Archive for April, 2008
April 7, 2008
5 Ways to Add Value
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5 quick and easy ways to add value to your association’s membership, particularly your website (of course, “quick and easy” is almost as subjective as “valuable”):
Legal Q&As. People have lots of legal questions, no matter what their industry or profession. So, take their questions and answer them. Now, NO, I’m not suggesting you offer them legal advice (LOTS of disclaimers are necessary here). But you can provide them with general information that can make it easier for them to decide what to ask their pricey attorney. And, NO, I’m not suggesting YOU answer the questions. Find a lawyer who will. If you’re a state or local organization, depending on your industry, you can probably find an attorney who would love to do this sort of thing for free in exchange for publicity. If you’re a national organization, you might have to pay a relatively low monthly retainer. But take their questions (through your website), send them answers, then post the Q&As to your website as a growing resource library. (Similar things can be done with tax/financial issues or other specialized areas of knowledge for your industry.)
Consumer Education. If your members have “customers,” create consumer education pieces that they can use to distribute to their customers (or potential customers) on various issues related to your industry. Make them available as articles that can be used on websites, e-newsletters, or print newsletters, as well as turnkey brochures and flyers (it’s easy to create PDFs that allow people to add customized contact information as form fields).
Seasonal Copy. Make copy available that members can adapt and use on a seasonal basis in direct mail, newsletters, local press releases, or other communications to customers or stakeholders. It may sound silly but finding clever ways to tie your industry’s message to unusual holidays (like Flag Day or Arbor Day) can offer your members an opportunity to stand out in their marketplace.
Case studies. Interview 2-3 members a month and create a “case study” that focuses on one area where each member has excelled (and all members excel at something). Pick out the 3-4 “top lessons” that person has to share about what he or she has excelled at. Write a brief but pointed case study that hits on those top lessons. Continue adding 2-3 a month. Make case studies available to members. (The focus of the article should NOT be “Profile of XYZ Inc.” but rather “5 Ways to Get and Track Referrals” or whatever they are talking about.)
Ask provocative questions. Send an email newsletter? Then each week ask a provocative question about something industry-related. (I said INDUSTRY-related, NOT association-related. So it’s “How do you handle XYZ in your business?” NOT “What do you think of this association program”?) Have them email their answers to you (in a LOT, if not most, industries today, it’s still a lot easier to get emailed responses than it is to get public responses, such as in a blog format). Compile the most interesting responses. You can use them in future issues of newsletters (a great way to create free copy), and/or post to your website in a special area. The key here is to pick questions about things that either 1) people are going to disagree about, or 2) are likely to produce funny and interesting stories.
April 4, 2008
From the Sublime to the Ridiculous
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April 2, 2008
We’re More Than Just Cherry Blossoms and Eliot Spitzer’s Playground
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So apparently the new DC CVB tourism slogan is “Create Your Own Power Trip.” Which I suppose is their attempt to be hip like “whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” but, um … well.
“Power trip” has a rather negative connotation to begin with, and then it also emphasizes that there are politicians in Washington (and let’s face it, tourists come here in spite of them, not because of them).
But I’m sure they paid a lot of money to some firm to do a lot of research before they decided on it, so I’m sure they must know what they’re doing …
Just for fun I tried to think of a few alternative slogans that might do a little better to entice visitors to the DC metro area. I could only come up with a couple:
“The Nation’s Capitol: You Have to See It At Least Once”
“Washington, DC: We’ve Added a Few More Monuments”
“The District of Columbia: Where Our Museums Are Free and Our Gun Laws Are Unconstitutional”
Actually there were a few more, but they really just went downhill from there.
(Uh, for the record … I KID because I LOVE … )
April 1, 2008
What a Wonderful World
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The late, great Eva Cassidy live at Blues Alley via YouTube, should you ever need a reminder that there is beauty in this world, however fleeting it may sometimes seem.
April 1, 2008
How to Get Lots of Press (Trade, That Is)
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Within the industry in which the organization I work for operates, there are a lot of associations serving various segments. There are several trade press outlets serving all those segments. Our particular association has become notable within that very small sphere as having “a PR machine.”
Getting coverage in your trade press is not difficult. Trade press editors and writers are not just reporters, they are frequently champions of the industry they cover and eager to work with organizations in the same industry (usually — though there are definitely some exceptions in some industries).
There are six simple steps to follow:
1. Get busy.
2. Look busy.
3. Send out lots of stuff about points 1 and 2. (I mean LOTS.)
4. Respond when asked something.
5. Recognize that reporters are busy and under lots of pressure and try to make their jobs easier.
6. Never assume that you are entitled to coverage. If you’re sending out the right amount of the right kind of stuff, some will get reprinted, some will turn into front page articles, and some will never get covered at all, but you won’t notice.
In reference to points 1 and 2, what you’re doing should be of primary interest to the industry, not the association. (If you send out lots of press releases and they are all about who’s serving on what committee, what you do will be relegated to a small sidebar, if that, and the really important and interesting stuff you do may wind up getting lost altogether.)
I wish I had more to say on the topic but it’s really just that easy.