Are Your Communications Clear Enough?

Does your association clearly communicate your value proposition to your members?  Does it instill FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)?  Does it truly provide a reason for your members to engage?  Is it all about YOU, or do you write it so that it is all about THEM?

If your answers to the above are "No", or "I'm not sure", then you may be sabotaging your efforts.

Everyone is working on budgets these days; people are watching their spending, and as a result, you need t put your best foot forward - and ensure that your communication shows that you really are the ONE place that they will receive the best information, education, and resources -- or they may go elsewhere.

You can start by ensuring that your communications engage members and stakeholders, and reflect that their story is important to the story of your association.

Here are some examples of what you can do:

What Is Your Purpose?  Have your clearly outlined your purpose, or are you banking on a mission/vision statement that was drafted many years ago?  Educate your members, in every way (email, social media, your website) on what your association does to impact/improve your community.  Simply outlining benefits is not enough - associations need to work hard to name a benefit and provide concrete examples on how that benefit creates change.

Offer Something NEW:  Just because you have a program or service that you have been offering members for years doesn't mean it is still relevant.  Take stock of what you are doing, what people are buying, reading, or working on and see what you can eliminate and ADD to better enhance your value.

Be Where They Are:  Do you offer the same methods of communication as you have for the last several years?  Where are your members now?  Do you have an active LinkedIn group and Twitter handle?  Are you offering podcasts, webinars, or hybrid events?  Where do your members see you and where should they see you?  All questions that should be asked when developing communication plans.

Be Responsive:  There are literally thousands of tools available to help you track activity; who has opened emails, who has clicked on links, who is downloading resources.  Don't let these fall through the cracks!  Part of an effective communication strategy includes actual conversations.  Follow Up!  Ask for feedback.  Offer them other resources.  Have a conversation.

What else could you be doing to enhance your communication?  

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles
at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

3 Communications Best Practices from 3 Online Resources

Sometimes, the best way to communicate is to keep it simple.  Here are three tips/best practices from three online resources:

From Association Advisor: Recommendation #1: Don’t Fall Victim to Shiny Object Syndrome
A new approach may be just what your association needs to help reach your communications goals, but don’t fall victim to “shiny object syndrome.” Before you make a decision to invest in new communications tools, ask your members, vendors and advertisers which of your association content channels they find most valuable and which communications platforms they are most receptive to. Your research may also help you uncover new communication platforms that members are gravitating towards or reveal to you that you already have access to tools that can amplify your communications when integrated into an ongoing plan. Marcus Underwood, Chief Innovation Officer for Naylor, says that the ROI of any new technology is important to consider prior to making a purchase but to keep in mind that the value of the investment may not always be quantifiable in financial terms. Underwood explains that certain technology investments and upgrades are just standard operating expenses for running a business and warns that there are also risks associated with not keeping up with technology.

From the Canadian Association of Labour Media: Don’t make it all about you. The best way to get someone’s attention quickly is to talk about them.

If you want your message to cut through, you need to talk about your issues in a way that will make people listen – make them feel something – make them see that what we are talking about relates to them and their families.

You are stronger when you talk about ordinary people and the values we care about like security, family, fairness and respect. Use too many technical, legal terms, and acronyms, and your audience will get lost or bored. Grab your audience’s attention by speaking directly to them about the things they care about – and make sure they know you care, too.

Connect with your members and the public on shared values, beliefs and experiences. Talk family, dignity, respect, opportunity and fairness. People will be more inclined to listen to your message if it’s about the broader public interest and not just your self-interest.

From Silverbear (and, yes it was around the holiday season!)  Explain why you’ve been good

This is a key part of a letter to Santa. As we’re all aware, Santa already knows if you’ve been naughty or nice, but it can’t hurt to mention again the good deeds you’ve done this year.

In the same way, it’s important to reinforce the value your members have received over the course of their membership. It’s easy for them to forget events they’ve attended, training they’ve undergone, CPD points they’ve logged and other areas of value they have had over the year. So make sure you emphasise these to help jog their memory.

You should be able to quickly pull together a member value statement from your membership software solution to help you with this.


Image courtesy of jscreationzs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Measuring Success in your Marketing & Communications

In November 2014, a number of marketing-communications professionals gathered in downtown Ottawa to discuss analytics and measurement challenges facing non-profits and associations.  The discussion was led by CSAE member Joe Boughner, the Director of Communications at the Association of Canadian Financial Officers and also an analytics instructor at Algonquin College.

The key takeaways for participants were to ensure first that marcomm (marketing-communications) efforts align both organizational goals and to the needs of your members at every stage of the life-cycle.  In so doing, Boughner argued, you allow yourself to align your marketing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) with your overall corporate objectives.  He recommended that all organizations create detailed journey maps for their key persona's to help all stakeholders, not just marketing and communications people, understand the member experience better.  He also advised the group to ensure that there is a straight line between organizational and marketing objectives.

By way of example, the group brainstormed a model for an association that is looking to increase membership revenue.  First, the participants boiled it down to a measurable goal - to increase new members (as opposed to looking at retention, for example).  Then they concluded that marketing analytics could then align to this goal, such as click through rates on ads geared for new members; form completion rates on the sign up form, etc.

Moving forward, this focus on member needs and organizational objectives can make measurement easier, which ensures ongoing buy-in for your marcomm efforts.

This post was written by Joe Boughner, Association of Canadian Financial Officers, and originally featured in the OG CSAE Winter Executive.

Image courtesy of Keerati at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Our Top 10 Viewed Blogs for #Association Execs in 2014...

What a great year we had!  There has been several thought-provoking articles that have hit the #OGCSAE Chapter Blog this year; and we wanted to celebrate the support we have received by showcasing the top blogs this year:

1. 5 Big Sponsorship Trends to Watch in 2014 (from March 2014): This post was provided by Bernie Colterman, Managing Partner of the Centre of Excellence for Public Sector Marketing (CEPSM), who suggested that increased focus on the customization of sponsorship benefits packages, increased focus on sponsorship activation, less emphasis on the “Metal Levels”, increased focus on content distribution, and integration with social media were trends to watch this year.
2. Blogging Best Practices (from February 2014): This post was written by Angie D’Aoust, Director of Marketing & Communications with the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA), who provided 10 steps/tips/best practices to a better blog.
3. Don't Let Your Board Get Decision Fatigue! (from March 2014): This post was written by Meredith Low; of Meredith Low Consulting, who talks about decision-making, the decision-fatigue phenomenon, and tips to optimize the way your board makes decisions.
4. Lessons in Hybrid Meetings: Hybrid or Not? (from March 2014): Written by Mahoganey Jones (a Certified Meeting Professional and Digital Event Strategist with a background in continuing professional development),  talks about hybrid meetings, and questions to ask to help determine if your organization should produce a hybrid event.
5. 10 Things to Do Before Implementing Something New (from August 2014): This post was submitted by Scott Oser, of Scott Oser Associates, which provides a running checklist of things to take care of before taking the leap.
6. Best Practices to Maximize Your Conference Experience (from June 2014): In this industry, we attend many conferences; our own, those for our association memberships, and those relevant to our area of work.  This post provides 0 tips to maximize your attendance at a conference.
7. An Association's Road Map to Handling Criticism on Social Media (from November 2014): This post was written by Marc Cousineau, President and Founder of Incline Marketing, offering eight things to take into account when responding to criticism on social media.
8. Lessons in Hybrid Meetings: 5 Steps to Getting Senior Management Buy-In (from April 2014): Written by Mahoganey Jones (a Certified Meeting Professional and Digital Event Strategist with a background in continuing professional development), who recommends the 5 steps to gain executive level buy-in to ensure the success of your meeting or event.
9. Membership in the Age of Google: What Are You Serving Up? (from June 2014): This article was originally featured in the April-May issue of CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive, and was written by Jennifer Hagen, CAE, Director, Chamber Development & Services with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and looks at how you can create engagement with current and future members.
10. The Secret to Member Engagement Is... Being Nosy! (from April 2014): Written by Sarah Hill is the primary blogger for MC Talks, the blog for MemberClicks, which suggests getting at the root of your members' "why" and find out what is most important to them to engage!

Thank you to all who submitted posts for our blog this year - we really appreciate it!  If you want to submit a post in the future, please email Meagan Rockett.  Happy holidays to all, and we look forward to a thought-provoking 2015!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There's No Life Like It: Associations!

When you were a child, did you say to yourself, "I think I want to work in associations when I grow up"?  If you're like most MarCommers who gathered for our October session - young or more (ahem) seasoned - you fell into association work by opportunity not by design.

Our session, "Young Professionals in Association Communications," included a reach into the young professionals (YP) group of CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau in order to provide a multi-generational look at association communications work.  Through a round table discussion, all participants (YPs and senior professionals [SPs]) shared in a lively conversation about association communications/marketing/membership careers - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Not one person present arrived at their association position having had a career counsellor say, "Association work is a path you should consider."  All arrived at their first association either as a recent graduate in search of a welcome pay-cheque or as a student in a work placement role.  Most have never left.

When you consider the collective years of experience around the table - closing in on 200 years of association experience - it is clear that this is a career that more people should consider.  Association work can be a stopping point on a career map but it can also be a career.

Together, we discussed our varied paths to association work and what has kept us here (flexibility, ability to achieve, grow into roles, try new things, etc.), as well as what the positive rewards are for staying (immediate feedback, inspiring volunteers, and the ability to see an idea from drawing board to reality).

Given that this was an intergenerational group, we asked YPs what SPs could be doing to help them in our organizations.  All YPs said that the gift of time is most beneficial; that is, taking the time to review what has been done and to help YPs understand what the corporate values are.  Second, they stressed the ability to let go and let YPs try new things - not all of which will work out - and having the grace to accept failure when it happens.

Turning the table, the SPs were asked what the look for in YPs when they are hiring or considering promotions.  Attitude was cited as the most valued trait in any new hire or promotion; this valued trait applies to all generations.  Given that associations seem to be chronically understaffed, the ability to see and the attitude to do what needs to be accomplished and to make it happen are key for any generation of employee.

All YPs present indicated their intent to remain in the association environment, at least for now.  This is good news for associations!  Those with more years of experience reinforced the values that had kept them in the association world for their careers: adaptability, the ability to be creative and problem solve (with its own rewards), and community.  For YPs to hear a number of SPs indicate that association work can be a lifelong career path must be reassuring at this point in their journey.  YPs are eager to learn and be mentored, so SPs need to embrace this mentoring opportunity and remember to let go at times, which isn't always easy!  Both generations have valuable contributions to make to the success of our organizations.  Let's not forget this important point.

Did you know?  The MarComm group meets the second Tuesday of every month.  We encourage all generations to participate.  Watch CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau event listings for meeting notices/topics.

A BIG thank you to Jennifer Hagen, with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, for submitting this article.  We appreciate all that you do!

 Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

An Association’s Road Map to Handling Criticism on Social Media

Negative comments are as much a part of social media life as typing updates, retweeting posts and liking statuses.

There are many ways to respond to negative comments about your association and the internet is full of as many horror stories as tales of triumphs.

Responding to criticism on social media has the power to lift your association to new heights or toss its reputation over a cliff. It’s a tough tightrope to cross, so we’ve put together eight tips that will hopefully help organizations cross safely to the other side and make them stronger on the way.

1. Have a Plan

Being unprepared to deal with online criticism can lead to knee-jerk reactions, misinformation and further damage to your association’s reputation.
It’s crucial to discuss how best to address complaints and where to get the right information and answers with other in your organization. Look at several possible scenarios and how go about dealing with them. It’s not possible to predict every situation, but having a roadmap definitely helps when the unexpected comes up.

2. Respond Quickly

One of the worst things an association can do is ignore a criticism or take days or weeks to respond. This delay shows your community and the public that you don’t value them enough to get on the problem right away.

Responding quickly, even with a message that simply acknowledges the comment and lets that person know you are working on a response, shows you care and will work to rectify any problems and meet any need. This show of loyalty and care will keep people coming back even after a less-than-perfect experience.

3. Be Transparent

When an organization receives criticism, the natural tendency is to deal with it in a more private setting. But being transparent with negative comments on your Twitter feed, Facebook page, blog comment section or elsewhere can work to your advantage.

By addressing the issue in a public forum, in a sensitive, calm and constructive manner, it shows everyone that your association is honest and genuinely cares about helping its members and the community. It builds trust, loyalty and engagement as well as neutralizing any accusations of censoring.

There are exceptions to this rule. If comments are hateful, discriminatory or meant to fuel these types of discussions, responding to them and keeping them visible will not help you, your organization or anyone in the community. Delete them and move on to responding to those who actually care about resolving an issue.

4. Don’t Play Tug-of-War

It’s okay to not fight back once in a while on social media. Sometimes those making negative comments will argue with you. Don’t argue with them.

This doesn’t mean you have to back down completely, but always be polite, respectful and try your best to find and solve the issues behind the criticism. If this is not enough, do not engage in an argument. It makes your organization look combative, harsh and unwelcoming.

5. Listen

Listening to negative feedback is important to finding a solution and building your organization, but sometimes the answer doesn’t come after the first response. Longer conversations, through social media, email or over the phone, may be necessary to address an issue that was brought up online.

Again, this doesn’t mean a back and forth argument, but a conversation where you listen to the problems, explain your side of the story and listen and respond once again.

6. Find a Solution and Follow up

Once a complaint has been brought forward, work hard to find the answer to the problem. Keep that person and the rest of your network informed of the progress and make sure to follow up with the individual who originally made the complaint.

Seeing the problem all the way to the end lets your community know that your association is dedicated and treats every one of their members with the same care and devotion as the next. It will also encourage loyalty and trust, which generates great word-of-mouth for the organization.

7. Don’t Be a Robot 

Remember that your organization is there to help real people with real issues. Those who write negative comments are just as human as you are.

Be human in your response to complaints. Whatever you do, do not use a canned corporate response or a generic, one-line answer. This makes others feel like you’re brushing them off; it is disheartening and even condescending. Addressing people by name, mentioning the specific problem and using humor (when called for) are all simple ways to let others know you value them as individuals.

8. Build on It

Okay, so you’ve received a complaint and are in the process of finding a solution. Now is a great time to use these negative comments to generate positive growth for your organization. Engage your online community in helping find an answer to an issue. Ask followers and fans for ways to make your organization better. Your weaknesses will remain just that until you recognize them and fix them. This sometimes requires new perspectives. Some organizations open social media forums that act as virtual suggestion boxes. Not every idea can be put into action, but your members will appreciate the sentiment and you might be amazed at some of the great ideas brought forward.

No two complaints are the same and your responses should be equally unique. When responding to criticism, you should be respectful, quick and strive to find solutions. Providing great answers to issues on social media can mean the difference between your organization falling behind and soaring high.

Author Bio: Marc Cousineau is the President and Founder of Incline Marketing. Marc is passionate about helping non-profit organizations and associations grow and serve members through online marketing and social media.

You can follow Marc on Twitter, @marccousineau2, and follow Incline Marketing @inclinemktg

Image courtesy of renjith krishnan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fall Programming

Join the Ottawa-Gatineau CSAE Chapter at one of our upcoming events!  Click here for our full slate of programming.

Or, scan the list below for additional details:

Programming & Continuing Education:

• On October 16th, join us at the Best Western Plus Victoria Park Suites for our Leadership & Development Lunch.  Dr. Roseann O'Reilly Runte, President of Carleton University, will share her thoughts and insights on how to hone our leadership skills while maintaining that all-too-elusive work-life balance.  Be part of this unique opportunity to hear from one of Canada's premier leaders on a subject that directly impacts all executives and learn how to cut through the million threads holding you back.  Click here to register.
• On November 18th, we will be hosting a half-day workshop at the Ottawa Conference & Event Centre on Information Management - Effective Processes to Reduce Uncertainty.
  
  Participants in this complimentary session will learn:
• How to determine the right time to make a change
• How to assess the needs of their organizations and select and implement effective and integrated systems
• How to manage the human side of change
• How to ensure that they understand and are delivering the financial and non-financial information the Board requires to discharge its responsibilities
  
  We have partnered with BDO on this one - and hope to see you there!  Click here for more info.
• Right after the 1/2 day workshop, stick around for lunch - back by popular demand, we will hear from 3 Executives:  What are three tips for balancing the demands of a CEO role with the demans of the rest of your life?  Click here to register.

Interested in Marketing & Communications?

We also have two free networking sessions to consider:  October 14th will be geared towards Young Professionals in Association Communications, November 11th will be all about Digital Analytics: Making them relevant to your association.  Sign up for one, or both!

Why Smart Advertisers Choose Associations

During my almost 20-year career, I have been fortunate to work for — and with — both for-profit and association publications. Throughout this time, I have often heard that it is not as easy to sell ads in association publications as it is in consumer publications. Over the last seven years, as I have focused on selling advertising almost exclusively in association publications, I have learned that simply is not the case.

Here are a few reasons some people believe that association publications are not as valuable as consumer publications:

• The majority of readers do not make a commitment to the magazine; they are receiving it as a member benefit because they are a member of the association.
• Association publications are typically not audited, so an advertiser or an ad agency cannot easily compare an association publication to a consumer publication that is audited.
• Associations often do not have as many readers as consumer publications.

At face value, these are all good reasons that it is smarter for an advertiser to put their ad dollars toward a consumer publication as compared to an association publication. The good news for association publishers is that there are even more reasons why an association publication is a great advertising choice:

1. Associations keep their members. According to ASAE, the average association annual member-renewal rate is 80 percent . That means that advertisers are able to consistently reach the same individuals multiple times over multiple years if they advertise regularly over time. All marketers know that staying in front of potential customers is important. This consistency is almost guaranteed when working with associations.
2. Associations can be small, but they are targeted. Most associations and association publications are built around an industry or a mission that members support or believe in. This basically guarantees that the individuals who are receiving the publication are similar in need and focus. Targeting is important in advertising, and if you are able to reach an audience that is almost totally made up of the type of individual you are trying to reach, it will increase the likelihood of success.
3. Associations are communities of engaged members. Associations are putting more and more time and money into engaging their member community. They are giving members ways to communicate and even share information about products and services they use and like. With these engagement mechanisms already in place, companies that consistently advertise and do a good job of getting members to talk about their product or service to the larger community will see word of mouth about their offerings progress faster than they may see in a consumer environment.
4. Associations are trusted. As nonprofit organizations, associations are looked at with a level of respect and trust that for-profit entities often are not. A company that advertises in an association publication benefits from the perception of trust as well. Members also trust the association to provide them with the right information, products, and services, so companies that advertise in association publications may receive a more positive perception than they would if the ad were placed in a consumer publication.
5. Association members pay a good amount for dues. It is true that association members typically do not pay for their publication directly like a consumer would for a magazine. That said, members are making a choice to join the association and are typically paying a dues amount that is higher than the ever-shrinking price of a consumer magazine. Additionally, many consumer publications are controlled (qualified subscribers receive a free subscription) where a subscriber doesn’t pay anything for their subscription.

Selling advertising in an association publication is not an easy thing to do. However, if you educate your advertisers and potential advertisers to the benefits you bring to the table, it will be much easier. There are many benefits to advertising in an association publication — we just have to make them known.

This post was submitted by Scott Oser, of Scott Oser Associates, with over 17 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries. Before starting the firm he worked for market leaders like National Geographic Society, AARP and Science.Throughout his career Scott has excelled in developing, implementing and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs. He is highly skilled in creating effective membership, marketing and sales programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals.

Image courtesy of cooldesign / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

AWESOME Blog Posts (Featuring @Dan_Vee @jcufaude @WildApricot @affinitycenter)

These four posts that we saw in the last week focused on ROI (in one form or another).  For our followers, we re-capped them here, and encourage you to read the full posts!  Great stuff!

1. ROI to R.O.M.E:  Thanks to Dan Varroney for this one.  R.O.M.E (Return On Member Engagement) encourages association executives to be proactive, and change the conversation.  Instead of engagement taking a back seat to budgets and putting out fires, can this challenges be avoided by focusing on the member and the outcome?  
2. 7 Simple Upgrades to Improve Conference ROI:  Jeffrey Cufaude posted this at the end of July, and his suggestions should be read by all who have limited budgets to adhere to when planning a conference, but want to really move the needle and increase attendee participation, and ultimately, attendance year over year.  Get your delegates involved!  
3. How Are You Welcoming New Members?: While we all recognize that we need to be consistent and timely with our outreach to new members, we do not need a Wal-Mart greeter.  Wild Apricot posted some stats from the US-based research produced by MGI, and adds commentary on what we can be doing to welcome new members. 
4. Combating Low Member Engagement: Affinity Center International shares four best practices – as a result of the MGI Research that states that membership is on the rise, but renewals are down.  These best practices might help you get rid of high attrition.  

What’s on your reading list this week?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Blogs that caught our eye last week (Featuring @AssociationsNow @MemberClicks @XYZUniversity @SmoothThePath)

There are many blogs out there for Association Executives – opinionated pieces, that aim to share knowledge, expertise, and make you think.  Here are four that caught our eye this week:

1. Three Keys to Inspire New Ideas From Staff:  Thanks to AssociationsNow for posting an article about Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE (with Spark Consulting).  This article discusses the fact that there is a lot of hype around innovation with associations.  We all know we should be doing it – but are there any associations out there that are doing it successfully?  Elizabeth conducted some research that says there are.  Find out about some organizations doing it right, and how they are achieving it.
2. The First Step to Innovation:  Thanks to MemberClicks for this article.  Again, about innovation (Yes, the hot topic). This article suggests that innovation is not about having all the answers – it’s about asking the right questions.  Those who are consistently reaching out to members to find out what is working; and what is not, are those who are on the innovation train.
3. What Members Want:  The New Meaning of Value: We can always count on XYZ University to provide content worth reading.  This particular article suggests that if your association is going to be around long enough to worry about the next generation of membership, you need to know what these members value – NOW.
4. It’s Hard to Communicate Member Value:  If you haven’t come across Amanda Kaiser’s blog, “Smooth The Path”, you should add it to your reading list.  Amanda digs into three pieces of the member benefit/value equation, and some tactics to understanding their specific needs.

What’s on your reading list this week?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

May-June Issue of #CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive Now Available...

In this issue....

• 2014 Annual Meeting Report 
• President's Column:  Making a Big Difference 
• Associations that Create Change:  An Interview with Paul Smith 
• 2014 Golf Tournament:  A Fun Networking Event 
• Hot Topics, Industry Trends, and More on the Chapter Blog 
• Ontario's mandatory basic occupational health & safety awareness training comes into effect July 1, 2014. 
• Building a Strong Foundation for CSAE's Future
• CSAE O-G Volunteer Breakfast: Another Great Success!

Membership in the age of Google: What are you serving up?

Do you have an information desk open at all hours?  Is your website an open book for your members and the general public?  Or do you keep reports, whitepapers, podcasts and other benefits of your membership hidden behind walls on your website – only available to your dues-paying customers?

Google is available 24/7 to answer questions from your potential new members or clients.  Before you even sit down at your desk with your first cup of coffee, there may have been several potential clients sizing up your business or association without you ever knowing about it.  So how are you capturing the attention of these potential members?  And how are you retaining members who know that they can probably access all you offer through some other on-line source in this age of Google?

This was the topic earlier this Spring for the Marketing & Communications Group in CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau.  While they didn’t come up with all the answers, they did have a fulsome discussion on the tactics you could use to encourage non-members to become members and those you could use to reinforce membership with existing members.

Information on websites can answer immediate questions.  Whitepapers can solve immediate research needs.  But are you giving all your value away without capturing something from these transactions?

When we focus on what matters to our members, perhaps it’s a bit like that old sitcom Cheers where at some point during the opening minutes of the show, Mr. Peterson walks into the bar and all the regulars should out “Norm!”  Are you ready to capture information that will give online visitors that “Norm” feeling about your organization?  Do your existing members that have that “Norm” feeling about your organization?

During the session, they looked at how you can begin to create engagement with current and future clients. Here are a few of the possibilities discussed:

• If you sell things through your website – books, promotional items, events or other – are you capturing any data through these transactions that could help you build a relationship with the buyers?
• With your existing members and clients, have you ever done any data mining to build more complete profiles of them?  What specific interests do they have? Do they belong to other organizations? When is their birthday?  Some of these questions might seem frivolous but it helps you develop a more complete profile.  They become human to you and you to them.
• Build sub-groups.  This type of niche knowledge could lead to news-sharing, events and meet-ups in communities which reinforce the value of your organization.
• If a non-member attends an event, is it purely financial or have you made a connection with them during attendance? (This could include a special welcome at the event; a buddy system; a personalized survey afterwards, etc).

Many of these ideas are certainly possible with technology.  But you, the organization, need to have a plan for data collection and usage.  How will capturing information help you transform your clients’ transaction into an experience that they will want to repeat?

Many member-based organizations used to be able to provide one-size-fits-all programs to their members. That game has been upped.  If you buy books online, you’ll know that you will receive future promotional emails based on your previous purchases.  Can you say that you know your members this well?

Sure Google is open for business 24/7 and commercial websites can create “personalized” experiences. Technology has provided the tools for data mining and resultant niche marketing.  Anything that you can do to add “warm and fuzzies” to your stakeholder transactions, will put you a step above Google, Wikipedia or any other online experience.  It’s important to remember that transactions do not equal engagement; human relationships do.  After all, Norm didn’t just want a beer at Cheers, he wanted the camaraderie; it could have been any bar.

This article was originally featured in the April-May issue of CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive, and was written by Jennifer Hagen, CAE, Director, Chamber Development & Services with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Beyond Social Media 101: Meeting Member Needs & Facilitating Communications

In the Spring, members of the CSAE Marketing & Communications Group met and held a roundtable to discuss how to use social media tools in a more focused way to support organizational communications objectives and meet specific, defined member needs.  Here are the highlights of the discussion:

• Everyone noted that finding out what member’s needs and wants from their association is not an easy task.  It’s difficult to know if we are reaching the opinion leaders among our members, particularly for those with institutional membership rather than individual.
• It was suggested that, despite the prevalence of electronic communications, old-fashioned paper and phone surveys might still be necessary in addition to email and social media, in order to obtain an accurate representation of member wants and needs.
• Draws and contests remain a good way to evoke a response from otherwise un-engaged members.
• In the absence of good data about member needs, most association communicators are simply trying to build audiences on the “big three” social networking platforms: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, on the assumption that if we want members to talk to us, we need to provide multiple opportunities and meet people where they are.
• At minimum, associations should maintain a “placeholder” presence on these three platforms, lest their name and identity be used by someone else.  For example, one association has been unable to register a LinkedIn group under their name as it is already in use by a similarly-named group overseas.
• Once established, these networks can be used to seek input from members regarding what they want and need from their association.  This is particularly important for associations with non-mandatory membership.
• Although these sites are free to use, the cost of staff time must be taken into account, and communications staff do need to monitor traffic and remain regularly responsive to members who communicate with them via these platforms.

The goal for everyone, it seems, is to move from pushing information to asking members what they need and then seeking solutions to fulfill those needs.  Social networking could provide the answers in some cases, but perhaps other needs can be fulfilled by more traditional means.  We won’t know until we ask.

This post was originally featured in the April-May issue of the CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive, and was written by Alison Larabie Chase, Communications and Membership Coordinator, with the Canadian Association of University Business Officers.

April-May #CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive Now Available...

In this issue....

• Beyond Social Media 101: Meeting Member Needs & Facilitating Communications.  
• Membership in the age of Google:  What are YOU Serving Up?
• A Message from the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada
• Improving Your Advocacy Skills
• Leading Multi-Generational Teams

The Secret to Member Engagement Is… Being Nosy!

The only constant I’ve learned about associations is that there are no two that are identical. Every organization has a distinct profile of members, events, and objectives. This is true of associations of all size, even chapter-to-chapter of a larger national organization.

So when the question is posed, “What is the secret to member engagement?” My answer always tends to be, “Well that depends on the members.” So how do you learn about your members and engage them in a way that will be on target every time? Be nosy!

I’m not saying you should Facebook stalk them or find out where their kids go to school, but you should definitely start talking. Ask questions! Be genuinely curious about your members! Use the cocktail party rule: listen 70% of the time, share 30% of the time. This is tough because as an association leader you know you have a lot of valuable information to share and you know they need it. But to figure out the best way to get your members that information, you need to talk to them first.

So what do you need to find out in these cocktail party-esque conversations?

Who they are

Find out a little about your members’ lives and priorities. If your members tend to have young children that can drastically change your optimal times for meeting. If your members are mostly nearing retirement age, think about how your programming can adjust to meet those changing needs. If your members are younger professionals just starting out, they’ll require a different kind of networking. A simple bio of your members will go a long way!

Why they joined your association

You could probably guess this, and you’ll probably be pretty close, but ask anyway. You may be surprised, for example, how many people say, “to make friends because I Just moved here” or “to improve my networking skills.” If you find that there is a common thread that doesn’t necessarily have to do with professional development in the traditional sense, that’s a great opportunity to hit the nail on the head with engagement.

What they think about your association so far

Now that you know what they want out of your association, how are those needs being met? Ask specific questions about events, programs, or initiatives that you’ve recently run. Were they on target? Even close? Encourage your members to be candid, even if the feedback is negative. Assure them this isn’t about you as an association pro, but about the betterment of the association as a whole.

So when will you get the opportunity to collect all of this valuable feedback? Start with the members who are already engaged. Even if every answer is “peachy keen, jelly bean!” it’s still good feedback to have.
Once you have your already-engaged members’ feedback, start doing a little networking on your own. You probably already use post-event surveys, so start following up on those responses. If you have a great conversation with a member at a meeting or event, take a business card and reach out to him or her later. You may have a few people too busy to respond or who aren’t interested. However even the feedback you do get from the handful of people who want to participate is valuable!

And make sure your members know you are open and willing to talk. Whether you have an “actual” office door or not (association pros work from all kinds of places!) assure your members that it’s always open and you’re always there for feedback, new ideas, and constructive criticism.

Now that you have all of this fabulous information, adjust your efforts, programming, and meetings! You won’t be able to please everyone, but you can make a lot of people happy and engaged with your association. And isn’t that the goal, after all?

Happy engaging!

Sarah Hill is the primary blogger for MC Talks, the blog for MemberClicks, an Association Management Software provider. She loves listening to association pros tell her about their challenges, then figuring out how to help them work it out. To read more of her writings check out blog.memberclicks.com.

Spring 2014 CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive now available

In this issue....

• New Member Event a BIG Success - see the re-cap from Brett Filson and Clementine Van Veen, our Membership Committee Co-Chairs.  
• What does Spring have to do with Association Executives?  Check out Susie Grynol's post in our Message from the President column. 
• Katherine McColgan re-caps the February Parliamentary Breakfast in her article, "Association with Associations".  
• When was the last time you reviewed your association's insurance?  Serge Paquette provides Business Insurance Considerations for Associations. 
• In January the chapter held a great lunch panel discussion on Hybrid Meetings: Myths, Opportunities and Lessons Learned.  Check out the re-cap here.  
• Did you attend Tête-à-Tête 2014?  If you did (or even if you didn't) - it was ALL GOOD - and we have captured the essence here. 
• Three experts provided some commentary for association executives to "Take Control of Risk in Your Organization".
• Our MarComm Group held a session recently asking "Do you send CEMs to your stakeholders?"  Jennifer Hagen writes about a really engaging discussion on the Anti-Spam Legislation.
• AODA - The Quick and Dirty, gives a easy to read overview on what is already law and what is coming.
• Are you using images?  Royalty-free images are not free: Find and Use Photos without being sued.  A great article by Angie D'Aoust.

Blogging Best Practices

The CSAE Marketing & Communications group was privileged to receive some great advice and words of wisdom from local blogger and social media advisor Sue Murphy (@suzemuse) at a recent session.  As a result, here are 10 Steps to a Better Blog:

1. Define your purpose, your audience and your competition.  Understand your focus and know your business goal.  If you create good content, people and search engines will love you.
2. Set a realistic schedule that readers can rely on.  How often?  At least two posts per week.  It’s about balance and experimentation.  Try different days to determine variances of engagement.  Create content in batches.  Write several posts at a time.
3. Mix it up.  Different lengths, multimedia, timely and timeless posts, top 10 lists.  Variety is key.
4. Move beyond the written word.  Use visual elements: photos, checklists, videos, slideshare, info graphics, etc., but still keep dialogue around it.  Consider a Creative Commons photo license.
5. Size matters.  How long?  Long enough to make a point but not bore those who skim articles.  Average 300-600 words.  If longer consider a two part series.
6. Write killer headlines and subheads.  This is the most important part of your post.  Pique curiosity of skimmers and scanners.  Consider search engines and key words and phrases.  Be descriptive – headlines should tell you a story/paint a picture.  Compelling headlines stand out.
7. Design is important.  Reflect your organization’s personality, style and brand.  Must include:  subscription buttons – RSS or email, contact info – name/email/twitter, search box, archive of posts (by category, title, dates), social media share buttons and links to your social media sites or direct feed widgets.
8. Create momentum.  Have a clear call to action.  Drive traffic to more info on your website.  Ask people to subscribe, donate.  Ask a question at the end to encourage people to comment or respond.
9. To moderate or not?  Shouldn’t turn off or edit comments.  Only use to remove inappropriate or off topic comments.  Use anti-spam tools.  Post a terms of engagement to let people know what will be tolerated.  The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association shared a sample of their Community Terms of Engagement (http://www.cdha.ca/pdfs/community/online_community_code_of_conduct.pdf) Make sure someone is tasked to moderate and monitor the blog closely.
10. Use categories and tags to help search engines find you.  It also helps people to search by interest.  Come up with identified categories ahead of time and unique hashtags.

Some additional tips and tricks:

• Think of yourself as a storyteller
• Think of your website as a digital storefront and a blog as your digital magazine full of articles
• Be Google friendly
• Less formal, more personality
• Be patient
• Cross promotion on social media and your website is important

Happy Blogging!

This post was written by Angie D’Aoust, Director of Marketing & Communications with the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA).  

Your non-members - friends or foes?

Working for an association that does not have a certification or compliance function means being challenged daily to demonstrate a tangible return on investment to renewing, non-renewing and new professionals who do not feel the need to belong.

I believe that associations ignore opportunities to engage with non- members at their peril.  In 2011 my association (The Canadian Library Association) took a brave decision to directly engage with non-members through a new concept that now stands at  twenty four (24) groups and growing.  These discrete units mix members and non-members who share ideas and best practices, develop programs both for our annual conference and for a series of webinars throughout the year and lastly they take advocacy positions on issues of particular interest to them.  

Unofficial surveys of these non-members indicate that there is an awareness of the CLA and the role it plays within the library community in Canada.  Our newest network will look after the needs of new professionals just beginning their careers. The expectation is that at least 10% (approximately 60) of the non-members in these networks will eventually engage as members.  Plans are in train to reach out to these non-members to invite them to join.

I should  perhaps define what I mean by a ‘non-member’.  In my opinion, there are at least four categories of non-member:

1. The former member (non-member in the sense that they have deliberately let their membership lapse).   We have contacted them on four or more occasions and they have indicated they will not renew.  Their reasons range from budget constraints, no longer in the industry, they have moved and lastly attempts to reconnect with them have not been successful
2. The episodic non-member.  This is the member who has let their membership lapse only to reactivate it when the annual conference or some other association event is of interest to them.
3. The peripheral member.  I call these ‘members’ in the loosest sense of the word.  They may or may not be former members who have found ways, perhaps through social media to engage with our association.
4. The potential member.  The non-member in the industry who has not considered joining to date.

Where the first three categories above are concerned, a critical key to success is the maintenance of an up-to-date database.  I would argue that this is as important as the member database itself as it provides valuable data that can be used to contact individuals who have demonstrated varying degrees of openness to belonging.  Of course messaging would be different depending on which group is being targeted.

I keep a close eye on these membership campaigns, noting feed-back and also paying attention to results particularly renewals from lapsed members.  There are two main reasons why former members will decide to renew.  As stated above, a) our annual conference is taking place in their province and it is worthwhile to re-join for this reason alone or b) one of our advocacy initiatives has raised their perception of our association and they decide to give us another chance.

I would respectfully argue that the fourth and last group is the one that will require the most resources, both in terms of financial and human.  This last group of potential members will be the hardest to recruit.  Studies have shown that targeting lapsed, episodic or peripheral members will yield more immediate results than trying to break new ground with potential members.  In today’s tough budgetary climate where association dollars are closely monitored, potential members will need to ‘kick the tyres’ so to speak before making a commitment and this is where a ‘try us for a month/or three’ might bring some tangible results.  We will investigate and research this option and would be very happy to share results with readers. Conversely, if you have had some success with this approach targeting new members, we would love to hear from you.

In conclusion, I submit that our non-members are very definitely our friends and a careful, measured and thoughtful approach to engaging with them will bring tangible results, perhaps not today or tomorrow, but in the future.  If nothing else it will demonstrate that we care.

This post was provided by Geraldine Hyland, CAE, Member Services Manager with the Canadian Library Association.  She has worked for over fifteen years in the charities and not-for-profit sector in Canada and received her CAE in 2004.

Invest in Your Future: Segmentation Recommendations

With Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) looming, many organizations are starting to re-focus their efforts on their data, and segmenting it so that communications sent to contacts are what they are looking for. We are bombarded by email messaging, and at times, tune out from what organizations are trying to tell us. What’s sad is that they are likely missing information that they should know, and want to know, all because it has become too much.

Here are a few examples/recommendations of possible segmentation best practices that may help:

• Communication types: Make a list of all types of information you are putting out there, and then identify if there are certain types of members (based on company type, job functionality, etc) who would most likely be interested in receiving it. 
• Offer corporate memberships? Do you have the main contact only (i.e. the one who writes the cheque)? Or have you assessed them early and obtained other contact names? Not every contact within the corporation will be interested in the same information; from C-suite contacts, to product designers, they have different goals, and value different information. Identify who should be on your list based on your types of communication, and make an effort to obtain their contact information.
• Offer industry and supplier memberships? Segment them. Supplier members may not be interested in all aspects of your organization. It’s a best practice to find out why they became a member, and keep them informed with information on what will keep them renewing. 
• For organizations that offer special programs or information to select portions of your membership, do not send information to your entire database. Those who cannot access it, or will not qualify, will only get frustrated that they are getting excluded.

There are several ways to segment your members. A best practice is not to assume, get them to tell you. Here are a few ways to help gather the information:

• Send a communication, other than an email, advising that your organization is in the process of segmenting membership in order to provide effective, streamlined communication. In this communication, tell them to expect an email inviting them to provide their preferences.
• Next step? Send the email. Prepare a landing page with all of their options, and ask them to select the categories that best suit their needs. Make sure that the information transfers easily to your customer relationship management (CRM) system.  
• Did you not get responses from everyone? Follow up with a phone campaign to get their preferences captured over the phone.

I fully realize that you will not get everyone’s preferences this way, but it’s a start. You can continue this effort throughout the year (at renewal time, while they are in the process of registering for a conference or event, etc). All of this effort should increase member satisfaction, engagement, and email open and click through rates. After all, keeping them happy will give you a better chance of keeping them renewing, right?

This post was provided by Meagan Rockett, who is the Director, Client Solutions with Greenfield Services Inc. and was recently featured in the recent CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive.

The Events Corner: October 2013

Is your role in Marketing and/or Communications within the association sector?  Did you know that there is a MarComm subgroup within the chapter?

Our champions Jennifer Hagen and Angie D’Aoust are looking forward to meeting with you to discuss key topics within this specific realm and learning from each other.

On Tuesday, October 8th, the first session of the year is taking place at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce offices to finalize their topics for discussion this year.

These events are complimentary to attend, and are a great way to meet people in other associations, who are in a position to help, or share ideas with.  If you would like to provide your input in advance of the meeting, please take the online survey. Or, to register for the event, please click here.

In October the Ottawa-Gatineau CSAE Chapter will be focusing on Tradeshows and Fundraising.  Here is what is coming up to stay tuned for/attend:

The chapter will be offering a ½ day workshop on October 16th on Tradeshows and Non-Dues Revenue.

Attending this workshop will provide delegates with the opportunity to hear industry experts participate in a panel discussion addressing the following:

• The challenges in selling exhibit space
• Providing value for dollars spent to exhibitors
• Technology and tools used to attract the right attendees
• Providing value to attendees
• Booth etiquette for exhibitors

Moderated by the chapters Executive Director, Nancy Barrett, we welcome Martine Proulx (CADSI), Debbie van der Beek (Ignite Magazine) and Ian Forsyth (Caneast Shows Inc) and look forward to their wealth of knowledge in this area.

And we didn’t stop there!  There will be round table discussions following the panel addressing sponsorship, tradeshows and social media, venue selection and selling to associations.

Right after the workshop, we will also be having a lunch & learn session, welcoming Daniel Brunette (AFP), who will discuss fundraising, the challenges, the pitfalls, and different ways to ensure a successful campaign.

Daniel will be giving attendees some strategy, processes and other tips and best practices, and address what we should do to ensure a broader, successful fundraising strategy.

You can register several ways: Attend the workshop only, the lunch only, or join us for both.  Click here to register.

The chapter looks forward to this great professional development day at the Ottawa Conference & Event Centre.  We hope to see you all there!

Are you looking to share your expertise in a certain area of association management?  If so, we are looking for you!  There is a call for moderators for the November 21st lunch.  For more details, click here.

Interested in submitting an article for the blog?  Please review our Blog Submission Guidelines, and reach out.  We would be happy to further discuss and ge

t your opinions out there!