By Pam Didner
I had the pleasure of speaking at digitalNow, a conference for associations, which was held at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel in Orlando (You can download the slides from my presentation here. This is a beautiful resort with nice shops along the Boardwalk, man-made sand beaches, and restaurants serving international cuisine.
Marketing has undergone massive changes since the first banner ad and online diary (now called a blog) in 1994, the beginning of search engine marketing in 1998, the rise of social media platforms circa 2003, and the initial mobile marketing efforts following the launch of smartphones in 2007.
New devices, search and various social media platforms also changed our communication styles and content consumption behaviors. Here are five new rules of marketing for associations to consider.
1. Consumers Are Spoiled
Google’s search and Amazon’s delivery services have spoiled our members. We expect expedient delivery from all industries. Consumers no longer want “fast, great and cheap.” They want “fast, great, free, and easy.”
Question: What are you doing to spoil your members?
Ideas to think about:
- Can you provide free, unique and differentiated content?
- In addition to fixed membership pricing, can you offer a-la-cart pricing?
- Some of associations offer certification programs (members’ core skills), can you also help members grow adjacent skills?
2. They Are Not That Into You
Consumers go to certain websites to be entertained, learn something, be challenged, buy something or get help. They don’t think about how much they love your brands. Once their needs and wants are met, they go on with their lives. They want to know if you can provide value to them.
Question: What are you doing to facilitate your members’ needs?
Ideas to think about:
- Make your information easy to find.
- Your members love to network and connect. Can you be the matchmaker and connect them locally?
- Can you increase membership benefits by offering free, third-party products and services, such as Dropbox storage, Evernote for Business, or popular paid-apps for your members use?
3. Good Design Is Good Business
Rather than desktops, smartphones and tablets are becoming the primary devices for your members. With desktops we tend to type our input, while we use touch and swipe for smartphones and tablets. Our usage behaviors are different, therefore, the format, layout, and design of content needs to be different.
Design is about the overall experience you create online and offline. Do you always keep users’ needs in mind when creating external-facing content?
Question: Who owns design and member experience in your association?
Ideas to think about:
- Design takes time and effort. Consider the technology requirements, layout of content, copywriting and user-interface.
- Test, optimize, re-test, and re-optimize.
4. Data and Analytics is Your BFF
If your data is connected and integrated, an abundance of information will be generated. You should mine your data to find insights to help you make optimal decisions.
Questions: Is your data connected? Do you have the right talent for data analytics?
Ideas to think about:
- Consider frequent optimization by AB testing of your websites, e-mail, and other digital communications.
- Personalize your communications and customize your content for lead nurturing.
5. Tell a Story
I shared clips of Andrew Stanton’s TED Talk, the Clues To A Great Story. Andrew stressed that to tell a story is to find a way to make listeners care and make it worth their time. If narratives are static, listeners lose interest.
Question: Is the way you approach your members dynamic?
Ideas to think about:
- Look at your past, present, and future to tell a story.
- Can you have your members tell your stories (not talking-head testimonials)?
- What are you doing for your members that you are excited to share with them?
In Summary
These five trends are inter-related.
They can be summarized into the following statement
Ultimately, it’s about serving your member well by being helpful and useful. No matter how marketing trends change and technology evolves, it all comes back to help them in order to help yourself.
Pam Didner is a consultant, author and speaker. This article is based on her presentation at digitalNow 2015 at Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin in Orlando, Florida. She is the former Global Integrated Marketing Strategist for Intel and the author of Global Content Marketing, named one of the top 25 social media marketing books to read in 2015. Witty Parrot named her one of the top 100 content marketers to follow on Twitter. She can be reached at pdidner@gmail.com or through her website at www.globalcontent.marketing.