Pinterest: 6 Potential Uses for Association Management Professionals

Artwork from @JohnHaydon

Ok, I have to admit that I’m not a user of Pinterest. It’s hard enough for me to keep up with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter not to mention 4Square, SlideShare and YouTube. (See my previous post on being Content Fried!)

But, a USA Today story called “Pinterest gives Businesses a Boost with Brand Awareness” grabbed my attention.

And, as always, I try to look at such business stories from the viewpoint of an association management professional and our organizations.

If Small Businesses Can: 7 Questions for Association Management Professionals?

Left Brian & Sassy Henry of Palmetto Cheese. Right:  Brian Clark of Entreproducer

USA Today ran a good story titled “Tweet Dreams of a Booming Business” which told stories about small companies growing their use of social media success.

If association management professional read this from an association point of view, it offers good insights on how to grow your organizations.

Some highlights from the article:

What’s in a Name? 8 Naming Principles for Association Management Professionals

Driving past a Dairy Queen, a sign promoted Choco Cherry Love Blizzards®.

Cool name.

It got me to thinking about the importance of naming to associations and nonprofit organizations.

Best of the Week: 7 articles important for Association Management Professionals

One of the goals of SCDdaily is to provide association management professionals links to articles and content that stimulate thinking about our work. I especially seek articles that you may miss in your regular reading. Each article here includes a summary and a link to the full story.

Here’s the best from the past week.

Oldies but Goodies Can Add Value for Association Members

Back in January, I asked the question” Can “oldies but goodies” work for associations and nonprofits?

These three events kick-started the concept of reusing popular content:

• The other day, I saw a preview STAR WARS: EPISODE I 3D ... talk about “oldies but goodies” ... the first Star Wars movie premiered back in 1977!
• Tonight, I’m going to a Beatlemania “concert” ... 453 have registered to attend in a golf community of about 1,600.
• Meanwhile the Jersey Boys performance of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons continues to pack in audiences all over the world.

Associations & Micro-targeting: How/What Target Knows

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did

Earlier this week, I shared what associations and nonprofits can learn from the targeting strategies of the Obama Presidential Campaign.  

After posting the story, I received this Forbes’ micro-targeting story titled How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did.

Can you believe the information that companies have on their customers?

Don’t Eat the Toner: 7 Tips for Association Communicators

Do you ever read something and wonder what the writer is saying? Or, do you ever write something and wonder why the readers don’t understand what you mean?

Three distinctly different readings raised my attention and turned my thoughts to association communications.

Networking Begins Before You are Out of Work

A former staff member contacted me the other day to ask me to “recommend her” on her LinkedIn site.

I’m happy to do that but ...

What's Happening at Service Clubs (A Guest Blog)

Since I’m helping celebrate my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday, I invited association executive Jim Nagel to write a guest post about the decline in membership in Service Clubs (SCs). Here are his thoughts ...

“What the Hell happened to Service Clubs?” “Why the quick (or not so quick) steady decline of membership?” My response was “Why don’t people use buggy whips anymore?”

Service Clubs, via staff, societal events (911/Katrina) and spotty volunteer leadership has had every opportunity to reinvent themselves. Sadly, no one did. Some tried but their own model prevented success.

4 Tools Associations and Charitable Foundations Learn from Obama Campaign

As the 2012 Presidential election gears up, stories about the Obama Re-election Campaign suggest tools that could be useful in associations (for membership and/or marketing) and/or charitable foundations (for cultivation and donations).

“The Obama for America analytics department analyzes the campaign’s data to guide election strategy and develop quantitative, actionable insights that drive our decision- making,” according to a Bloomberg.com report.  “We are a multi-disciplinary team of statisticians, mathematicians, software developers, general analysts and organizers -- all striving for a single goal: re- electing President Obama.”


In a report for The Daily Beast, Andrew Ramano provided a glimpse of the Obama Campaign that illustrates the future needs of associations and nonprofits:

Why is working with nonprofit like putting socks on an octopus?

In an interview with an association management executive last week, she said “working with boards is like putting socks on an octopus.”

That reminded me that years ago, James Lee Adams was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying “getting soybean farmers to agree on farm policy is like pushing a wheelbarrow of frogs.  By the time you get one into the wheelbarrow, two others have jumped out.”

In “Content Fried” World, Associations Content Curation Can Benefit Members

As I looked through piles of paper researching for my next SCDdaily blog post, I sighed and said “so much paper!” I realize I am – in the words of Beth Kanter – content fried. 

Newspapers, television, magazines and faxes have expanded to Facebook, YouTube, Hulu, Twitter, Pinterest and a host of other platforms to create a tsunami of information.

What do you do when association volunteers want to manage rather than lead?

Volunteer boards sometimes cross the boundary from leadership to management.  And, that often results in organizational chaos.

This came to mind when a friend who has been the long-time President/CEO of a national organization sent this appeal:

• “The Executive Committee feels that they have not been as engaged as they should be in the association’s business. Several changes have been made, but one change that has taken place is their involvement in the hiring, firing and disciplinary action of employees.

Komen, Gap & Christmas Trees: How Social Media Activism Influences Major Decisions and What it Means for Associations and Nonprofits

Three “news stories” illustrate the growing power of social media to influence major decisions:

• Back in 2010, the Gap introduced a new logo and quickly reverted to the old logo after social media spoofs on the new logo. 
• After nearly five years of planning and waiting for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to respond to its request to approve a Christmas Tree checkoff, growers were stunned with a “right-winged” attack on the “Obama Tax on Christmas.”  The White House had the USDA rescind its approval of the Christmas Tree checkoff.
• The Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization announced defunding of Planned Parenthood and quickly retreated after a barrage from “left-winged” activists. 

I’m not focusing on the claims and counter claims behind each of these cases.

Converting underused products into profitable ventures for associations

USA Today and the AARP Bulletin both ran news stories last week about funeral homes
finding new life by hosting other events  such as weddings, meetings and other events.

Citing a 2010 association survey, the articles noted that 10% of funeral home owners said they owned or offered a community or family center in addition to traditional funeral facilities. Many said their wedding planning business is growing. The story featured one funeral home who hired a “special events coordinator” who doubled as a wedding planner and who grew the business.

Digital Mornings: General Mills, Technology and Associations Food giant is redoing cereal boxes to bring them into tech age

So how are you adapting technology for your association or nonprofit? Are there ways you can turn a traditional/stodgy product or service into a digital morning?

This USA Today story about what is happening at General Mills and its cereal boxes might provide some guidance. Remember, people who experience technology on their cereal boxes will soon expect similar technology from their association’s products and services.

Some key quotes from General Mills (Mark Addicks, chief marketing officer) and the story:

Introverts and Extroverts: Taking a Holistic Approach to Association Management

Articles on introverts seemed popular last week.

• First Jeff Hurt tweeted a link to a MarketingProfs.com piece titled “Three Tips for the Introverted Attendee.”  
• Then, Kenneth J. Cary of Innovative Thinker shared a Harvard Business Review piece called “An Introvert’s Guide to Networking.”  
• And now Jeff tweets Conference Event Networking: Big Bash or Quiet Affair?  

Humanizing & Young Professionals: More on Engaging Millenials in your Organization

You may remember that last week I wrote in SCDdaily Generations by the Numbers: Why Association Membership May Not Return to Pre-Recession Levels.

Later in the week, I came across two really super articles on the same subject ... one by Jamie Notter and the other by Michael C. Lowe.

If you are involved in association management, association membership or donor development, you really should reread my post along with these two!

SCDdaily Readings of the Week: 9 Powerful Articles for Association Executives

Intro:
Given the rapidly changing environment in which associations and nonprofits operate, my goal for SCDdaily is to scan various sources to find information important for association and nonprofit executives. I recognize you are busy working with your boards and staff and may not be able to read everything that may impact your organization. I believe that changes impacting people as consumers will eventually influence what they expect of associations and nonprofits. I often share these and offer comments on how they impact our organizations.  Here are nine powerful articles for association and nonprofit execs:

3 Key Quotes Guide Watching Super Bowl Ads to Understand Impact on Association Members and Nonprofit Donors

If you are watching the Super Bowl Sunday (2/5), be sure to check out how many of the advertisers are trying to engage and involve viewers through “social TV.”

Here’s a piece from Reuters that provides three quotes relevant to the Super Bowl and your overall association marketing program:  Super Bowl Advertisers Seek Buzz on Social Media And, USA Today followed with a story headlined Super Bowl Goes Mobile.

Books & Videos: How Hollywood’s Content Marketing Can Help Your Association

Content marketing and content management represent important strategies in your arsenal of member benefits and boosts recruitment and retention.

In a USA Today article headlined “The movie’s great, but what about the book,”  Carol Memmott outlined the powerful connection between Oscar winning movies and books of the same title.

She suggests a benefit synergy that boosts both the movie and the book. Her rationale: