Managing content can enhance member value of your association. This presentation outlines key elements of association content marketing and management and ends with notes from brainstorming teams of association professionals attending the presentation at the St. Louis Society of Association Executives June meeting.

1. 5 Ways Managing Content
Adds Value to Members
& Makes You A Hero!
Steve Drake
SCD Group Inc.

2. Today’s Agenda
1. Me - Brief presentation (12:10 – 12:25)
2. You - Table team task/discussion (12:25 – 12:54)
3. Us - Table team reports/discussion (12:55 - 1:15)

3. About Me
#SLSAE
Coach: “Drake, you’d be better if you were more
mobile, agile and hostile!”

4. I’m Content Fried!

5. What About You?
• Do you feel content fried?

6. • And, you want me to read what? Now?

7. Assumptions
• Members content fried
• Associations who solve their pain will be heroes
• Discover, filter & share content
• Builds trust, credibility and value

8. Solution: Be Their “Funnel”
• Saves them time … makes you a hero!

9. Seek. Sense. Share.

10. Food Pyramid of Content

11. Create & Discover Content
1. Scan & read where industry/profession info
appears
2. “Some research tools”
• Google News Alerts
• Google Scholar
• Twitter feeds (see TweetDeck)
• Conferences & conference speakers

12. Create Google News Alerts
Select “key words” create search for each

13. TweetDeck “columns”
Select “key words” with columns for each

14. Listening at Work

15. Curate & Distribute
1. Review & verify your content (information)
2. Follow 1-7-30-4-2-1 editorial formula
3. Select appropriate tools from Periodical
Elements of Content Marketing

16. Content Formula
1 = Something daily (news update on website, thought
for the day, Tip of the Day, etc.)
7 = Something each week (Tip of the Week, weekly
eletter, etc.)
30 = Something monthly (magazine, newsletter,
webcast, etc.)
4 = Something quarterly (webinar, etc.)
2 = Something twice a year (white paper, research
report, etc.)
1 = Something annually (conference, eBook, etc.)

17. Editorial Calendar

18. The Periodic Elements of Content Marketing
http://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/content-chemistry

19. How Table Works

20. How Table Works

21. Reap the Rewards
1. Measure (analytics)
2. Feedback from & research among members
3. Recognize the 90-9-1 “rule:”
 1% of people create content
 9% edit or modify that content
 90% view without contributing (Lurkers)

22. Want More?
Content Marketing/Management for
Associations & Nonprofits
 Pre-conference workshop
 Tuesday afternoon, September 4
 Awesome conference!
 Save $100. Use “SCD Group” in
discount code
Disclosure:
 I’m coordinating the workshop
 Becky Rasmussen one of speakers

23. Your Turn – Table Teams
* Re-arrange yourselves to table of choice
* See handout for table topics
• Take notes, create “Tweetable report”
Above: From walls to floor, SLSAE members brainstorm on content marketing/management ideas

24. Team Reports:
Flipping Your Publications
• Printed letter changed to 2x a week e-letter; content industry info
not association info
• Took magazine from 4x to 7x a year; searchable with keywords
archived
• Social share buttons on content
• Using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter; adding Pinterest; listen online
• YouTube channel; eblasts with videos
• Facebook Fan Page
• Online training
• Eblasts on hot topics
• Printed pieces for key issues: training, annual meeting
• Targeted info packages to membership segments
• Tool kits on topic areas
• Textbooks on Kindle and audio files
• Consider learning styles and schedules of members

25. Team Reports:
Using Content Periodic Table
• Assess and plan your communications strategy
and goals
• Likely to differ by association/members
• New elements for the chart:
– MP = member provided content
– TP = trade/professional publications

26. Team Reports:
Using 1-7-30-4-2-1 Calendar
1 = Invited Facebook group conversation
Find/like/fan someone
Tweet a quote from a thought leader
7 = Curated newsletter of hot topics from a
member’s point of view
30 = Event updates and teasers
4 = Council/board governance gatherings
articles from Industry publications
2 = Golf outings, Home shows, Networking events
1 = Conventions, awards events

27. Team Reports:
Developing Your Content Plan
• Use the tools together or separately
• LinkedIn groups: have approval process
• When using all tools, say something different on the same
topic; different call to action
• To increase open rates, consider various learning styles of
your membership
• Provide key headline (summary) first; then the rest of the
story
• Websites: member vs non-member access
• Use teasers
• Add members social contacts to site
• Keep sensitive info behind member only
• If social media channels too active, you may have less
interest in website

28. Team Reports:
Mining Conferences for Content
• Break content into smaller chunks
• Interview conference speakers and share in
post conference distribution
• Repurpose content to market future programs
• Get onsite casual videos of attendees
• Engage members/attendees to write content
on sessions & experience
• Reserve front-row space for bloggers
• Capture member testimonials (photo of
individual and words written on white board)

29. Team Reports:
Content Ideas
• Try to drive content in different ways
– Text
– Phone
– Snail mail
– Email
– Social media
• Have someone capture and evaluate content
daily
• Simplify, don’t overload, messages

30. Team Reports:
Suppliers
• Associate members have opportunity to add value to Assn clients through network
• Suppliers should look to their personal network for ways to engage industry contacts.
• Engage clients by sharing best practices from industry
• Organizational transparency can help promote not only your brand but also organizations
core values and industry relevance. (e.g., St. Charles Convention Center send out notes and
posts about ways in which they are making strides toward “being green”).
• Share articles & ideas with clients, from industry – helpful tips, ideas, local resources, etc.
• Opportunity to position yourself as a trusted advisor.
• E.g., Modern Litho has a partner company/subsidiary which provides research. He had an
opportunity to increase his breadth of products and services and values with their client by
recommending the partner – found unique opportunity by listening and responding to
client’s needs.
• Ways to communicate and share – case studies on site, blogs about new trends and best
practices, tweets about ideas/local resources, personal notes and sending articles by USPS.
• Marketing dept. should communicate with other dept., e.g., Sales and business development,
to help identify trends and client needs, to help create messages. – (was amazed that ½ the
people at our table had a marketing dept which didn’t communicate, share or seem to have
direct expectations with the sales dept.)