Tips on developing a content marketing strategy for associations to make the most effective and efficient use of your member communications.

1. Developing a content
marketing strategy.
How to be more efficient and effective
with your association communications
By Roslyn Atkinson
Head of Client Services & Strategy
Mahlab Media
AuSAE Conference & Exhibition 2015

2. How communications
and marketing
has changed.

3. It started with print…

4. …then came the internet…

5. …search engines helped to
organise the information…

6. …social media showed us that
the internet is as much about
sharing information as it is
about reading information…

7. …and smartphones mean
we can access information
and connect with each other
at any time from anywhere.

8. Availability of information
Accessibility of information

9. Expectations are higher because we have less time.
We’re busy consuming content across multiple
channels.

11. We are empowered.
If content isn’t relevant or interesting enough,
we simply do this…

13. Associations no longer have a captive audience
that can only be reached by advertising in your
print magazine/journal.
Few associations can rely on advertising to cover
the cost of their communications, content and
publishing any more (if in fact it ever did).

14. Communications are no longer just about
sharing knowledge and information.

15. They’re about building trust with your audience,
so that when the time comes, they’re more
likely to buy from you than someone else.

16. Awareness
Lead generation
Lead nurture
Sales team
Buyer’sjournery
Build trust &
Social proof
Conversion/
return on investment
➲➲➲➲
➲
➲
➲

17. So what’s at the
bottom of the
sales funnel for
associations?

18. 1. Member engagement.
2. Membership renewals.
3. New members.
4. Brand profile and perception of value.
5. Sales of products and services
(events, courses, insurance etc)
6. Advertising revenue.
Six ways content creates
value for associations.

19. If you want your member communications to
deliver a return on investment, they must
motivate action.

20. Four ways content
motivates action.

21. 1. The power of INFORMATION to help your
audience.
2. The power of STORIES to emotionally influence
decisions.
3. The power of SHARED CONTENT to create
community.
4. The power of EXPERIENCES to build trust.

22. 1. Information.
• News
• Technical articles
• Infographics
It’s all about being useful, relevant and timely.

23. www.insuranceandrisk.com.au

24. NIBA TV

25. www.mortgageandfinancehelp.com.au

26. 2. Stories.
• Profiles
• Opinion pieces
• Case studies
It’s all about being emotive and creating empathy.
Demonstrate shared values and build trust.

27. HRM TV

28. 3. Shared content.
• Shared content on social media.
• User-generated content.
• Comments.
• Forums and discussion groups.
Help people help each other and generate social
proof to influence buying decisions.

29. Pinterest page for ASCD.

30. An example of shareable content on the
ASCD Pinterest page.

31. The member-only LinkedIn group for the
Australian Institute of Company Directors.

32. 4. Experiences.
• Print magazines - if these aren’t a great
experience in terms of content, design and paper
stock, they’re a waste of time.
• Videos - make sure they’re worth the time
people invest in watching them.
• Webinars, events - ensure they are great
experiences, not just vehicles for learning.

33. Member magazine for Probus South Pacific.

34. Perception of value.
You (probably) wouldn’t go to a meeting
with a member or prospective member
wearing trackie daks.
Your brand profile should be just as well-
dressed as you would be, to match your
organisation’s personality.

35. Why is brand profile important?

36. emotional decisions
Remember that no matter how smart we are, we all make
rational justifications.
and seek

37. Ten things you need to
implement a content
marketing strategy.

38. A documented strategy with clear goals.
1

39. Level 1 goals: support strategic goals
12 months +
Level 2 goals: support marketing goals
6-12 months
Is your audience taking the right actions to achieve
on your objectives?
Level 3 goals: support tactics
1-6 months
What is working best?

40. For example:
Level 1 goal: Increase Convention registrations.
Level 2 goal: Drive traffic to Convention landing
page.
Level 3 goal: Determine which stories are the most
effective in driving traffic to the Convention landing
page.

41. 2
A content-first approach.

42. EMAIL LINKEDIN WEBSITE MAGAZINE VIDEO
CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT
The Typical approach

43. A content-first approach
EMAIL LINKEDIN WEBSITE MAGAZINE VIDEO
Content

44. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
Repurpose content.

45. What weighs more - a tonne of bricks or a
tonne of feathers?
Some content is more valuable than others,
like an ebook or a video compared to a tweet.

46. 3
A clear understanding of your audience needs.

47. Only two questions really matter:
• What are their challenges?
• What do they care about?
Are your ready surveys telling you this
information?
Do you need better member research?

48. 4
Targeted content for audience segments.

49. Dynamic content - single enewsletter template
that shows personalised content based on
individual preferences.
Marketing automation - tailoring content to
specific audience segments based on past
behaviour.

50. Demographics - e.g. young, business owner, women.
Areas of interest - e.g. mining, finance, retail.
Value - e.g. highest paying/most engaged members.
Behaviours - e.g. everyone who has clicked on a
specific article or downloaded a piece of content.
Ways of segmenting.

51. 5
Mission statements for every channel.

52. Tip: Don’t try to do everything with every channel.

53. Powered - ejournal for Fitness Australia.

54. 6
Style guides and approvals processes.

55. 7
An editorial calendar.

56. Tip: Include your key marketing events in your editorial
calendar so you can plan content around them.

57. 8
Good database and technology platforms.

58. 9
Processes for analysing, testing and optimising content.

59. Distribution and amplification strategies.
10

60. Basically that means:
How are you going to reach your audience?

61. Owned channels.
Website: search-engine optimised so content can
be found through searches.
Emails: what’s the best frequency for your
audience and budget?
Social media: where does your audience hang out?
Print magazines.

62. Earned channels.
PR: articles shared with other publications and
media.
Social sharing: shareable content passed on by
your audience.
Influencers: third parties and influential people
who are happy to share your content.

63. Paid channels.
Paid promotions: LinkedIn and Facebook.
Content discovery: Outbrain, Taboola.
Banner ads and print ads.

64. So … does it work?

65. Here’s a case study.

66. Print magazine x2 p.a
Consumer content x3 per week
Enewsletter
fortnightly

67. New members: Increased by 1,000 over 12
months.
Consumer profile: Traffic to ‘Find a broker’ page up
by 98%.
Annual convention: Registrations up by 75%
compared to last convention held in same location.
Annual awards: Record no. of nominations.
Results.

68. Follow Roslyn on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/roslynatkinson
Thank you.
For more great tips on content marketing for associations, visit
www.mahlabmedia.com.au and subscribe to the enewsletter Curiosity.