The New Member Welcome

When you join or sign up for something new, it is always nice to immediately feel like you are getting something out of it. This is no different when it comes to an association. There should be clear steps as to what happens when a new member joins and if these are not already in place, it is time to start brainstorming!

1. Welcome Email. Have your new member automatically receive a welcome email. This email should include a re-explanation of their benefits, information on how to log in to the website, and where to find different resources. This will help them to quickly become familiar with the system and will reach them at the time they are most excited about their membership.

2. Buddy System. Appoint someone on the board or a member on the membership committee to buddy up with the newbie. This gives that person a point of contact they can go to with questions, concerns or to get more involved.

3. Check back in. After around 6 months, check back in with the new member to see how they are liking the group. This could be done through a survey or just a quick email. This check-in will let you know if your system needs some changes for future new members.

Creating these onboarding steps will help to ensure member retention and growth. The happier the member is the more likely they will be to refer the organization to a friend and to stay in the group themselves.

Arming your Board for Cyber Attacks

We have all come across phishing emails in our inbox once or twice. Some of us might have even fallen for it! Associations are often the prey to these cyber-attacks. It is easy to look at an association’s website and find out who is in charge of the organization and who would have access to the bank account. The emails of those individuals is also usually right there for the attacker. Because this information is so readily available, it is important to train your board and/or staff on potential cyber-attacks.

Most “phishers” are focused around a money transfer. The attacker might imitate the email of the President and email either the treasurer or staff with a request to transfer the money. Train your board to verify the email of the President when they receive a request like this one. There is often something slightly different that will indicate that the request is a scam.

Another resolution to the problem, would be to set procedures in place for when and how a money transfer should happen. Perhaps your board could make it a rule that no money should be transferred unless a phone call first takes place. This will automatically raise a red flag when a board member receives an email with the request.

The 4th quarter is when “phishers” come out in full force so be sure to be on guard! If you are looking to test your board, try this phish test. It is a great way to test your board’s current knowledge and allows them to see examples of what could be showing up in their inbox one day.

The IMEX Experience

With approximately 14000 attendees, 3500+ exhibitors representing more than 150 countries, being a first-timer at IMEX America is quite an experience! I jokingly referred to it on a few occasions as the Comic-con for Event Planners, because the level of artistry and the wow factor that goes into the vendor booths is second to none!  From minute one on the floor, I was immersed in cultures, technology, futurism, exotic locations, sustainability, and education.

One of the biggest themes of the year was the focus on sustainability. IMEX was high on sustainability this year with the amazing implementation of the same scene at the event. IMEX adhered to promoting sustainability throughout the conference – providing free drinking water fountains for your refillable bottles, using reusable lanyards and recyclable badges- reducing event waste and lowering its footprint substantially.  The Sands Expo provided 100% compostable service-ware during IMEX and all leftover or unserved food items will be donated or composted. And the conference provided countless greener options for event planners and sustainability education sessions to soak up knowledge on sustainability from the experts.

Needless to say, I was left with an amazing impression of what this conference is doing for not only the event planning industry but for our world as a whole.

Breaking Old Habits: Keep your Association Evolving

Once a habit forms, it is often hard to break. This can be found true for associations as well. If something was done in the past, it might seem like something that should go on forever. This belief, however, could not be further from the truth.  

It is important to evaluate your strategies, monthly activities and member benefits regularly. When evaluating these components of the association, see which ones are actually making a difference in member engagement and growth. Just because something made an impact at one point in time, does not mean it always will. Times change and what members are looking for will always be evolving.

With this in mind, it is important to consider organizing your board’s thoughts by making a list of everything you are currently doing and then sorting it into piles. Include a pile for “keep doing” and “stop doing.” After stopping several of the items, revaluate what your members need and want. Now that you have taken some things off your plate, you will have time to start new initiatives and keep your association evolving.

How to Measure the ROI of your Marketing Strategies

A group of our team members recently had the opportunity to attend IMEX which is a place for meeting vendors and planners to come together from around the world. The team met with many vendors and sat in on several educational courses. Jill attended Jason Bornfriend’s. “How to Measure the ROI of your Marketing Strategies.” She had many takeaways that will help us to better strategize for our clients.

We are always working to grow the organizations that we work with and often use marketing tools to do so. Whether it is social media activity, newsletters, or email blasts, most of our marketing tends to be online. One thing that organizations often struggle with, however, is how to measure the success of that online marketing. Luckily, Jason had several tools and solutions.

If you are looking for an effective tool to track your marketing strategy, try one of the following.

·      Facebook Pixel

·      Google Analytics

·      Google Tag Manager

·      Pinterest Tag

·      Web & Mobile Analytics

·      Bling Ads Universal Event Tracking

Once you have the tracking tool you like, however, you might be confused as to what to look for. Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) should be your focus for using real numbers to change your approach to digital marketing. Try looking at the following and monitoring their growth over time. Depending on your organization, it might make sense to determine different KPI’s.

1.     Cost per website visitor

2.     Rate at which your website converts users to leads

3.     Rate at which your sales team converts leads to customers

4.     Life time value of one new customer

After you have determined your KPI’s and observed them for each marketing strategy, you will have a good idea as to what is working and what is not. You can then take time to evaluate your marketing strategy and make changes where it is necessary.