Frank Kenny provides five easy marketing tips any association can implement. Marketing has changed a lot over the past decade. Social media now plays a major role, as does word of mouth and digital reviews. Brands are also creating experiences, and your members likely expect some of that from you. Before you start worrying about your budget or your time, make sure that your social media marketing is as effective as possible. To do this, you need to: Be present. […]

Sales Funnel: A method (using software) to guide a prospective customer through a series of stages, ultimately converting them to a member, sponsor, customer, etc. It’s described as a funnel because it’s large at the top, tapers through the middle, and narrows at the bottom. The process begins with a broad pool of prospects. At each stage, the pool narrows. Prospects are filtered, and those somewhat likely to convert advance through the funnel. Eventually, the prospects with the highest likelihood […]

Guest Blog by Frank Kenny Is your renewal process as effective as it could be? If you’re not sure how your renewal process measures up to others in the membership business, let’s think about one of the strongest, most efficient membership models—Netflix. Imagine being an employee in charge of billing for Netflix subscriptions if Netflix worked the way many associations and chambers currently do. If you followed this model, you would print off and send out a paper invoice. Netflix […]

Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on September 7, 2016. It has been updated. Why write a proclamation? Proclamations serve to signal to citizens that an issue matters. A proclamation can influence policy decisions is an official way for government leaders to make an announcement. Although there are a few steps involved, overall it’s a very easy thing to accomplish (particularly if your association drafts the proclamation for your leaders). The 4-Step Process 1. Write: Outline what you would […]

Most people consider themselves good listeners, but genuinely listening to others is a rare skill. What is effective listening? Everyone wants to be heard and understood (especially your association’s members). To truly listen, one must actively absorb information, show interest, and provide feedback that reassures the speaker that you’re receiving their message. It sounds simple, but in reality, most of us haven’t mastered this art. Any number of things can interfere with our ability to listen actively – our thoughts […]