Thursday, February 16, 2012

Nearly 80% of Association Members Use Smartphones for Business

by Melynn Sight 

Are you reaching that 80% of your members through mobile technology?

Advertising pro Sam Meers defines digital velocity as “the seemingly unstoppable phenomenon of digital communications growing at an increasing rate.” This insatiable desire for information has most associations embracing mobile technology as their means for staying in the game. The rationale is in the numbers. A 2010 survey conducted by the Realtor® association’s center for REALTOR® technology revealed:                                               
  • Nearly 80% of REALTORS® across the association use smartphones for business
  • 68% use their phone to access productivity tools
  • 33% use their phone to access news from the association’s magazine
An Instantaneous Future

So how do you use technology to become a critical part of the way a member does business?

Karen Gehle, CEO of KAR (Kansas) says, “While e-mail is a more frequent communications channel, it is not as effective as it once was. So we are pursuing new methods of communication for one main reason. We want KAR to be within a touch of a button for our members.

Our mobile app will give member easy access to the information they say they need the most: Education, Legislative updates, and Market Data. If we make it easy for members to access information, we deliver on our brand promise to deliver new knowledge in every member interaction. We believe we can accelerate the engagement curve of the new and other members segments by delivering on our commitment through mobile communications.”

An Evolving Tool

So what exactly does “mobile” include? The definition grows every day. Associations are incorporating mobile phone applications, USB flash drives, streaming video, text, QR codes and the mobile web into their technology offerings.

“We are stepping into mobile apps and texting for one very prominent reason: it’s where our members are," says Dawn Kennedy, CEO in Oklahoma City. “Members are relying on their smartphones more and more to access MLS, to email documents from Transaction Desk and to communicate with clients. Our leadership believes the use of mobile technologies will increase dramatically as GEN Y and the millennials become the primary buying segment. We want to be able to deliver member services in whatever media they choose, and our survey data verifies they are choosing smart phones.”

As you consider your mobile possibilities, remember this: knowing what is valuable to your members allows you to be relevant to them. Seek their input. They’ll help you validate the right direction for your mobile strategy.
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Monday, February 13, 2012

nSight Marketing's Survey to Association Executives

by Melynn Sight

Thank you, busy association executives. For taking time to answer 8 questions that will shape nSight Marketing's communications with you in 2012.

Your key messages:

1. Keep other association examples and promising practices coming
2. Relevant examples and data (statistics) are both important
3. Send communications tips, techniques and creative approaches to help make for more efficient and effective communications
4. Offer tactical advice like communicating via social media, leader communications, and creative newsletter headlines
5. Help with the ever elusive value proposition

Your feedback will feed my editorial calendar. Yes, I will do something constructive with the results. I listened with interest. I hear you.

Thank you!
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Monday, February 6, 2012

Association Execs + Volunteers talk Value and Commitment to Members



It's traditional to kick off an association's year with a meeting.

Vision Quest is NCARs way of collaborating with staff and volunteer leaders on the most relevant and important issues for the association.

160 volunteers, 3 days, numerous legislative updates, along with an explosion of inspiration (by Richard Mendenhall), sharing a reference to "545 people" and relating the responsibility of all of the leaders in the room to 100 senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Court Justices of the United States. "545 human beings out of the 235 million are directly, legally, morally and individually responsible" for the promise of our country (taken from an Orlando Sentinel article, the last column written by Charley Reese.)

Andrea Bushnell, CEO,  and President Joe Baldwin wanted leaders to leave the meeting with inspiration and ideas for adding value in 2012. So two sessions led them though clarifying their value, creating their proposition, and generating ideas on how to communicate it to members in associations across the state.

The how-to sessions needed to be scalable for the smallest North Carolina association as well as a big Charlotte association; concepts that leaders and staff could  take back home and work together.

Kudos to an engaged, attentive group who showed that:

1. They "get it" and believe they can create a value proposition that is unique to them
2. Its possible to follow specific steps to complete the three legged stool of value
3. It's not up to staff
4. They are ready to get to work!

Presidents and AEs, sitting side by side, huddling, talking, and debating which member issues were high value benefits (important enough to include in a value proposition).

It's the kind of work that makes these meetings pay off. "Leaders in the arena" was a fitting theme. Elected and staff leaders are all in the arena, if only in their minds, thinking about what's really most important to their most important audience - their members.
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