What Mark Twain Can Teach Your Association

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." - Mark Twain

While publishers these days may be trying to "edit" Mark Twain's novels, you certainly can't argue with the man's wisdom. As associations, it's often our most tightly held convictions that can stand in the way of our own success and innovation.

As association leaders, we pride ourselves on "knowing" our members. This knowledge is invaluable in building a sense of community and ensuring we're meeting their needs. But what is this knowledge really based on? And even if that knowledge was true yesterday, does it still hold true today and going forward?

Every association has those sacred cows, most often in the form of ideas about how our members think and behave. How often have you opened your mouth to have one of the following comments flow out ...

• Our members expect ...
• Our members always/never ...
• In order to keep our members happy, we have to ...
• Our members won't pay for ...
• Our members join for ...
• When it comes to communications, our members prefer ...
• Our members don't have time for ...
• Our members would quit if we ...

You're probably asking - isn't it our job as association leaders to know the answers to these questions? I would say it's our job to continue to strive for these answers. To say we know the answers implies that our association is a static, finished product, rather than a living, growing being. Our members' needs are always changing - at a faster pace than ever before - and if we want to survive, our associations need to be changing alongside them.

Member surveys, focus groups, online communities, evaluations, strategic planning, communications audits and day-to-day engagement with members can all be tools to help us find those answers. But these tools should be used to help us embrace growth and innovation within our organizations, not to simply maintain the status quo.

Because the moment we decide we have our members all figured out is also the moment that we stop listening, really listening, to them.

We'll be tackling this concept of change (and much more) at the upcoming Drake Invitational Forum for Leaders, June 14-15, 2011. Mark your calendars and make plans to join us! Click here for more information or e-mail us at rasmussen@drakeco.com to be added to the mailing list.

What Is Content Marketing?

Does your association or nonprofit ...

• Publish a magazine, journal, print or e-mail newsletter?
• Maintain a website or blog?
• Create annual reports or white papers?
• Communicate with members via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or custom social media platforms?
• Host or produce webinars, online learning or face-to-face educational sessions?
• Develop presentations, videos or podcasts?

If you do any of the above, then guess what - you're in the business of content marketing (whether you call it that or not).

The real question should be - is the content you're creating compelling and relevant to your audience or industry? And, are you using your content to engage members and non-members in a way that sets your association apart?

To get to the heart of the issue, I sat down with content marketing evangelist Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42 and the Content Marketing Institute. 

As we try to shape the content strategy for our Drakeco clients, Joe's blog and writings have been a handbook of sorts. So I'm very excited to announce that Joe Pulizzi will be joining us for The Drake Invitational Forum for Association Leaders, set for June 14-15, 2011, in St. Louis/Chesterfield, Mo. In this first-annual event, Joe will show association leaders and staff how to use content marketing to create and add value within your organization.

The complete schedule and registration details will be posted soon - for more information, click on The Drake button to the right. If you'd like to be added to our mailing list for this event, please send me an e-mail. 

Sweet Treats for a Sweet Cause

On February 14, Drake & Company held a Valentine's Day Bake Sale in order to raise money for our Cause of the Quarter: The Children's Foundation of Mid-America.

DrakeCo staff members generously baked delicious treats including varieties of cookies, brownies, chocolates, cupcakes, truffles, breads and so much more!  Our table was overflowing with goodies!

The Bake Sale was open to staff as well as other businesses that share our building and the neighboring buildings. Many people stopped by to make a donation and buy sweet treats to take home for their Valentine. 

In about three hours, we raised nearly $300 for the Children's Foundation of Mid-America. What a wonderful Valentine's Day gift!

More photos from the Bake Sale can be found on Drake & Company's Facebook page.

What types of activities does your company or organization do to support local charities?

An Audit That’s Not “Taxing”

The word “audit” can conjure up images of scary accountants and having to give large sums of money to the government.

But, there is one audit that shouldn't be scary: Communications Audit.

A communications audit is an independently conducted comprehensive analysis of all association communication. It involves a thorough analysis of an association’s current communication vehicles (publications, website, promo materials, social media, etc.) and interviews with stakeholders, members and non-members. When the audit is complete, the association is given a thorough report on what is working, what is not working from the perspective of members and non-members, as well as suggestions on how to improve.

Have you ever wondered if your organization’s communications are effectively meeting your objectives and the needs of your members? It’s hard to tell from your end, isn’t it? That’s why using an outside expert yields better results.

I sat down to talk with Drake & Company CEO Steve Drake about communications audits. Drake has conducted several audits and, in turn, helped associations not only communicate better to their intended audiences, but save money - that’s certainly not a scary thing!

A Sweet Treat for a Sweet Cause

Still shopping for that last-minute Valentine's Day gift? Or just want to treat yourself?

If you're in the St. Louis/Chesterfield area, then make plans to swing by the Drake & Company offices on Monday. Drakeco's resident bakers have got some great treats in store for you!

Valentine's Day Bake Sale Monday, February 14, 2011 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Drake & Company 16020 Swingley Ridge Drive, Suite 300 Chesterfield, MO 63017

All proceeds to benefit Drakeco's Cause of the Quarter - the Children's Foundation of Mid-America.

Directions to the Drakeco Office (from the East): Take Highway 40 West to the first Chesterfield Parkway exit (Exit 20) -- follow the North Outer Road up to Chesterfield Parkway and make a right. Make a left onto Swingley Ridge Road and we're the first office building on your left. If you take the stairs, Drakeco is on the third floor to the right.

Spread the word to your colleagues, family & friends!

If Content Is Good – It’s Worth “Rerunning”

You work hard to create valuable content for your association. When you send it out via e-mail, newsletter, etc., you are reaching out to them on a specific day at a specific time. But what if they aren’t on their computer that day for some reason – traveling, Wi-Fi on the fritz or just taking a day off from being connected? Remember that the Internet is always changing and not everyone is on Facebook all at the same time – what one person thinks is a “rerun,” another may think of as something brand new! This repeating and repurposing of content might work for you as well – reinforcing key topics/ideas and possibly reaching new readers who were not there on the “original air date.”

For more than a year now, one of Drake & Company’s clients has been providing a Tip of the Week to its members and others in their related field of interest. The informative e-mail tips reach approximately 1,500, including members, industry representatives, academia and media, and are posted on the association’s Facebook and Twitter accounts. An additional 20,000 in the industry are reached when the tips are picked up by another electronic industry newsletter each week, of course providing additional exposure to the association.

In response to a suggestion by the association’s Board of Directors, we compiled all of the Tips for the year into a handy, information-filled, spiral-bound booklet, divided into six sections for ease of use. We were able to repurpose and “rerun” worthwhile content.

There were several things that were accomplished with the tips booklet publication:

• It was another way to “touch” members and potential members.
• We were able to use valuable, practical, informative content already developed.
• Four companies, all great supporters and sponsors of the association, bought ads that covered the cost of the booklet.
• The companies had another vehicle to reach out to this specific market at a reasonable cost.
• At trade shows and industry events, the booklets provide a good way to engage people in conversation about what the association is doing.
• It served as an enticement to encourage them to join and become a part of a network with access to the latest information, education and research and technology to help them be more profitable. 
• It reinforces topics/information that the association thinks is important to the industry.

Martin Liebermann, from Constant Contact, offered "Seven ways you can reuse, recycle, and repurpose your valuable content across multiple channels." In 2011, Drake & Company’s Content Management Team plans to strengthen its association clients’ messages and provide valuable information “reruns” to reach a wider audience. And let’s be honest, how many times have you enjoyed and learned something new from “reruns” of your favorite show?

--Written by Nancy Soucek 

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