In behavioral psychology there’s a concept called “loss aversion.” Loss aversion is the tendency we have as humans to prefer avoiding losses over equivalent gains. Of course we all prefer avoiding losses, but loss aversion says that our response to potential losses is more dramatic than to gains. The potential of losing creates more avoidance than…
“They’re not the only game in town anymore,” a peer recently told me, “I bet they’re having to learn how to compete like most private companies do.” We were discussing associations and the challenges of pitching membership. We live in a time of great abundance. The people that you’d like to become members have more…
A common marketing mistake that association executives make is that their messages have low relevance to a member or potential member. The messages don’t stick in their minds because it doesn’t connect with their situation. Critically important marketing where this low relevance issue manifests is in your membership offer. Rather than being intrigued by a…
“It’s odd that what the board recommended was different from what the focus group wanted,” one of our clients told me in a meeting. We’re in the final stages of development for their website and discovered that the content of several pages needed to be tweaked after a focus group review.
Many associations struggle with communicating the value of membership. The staff know that membership is valuable, but they can’t seem to put it into words in a way that potential members “get it.” This is a symptom of what I call the Mirror Fallacy, where fixating on our perspective impairs our ability to communicate effectively…
I attended a Rotary dinner last night and sat next to someone who once served as district governor. I asked her how governors are chosen. She explained the requirements and nominating process. The final step is to present yourself before a committee and answer questions. She said, “Some people are wonderful on paper, but they…
Everyone wants more attention. I’ve yet to come across a client who didn’t say that their website needed, “greater visibility.” When I ask clients what greater visibility would do for them, they say that it would help them grow. While this isn’t entirely false, pursuing visibility is not a goal that leads to growth. Instead, seeking…
I had beers with a couple of friends last Thursday. One of them just launched a redesign of their business website. His last major obstacle was that he needed to write his “about us” page. Rather than actually write it though, he recorded a short audio file where he talked about his company’s history. Then he uploaded…
“We did see a big drop-off in sponsors and exhibitors saying, ‘Well, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do a virtual thing.’ Now they’re actually calling us back.” Nicole Hodson is the executive director of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. In this interview, she shares how her team has made…
“In a lot of ways, I think anybody who’s a tinkerer has got this opportunity right now to just change everything…” Carl Smith is the owner of the Bureau of Digital, an education and community organization that serves digital agencies. He launched his first online summit 3 years ago and in the time since has…