It's been more than two decades since the New York Times Best Seller, Who Moved My Cheese, was published. And while alot has happened since the proverbial self-help book was released, the sentiment has stayed the same...
Change is hard.
While change is inevitable and necessary, personally and professionally, it’s uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing for most.
The reality is that most people just don’t like leaving their comfort zones. And that creates challenges for marketers, who are typically organizational innovators and change agents. While you, as the association professional knows there's a need for change, broaching the topic with your internal and external stakeholders can be a painstaking effort.
2020 has been like the tornado in The Wizard of Oz, ripping us all up from our familiar lives and depositing us in a strange new world.
Your members are depending on you now more than ever. They need you to offer support, networking opportunities, and programming tailored to their evolving needs. They also need to know that you’re out there, providing a strong voice for the industry and striving for a prosperous future.
But it’s also a tough time for associations. Membership growth was already a challenge even before COVID-19. How do you get young professionals to invest in their careers when the future seems so hazy?
Data-based marketing is nothing new. All marketing is based on some data. Before you reach out to any audience, you have to know a little about what makes them tick.
And everything you know counts as data. Their likes, their dislikes, their needs, their preferences. Their goals and the obstacles to their goals. All of these are data points that will help you produce a targeted, effective method.
When associations start planning to adopt a new marketing platform, they focus on the technical issues involved. Will the new platform work? Will it integrate with the other systems? Will we be able to run reports?
But these technical issues are usually the easiest part of the upgrade process.
There are lots of other issues you’ll face when trying to adopt a new platform. Most of these roadblocks are related to people and processes – not the technology itself.
None of these problems are insurmountable. You just need to be prepared and plan ahead.
