Last week Networkers attended both the ASAE Membership and Marketing Conference and the Association Media & Publishing annual conference, to share and learn with the association industry. Here’s 56 reasons it was time well spent:
BRAND
1. Trust and integrity are crucial to connecting with a brand. People care about your organization’s values, so let them know what you value most.
2. Marketers, consider how you can align your products with social movements and initiatives to have a greater impact.
3. What does your association brand mean to your members? Market? Space? Constituencies?
4. Magazines are still, and always will be, great brand builders. That can only happen when the content is valuable.
5. Every organization decision should focus on quality, brand and relevance.
DESIGN
6. Don’t be afraid to look at archetypes for your publication — titles in a similar genre or with a similar audience — for ideas about where you can improve.
7. Consistency, quality and dominance should be consistent from cover to cover regardless of illustration, photo, etc. That clear cover strategy helps brand the magazine.
8. Think about design and content as a cohesive unit.
9. When it comes to a redesign, the goal is to work for the reader. It’s not about personal choice.
10. Design isn’t a production function. It’s an integral part of how you communicate to your members.
11. Redesign for a reason.
12. A redesign cannot happen without considering content changes. Every aspect of your content and message should be evaluated and decisions about design and content should be made together.
13. Identify the stakeholders and make sure they are included early in the redesign process.
14. Stay focused on the original goals and intent of a redesign. Do not dwell or nitpick on the minutia. Every decision made should be because of the original intentions and goals.
15. Design is not personal. Design decisions are made because of an organization’s standards and goals, as well as particulars of a piece. Red may not be your favorite color, but if the communication warrants red, we will use it.
ADVERTISING
16. It’s no longer about selling just the market. Sell around content. Content continues to be king.
17. Marketers want to place their message around key content and they want their readers segmented.
18. We are moving from an era of mindless to mindful consumers — what will that mean to advertisers who need to earn trust and awareness in the marketplace?
19. Ask yourself: How has your market changed in the last 18 months? How have your competitors and their offerings changed?
20. Get inspiration and ideas from B2C titles: Use tactics like Magalogs to preview your content to prospective members.
21. Educate advertisers on how to create ads that ‘work’ in digital. Manage expectations and raise their knowledge level through group webinars. Give advertisers the tools to be successful.
22. You’re not the only one: Advertisers care about the relationship a reader has with your editorial.
CONTENT
23. Consider the life cycle of your content. How long is it online? What is the plan to move it or reuse it?
24. If members are NOT using content, why are you putting it out? Don’t be afraid to break the mold and let members shape the direction and delivery method of your content.
25. Don’t be threatened or scared that members are driving content through social media channels – embrace that process. The association is still the expert in its respective field. Members providing content does not eliminate the need for an association.
26. Rein in word counts. How long does a story really need to be?
27. Understand and connect with your audience. That’s always the goal.
28. Listen to readers and make changes accordingly if something doesn’t work.
29. Connect daily even if you only print weekly, monthly, or bimonthly.
30. Even readers who don’t have time to read are good at pointing out typos.
31. Stay relevant by providing content only you can provide. Know your audience, know your niche and give them something worthy of their time.
32. Concerned about copyright within social media? A new medium doesn’t mean a new law, just a new context in which those laws apply.
33. Stop trying to chase the new hot demographic. You will alienate your current readers and you won’t provide content that is valuable to either old or new reader. Your content will not be all things to all people…and that’s a good thing.
34. Use the golden rule as an indicator to when copyright or trademark use is over the line. Would you want the same thing done to you?
35. Don’t count on password-protected content for search engine optimization. Google does not read content under a password.
IN THE BOOK
36. Consider varying page count throughout the year. Having a few larger “special issues” tied to events or seasonal content can create excitement.
37. If you do it right, the front of the book can carry the whole magazine.
38. Use an “old-fashion” tip-on to alert readers of their last issue. Print once and then tip on by mail list.
MEDIA
39. The big question for our industry has been, where does digital go from here, and how can it work in tandem with print? The iPad and other tablet devices will likely provide a delivery method that truly showcases and enhances new media.
40. A digital edition can act as a preview of the print piece. Some Gen Y readers identified the value of digital: “We use it to plan what we are going to read in the print.”
41. Offer a different and useful online experience.
42. Both print and digital are distribution channels. Digital is not trying to eliminate print. They should complement each other.
43. Technology has fundamentally changed the accessibility of creativity.
44. If you offer something with value, people will pay for it.
EVENTS
45. Consider having free conference wi-fi and having it sponsored.
46. For your event, consider different splash pages for different audiences. Drive key traffic through those various pages.
BUSINESS
47. Flexibility is key right now in both business and marketing. Companies do not want to be locked into long term, inflexible agreements.
48. Transparency within your organization continues to be a key attribute.
TOOLS & TECH
49. Google Adwords provide a lot of options to increase SEO and positioning. Experiment. Set a small budget. Get started and see what happens to your analytics. For associations looking to grow its Facebook presence, also consider the key ad words for sale there too.
50. Check out Compete.com: A resource to know more about your competitors and their web traffic.
51. Use the power of content for SEO success. Editors should manage SEO, not the tech department.
52. The best time for a web cast is Tuesday through Thursday at 2 pm.
COMMUNITY
53. Ask yourself: Who are your social media power users that push and evangelize the conversation?
54. Do you know if your community engages with video? And are they doing that somewhere else?
55. Let the immediacy and temporary nature of social media allow you to take chances. It’s not carved in stone, so try out a new branding approach or irreverent post to garner reaction from members.
56. Only tweet things of value.
June 21, 2010
Underneath technology of a virtual event, attendees must find value in participation
As associations look to incorporate the social connectivity of Web 2.0 in their events, it’s easy to see why a virtual event would be a logical next step in online community building. Virtual conferences, webinars and online sessions offer a new level of interactivity and attract a wider range of attendees, while keeping their roots in the tried and true best practices of a traditional in-person event.
The projector’s down
If a glitch happens during an in-person session, the show will likely go on. But the success of your virtual conference depends greatly on the technology you use to serve your event. Make sure users can easily connect and participate in the session by choosing technology that is user-friendly and easily accessible.
Find a technology that requires a system check before a user can register, recommends Anthony Allen, Director, Digital Media for American Society for Training & Development. There is nothing worse than registering for—and paying for—an event only to find you cannot attend because of your browser’s capabilities.
Speaker, Prepare Thyself
When it comes to content, your audience will benefit from a presenter who is prepared to speak to a virtual group. Allen recommends giving your presenters a speaker orientation that helps them with some of the finer points of speaking to a virtual audience. As Allen pointed out during a recent webinar, “Producing Virtual Sessions,” a speaker should consider the shelf life of an online session that is recorded and say hello to the “audience of the future.” A simple greeting akin to “Good morning or good afternoon to those of you viewing this recorded session” will suffice.
Know your competition
Allow attendees to revisit sessions (or perhaps view them for the first time) after your live event has passed. Often virtual attendees can commit only the time for one or two sessions of a day-long conference. Remember, when attendees are in front of their computers, your session is in competition with email, calendar reminders and anything else that, literally, pops up.
After attending a recent virtual conference, Event and Marketing Manager Bridget Feeley says, “The sessions offered some great content, but attending all of them in one day was an information overload. That’s not much different from a physical event.”
Exhibitors and Sponsors
The best way to include exhibitors or sponsors depends on whether your online event is paired with a live event or stands alone. Some virtual-only events include a virtual exhibit hall, where attendees browse exhibitors’ information, enter their “booth” and chat with the exhibitor.
“The exhibit hall was the most interesting aspect,” Feeley says. “Each booth was set up differently and as you entered, a representative from the company chatted to see if you had any questions. You could download brochures, see demonstrations, link to the exhibitors’ web site, and chat with other attendees or with the company reps.”
If your virtual event is paired with a concurrent live one, consider allowing virtual attendees to ask questions of a live exhibitor via a web chat and live video stream.
As host, also consider what your exhibitors and sponsors can gain from being in front of your audience. Feeley says, “As an exhibitor, you have access to instant leads, can measure your results, and have the ability to communicate with your audience before, during and after a physical event.”
Million dollar question: How can you generate revenue from a virtual event?
Perhaps the best way to generate revenue from an online event is to incorporate sponsorships that are valuable to both attendees and the supplier or vendor who is your sponsor.
Sponsored content and education materials, live Q and A sessions or product demonstrations during the virtual event allow the sponsor access to its prospective customers while giving attendees meaningful information and ideas to take away with them.
April 20, 2010
Networker Bridget Feeley provides her take on attending a virtual event
It seemed like everywhere you turned in 2009, someone was talking about social media… and I decided to join in on the conversation. I created LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter accounts and recently attended my first virtual conference and tradeshow. A virtual tradeshow seems like a logical step to help association professionals communicate and gain knowledge in a social media driven world.
I had read several articles about virtual events, but I still didn’t really know what to expect before I attended. I wanted to try to evaluate the event from every perspective. From the comfort of my own office, I sat back, logged in and got started.
Similar to a physical event, there were several sessions available to attend throughout the day, an exhibit hall, chat rooms and a library where you could download articles. The sessions offered some great content, but attending all of them in one day was an information overload. (Again, not much different from a physical event.) I should mention that you could come back and attend the sessions 90 days after the event date, but I chose to knock it out in one day.
Exhibit Hall
The exhibit hall was the most interesting aspect in my opinion. Each booth was set up differently and as you entered, a representative from the company chatted to see if you had any questions. You could download brochures, see demonstrations, link to the exhibitor’s website, and chat with other attendees in the booth or with the company reps. You also had the ability to be invisible if you didn’t want to chat with anyone and just browse around the booth.
Networking
Outside of the exhibit hall, the chat rooms provided a forum to interact with other attendees and the library had some great articles available to download. After a day spent in the virtual world, I was ready for some face-to-face interaction.
Education Sessions
The sessions ran from 8:30 am – 6:00 pm and were about 45 minutes each. The keynotes were interesting because it was video feed from a live presentation, so you felt like you were actually sitting in the audience. The sessions were similar to webinars, where you viewed a slideshow presentation with audio. This could have become a bit monotonous, but the speakers were very energetic and the 45 minutes seemed to fly by.
If you are considering hosting a virtual event, there are several things to think about. Virtual events seem to attract a wider audience. Attendees who could not make the physical event can easily attend a virtual event with little to no cost (no travel, hotel or shipping fees), and they can attend in the comfort of their own home or office. As a host of a virtual event, it can be time-consuming and difficult to get internal teams and external participants on board, as well as costly, but if done correctly, this is another revenue builder and will keep you visible in your marketplace. As an exhibitor, you have access to instant leads, can measure your results, and have the ability to communicate with your audience before, during and after a physical event. One of the major negative sides of a virtual event is the lack of face-to-face interaction. I enjoy going to an event and meeting people, asking questions, and feeling the energy that a room full of people contains.
Future of virtual conferences
Can a virtual event replace an in-person event? Not likely… but a combination of the two is something everyone will be talking about in 2010. Keep your ears open about the “hybrid” event – a mix of a physical event with a virtual aspect. This not only allows for pre-conference interaction, but is also a great way for those who may not have been able to attend the physical event to get involved after an event, and to continue communication in the online world.
–Bridget Feeley, Event and Marketing Manager, Network Media Partners
Coming in April: American Society for Training & Development’s month-long virtual event.
This post is a follow-up to an article published in the quarterly Connect newsletter. Not getting the newsletter? E-mail Jen Smith to request a copy.
April 6, 2010
