“Relevance” Recapped

Guest Post by Laura Nakoneczny, CAE, IOM
lnakoneczny@hotmail.com

Most of us would agree that environmental changes like less personal time, vague R.O.I.s, membership diversity, generational issues, new competition and technology, when taken into account together, have  radically impacted how our associations operate.

Harrison Coerver, author of “Race for Relevance” and the speaker AENC’s seminar, argues the impacts of these changes should force us to rethink the traditional association operating model. He proposes five changes for associations that seek to be more relevant:

1)      Small (5 members) competency-based boards to direct and control the organization.

2)      Empower the CEO and staff to run the organization.

3)      Rigorously define/re-define your member market.

4)      Rationalize programs and services. Narrower product lines have more power now.

5)      Build a robust technology framework despite the monetary obstacles.

Lingering in the room, along with Coerver’s proposed model was this take-away: Are we really willing and ready to get these types of conversations started with our organizations?

Stay tuned…

What Does Lady Gaga Have to do with Marketing Association Programs?

Special thanks to ASAE Annual Meeting speakers Debra Bachman-Zabloudil and Sheri Jacobs, I was treated to a session that promised to deliver how Lady Gaga was a marketing success and it hit was a home run.
This session started right out of the gate proving immediately you must have a catchy title for your session.
When attendees were asked why they attended a few said topic, a few said the speakers and a few said Twitter. However, the real winner, overwhelmingly, was the fact the title said simply – How to Market Like Lady Gaga. Even if you don’t like the singer, you have to respect that she is a household name. And this woman, who just a few years ago went by the name Stephanie, now has over 11 million followers on Twitter and over 40 million fans on Facebook. This session proved it wasn’t by accident.
1. Have a Purpose – you need to make sure all your programs have a purpose in mind. What do you want to accomplish with your program.
2. Build a Fan Base – from time to time, award your key attendees with special treats. Offer an association member special discounts if they attend regularly.
3. Quality over Quantity – This should seem obvious, but focus on creating programs that reek in excellence.
4. Humility Matters – Going back to the fan base, do something nice for those people who are supporting you. The speakers mentioned for example that Lady Gaga sent pizza and water to a group of fans waiting to see her show outside. She knows it’s not about her. We as associations need to remember that sometimes.
5. Have the Right People on Your Side – You need to have champions for your programs and your membership. People who are willing to shout it from the mountain top.
6. Differentiate – What’s new and different in upcoming sessions. Always be thinking about how we can make people feel different about our programs.
7. Fake it Till You Make It – Sometimes you just have to believe you are a rock star. You know you are, so act like one. Market like you are the best and then deliver in abundance.
8. Timing is Everything – You must be deliberate in your marketing and make sure you go beyond the normal sometimes.
9.  Don’t be Afraid to Experiment – It’s ok to try new things and be outrageous.
10. Make it Fun – Jim Thompson bobble head.
11. You Can’t Appeal to Everyone
12. Make it Easier to Remember
13. Be Accessible – Own your programs and make sure you are visible. Example used in marketing this program came from http://us.moo.com/.
14. Make it Constant – What can you do to always be out there promoting, both in-person, in print, electronic, etc.
15. Get people involved. Show a who’s who list for each event.
16. Be Generous to Loyal Customers – find out what company sends the most people to education and how you reward them
17. Know Your Audience
18. Be Your Own “Bad” Self – Be true to what your mission is and don’t contrast with who you say you are.
19. Give Fans a Reason to Visit Facebook
20.  Tell a Story
21.  Take Advantage of Trends – like social gaming
22. Create a Full Experience – It’s not just about the event. It’s just one piece of the mission. How do you tell the full story through your marketing?
23. Leverage Partners to Build New Programs
24. Continuous Learning – for example, Lady Gaga interned with a famous hat designer to learn how she creates. To be a pro, you have to keep learning.
25. Make Money – create limited editions of things
26. Limited Time Offers – such as Groupon, Living Social, etc. Get a certain discount if a certain amount register by X time. If that number registers, get 1/2 off.
27. Be Original
28. Don’t Let Your Guard Down
29. Don’t Get Stale.

Thanks again to a great session Sheri and Debra and also to ASAE!!

 

Lighting a Fire

This year’s ASAE Annual Meeting is nearly in the books and I have had a chance to hear some great sessions. I’ll be writing about more later, but I wanted to briefly talk about the session from author and speaker David Nour.

Nour is author of the book, Relationship Economics, and he is currently working on the book, Return on Impact. This book will be available through ASAE and is discuss the impact of social media.

There were some great nuggets that came out of his session – how to lead differently – and one had to do with how we motivate those staff or volunteers or others we want to influence.

David said something that really made me think and that was, “Are you lighting a fire within people? Or are you lighting fires under them? The one that burns within burns longer.

So, what are you doing to light the fire within your stakeholders? What are doing to turn the typical member into an evangelist. Are you a reactive association or are you visionary? What are you doing to encourage your staff, volunteers or others to speak from their hearts and are you encouraging them to be passionate about what you believe?

A staggering statistic was thrown out by David in this session and it really made me wonder sometimes about the way we market and how skeptical people are. Nour said that 75% of people don’t believe what you are advertising/marketing. So, how are else are you getting the word out there. If you are relying completely on advertising and marketing to get your message out or to get folks to come to the annual meeting, you might want to rethink that philosophy. Evangelist speaking for you are much more impacting and lasting.

So, where are you lighting your fires?

The Power of A

Each year as the executive director of AENC I get to participate in the annual ASAE Fly-In. This is an opportunity for association executives from all across the country to come to Washington, DC and meet with our members of Congress and talk about issues that are of importance to the profession.
This year was no different as we are trying to encourage both the Senate and House to come to agreement on the repeal of the new 1099 requirements that were included and passed in the new Health Care Reform legislation.
This year ASAE provided attendees with some very interesting information on the Power of A, ASAE’s public policy campaign that is meant to demonstrate the power of associations in the US.
Statistics that were provided by ASAE demonstrate that the association community is leading the nation in social progress and economic recovery.
So, how are associations help keep America competitive?
Associations employ over 1.6 million people in all 50 states and the combined payroll for associations in 2008 was $47 billion. And, according to survey data from ASAE, nearly 94% of association members said their employment situation will remain the same (70%) or be better (23%).
What about the impact of associations on the economy?
Associations are a major contributor to the meetings industry, holding meetings and seminars across the country. And according to ASAE, the meetings industry accounts for 1.7 million jobs nationwide and generates $263 billion in spending, money that funds local and national economies.
Lastly, associations in the US enrich lives. They make a difference. According to ASAE, 30% of people who volunteer their time do so though an association and that accounts for about $50 billion worth of volunteer time. The great thing about this number is that its going up! Recent information from ASAE says that associations are seeing an increase in the number of members volunteering going from 31.9% to 44.8%. A very exciting trend!!
Thank you so much for the team from ASAE for organizing the recent Fly-In and for providing information that goes to show the power of associations in the US. I for one am glad to be a part of The Power of A.