Five out of every six phone calls go straight to voice mail. If you‘re in sales, or business of any kind, you know how frustrating this can be. Increase the odds of getting a call back by mentally composing your message before each call. And remember, people hate it when callers state their name and phone number too quickly in voice mail messages – no one wants to listen to a message ten times to comprehend simple information. To improve your chances […]

The purpose of a press release is to get attention, make news, and generate publicity. It’s cost-effective marketing (free) and they can be used to create brand awareness for your association. The Basics of Crafting a Press Release: Make it newsworthy; it’s not an ad, it’s a news article Use an attention-grabbing headline Be time sensitive – no one wants old news Stick to one topic Write it in a professional tone, or even better, write it like you’re a […]

The welcome email is your chance to introduce your association, so make it count. When a new member joins your association, do you fire off a quick message and move on to the next thing on your to-do list? If so, it’s time to rethink your strategy – the welcome email is an enormously valuable opportunity that only happens once. Because welcome emails occur at an early stage in the member relationship before email fatigue sets in, you have a […]

Imagine for a minute, you’re on a desolate island and your only goal daily was to find your way off of the island. The movie “Cast Away” comes to mind, with Tom Hanks stranded after a plane crash. The only resource you have is an internet connection and 1% of battery life left on the device. How would you best use your time to reach your goal? When it comes to association-specific content, there are five components every association website […]

Securing funding for your association can be challenging. While the non-dues revenue route is all-too familiar, an often-overlooked source for funding is grants. There are many sources for grants, the most accessible and obvious being government grants. However, a simple web search for available grants produces thousands of results beyond those provided by local, state, and federal governments. Even if your association isn’t eligible, consider the benefit of communicating grant opportunities to your membership. For example, what if you sent your members […]

At the recent ASAE Membership, Marketing, and Communications Conference, the opening keynote speakers shared some simple, yet eye-opening thoughts on associations, marketing, and members. Download the Social Media Survival Infographic for 30 Quick and Clever Social Media Posts for Associations. There were two takeaways that really stuck with us: When it comes to marketing, the key isn’t to focus on your association, but to focus on what being a member of your association allows your members to do for their […]