Emerging academic research on organizational resilience confirms what many leaders learned during the pandemic: Staying up to date with technology makes it possible for businesses to bend—rather than break—amid winds of change.
The association space is no different. Whether the goal is to enhance the member experience, build community, improve marketing, attract and retain members, or drive business outcomes, leaders who view technology through a future-forward lens are more prepared to weather the test of time.
Building a sustainable path forward requires engaging members in flexible, novel ways, protecting your association from reputational and financial risk, and putting leading-edge technologies to work. Follow these seven tips to start building a more resilient association now.
1. Transform digital spaces into vibrant, engaged communities.
Online communities have existed for decades via bulletin boards, forums, and listservs. Today’s software takes those concepts and supercharges them, empowering associations to turn data into valuable member insights.
While software helps build the foundation for an outstanding member experience, remember that community-building is not a one-and-done process.
Some online community members will observe conversations but not participate in them. Others will consider speaking up only after others lead the way. To model desired behavior, appoint a few active members and staff to kick off conversations—and others to keep them going.
2. Employ marketing automation.
The more engaged members are, the more likely they’ll stick around for the long haul. That’s where automation comes in, enabling time-strapped employees to eliminate time-consuming tasks and instead focus on innovation and strategy.
Start by automating marketing campaigns for smaller programs that typically don’t garner as much attention as an annual conference. Or boost authenticity by using…
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