Why Smart Advertisers Choose Associations

During my almost 20-year career, I have been fortunate to work for — and with — both for-profit and association publications. Throughout this time, I have often heard that it is not as easy to sell ads in association publications as it is in consumer publications. Over the last seven years, as I have focused on selling advertising almost exclusively in association publications, I have learned that simply is not the case.

Here are a few reasons some people believe that association publications are not as valuable as consumer publications:

• The majority of readers do not make a commitment to the magazine; they are receiving it as a member benefit because they are a member of the association.
• Association publications are typically not audited, so an advertiser or an ad agency cannot easily compare an association publication to a consumer publication that is audited.
• Associations often do not have as many readers as consumer publications.

At face value, these are all good reasons that it is smarter for an advertiser to put their ad dollars toward a consumer publication as compared to an association publication. The good news for association publishers is that there are even more reasons why an association publication is a great advertising choice:

1. Associations keep their members. According to ASAE, the average association annual member-renewal rate is 80 percent . That means that advertisers are able to consistently reach the same individuals multiple times over multiple years if they advertise regularly over time. All marketers know that staying in front of potential customers is important. This consistency is almost guaranteed when working with associations.
2. Associations can be small, but they are targeted. Most associations and association publications are built around an industry or a mission that members support or believe in. This basically guarantees that the individuals who are receiving the publication are similar in need and focus. Targeting is important in advertising, and if you are able to reach an audience that is almost totally made up of the type of individual you are trying to reach, it will increase the likelihood of success.
3. Associations are communities of engaged members. Associations are putting more and more time and money into engaging their member community. They are giving members ways to communicate and even share information about products and services they use and like. With these engagement mechanisms already in place, companies that consistently advertise and do a good job of getting members to talk about their product or service to the larger community will see word of mouth about their offerings progress faster than they may see in a consumer environment.
4. Associations are trusted. As nonprofit organizations, associations are looked at with a level of respect and trust that for-profit entities often are not. A company that advertises in an association publication benefits from the perception of trust as well. Members also trust the association to provide them with the right information, products, and services, so companies that advertise in association publications may receive a more positive perception than they would if the ad were placed in a consumer publication.
5. Association members pay a good amount for dues. It is true that association members typically do not pay for their publication directly like a consumer would for a magazine. That said, members are making a choice to join the association and are typically paying a dues amount that is higher than the ever-shrinking price of a consumer magazine. Additionally, many consumer publications are controlled (qualified subscribers receive a free subscription) where a subscriber doesn’t pay anything for their subscription.

Selling advertising in an association publication is not an easy thing to do. However, if you educate your advertisers and potential advertisers to the benefits you bring to the table, it will be much easier. There are many benefits to advertising in an association publication — we just have to make them known.

This post was submitted by Scott Oser, of Scott Oser Associates, with over 17 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries. Before starting the firm he worked for market leaders like National Geographic Society, AARP and Science.Throughout his career Scott has excelled in developing, implementing and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs. He is highly skilled in creating effective membership, marketing and sales programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals.

Image courtesy of cooldesign / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

10 Things to Do Before Implementing Something New

1. Talk to your co-workers across all departments early in the process to get their thoughts and perspectives and how it might impact their area of responsibility.
2. Talk to your association network to see what their experience has been and how it has impacted them at their association.
3. Make sure that what you are considering doing helps you better serve your members or makes your efforts more effective and efficient.
4. Don’t do it just to do it (Don’t chase the shiny object).
5. Talk to your members to make sure that what you are considering is right for them.
6. Test or develop a pilot program for the idea to see how it will play out in real life.
7. Run the numbers to see how following the “trend” will impact your bottom line and your association’s business.
8. Do your research (i.e. books, white papers, listservs).
9. Allow for a cooling down period so that you don’t rush into implementation too quickly.  Give yourself a chance to sleep on it for a little bit.
10. Consultants/associations should both take equal responsibility for implementation/outcomes

This post was submitted by Scott Oser, of Scott Oser Associates, with over 17 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries. Before starting the firm he worked for market leaders like National Geographic Society, AARP and Science.Throughout his career Scott has excelled in developing, implementing and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs. He is highly skilled in creating effective membership, marketing and sales programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

AWESOME Blog Posts (Featuring @Dan_Vee @jcufaude @WildApricot @affinitycenter)

These four posts that we saw in the last week focused on ROI (in one form or another).  For our followers, we re-capped them here, and encourage you to read the full posts!  Great stuff!

1. ROI to R.O.M.E:  Thanks to Dan Varroney for this one.  R.O.M.E (Return On Member Engagement) encourages association executives to be proactive, and change the conversation.  Instead of engagement taking a back seat to budgets and putting out fires, can this challenges be avoided by focusing on the member and the outcome?  
2. 7 Simple Upgrades to Improve Conference ROI:  Jeffrey Cufaude posted this at the end of July, and his suggestions should be read by all who have limited budgets to adhere to when planning a conference, but want to really move the needle and increase attendee participation, and ultimately, attendance year over year.  Get your delegates involved!  
3. How Are You Welcoming New Members?: While we all recognize that we need to be consistent and timely with our outreach to new members, we do not need a Wal-Mart greeter.  Wild Apricot posted some stats from the US-based research produced by MGI, and adds commentary on what we can be doing to welcome new members. 
4. Combating Low Member Engagement: Affinity Center International shares four best practices – as a result of the MGI Research that states that membership is on the rise, but renewals are down.  These best practices might help you get rid of high attrition.  

What’s on your reading list this week?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Associations That Create Change – An Interview with Paul Smith, Executive Director

In the May-June issue of the CSAE Ottawa-Gatineau Executive, an interview with Paul Smith, Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) was submitted for publication.

Associations are constantly on the lookout to create change in their industry, and remain relevant. Paul Smith, the Executive Director with CACEE was kind enough to share his experience with his organization, the change created, and the accomplishments achieved as a result.

Paul was kind enough to answer questions relating to:

• What happened with your organization to make you realize that a change was needed?
• What did you identify as possible ways to implement change?
• How did you get stakeholder (Board of Directors, Staff, etc.) buy-in to making the change?
• Did the process work the way you had anticipated?
• What timeframe did you account for in your planning to create and implement this change? How does this compare to the time it took?
• What were some of the hurdles you did not anticipate?
• What have the outcomes been so far? Is there anything else you anticipate taking shape as a result?
• What advice would you provide other association executives who are looking to create change?

To read the full article, click here and flip to Page 9.  Paul has some great insights, and we thank him for his honesty, and willingness to share!

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.