- Mitchell Beer’s post on the Content Marketing Lifecycle encourages organizations to take a step back and really work the research and information they have to share. He provides us with six questions to determine what an association’s content lifecycle could be.
- Don’t Poke the Meeting Feedback Bear Unless You’re Willing to Act. This has been the subject of many conversations I have had this year. Why ask about the food when you can do a better job at getting feedback on the content of the meeting or conference? Donna Kastner says it so well here.
- This year, I was thrilled to come across Daniel Varroney, a consultant based in the US. His blog has been extremely informative. One of my personal favorites is “Can Silos Stunt Association Revenue Growth?” – the short answer is yes, but this blog both explains the dangers, and what you can do about it.
- As Jeff Hurt’s “unofficial #1 fan” – I always include a post of his. And while there are so many to choose from, “5 Conference Conditions that Lead to Attendee Focused Attention” is my favourite with his advice to increase the attention span of your conference delegates.
- Ever wonder what Gen X & Y need to trust you? Sarah Sladek provides us with six ways you can build trust. My personal favorite is about work-life balance.
- Personal connections still remain one of the best ways to keep sponsors, clients, and members loyal. Allée Creative talks about this – and ways to implement on social media, in this post.
- To share or not to share? This blog sparked some great conversations online, all about non-members and sharing your associations’ info. Thanks to Associations Now for starting the discussion!
- How is your organization pitching your membership? Membership180 shares five different ways associations pitch to non-members. I really like the second point about “diffusing the objection” and explaining how an organization’s value goes far beyond networking events.
- The Infographic produced by Socious “The Anatomy of a Private Online Member Community” was full of great information. It shows you the various steps of strategy, features and community building it takes to be successful.
- Avectra produced a blog earlier this year on the skills needed to be a membership professional. The short answer is that it takes a lot of skills, but there is a breakdown. Being a membership professional is not for everyone, but this can certainly be a great way to build your skill set!
- Putting the strategy into strategic planning by my friend Meredith Low is another great post. She is constantly challenging the status quo, and encouraging organizations not to be generic when they are trying to be strategic.
- Virtual Inc.’s Association Management Blog posted a great article by Andy Freed on why professional associations’ need a strategic plan - right now. Strategic planning should not be an annual effort, but should be looked at quarterly, especially with emerging technologies and changing member needs happening frequently.
- Social Tables rounds out the top blogs I have seen this year with their two-part series on event marketing to Millennials. With this generation, email, online and social media are in, and print & direct mail are out. Check out their tips and best practices in part 1 & part 2 of this series.
What were your favourite posts this year?
Image courtesy of cooldesign / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
