Get a (communications) plan, man!

Every day, 6,000 pieces of information travels in and out of your brain. This means there is a lot of multi-tasking going on inside your head. And for you type A personalities, this means competing priorities.

Building a business, or an association, presents a continuing dilemma of just what things to do first. Part of the leader's job is to carry the big-picture torch.

I went to a meeting this morning with two very bright, aggressive real estate professionals trying to build a business-quickly. One is the leader, another the agent. One of their reasons for meeting centered around the question "What do we do with social media? How should it fit in to our "plan"?

Social media can be miles more efficient than the most sophisticated tools from the olden days (in the 80's). Think Hoovers, Standard & Poors, Lexis/Nexis, Dunn&Bradstreet, as examples. Remember? Volumes of hard copy books sat in our office or bullpen with descriptive company and contact information.  It was already out-of-date by the time we received the volumes via postal mail. But it was all we had to get to the right decision-maker, or to determine connections.

In later years, Xerox had a department of its own with a hotline for up-to-date business information we could call to navigate a prospective corporate account.

Today, tools like this are accessible online. These profile resources are invaluable, and we can add tools like LinkedIn to the list. Social media can help make connections we only dreamed of in the 80's and in a fraction of the time.

That said, I can't stress enough the importance of setting tactics (activities) and specific clients aside, and starting at the beginning, with three marketing basics:

The WHAT: Your specific goals and time frame - To build [what area of your business] between now and [when] for [what offering or product]? This determines the connections you need to make.

The WHO: Your target market (by segment, geography or other descriptor). If there is more than one - prioritize them. EVERYONE is simply not a practical target audience. You can attend to most of your audiences, but listing them specifically forces you to think about the individual needs of each audience.

The HOW: The ways you get your message across (media choices - including social, traditional, in-house, outsource, live, technology use).

I could feel one of my coffee-mates thinking on a larger scale. He began talking about how to re-look at their next informational video for a particular area of his business, and how several activities could link together to form a campaign. He even talked about the prospect list and various components of the plan (video, email, postcard, and phone calls) based on the newly identified goals.

The other one could not get past a variety of ideas swirling around in his head and what he had to do today. And maybe, in the scheme of things, this is where his head should be.

I could tell one of them will probably carry the plan and keep them focused on the goal. That was the Broker. If the leader thinks ahead with a systematic approach, I think the team can make it work!

Get a (communications) plan, man!

If you asked them, what would they say?

During an Association Executive workshop yesterday we went off-track to a great conversation about surveys. Most association executives know the value of conducting surveys, but about half of those that were in the room say they do not conduct a survey of their membership at least once a year.

Let's begin with a thought that will ground this discussion: Members don't join to solve association problems. Members join because they want the association to solve their problems. They want their association to be relevant. Danger: don't look to your board or your loudest members to tell you what's important to them. Invest in your members' feedback with a survey.

Some great questions came up in the meeting, so here they are below, along with the answers:

1. Should I send several small surveys or one large ones? I suggest one survey per year. They should be roughly the same questions each year. This way, an association executive can review results over time. I think polls are fine more than one time per year (a poll is defined as a one-question survey for a particular purpose, and not so often that it becomes an annoyance).

2. What is a good response rate? Reliable data depends on several factors — response rate is one of them. I like to strive for a 15% response rate for an association — and it is achievable. The next factor is percentage of accuracy, or your confidence level (it is easier to rely on extreme answers, like YES or NO, than middle of the road answers, so you'll have to decide what margin of error you are willing to tolerate.) Finally, your population size: the smaller your population or sample size, the higher your response rate should be to be valid for the entire membership.

3. Should I share the findings? One way to actively listen to your members is to show them you hear them. The best way to do this is to share the handful of the loudest or most revealing results, and say what you plan to do with them. Communication creates confidence, and confidence helps build trust.

4. What about focus groups? I love focus groups for specific, direct feedback on a specific topic. I wouldn't substitute a focus group for a survey. The sample size is too small.

5. How long should surveys be? A survey should ask the questions you most want feedback about — but no longer than 15 minutes to take the survey. You'll be wise to tell your members how long the survey will take and how you will show your appreciation for their time (see next question).

6. Should I offer an incentive? Yes, I rarely achieve the response rate an association needs without some kind of incentive. This can vary from 1 year free dues or fees, to a $25 gift card. Members are busy, so an incentive almost always improves response rates.

7. How can I assure members that the survey is confidential? One option a CEO suggested is surveying your members after a big meeting, in person. This way you can collect anonymous results. I don't recommend that option for one important reason: it doesn't represent an adequate sample size. You achieve an adequate sample size with either a random sample or your entire membership. Those members who attend meetings are a demographic of their own; they are not random. An electronic survey records email addresses; therefore, if this anonymity a priority, you might consider a third party to administer your survey.

And finally some advice no one asked for but I think is very important: Decide on the goals of your survey in advance. Don't just survey for satisfaction purposes. If you don't really want to know if your members find their membership valuable, then don't ask. And if you ask, be sure to follow up with questions like "What makes your membership most valuable?" and then "What one thing the association can do to make your membership more valuable?"

Collecting feedback should be as much a system as any other system you have in place. You'll see the value of conducting an annual survey year after year when you have the data to compare your results over time. Using your survey results to set new goals is productive. Setting new goals and then measuring improvement year-over-year will keep you relevant.

To serve members well I would share the following rule...associations should formally solicit feedback from members one time per year. Why? Because there is one person who can tell you if you are on the right track, and that's your members.

If you asked them, what would they say?

Communicating the Top 10 Benefits of Membership

When someone asks me the question about how to list or display the top member benefits, I ask the Association Executive what they think are the top benefits of association membership? Many times, that list includes features (a list of tools, offerings, classes, services, plans) described as “benefits” of membership. Beware the laundry list of benefits.

Benefits vary from person to person, but there are only a few true member benefits to any one member at any particular time. They usually fall into three categories: 1) What’s in it for our profession,  2) What’s in it for me as a business owner?  3) What’s in it for me as a practitioner to become better at what I do (or keep my license)?

I would limit your member benefits to  a few, and answer about the significant processes, tools, offerings, or services that you do really well and what it means to the member; the important things that members can count on you to deliver consistently from person to person, every time you interact with them.

I think association executives have a perfect opportunity to ask their board of directors together to talk through your most valuable member benefits. I promise you will spur some great discussion about what you do well today, and what you'll want to work on for the next 24 weeks of 2010 and into 2011.

Communicating the Top 10 Benefits of Membership

E-mail Etiquette: What's the First Thing You Want to See in Your Inbox in the Morning?

Each morning, I admit, while my single-cup coffee is brewing, I glance at my blackberry out of habit to see "what's going on". I also admit, I am rarely up after 10pm, which is when many of my vendors and colleagues do their best work. So often I'm getting answers and questions, and to-do's to move projects to the next step. Then there are mornings when I wake up only to this (see the image right over here).

Maybe others share my habit. I read from a so-called expert that if you want someone to read your e-mail, send it at 6:30am. I confess, I read some email as early as 5am. Listen, I don't want it to be from my association, and I don't want it to be even my own e-newsletter. PLEASE...

I will tolerate a "past due notice" from my hosting service, or a subscription. It's a gentle reminder of what I should do that day. 

So it got me to thinking about the best time for associations to send e-newsletters, calls to action, latest market statistics, education reminders, and other information material. So here's a list of rules I am establishing for myself as a mid-year resolution that you might want to think about too (July 5 seems a good half-way point in the year):

1. I will clearly identify the headline with a compelling title that will encourage my clients, future clients, and my followers to read it.

2. I will carefully shorten the topic of each of my three articles with a working link, so readers can make an educated decision to read it.

3. I will insert a relevant video or cartoon to entice, entertain, and educate my readers.

4. I will measure my open rates and links to see what my readers seem to be interested in. I'll take action to keep getting better at it.

5. Regardless that I only send one "mass" e-communication each month, I will send it on the same day, and the same time, but never first thing in the morning. 

My "first things" are for catching up on what I don't get to do the other 23 hours of the day. So unless I owe you something, or have a spectacular idea for you, I will not send general information first thing in the morning. Deal?

E-mail Etiquette: What's the First Thing You Want to See in Your Inbox in the Morning?

Apple Lives Their Brand. Here's What That Means:

Apple is a marketing phenomenon. I know, you don't need anyone to tell you this, but I'll ask you to indulge me while I share a short story:

I pulled into the Apple store yesterday morning for a major technical problem with my new MacBookPro. I mean major. The spinning wheel that couldn't be stopped, shut down, re-started or ignored. That means I'm out of business.

As I pulled in, there were 200 people lined up outside the store. It is iPhone launch day. How did I not know that? Which means Apple really didn't have time for me yesterday.

Apple sells to hundreds of customers every single day, at this store alone. I know this because I'm there pretty often with my new laptop for training and technical problems. Or perhaps, seriously, it very-well-could-be a few operator errors!

The manager met me at the door, called me by name, and asked what was going on. I've been in several times with laptop problems. She is always somewhere in the store and we make eye contact. There were no "Genius Bar" appointments today, but she took my laptop anyway. She disappeared behind the silver door to the back room.

As I wait in the store, with a steady flow of apple-heads with credit card in hand, it occured to me that Apple, while they do not make a perfect product, does have best-in-class customer service.

In the middle of this chaos, the manager made me feel like I'm the only one who matters right now.

_________________________________________

A few hours later the Apple store called. To my complete surprise, they had a new laptop waiting for me. I brought it home, ran the back-up to restore my files and I'm back in business in less than 24 hours.

Sherri and the Apple team delivered on their promise, otherwise known as their brand: Innovation, Reliability, and Simplicity.

What's your brand promise? Would any Joe (or Melynn) off the street feel that you deliver on your promise after any interaction?

Apple Lives Their Brand. Here's What That Means:

Collaboration: The Intersection of Common Goals and Creativity

Partners in Innovation (PII) is a project in innovation as much as it is an effort in collaboration. Four diverse associations are participating, along with four dedicated, quality Association Executives They vary in size and geographic location, from Pennsylvania in the East to Utah in the West. We will soon see results from the communications survey sent to 6,000 members. While we wait for the responses, let’s remember why we came together in the first place – to innovate and overcome their most pressing communication problem: Not enough members open, read, and appreciate their communications.

During my travels this past week, I found the new "all-in-one dental floss gadget" tucked into my travel kit. Using it for the first time, it hit me what we are trying to accomplish with this communications project  - to approach ages-old communications in a new way. It will require innovation.

One of my favorite marketing philosophies is a concept called "The Possible Service." It happens in big for-profit business, and can happen in your association. It's a marketing approach containing one (or all three) parts. Marketing has evolved from being:

1. Service-driven - offering services or tools to the member based on what the company decides to deliver.

2. Market-driven - finding out what the customer needs, and building services or tools to meet them.

3. Imagination-driven - this kind of marketing answers the needs of the customer through innovation. It’s based on what the customer says they want; but it’s also about giving the customer something they need that they haven’t even asked for. Let’s use an example anyone can relate to: the 1970’s introduction of overnight (too many spaces in these lines) shipping. Before this, the only option for sending and receiving important documents and items was either the fax machine or US postal mail.

The PROBLEM: Original documents and products took too long to send and receive.

The BIG GOAL: Sending documents with reliability and speed.

THE ANSWER: Overnight shipping. (Think “absolutely positively overnight,” and “It’s not just a package, it’s your business.”) These award-winning campaigns promoted the solution to a customer problem that they never dreamed possible.

So, does this happen inside associations? As a matter of fact it does. The Florida Association of REALTORS® delivers concise, compelling, information to their target audiences through their innovative (and award-winning) website. Oklahoma City REALTOR® Association (OKCMAR®) gives members a cup of Starbuck’s coffee when they visit the association’s retail store. They grew the R-Shop from a closet to a non-dues revenue-machine for the association.

We’ve already made progress in this collaboration to change the way associations communicate regularly with members. While members respond to the communications survey with their thoughts about their communications preferences, let's collect ours, and continue to innovate. Start making your own short-list of the unexpected ways to get your highest-priority messages through to your members.  We'll be back together soon to continue the collaboration effort, so stay tuned.

The best part of this project - members will get out of it what this dedicated group puts into it.

Collaboration: The Intersection of Common Goals and Creativity

It's (Mostly) All About the Package

If you don't think your communications acts as your storefront, think again.

I was in a neighborhood yesterday I don't frequent often. I have seen a little grocery store 50 times.The building is great. The windows are great. Cossentino's neighborhood grocery is very enticing and 'hip' from the outside.

I came downtown for a meeting and decided to come 15 minutes early to finally visit and go into the store.When I walked it, it had really good eye appeal, but with further strolling, it was just that, a grocery store.

The outside design pulled me in, and I left, along with my recycled bag with of $16 of nothing...a greeting card, some jumbo corn nuts and purple spinach!

I think there's lesson here... whether it's your association's "store", your Facebook page, your newsletter or your website - is it  inviting? Intriguing? Does it look good enough to your uninvolved member so that one time, they will come in and look around?
Think about communications that are eye catching, straight-forward and scan-able. In other words, show members the quality you bring to them with the package; Then, deliver on the promise once they chose to come in.

Even if the content isn't fancy, when the package is interesting, you are likely to sell them something. If your message is simple and reliable on the inside, you have the chance to bring them back or even compel them to make a PAC contribution, attend a class, or become a fan.

It's (Mostly) All About the Package