on…

All association marketers have seen the reports listing the number of shares, likes, and click-throughs for specific social media posts. But, what do those numbers mean, and how do they impact the association’s efforts to increase retention, attract new members, and generate revenue? While social media is a great way to engage an audience, a great social media campaign captures…