Can you have a real relationship online?
Increasingly, we’re seeing the well-articulated fear that a consequence of our digital age is the loss of meaningful interactions, which are being replaced by “likes” and superficial conversations. As a community manager, I look at things a little differently. By the nature of my role, I spend a lot of time conversing with people online. I always […]
Your extracurriculars could help shape your career
I keep hearing about all these reasons why people shouldn’t work too much — health, wellness, sanity — but nobody has time for that. Don’t get me wrong: Of course you should take care of yourself, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you don’t have the time or the energy to contribute to your profession […]
Can science fiction help you see the future?
We spend a lot of time thinking about what the future is going to look like. And that makes sense, right? We plan out our careers. We write five-year plans. We put together strategies to move the needle forward in our organizations. And then comes disruption. The linear paths we’ve crafted for ourselves are completely […]
Were millennials dealt a bad hand?
Simon Sinek is the author of the bestselling books, “Leaders Eat Last” and “How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action.” He is also, as a turns out, a very compelling speaker. A clip from an episode of “Inside Quest” went viral, and for good reason. In the interview, Sinek lays out the four factors he attributes to […]
The power 1-click ordering has on your bottom line
People like convenience. Today, many products are specifically-designed to improve the user experience and make people’s lives easier. Convenience-focused pieces of technology range from smart-kitchen devices that let you view your fridge’s contents while you shop for groceries to robotic vacuum cleaners owners can activate to start cleaning their houses with the touch of an app. When it comes […]
5 marketing trends for associations in 2017
Marketing is one of those disciplines that leaves you feeling one step behind all of the time. Particularly now with the increased use of social media and the hundreds of startups flooding your inbox with digital marketing tools, it’s hard to separate what new marketing techniques are actually being implemented successfully vs. what seems to be trendy purely […]
Consider how big a lean organization could be
For those unfamiliar with the concept, being “lean” means to create more value with fewer resources. Understandably, this is a topic that has gotten a lot of attention in the business world and in the association space. We’ve talked about how to adopt a lean mindset, we looked at how one week of analyzing your schedule […]
How to improve a member’s conference experience, according to members
As part of my research, I’ve conducted a lot of in-depth interviews with members. Most include a discussion about their conference experiences, as it is where members tend to get the most value. Looking at the responses across more than 300 interviews of mostly very engaged members, a handful of typical weak spots in association […]
Make no mistake: An association is still a business
Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States, famously said, “The business of America is business.” I like to paraphrase this quote to “the business of associations is business” because that is in fact what we are. Non-profit or not-for-profit corporations are indeed corporations; all the 501c statuses are incorporation statuses and, thus, businesses. This […]
The beginner’s guide to creating video content (on a budget)
As a former film student, it excites me to see video incorporated more and more into the marketing strategies of associations. After all, it’s an extremely effective means of communicating with your current and potential members. But it can be intimidating — and that’s why many are scared to pull the trigger. How do you […]