May 8, 2012

How’s Your Association Attitude?

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Quiz time:

  1. How often do you try a new recipe? A different gas station or restaurant? An unfamiliar magazine or radio station?
  2. When’s the last time you talked with someone about an idea or project that flopped, or asked for constructive criticism?
  3. When did you last seek ideas from someone with a different perspective? Or collaborate with a colleague from another department?
  4. Who lights up your office with their energy, passion and creativity? Is it you?
  5. Whose reactions concern you the most: your boss, the CEO, leadership or the average member?

These questions are based on traits identified by Jasper Visser as signs of a good organizational attitude. Visser is a digital strategist and workshop facilitator who works primarily with museums. His recent post, The Future is About Attitude, Not Technology, got me thinking about individual and organizational attitude.

You can have the biggest technology budget on the block, but if your association’s culture and attitude is stuck in the 20th century, that slick AMS or online community is only going to take you so far.

When Visser looks at museums that have successfully adopted new media and technology, he sees five common characteristics that hint at the attitude organizations need to succeed in the 21st century.

Read about these five characteristics at the Avectra blog.

the future belongs to the few of us still willing to get our hands dirty

Photo by Stephanie Vacher (Flickr)

 

March 7, 2012

Adapt or Die

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Brian Solis, in his post, The Importance of Brand in an Era of Digital Darwinism, talks about tone-deaf brands like Netflix that didn’t engage with customers and didn’t monitor social network conversations, consequently screwing up and losing their customers’ trust:

“Brands that fail to instill this level of confidence in consumers run the risk of falling to digital Darwinism. The brands that survive this era of economic disruption, will be the ones that are best able to evolve because they recognize the need and opportunity to do so, before their competitors.”

I wonder how many associations still think it’s business as usual. Many of the large national associations get it, but what about the smaller ones or state associations? They’re not reading the industry blogs. Just what are they reading? Anything? Many of them don’t belong to ASAE, and even if they do, are they paying attention?

Their boards don’t know any better. Why would they? They’re not association professionals.

Sometimes I feel like I’m mourning a patient that doesn’t even know it’s dying. It’s sad. A stupid loss.

The state SAEs, heck, everyone who cares about associations, can’t reinforce this message enough:

“What separates brands that fall to digital evolution from those that excel is the ability to recognize the need for change and the vision to blaze a path toward renewed relevance among a new generation of consumers.”

It’s no different for associations. As Solis says, #adaptordie.

associations adapt or die

Photo by Matt McNier

 

February 8, 2012

Game Thinking: An Epic Win for Associations

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I hear you. “Games, yes! It’s about time we looked at games.”

And I hear you too. “Games? You can’t be serious. Not at my association.”

Full disclosure, I’m not a gamer, so this is all a bit foreign to me too. I first started paying attention to games two years ago at a TEDx conference where I heard an IBM game designer talk about using games for training and education. Ever since I’ve been intrigued by the idea that game thinking can help associations deliver a better experience.

I’m not the only one. Game dynamics was the topic of last week’s #assnchat.

It’s tempting to dismiss any consideration of games by saying members are serious professionals and wouldn’t go for those shenanigans, but they do.

Games are the most downloaded apps. 72% of households play computer or video games. The average gamer is 37 years old. 42% of gamers are women. 55% of gamers play on their phone or hand-held device.

Here’s what I’m wondering: how can we leverage the principles of game design to make the membership experience or professional development journey more meaningful, or encourage online community participation?

Please read the rest of this post at the Avectra blog.

game thinking associations gamification game mechanics dynamics

photo by Patrick Hoesly/Flickr CC

 

December 6, 2011

You’ve Got to Read This: December 6, 2011

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Blogs are not dead! That was the verdict from DelCor Technology Solution’s unconference last month: Progress U. – Blogger Summit. I’m go glad I got up to Arlington VA to attend, it was a great day of conversation. DelCor’s publishing a series of follow-up posts from the Summit. The first talks about the state of blog reading and writing today and why blogs are a good idea for associations.

DelCor’s second post discusses Six Barriers to Blogging – And How to Bust Them. Don’t let limited resources, organizational culture, staff’s full plates, fear, lack of confidence orleadership’s unfamiliarity with blogs discourage you.

We’re so lucky to have access to free tools for professional development, like blogs, but there is a potential downside: cognitive overload. Back in August, Ed Rodley, an exhibits professional at the Museum of Science in Boston, wrote about Dealing with Your Cognitive Load. His post received so many replies from the museum community that he compiled their ideas into four more posts.

I must share something he said in Part 4 – it’s what drew me into the rest of these posts because it’s so spot on about personal growth:

“All of the strategies listed above have one thing in common. They don’t require anything aside from your own desire to learn. As someone who has worked in a large institution for most of my professional career, it’s easy to succumb to the mindset of waiting for permission to do anything. This is especially true of old-school “professional development.” There are forms to be completed, signatures to be garnered, and justifications to be gathered before any learning happens. But in the current climate, waiting for anything seems like a recipe for getting left behind.”

Speaking of traditional nonprofit organizations, how many of them have a full-time employee dedicated to managing volunteers? Yeah, not many. In associations, volunteering is a benefit of membership, often the benefit that brings them back year after year. You’d think more resources would be directed at keeping members engaged and satisfied, but no. Susan J. Ellis at Energize, Inc. says Part-time Volunteer Management Means Equally Limited Volunteer Involvement.

In this brilliant post Jamie Notter, author with Maddie Grant of must-read book, Humanize, points out that social media is just a wave knocking down a corner of your sand castle. But be ready, he says. “The tide is coming in. Social media is giving us a bit of an advance warning that things are changing.”

While Eric Lanke was visiting one of his members, a manufacturing company, a simple sign on the wall provided a moment of clarity. He brought the mantra back to his association, it’s one that works in any organization: help the customer succeed.

I started this selection with two posts from an unconference, I’ll end with a post that Jenise Fryatt wrote about Event Camp East Coast: How an Unconference Changed My Life.

That’s it for now, happy reading!

Lady Blogger with Her Maid, after Vermeer by Mike Licht (Flickr)

 

September 20, 2011

You’ve Got to Read This: September 20, 2011

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This is a big week in the association management industry — the week of Innovation Talks, aka #asaeinnov. I wrote about innovation in associations last week for the Avectra blog and will have another post on Wednesday about how Disney encourages an innovative culture.

Innovation is right up there as one of the most over-used words this past year, but maybe that’s because we finally realize that if we don’t innovate, we might become irrelevant. Apple’s been doing it right for a long time so Alan Webber at The Christian Science Monitor looks at what Apple can teach the rest of us.

You want to start a blog, you really do, but there are many factors to consider, or so you say. Laura Click examines The Top 10 Excuses That Keep You From Starting a Blog and tells you how to overcome each one.

Now you have a blog, but you still have trouble finding time to blog regularly, despite Laura’s good advice. Stephanie Cuevas to the rescue with her tips for Time Management for Ridiculously Busy Bloggers.

When’s the last time you took a hard look at the About Us page on your website? Is it the same old lame copy your organization has been using forever? Oh dear. Have no fear, Brian Eisenberg at ClickZ shares the Five Traits of an Effective ‘About Us’ Page. 

Sheila Scarborough provides some of the best advice I’ve read about conference tweeting plus Tips for Following Conference Twitter Hashtags. Bookmark this one so you’re ready for your next real or virtual conference experience.

Finally, and in keeping with the spirit of risk-taking and innovation, here’s a list by Michele Martin of Seven Dangerous Things Every Adult Should Do. I think I’ve done at least six of them. I’m honestly not sure about #4. Surely I’ve done that in a committee meeting in front of members, but I can’t say for sure. What about you?

blogging website copywriting innovation association freelance writer

Photo by Flattop341 (Flickr)

 

September 13, 2011

You’ve Got to Read This: September 13, 2011

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Yes, you’ve got to read these posts…

Do you make time for Twitter every day? I schedule two 30-minute sessions for weekdays, one in the morning and one at the end of the day. I make Twitter part of my daily schedule so I can get my random tweets of knowledge and deepen and extend my network. What if you have only 20 minutes a day? The folks at Bufferapp have a 20-minute Twitter plan for you. Here’s one of my Twitter tips: maintain a Word document of posts and retweets to share with others. When you get on Twitter, you’ll have a ready supply of valuable and interesting tweets.

Allison Boyer at the BlogWorld blog put together a collection of 25 social media posts everyone should read. This post has been making the rounds for good reason. It’s especially helpful if you’re new or rusty with social media. Save it for the weekend.

Here’s a list for your bulletin board: 100 spam trigger words that can kill your email copy by Dean Rieck at the ProCopyTips blog.

Need marketing inspiration? With limited resources, savvy nonprofits have to get creative. Kivi Leroux Miller collected dozens of examples of quirky, kooky and off-beat approaches to nonprofit marketing and fundraising.

Lots of people know just enough about marketing to be dangerous. They make it difficult to distinguish wishful thinking from facts. “If you give your content away for free, prospects will never buy your full-fledged offering.” Wrong! In fact, “Sharing free, relevant content online helps search engines & prospects find you.” Pamela Vaughan at the HubSpot blog will set you straight in 42 Tweetable Facts to Squash Marketing Fantasies.

Are you sick of hearing about innovation? I hope not. Although a buzz word, innovation is healthy for organizations. Frank Fortin, Chief Digital Strategist at the Massachusetts Medical Society, discovered The Sexiness of Unsexy Innovation. Although written for the association community, he gives solid advice that any business should heed.

Kickstarter is inspiration central. Brilliant creative people use it to seek funding for project ideas. 150 years ago Mrs. Isabella Beeton wrote THE authoritative Book of Household Management. Whiskey and Wheatgrass Productions hopes to bring the original domestic goddess back to life in a new video series, but they can only do it with your help. Head over to their Kickstarter page to get a taste of the education and entertainment they promise with Bella Beeton.

reid all about it freelance writer copywriter

photo by Fergus Ray Murray (Flickr)

 

May 5, 2011

Blogging Elsewhere: Early May 2011

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Next week I plan to go offline for an at-home retreat. I envision lots of reading, thinking, planning and creativity exercises. That means I’m finally digging into Patti Digh’s Creative is a Verb and some writing books that have been wooing me. I’m starting the week with a massage on Monday. Isn’t that how all retreats start? Life and work may get in the way, and if so, I’ll roll with it. But if I’m extra quiet, now you know why.

Betting can begin on whether I can abstain from Twitter. I’m dubious myself. For those who can’t get enough of me, that means you, mum, here are some of my recent posts for other blogs.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

Despite all the mentions on TV by hosts and anchors trying to sound hip, only 8% of online Americans use Twitter, according to The Pew Research Center. Only 53% of that group check Twitter once a week or more for updates. How do your members compare? Have you asked them lately where they go online to find news, information and conversation?  Read more at Avectra…

It’s Time to Award Innovation in Associations

Most association awards programs are pretty ho-hum, unless, of course, you’re a nominee. ASAE and state SAE award criteria are predictable. The recipients are usually active long-time members who have ‘paid their dues.’ Don’t get me wrong, the ASAE and SAE award recipients do deserve the recognition. But are awards like these sufficient? Why not use awards programs to inspire new ideas and practices in addition to recognizing the good work of others?  Read more at Avectra…

A New Association Position: Director of Member Engagement

Did you know last week was National Volunteer Week? It didn’t get much play in the association world. The lack of celebration might be the symptom of a larger issue: many associations don’t practice good volunteer management.  Read more at Avectra…

writer blogger copywriter raleigh association associations blogging

Image by Mike Licht, Notions Capital

How to Make Time for a “Small Bite” of Community

Social media pioneer Chris Brogan wrote earlier this year about online communities and “platform fatigue.” “We want to connect on maybe two or three networks tops. One or two of these will remain the “commons” services like Facebook or Twitter. The rest of people’s interactions are going to fall into smaller communities, often private or self-selected in some way.” Our time, attention span and dedication are limited. How much can we spare for a new online community if we’re already spending time on Facebook, Twitter and other sites? What about your members?  Read more at SmartBlog Insights…

Association Exercise: What If We Have a Shutdown?

A big sigh of relief was heard in Washington DC and beyond Friday night when Congress finally took action to avoid a government shutdown. But the whole debacle got me thinking, “what if?” What if your association shut down at the end of the week? What if it shut down not only inessential services, but everything? And taking this scenario one step further, what if it shut down not just temporarily, but forever?  Read more at Avectra…

“Ubercoolz” Member Testimonials

Member testimonials can be awfully predictable — a flattering repetition of membership brochure features. Yawn. Imagine instead that your association is the main event and your members are reviewers giving one-word testimonials as in this New Museum exhibition advertisement.  Read more at Avectra…

 

April 14, 2011

Ask Different Questions

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“What keeps you up at night?” Its intention is good: discover what troubles people, their pain points, and try to address the underlying needs. But its roots are negative and focused on problem-solving instead of aspiration-pursuing.

Jeffrey Cufaude wrote this in one of his Leadership Limerick posts, The Mojo of Motivation. His “aspiration-pursuing” idea stuck with me. He’s right, when we think about strategic planning we tend to focus on problems and challenges. It’s a reactive mode. The proactive mode he suggests is so much more empowering, motivating and alluring.

We also fall back on the same old questions — “What problems do we solve? What issues do we address? — when we create membership marketing materials. Yes, we do need to show how the association experience will provide solutions and impact our members’ lives, careers or businesses. But what about the emotional aspirational angle? What other questions should we ask?

I’m finishing a presentation on blogging for the Association Executives of North Carolina Technology 20.11 forum. When talking about content strategy, I’ll discuss, as you would expect, identifying audiences and their content needs to help them solve problems and address challenges. I’m glad Jeffrey reaffirmed my desire to dream bigger and reach higher. We need to ask different questions if we want to create something better than all the other boring association blogs out there, and, believe me, I’ve done the research, there are many. He leaves us with a good question.

Instead ask, “What would make you leap out of bed in the morning?”

What would you ask?

blogging associations strategic planning questions aspirational

Photo by Mike Licht

 

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