Growth

Make sure you are getting mileage out of your association blog posts. While there are multiple techniques to maximize the benefits of blogging, using just a few can make a difference. Stay Within Categories Each post should fit into an established blog category and play a role in your overall content strategy. (Translation: Stay on topic and keep it relevant to your expertise.) Focus on Headlines The headline is the most crucial aspect of a blog post. Headlines are critical […]

Are you paying attention to the footer on your association’s website? If not, you’re missing an opportunity (and you’re not alone). A LOT more people see the footer than you might think (particularly on mobile). It’s an essential element of any website. A website footer, found at the bottom of a web page: helps boost conversions builds credibility reduce bounce rates improves SEO enhances user experience A footer signals that the user has reached the end of the association’s webpage. […]

by Frank Kenny The membership dues model known as “fair share” is unfair to your members and your chamber. With fair share, every member gets the same features and benefits, yet some pay more than others simply because they have more employees, hotel rooms, or money on deposit. This dues model fails to consider that a business’s wants and needs change over time. The needs of a startup business, a growing business, and a mature business are entirely different. Yet […]

The team at GrowthZone continuously hears there is improvement in year-over-year association engagement rates. In this installment of our association blog series on member engagement, we explore the specific focus and strategies used by organizations with strong member engagement rates. Utilizing everything from data analysis to updated new-member onboarding plans, these associations are well-informed about what is and isn’t working in their engagement strategy. Learn How to Measure Association Progress >> How they did it: Deliberate Strategy and Dedicated Focus: […]

So, you want to make money (a.k.a, sell memberships) maximizing your organization’s social media and digital marketing efforts. Imagine that, right? You have done the groundwork… your organization is online in all the right places, ensuring your target market is aware of its existence. You have also engaged with people, going beyond mere awareness of your organization to building relationships and building up the ‘know, like, and trust’ factors. Now you’re ready to take the next step, that is, turning your online […]

Membership pro Frank Kenny explains content marketing through social media and why digital marketing is necessary to bridge the two. Imagine that you create fantastic content regularly – it shouldn’t be much of a stretch – you’re likely already doing that. You give a lot of thought to each piece you create. You keep your target audience in mind. You solve a problem or speak to a need. You post it on social media, remembering to add context, tag people, […]

Simple things to keep in mind can make all the difference in whether a blog post gains traction. Utilizing these three concepts as part of a larger strategy will help increase your association’s followers. When blogging: Be Helpful, Instructional, Compelling, Interesting, and Entertaining Find the answers to the questions your audience is asking Develop an angle by taking a boring topic and asking yourself the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, and why) Use facts, numbers, and data Address the […]

Jumpstart your blog with step one of simple association blogging techniques. Admit it, you’re a scanner. We all are. There’s a lot of content out there, and if a blog post doesn’t quickly grab your attention in about 10 seconds, you move on to the next one. Here’s the deal. Quality blog posts drive web traffic. Increased web traffic improves your search engine ranking, creating more awareness about your association. Improving your blog’s readability doesn’t have to be an overwhelming […]

Each page on an association website has a unique address – commonly known as a URL (uniform resource locator). A URL is like anything else on the web: It can be good, bad, or ugly. It’s one of the most important aspects of ensuring that your association website appears in search engine results. So, what makes a “good” URL? Two things (which go hand-in-hand): a positive user experience and an SEO-friendly structure. Familiarizing yourself with URL components will smooth the […]

GrowthZone is proud to share the announcement of the 2023 Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) 2023 award winners. Chamber of the Year Winners The Chamber of the Year award recognizes the leadership role chambers of commerce have in their communities. Those honored with the designation have demonstrated organizational strength and made an impact on key community priorities, such as education, transportation, economic prosperity, and quality of life. The award involves a multi-stage process, which includes the Dynamic Chamber […]

Part 2 of the 5-Part Series: Why Member Engagement No Longer Means Face-to-Face We blogged about digital engagement and why face-to-face events aren’t the only way to drive member engagement. In this article, we’d like to introduce the concept of content marketing. Get our Member Engagement Resource Guide. Retain happy, fulfilled members and overcome the member engagement challenge. Tactic #2: Content Marketing Content marketing is simply the creation and proliferation of informative content online. If you think about the audience […]

Part 1 of the 5-Part Series: Why Member Engagement No Longer Means Face-to-Face Many associations are struggling with member engagement. There are several reasons for this. For starters, it seems like everyone is pressed for time. From running the kids to sporting events to working longer hours, time is at a premium. Secondly, younger members are often less interested in participating in on-site events. These “digital natives” are more inclined to take part in online groups, chats, and forums. Thirdly, […]