Engaging, Interactive Association Content Marketing to Engage

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.

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Tactic #2: Content Marketing
Content marketing is simply the creation and proliferation of informative content online. If you think about the audience you serve, the odds are good that not all of them have visited your website. However, most of them have probably ventured online at some point to look for information you likely have. If you have compelling online content indexed with appropriate keywords, you increase the likelihood that they will find your content when searching for information.

What is the first thing you do if you want information on new flat-screen TVs? You go online and Google it. If people want information on local businesses, what is the first thing they do? They go online and Google it. What is the first thing they do if local businesses want information on the types of services you offer? They go online and Google it. Clearly, content that drives engagement must be digital and distributed online.

And don’t stop at your website. Leverage all the digital channels that are available to you. Post content on various social channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. Post content on third-party sites like Slideshare. The more places, the more likely it is to be found by your audience.

Good content provides timely and relevant information on what your audience is thinking about and searching for online. There are countless different types of content that associations can leverage to capture a greater share of their targeted audience and drive engagement. You can write articles and blog posts, create guides, checklists, papers, reports, newsletters, videos, brochures, etc. With skillful distribution, your content can expand well beyond just your assocation website to social media and other channels. This allows you to capture your audience where and when they are searching for information to address a problem that your association can solve.