The ball has dropped on the new year and associations across the country have a brand new set of goals for serving their members and growing their organizations in 2014. Some associations will have goals for generating new member sales. Some will seek to improve member retention rates. Others will want to increase non-dues revenue from sources such as events, sponsorships and advertising. And, of course, some associations have goals for all three areas. Regardless of your goals, demonstrating value to your members and growing your association is critical for your success in 2014 and you need more than just goals to achieve success. You need a plan of how to get there and key strategies you can use to accomplish your goals.

2. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
About WebLink
SaaS Company (Software as a Service), Leading Software
Provider to Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations
Established in 1996, 60 Employees, based in Indianapolis, IN
94% Customer Retention Rate

3. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
About WebLink
Association Management
Software
Website Design &
Development
Non-Dues Revenue Programs
Partner in Your Success

6. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
About WebLink
• Insightful reporting
• Innovative
• Intuitive
• Complete and comprehensive integration
• Responsive and timely customer support

7. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Get a copy of today’s presentation
• 3 short questions at the end
of the presentation
• Click on the screen to
answer the questions
• We will email you the
presentation and a link to
the recorded video.

8. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Today’s Presenter
• Chris Bass, Director of
Marketing @ WebLink
• 15 years experience in
marketing, advertising and
business development
• Focus on high performance
brand strategies that fuel
organizational growth

11. We should offer
tiered- dues.
We should
Agenda offer advertising
opportunities through our
We need our own line of
products to increase non-dues
revenue.
website.
We should create a blog to
engage our members?
We need an app to
stay relevant .
We need to provide our
members with better events.
We need to be the
business learning hub
in our community.
Social media is the
ticket to more
members.

13. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
“You don't win once in a while; you don't do
things right once in a while; you do them right
all of the time. Winning is a habit.”
- Vince Lombardi

14. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Activate your best members to increase the speed of
acquiring new members
Always be testing to determine which ideas contribute
most to membership growth
Identify and inventory the metrics that will define success

15. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Activate your best members to
increase the speed of acquiring new
members

16. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
You know we’ve been thinking that joining the association
would be beneficial to our company and employees, but
we’re just not sure.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

17. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
If you’re looking for an organization that can help you
navigate the change that our industry is facing, you’ve got
to check out American Marketing Association. They’re
really on their game and will help you understand the
changing landscape of social media. Not only that, but
they’ve established guidelines for interactive marketing
generally. The AMA is a great source of information.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

18. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Not only that, just last month at one of the events the AMA
produces, we were able to connect with a few prospective
customers that we might not ever have met this quickly.
Being a member really has its advantages and when you
look at the investment you’re making in the AMA you’ll
find that your ROI is pretty solid.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

19. Why are your members your members?
Agenda
Team, we’re having a great year. Turnover is at an all-time low
and we get resumes left and right. Best of all, memberships are
up over the same period last year. At the end of the day, that’s
the true measure of success, right?
Membership is up and
that is what really counts.
If it’s not broken, don’t fix
it. We’ll be fine if we just
keep doing what we’ve
been doing.
No doubt we’re having a great
year. I was just talking to one of
our members, and he was
telling me he loves the events
we produce.
Well, I was talking to one of our largest contributing
members the other day, and she was telling me that
she is engaged with us because we help them connect
with more prospective customers.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

20. Why are your members your members?
Agenda
Different points of view were exchanged.
There was no specific discussion of doing anything that would grow the
organization next quarter or next year.
In fact, some don’t believe it’s necessary to do anything different from what
they’re doing today.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

21. Why are your members your members?
Agenda
The metric illustrated in our story was membership sales. As a metric, membership
sales provides undeniable evidence that prospects and members were willing to
join your organization .
Sales is a great metric, but it only measures the member’s choice to join. It does
not explain why your members joined.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

22. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Ultimately, to understand why your
members joined you need to have a
dialogue with them, but who are the best
members for you to talk to?
Activate your best members to acquire new members

23. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Would you recommend ‘XYZ’ organization to
your friends and acquaintances?
Promoters
Activate your best members to acquire new members

24. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Your best members are a rich, often
untapped source of information that can
help you grow your organization.
Their perceptions about your association
can help you answer why your members
are your members.
What Promoters say to their friends and
acquaintances helps to grow your
organization.
Their friends and acquaintances are likely
an untapped source of qualified prospects
that will help you grow your membership.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

25. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Promoters represent one way to define your
best members.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

26. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
LIFETIME VALUE REPORT

27. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Activate your best members to
increase the speed of acquiring new
members
- Identify Your Best Members
• Those who will recommend your association to their
friends and acquaintances.
• Overall contribution to the organization.
- Understand Them
• Your best members are a great source of information that
can help your grow your organization.

28. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Your Association is what your best customers are telling their friends and
acquaintances right now.
Not only that, just last month at one of the events the AMA
produces, we were able to connect with a few prospective
customers that we might not ever have met this quickly.
Being a member really has its advantages and when you
look at the investment you’re making in the AMA you’ll
find that your ROI is pretty solid.
If you’re looking for an organization that can help you
navigate the change that our industry is facing, you’ve got
to check out American Marketing Association. They’re
really on their game and will help you understand the
changing landscape of social media. Not only that, but
they’ve established guidelines for interactive marketing
generally. The AMA is a great source of information.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

29. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
The power of using Personas to activate your members
CEO
Navigating
changes in the
Industry
Operations
Manager
Guidelines and
Best Practices
Activate your best members to acquire new members
Business
Development
Director
Connecting to
Prospective
Customers

30. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Creative and Aspirational Opportunities
CEO
Referrals Coming
From Your
Association
Operations
Manager
Training and
Employee
Development
Business
Development
Director
Advertising on
Your Associations
Website

31. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
I like the creative approach of the website, but I think
the font is all wrong. Let’s take a look at a couple of
different fonts.
I’m not sure it’s the font,
I’m concerned about
some of the copy. Let’s
take another look at the
copy.
I’m just not convinced the website reflects the
personality of our organization.

32. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
One Key Element Remains

33. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
So the key elements of activating your best members to help grow
your membership include:
Target Audience Insights
Aspirational
Opportunities

34. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Activate your best members to
increase the speed of acquiring new
members
- Identify Your Best Members
• Those who will recommend your association to their
friends and acquaintances.
• Overall contribution to the organization.
- Understand Them
• Your best members are a great source of information that
can help your grow your organization.
- Craft initiatives They Will Share With Their Friends
• Be what your members are interested in.
Activate your best members to acquire new members

35. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Activate your best members to acquire new members

36. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
1 day after release
•
1,000,000 hits
1 month after release
•
20,000,000 hits

37. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
LinkedIn eBook for Associations

38. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry

39. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
LinkedIn eBook for Business
Activate your best members to acquire new members

40. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry

41. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Activate your best members to
increase the speed of acquiring new
members
- Identify Your Best Members
• Those who will recommend your association to their
friends and acquaintances.
• Overall contribution to the organization.
- Understand Them
• Your best members are a great source of information that
can help your grow your organization.
- Craft Initiatives They Will Share With Their Friends
• Be what your members are interested in.

42. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Always be testing to determine which ideas
contribute most to membership growth

43. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Always Be Testing

44. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Always Be Testing

45. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Always Be Testing

46. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Always Be Testing

47. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Referral Rate
Always Be Testing

48. We should offer
tiered- dues.
We should
Agenda offer advertising
opportunities through our
We need our own line of
products to increase non-dues
revenue.
website.
We should create a blog to
engage our members?
We need an app to
stay relevant .
We need to provide our
members with better events.
We need to be the
business learning hub
in our community.
Social media is the
ticket to more
members.

49. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Member Value
BEST IDEAS
to PURSUE
Contribution to Association Growth
Always Be Testing

50. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Activate your best members to increase the speed of
acquiring new members
Always be testing to determine which ideas contribute
most to membership growth
Identify and inventory the metrics that will define success

51. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Identify and inventory the metrics
that will define success

52. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
“If you don’t know where you’re going. You’ll
end up someplace else. ”
- Yogi Berra
Identify and inventory the metrics that will define success

53. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
- Napolean Hill
Identify and inventory the metrics that will define success

54. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Identify and inventory the metrics that will define success

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LIFETIME VALUE REPORT

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MEMBER RETENTION REPORT

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MEMBER SEGMENTATION REPORT: SEGMENTED BY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

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How do you define success?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
New members acquired
Members retained
Member contribution to the organization
Staff turnover
Increases in non-dues revenue
Other
All of the above
Identify and inventory the metrics that will define success

59. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Activate your best members to increase the speed of
acquiring new members
Always be testing to determine which ideas contribute
most to membership growth
Identify and inventory the metrics that will define success

60. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Coming up: 3 Questions

61. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
WebLink Recap: An Integrated Solution
• ONE web-based centralized
database
• Prospects, members, nonmembers and all reps in
same system
• Financials, events, email,
committees, website,
reporting
Financial
System
Prospects
Website
Central
DB
Email
Marketing
Events
Members

62. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Association & Chamber Websites
• 500+ client websites
• WebLink Local business
directory drives 67%
increase in traffic from
organic searches
• Adds value for members
• Non-dues revenue
• Responsive website design
– automatically looks great
on all devices

63. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
WebLink Website Management System
• Very easy to add pages and
edit content
• Drag and drop new content
sections
• Quickly modify the
navigation menu
• Easily add photos, videos,
buttons, documents, blog
posts and more

64. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
About WebLink
• Insightful reporting
• Innovative
• Intuitive
• Complete and comprehensive integration
• Responsive and timely customer support

65. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
3 Questions
Please answer these to receive a
copy of the presentation.

66. Opening Remarks – DJ & Terry
Chris Bass
Director of Marketing
chris.bass@weblinkinternational.com
WebLink International
3905 Vincennes Road, Suite 210 Indianapolis, IN 46268
P 317-872-3909 | 1-877-231-4970 | F 317-872-3929
weblinkinternational.com | weblinkblog.com