In a webinar hosted by Personify, leading industry experts explored these personas and their member journeys. Which experts you ask? 

• Wes Trochlil, President of Effective Database Management 
• Megan Woodburn, Founder and Co-CEO at Strategic Association Management 
• Nick Ruffin, President and CEO of AMR Management Services 
• Erin Sullivan, VP of Marketing at Personify  

This blog recaps the highlights. You can watch the full discussion anytime, on-demand here.  

What are member personas and why should you care?  

A persona is a fictional representation of a person built on common traits. They’re used to help understand and predict user behaviors and empathetically speak to individuals you don’t know personally. 

In the context of your members, the same use case applies. Understanding personas helps you build interactions that different individuals can relate to. Segment audiences and refine activities for each member’s journey with your association. 

Below is a graphic of the 10 different personas that make up your association. Your members can be any combination of them. People join your association for a variety of reasons and their persona is a big part of why they join.  

Example: The Advocate 

An advocate will join because they’re passionate about the association’s mission. They want involvement and to help raise awareness. They’ll engage in activities such as fundraisers and volunteer opportunities. Their need is to fulfill their purpose as true believer, which is the core of the advocate persona.  

Membership is no longer a one size fits all.

By embracing member personas, you’ll have happier members and boost engagement and retention.  

What the experts say about member personas 

How have you seen levels of engagement evolve or change in associations in recent years?  

After the dramatic changes we saw after the 2020 pandemic, member engagement has evolved. Member expectations have shifted. Technology offers opportunities to run virtual events and build disparate communities online. 

Nick Ruffin noted “the numbers we’ve seen of attendees for a virtual, annual conference is double or triple the numbers they had ever seen in person…it showed that there was this audience that was out there, that for whatever reason, just wasn’t going to come out to a conference.”  

This demonstrates that there’s a persona of members who want to take part and engage. But, maybe just not in person.  

We can give to all members, whether they prefer to engage in person or virtually. Megan Woodburn said it best, “how are we engaging the whole rather than just who has been our typical member or typical registrant at these events?”  

Should evolving engagement trends change how associations run their business and programs? If so, how?    

YES! We’ve acknowledged shifting member expectations. Wes Trochlil noted “members and customers are now saying you need to meet me on my terms and so how are you going to do that?”  

Asking your members what’s working and what isn’t is a great way to boost engagement. Host a focus group, send out surveys and listen to your members when they give feedback.  

Megan warns us to “be cautious about listening to only the loudest voices, make sure you’re doing this thoughtfully. Make sure you’re thinking about the whole rather than just solving one solution.”  

How can we better understand and serve people of all types and engagement levels in an association?  

Nick Ruftin started this off by saying “there’s 1,000 ideas of things we can do, but we can’t afford to do all of them. You could maybe afford to do 2 or 3 of them well. Using the data of what your members actually want and participate in is where you should focus your energy on, in alignment with your strategic plan, mission and vision.”   

Of course, this is easier said than done.  

Wes drove this point home discussing situations where a segment of members seems to not care. They may always be members and have high retention. But they don’t interact, participate in surveys or volunteer. These members don’t engage in the same way you anticipated, but that’s okay. They’ll consume the content they want and participate in a level that works for them. Have your team encourage the engagement of these members and try to boost that engagement. Even if a member isn’t participating now, it doesn’t mean they won’t in the future.  

The hybrid experience is something that has proven to engage all types of members. Erin Sullivan commented, “the post-pandemic member expects a hybrid experience and hybrid is expensive to put on…so you have to prioritize which events and programming make sense to provide a virtual component for, and which ones we want people to join in person.”  

Given the past few years, how are you feeling about events and conferences in 2023?  

Confidence in the events space is extremely high according to our panelists. It seems post-pandemic that people are craving in-person interaction. Megan spoke to this saying “events are back and they’re back strong. If fact we’re seeing about a 10% increase in attendance…a 60% increase in registration.”  

People belong to an association to meet with peers, network, learn and ask questions. Bringing back in-person events provides the perfect platform for all that to happen. 

Which persona(s) do you identify most with?  

Nick, being passionate but resistant to participation, identified as a combination of an advocate and curious.  

Wes felt similar to Nick and is an influencer, giver and advocate.  

Megan agreed that she is a combination of curious, advocate and influencer.  

Erin identified strongly with the connector, as one of her strengths is winning others over and bringing people together.  

All panelists felt their personas evolved over the course of their career. They identified with different personas in different career stages.  

Looking at 2023, what opportunities and challenges do you foresee for associations?  

Taking a hard look at your association is key here.  

Is your association addressing member needs? Speaking their language and offering them relevant experiences will build strong relationships. You’ll ultimately build a stronger program with better retention. 

The technology you use is critical. If you’re not evaluating it every couple of years you may be missing new opportunities.  

Want to hear more? Learn how the American Society of Nutrition used their tech stack to pivot to online meetings and events during the pandemic.  

A huge challenge our panelists identified was a possible recession. This will impact member travel budgets for events. It also speaks to agility and organizations staying nimble in the face of change. 

Looking on the bright side, Nick noted, “this could be an opportunity for associations to network and create value for members. We all survived the 2008 recession, and we have way more resources, tools and technology now.” 

Leverage your technology stack to understand your personas  

A robust association management software (AMS) will allow you to segment member data. By evaluating demographics, preferences, job titles, event attendance and content engagement, you can better understand your association personas. Once you have an understanding you can craft programs and messages that resonate.  Below are a few great technology options to help build engagement and programs for your many personas. 

Learning Management System (LMS)  

An LMS, like Classroom, engages your learning personas. You can provide opportunities to learn and gain certifications through Classroom. Bonus: this provides a good reason for employers to cover employee membership dues!  

Members who benefit most from an LMS are:   

• Researchers
• Climbers  
• Scholars   

Online Community  

An online community, like CommUnity, enables networking and community building. Members can engage and stay informed about your association’s programs. A community is a great way to connect people on specific topics or in geographic areas. You can go as big or as small as you want and let them lead the conversation.  

We’ve heard a lot of success in online communities connecting members in disparate locations – or globally. Or for onboarding young members. If your community syncs with your Association Management Software, even better. This creates more data points you can lean into to work with those personas. 

Members who benefit most from online communities are:   

• Entertainers  
• Influencers  
• Givers  
• Advocates  
• Connectors  
• Mentors

Job Board  

A job board, like Personify’s Job Board, enables members to post and search for jobs. They can also learn about volunteer and research positions. This is great for those seeking career path growth or to grow their association or business.  

Members who benefit most from a job board are:  

• Climbers  
• Advocates  
• Scholars  
• Researchers  

Event Management  

An event management tool (we have a lot of those at Personify) will help you create events members will love. Connect people virtually and face-to-face for professional development, networking, friendship and more.  

Members who benefit most from events are:  

• Influencers  
• Advocates  
• Connectors

To watch the full conversation between Megan, Nick, Wes and Erin click the link below!  

The post <strong>Webinar Recap “The New Member Journey: Emerging Member Personas for Associations” </strong>  appeared first on Personify.

As the new year dawns, how can you stay ahead of the curve and make sure your association has the right tools in 2023?  

Well, 85% of nonprofits say technology is the key to the success of their organization. This means many organizations have identified tech as important to their mission and their members and are starting to think about a strategic tech plan to help achieve their goals.

Here are a few association tech trends that we believe can help make your communities stronger and more empowered in the coming year!

Trend #1: Economic concerns and recession preparation 

With inflation at a staggering 8.4% this past quarter, supply chain issues and the unprecedented nature of the past few years, the economy is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. How will the potential of a recession affect your association and its events for 2023?  

Although it’s hard to predict an exact fail-safe, the technology you use and the strategies you implement can help your members through a recession.  

Provide an online community for your members that gives them a voice. This space can give them support from other members, learning opportunities and an easy way to donate to special campaigns that can help members receive any emotional or practical support they need through a recession. Consider tech that allows you to check the pulse of your members using surveys or forms that you can post on your website and send via emails. 

Trend #2: Technology centered around your people  

Thriving organizations put their members and their team first. When it comes to budgeting for your technology stack, think about how your people will use it. Is this going to help your members develop? Does this tech strengthen your association’s mission? Will it optimize your staff’s processes?  

The association management software (AMS) you use should provide your team with automation and reliable reporting.   

During your planning for next year, choose technology that’s easy to use for your staff and intuitive for your members.  

Trend #3: Personalized giving experiences 

If your plan for 2023 includes any type of fundraising, you’ll want to give a personalized experience to your members. Utilizing a robust AMS to gather and segment your member’s data will make this easier and more efficient for your team. Members will see opportunities that matter to them based on their preferences. 

Organizations should also consider mobile giving for 2023. We’ve seen a 50% increase in donation transactions completed through mobile devices. This coupled with half of the website traffic coming from mobile devices shows how important it is to build a mobile-friendly website mobile. Implementing this technology for your fundraising is sure to help your association succeed in the coming year. 

Trend #4: Investment in tech talent and training 

Technology is essential for your staff to run efficiently, and it can also be used for training and learning purposes. Whether your organization hires full-time staff or freelance or contract workers to help manage your tech, skilled workers are a must — and if staff is limited in their knowledge, organizations will invest in training for their team in 2023.

Associations should plan to provide comprehensive training and continuous learning opportunities for the tech and data they use.

Ready for more? 

We’ve got 3 more association tech trends to share with you, including:  

• Prioritizing data security 
• Member-empowering technology 
• Curating event experiences for the new VIPs 

We want you to be prepared for 2023 with a robust and strategic technology plan. Join us on December 8^th at 12:30 pm ET for the full discussion with Ashly Stewart, Marketing Manager and Erin Sullivan, VP of Marketing in our webinar, “The Top Association Tech Trends for 2023.” 

The post 4 Association Tech Trends to Watch for in 2023  appeared first on Personify.

Are online communities a nice-to-have or need-to-have?

Starting off the webinar, Ashly and Don discuss the focal question of whether online communities are nice-to-have or a need-to-have. For a long time, the verdict was “nice-to-have”. The biggest contributor to this position? The cost of online communities. However, Don noted that online communities have evolved in recent years to a point where the cost is lower and the quality is higher!

Another concern from team “nice-to-have” is the automatic assumption that when you get an online community, no one actually uses it. Well, using the platform to its full potential often mitigates this concern – everything should be in the community and your members will want to use it! If you’re a member looking for something related to your association, it should be found in your online community. Discussion boards, event promotion, blogs, webinar registration, video recordings, meeting notes – put it in your online community.

The verdict: Online communities are a need-to-have

The biggest reason that online communities are a need-to-have is that members want them. “Our members are asking for it and not only are they asking for it, but if we don’t create a space for them, they will do it themselves,” said Ashly in the webinar. The problem with member-created communities, like a Facebook group, is that you don’t own these spaces, have no control over what is done there and they have low security. An example of low security came in 2021 when Facebook was hacked and millions of individuals’ profiles were affected. Having a dedicated space for members gives members the space they desire with the security they need.

Another key factor in why online communities are transitioning to a “need-to-have” is due to how they’ve changed recently. They are easier to use and more integrated with your current tech. As members become more remote, the need for connection to their community grows, hence the need for an online community.

Looking at some data to support online communities, Ashly referred to a 2021 Membership Marketing Benchmark Report which showed an uptick in visits to the members-only section of associations’ websites from 44% to 56%, clearly showing the growing interest in online communities.

5 reasons associations may need an online community

Aside from members wanting them, there are a few other reasons that an online community can help you.

1. Flexibility

Online communities are perfect for any size association – small, large or somewhere in between. An online community can grow and scale with your association’s goals. The options for managing an online community are plentiful as well. We’ve seen success for each of these management options:

• You can hire a full-time Community Manager role
• You can hire a part-time Community Manager role
• You can make community management a tag-team effort with your existing team
• You can recruit volunteers to manage your community
• You can build a board committee that oversees community management

One of the biggest things Don discusses about creating a successful online community is making sure everything members need/want is in the community. Rather than sending out emails or a zoom link to an event – put your information in the online community.

2. Group management and engagement

Clear segmentation is needed to allow your members to have the best experience in the online community. Having various discussion boards in your community for specific interests will give members a personalized experience, encouraging engagement in the community. The same goes for audience-specific groups, such as individuals who volunteer, attend events and new members.

The best part of having this segmentation is that members can opt into specific groups that meet their interests at any time, allowing everyone’s preferences to align with their experience in the online community.

This group management and segmentation is also helpful for staff members. They can use member data to get to know their members based on their behaviors in the community. Seeing this data allows organizations to communicate with the right individuals at the right time, increasing member engagement and building deeper, more personal relationships.

3. Additional revenue opportunities

When utilizing a member-exclusive online community, there are many ways an association can build additional revenue. You can provide member-only learning opportunities such as webinars, educational sessions, and certification programs by promoting them in the community. This is also a good place to give members easy access to merchandise or store links, you can offer special discounts and sales to those in the online community.

It’s also a great space to promote any branded items you’re selling and any events you’re hosting. Including a special early-bird price for members that register in your online community is another way to encourage members to use the space and engage with your content.

4. Better communication and workflows

Online communities should always be member-centric, but did you know they have benefits for your internal team and boards, too?

You can use your online community as a centralized location for your document storage and access. Ashly shared some data from a case study about a Personify client using CommUnity. The National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) saved $1,600 per year after CommUnity platform replaced DropBox!

Leveraging your online community as a central place for everything is vital for getting the most out of the software. Use it for storing:

• Meeting minutes
• Working documents
• Annual reports
• Content to share with members
• Anything else your association may create

The best part is that you can restrict access to certain staff members using the group management feature.

For your marketing team, an online community provides benefits as well. Instead of using a typical email to communicate with members, you can post the same content in your community discussion board. This space encourages more interaction and engagement with members, giving you a better idea of interest and engagement than tracking email opens and clicks.

5. Increasing member loyalty

Members join associations for their mission and they will stay loyal due to the connections they make and the value offered to them. An online community is an interactive and live space for members to grow loyalty to your organization. This can happen because they:

• Get up-to-date announcements on new events
• Can build connections with other members
• See others engaging (and enjoying) their membership in your organization

 It’s hard to walk away from an organization that clearly cares about its members so much.

Member-driven content is also something we’ve seen contribute to membership retention. When members can interact with each other and build connections with those who have the same interests and values as them, it strengthens your community from the inside. When you see your members producing a lot of content and interacting with each other’s creations… that’s when you know your online community is doing what it should.

Your need-to-have online community

While many are viewing online communities as essential to their organization, it’s important to make sure it aligns with member needs and behaviors. The driving factor in building your online community should be that your members need it, want it and see it as enhancing their experience in your organization.

And try not to stress about how to manage your online community. There are many options ranging from hiring a dedicated community manager to having a volunteer team. For a deeper dive into how you can do more with less, check out “No Community Manager? No Problem.”

An online community can be a huge benefit for your organization. To watch the full conversation between Ashly Stewart, Marketing Manager from Personify and Don Knox, Executive Chair for Civica Associations Conferences and Exhibitions click the link below!

The post Webinar Recap: The Online Community Advantage appeared first on Personify.

For your association or nonprofit, anticipating and fulfilling your member’s needs is a high priority to retain members and boost new member registration. So, the question is – does having an online community contribute to your member needs?  What are the benefits of online communities?

Well, when you look at the data, members of associations and nonprofits want to be involved in online communities. In a recent webinar, we talked about how association professionals saw their website’s “members-only” section grow to 56%, up from 44% the previous year. We also saw that 76% of internet users participated in an online community in 2020 and 44% said it was more important to have an online community in 2020, according to The Journey Ahead: The Future of Associations, Nonprofits and Events.  

Between these findings and the increase in emerging data about members utilizing online communities, it seems to me that an online community should be a need-to-have when considering your budget for 2023. But other than showing your board and staff the numbers, how can you convince them to take the leap?  

We advise keeping these benefits top-of-mind when building a case for your online community to your board and creating an online community your members love to use.

1. Members want online communities  

As we’ve already seen from the 2021 Membership Marketing Benchmark Report, sections of your website that are dedicated to members only are increasing in popularity and usage. This report also notes that 71% of associations experienced an increased level of engagement by their members. A recent survey of nearly 1,000 association members and staff came to similar conclusions. Clearly, members are wanting to engage with their associations and believe it is vital for associations to have a community for their members to network and connect. An online community provides better learning opportunities, more connections, and better communication. If you don’t create this space for them, they’ll create it themselves. This makes it harder for your team to influence, and you lose valuable moments to connect and further the mission’s brand.  

2. Managing your online community is more flexible than ever 

This all sounds great, right? A space for your members that you know they want, they will utilize, and provides more value to their experience. But what kind of resources are needed for this community? The good news is managing online communities is more flexible than ever.  

Here are a few ways we’ve seen organizations manage their online spaces: 

Hiring a dedicated community manager  

• A community manager will take on all aspects of your online community. They will grant access to the community, help set up member profiles and answer member questions. They will also be responsible for providing new content from the association that is relevant for members and keep them informed about upcoming events.  
• This is also possible with a part-time community manager. If you have a smaller budget or a smaller pool of members, a part-time CM could be perfect for your online community.  

Utilize your current staff

• We’ve seen that a lot of marketing roles in associations align with the responsibilities of a community manager. By tag-teaming your current staff to help with all the aspects of an online community, you will be able to save your budget and create a stronger sense of unity between your current staff and members.
• We dive deeper into this idea in our guide “No Community Manager? No Problem?”  

Put together a small volunteer team or committee  

• A small group of individuals who love the idea of a collaborative space to network and connect with others will most likely love to help with your online community.  They can be your committee members to manage the community and handle administrative duties.  

The bottom line is that one of the biggest barriers to managing online communities is now gone as organizations of all sizes have proved that online communities can be successful with various management approaches.  

3. Online communities can be cost-effective and revenue-generating  

One of the most significant benefits of online communities that should be mentioned when pitching the idea to your board is the financial opportunities. Utilizing the discussion boards for non-dues revenue opportunities like learning courses and featured jobs is easy and effective. Members are already active on the discussion boards to connect with other members, promotions and updates about the association will be easily seen by your main audience.   

An online community is also a space where you can store all your documents and content for your association. This can save you money on storage applications like Dropbox. In fact, the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) saved over $1,600 a year after using an online community to store and share all their online documents. An extra plus to keeping all your documents in your online community is that you will have full control over who accesses them, keeping members-only and board-specific content secure.  

Ready to dive in?  

To hear more about the benefits and why online communities are becoming a “need-to-have” for associations and nonprofits, join industry experts, Don Knox, Executive Chair for Civica Associations Conferences and Exhibitions, and Ashly Stewart, Marketing Manager from Personify, for the webinar, “The Online Community Advantage” on 10/18 at 12:30 p.m. ET.  

The post 3 Benefits of Online Communities appeared first on Personify.

When the question arises of how to improve association marketing and what should we be doing for our members, the solution is actually easier than you think. Going back to the basics of marketing, you consider the 6 P’s: product, price, place, promotion, people, and presentation. When considering your members, the people should be your first priority – this is where online communities thrive. 

During our webinar, we dove deep into everything marketing can do for your association through an online community — a digital place for your members to connect with one another and easily engage with your content. Personify’s own Benjamin Morton, Product Marketing Manager and master marketer: Ashly Stewart, Marketing Manager analyzed all the data and helped answer the big question: Why combine marketing and online communities?

4 Highlights from “Association Marketing 101: Online Communities” 

1. Membership Engagement in the Digital World – The Stats

The webinar started by looking at how our attendees utilize marketing tools to engage and retain their current members. The highest percentages were for email, social media, and content marketing with email marketing coming in at 90% of attendees – no surprises there.  

Ashly and Benjamin also looked at some statistics from the 2021 Membership Marketing Benchmark Report, which showed drastic increases in participation in webinars from the previous year – 83% from 53%.  They also noted the increases in member engagement in professional development meetings and visits to members-only sections of association’s websites. The takeaway from these numbers? People want to engage with members- only content and participate in some sort of online community. 

Some other numbers to note were that 76% of internet users participated in an online community in 2020 and 44% said it was more important to have an online community in 2020, from The Journey Ahead: The Future of Associations, Nonprofits and Events.  

2. Marketing + Online Community = Dream Team 

Marketing plus an online community really is the dream team for an association. It provides the benefits of a social media platform with the security you need for your members. This is a safe place for your members to engage with your content, whether it be blogs, newsletters, or webinars, and you have the control. You manage how, when, where, and why your members see your content, and ONLY your members see your content. There’s not nearly as much of a concern of hacking, like with a standard social media platform like Facebook.

This also allows for deeper insights and member feedback. With email marketing you can only see so much with open rates – an online community allows you to see WHY someone is engaging with you​ and your content. Online communities can be more measurable. Your members are in your online community with the intention to engage with your association and its content. This allows for an easy way to get direct feedback and further build that relationship with your members. Online community also allows you to test and communicate at a lower cost that some other methods. There’s no charges for posting in your community! 

3. Member Retention and Engagement in the Marketing Funnel 

Ashly and Benjamin then walked us through how associations can utilize an online community to bring members through a marketing funnel. Below are the ways that they have seen online communities help engage new members from the time they sign-up to join the community to the point that they’re contributing to the online community and telling other people about it.

Acquisition and Awareness: What avenues you can use to let people know your online community exists & all the member-exclusive benefits that come with it​. 

Consideration: What to do to inform members of how it works & highlight your top features. 

Conversion: How you can make sign-up easy and the onboarding process powerful​ for members. 

Loyalty: Creating superusers, content generators and advocates​. 

4. What Makes a Successful Online Community 

To wrap up the webinar there were some important things to make note of. Your online community shouldn’t be a “set it and forget it” effort. If you aren’t spending time in your community and with your members, you won’t see as much return. If your current online community is falling stagnant, you can absolutely relaunch it and see it thrive again – so don’t give up! 

Managing your online community is easier than you think, and you don’t have to have a dedicated community manager to see success. We have a series on this exact topic “No Community Manager? No Problem.” We’ve seen that a marketing or membership role you may already have in your association fits very well with management of the online community. But there are also options if you have a smaller staff, such as having a volunteer team to help run the community. 

A thriving online community will see engagement from your team as well as your members. Once your members start contributing their ideas and collaborating with other members, you’ll see a level of engagement you haven’t seen before. Members will even create their own content and start their own conversations! 

Looking for More from the Conversation?

To watch these highlights and to dive even deeper into how associations can utilize an online community for marketing efforts, watch the full webinar today.  

And if you have any questions about online communities or how to get your members to engage with you and your content. We’d be happy to chat with you.   

The post Webinar Recap: Association Marketing 101: Online Communities appeared first on Personify.

Did you know that a whopping 76% of internet users participate in an online community? And if that wasn’t impressive enough, the number of internet users turning to online communities for connection and information has increased over the last couple of years. We have a feeling a global pandemic and mass social distancing has something to do with that.  

But the truth is online communities have been popular since the beginning of the internet (I know, we’re dating ourselves) as the earliest AOL chatrooms and online forums allowed people to find a space of belonging, comfort and reliable information for anything they could possibly want. The author of this blog post may or may not have been a regular contributor to an X-Files spoiler chatroom back in the day. 

Associations and nonprofits were some of the earliest adopters of online communities since a big member benefit to joining a mission was a connection with other like-minded people passionate about a common cause, and they turned to virtual communities like chatrooms, then FB groups, and now, dedicated online spaces, to meet new people and get the most up-to-date resources.  

So how do you delight new members who join your association through the magic of an online community? We have some of the top ways to make a lasting impression on your new members with your association’s online space.  

4 steps to delighting your members using your online community 

Step 1: Make sure new members can easily find and join your online space. 

One of the best ways to guide new members to all the great discussion boards, hottest learning and career opportunities and new connections is in a welcome email! In this email, you can include a link to your online community and clearly outline the member benefits that come with your online space.  

Best practices would say to make sign-up easy for your online community, and thankfully, the best online community platforms offer a single sign-on (SSO) option that allows new members to gain access to the online community as they sign into their member portals.  

Having SSO is a huge draw for new members, and it’s something to highlight in things like onboarding videos! Which leads to our next step.  

Step 2: Create onboarding videos or infographics that offer a tour of your online community 

It’s no wonder that associations are turning more and more to video marketing since 78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day.  

Associations like the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) have turned to videos to both promote their online communities and provide a brief, but fun training video that walks new members through how to make the most of their time in their online space.  

If you don’t have the resources for a videographer, you can create an infographic that is also effective at offering quick, eye-catching instructions on how to sign on to and use your online community.  

Read more! See how NANP exceeded their new member sign-ups goals through online promotions and onboarding videos in the “No Community Manager? No Problem” guide. 

Step 3: Make a splash about new members in your online community 

In addition to a welcome email, adding a “welcome online community post” to your new member checklist will go a long way in making new online community users feel like they’re in just the right place.  

We recommend waiting until the end of the day to post a welcome message that lists all the new sign-ups for the day, tagging them in the post, then inviting them to introduce themselves to the group. You could also welcome new members to the online community at the end of every week, but we’ve found that, if you have the time and resources, welcoming on the same day of sign-up can make a big impact.  

You could also start a Discussion Board for new members based on the month of their sign-up (September 2022 New Member Thread) that encourages them to make even deeper connections with their cohorts. This is a great way to direct new members to the discussion boards where they can start exploring and participating in other groups.  

Step 4: Encourage (even incentivize) new members to complete their profiles  

We’ve seen that members tend to stick around the online community and are more likely to become superusers the sooner they complete their member profiles. The trick with member profiles is to find that balance between offering enough information that encourages other members to reach out to connect with like-minded people, but not requiring so much information that it discourages people from completing their profiles.  

Form fields for information like name, contact information (email and social profiles) and job title are commonly seen, but it’s nice to give them a space for interests/hobbies, their company name and, of course, the ability to add a profile picture! 

Ask your members what information is important to them and what they like to know about other members before connecting to help guide what fields should be present in member profiles.  

You can even incentivize new online community users to complete their profiles by offering a discount of your choice to your next event by using a discount code for members who publish a complete profile and/or post on the Newsfeed main page.  

Whichever is easiest for you to track and reward. 

Learn more about engaging & retaining members using an online community 

If you want more tips for engaging members, keeping them coming back for more and building member loyalty with the help of an online community, join us on 9/22 at 12:30 ET for our virtual course, “Association Marketing 101: Online Communities.” We hope to see you there! 

The post Delighting New Members with an Online Community  appeared first on Personify.

July 29, 2022– Austin, Texas – Personify, Inc. (“Personify”), the leader in technology
solutions for associations, nonprofits and event organizers, and the AMC Institute (AMCI), the premier trade association for the association management company (AMC) industry, announced the launch of a next generation revenue platform called the Business Exchange. Now available exclusively to AMCI members, the collaboration represents a shared commitment to advancing the AMC industry through innovative technology tailored to meet the needs of AMC firms and their association clients.

The virtual marketplace, designed by AMCI and Personify, provides members a competitive advantage through trusted AMCI Leadership Circle and Strategic Partner exclusive product and service discounts. Partners will update and announce new offers quarterly on the Business Exchange.

“The Business Exchange is just one of many initiatives underway between AMCI and Personify. Together we are focused on strategically co-developing programs and technology tools,” remarked Phil Dolan, Chief Growth Officer of Personify. “The Business Exchange is open for business, and this is just the beginning.”

“By connecting members and partners through the Business Exchange, we are able to collectively strengthen and advance the AMC community and the clients AMCI members serve,” said Mark Engle, AMCI Board Chair. “The Business Exchange is both a non-dues revenue stream for the association and a valuable resource for AMCs to find best-in-class products and services for their association clients at competitive pricing they would not be able to find on their own.”

“Creating this space for members and partners will enhance value and drive member engagement. Member-only offers from partners will include discounts on technology, destinations and meeting venues, production equipment, employee benefits, insurance and more,” added Tina Wehmeir, AMCI President & CEO, “AMCI’s unique partnership alliance ensures we continue to develop best-in-class tools and resources that help the AMC community support the growth and missions of the association clients they serve.”

AMC Institute members can explore the new Business Exchange and search available offers by visiting www.amcinstitute.org and logging into their membership account.

About Personify

Personify partners with associations, chambers of commerce, charities, event organizers, health and wellness facilities, educational institutions, and other purpose-driven organizations to help them manage and grow their communities. Personify’s Community Experience Platform combined with their professional service offerings benefit organizations of any size and at any stage of growth. For more information, visit https://personifycorp.com/.

About The AMC Institute

Located in Alexandria, Virginia, AMC Institute (AMCI) is the leading organization advancing professionalism and high-performance standards for the association management company industry globally. AMCI member companies manage over 1,800 associations full-time around the world, and nearly 900 on a project basis. To learn more about AMCI, visit amcinstitute.org.

The post Personify and the AMC Institute Launch the Business Exchange appeared first on Personify.

You’ve put a lot of hard work into making your tradeshow or conference a success. We’ll give you a moment to pat yourself on the back or do a little celebratory dance, but then it’s back to work, my friend! 

The last thing you want is your planning efforts to go to waste now that the event is over. 

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to keep your attendees engaged even after they’ve left the show floor.

This blog post explores post-event connection strategies to keep your attendees engaged in 2023 and beyond. Let’s get started.

Have a Plan

Plan, plan, plan, and plan some more. Post-event engagement should be intentional and focused, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Strategizing ahead of time for how to connect post-event will help you stay organized and track critical guest information along the way.

If you know you’re going to put together a video highlight reel, you’ll be prepared with the right equipment and be on the lookout for those highlight-worthy engagements. If you plan to write follow-up articles or blogs, have your topics established ahead of time so you can seek interviews and ask insightful questions.   

Express Your Gratitude

Show your appreciation by promptly sending a thank you message to your attendees. In this case, an email is perfectly acceptable but be sure to include a sincere message of gratitude to let your guests know how much you value them and their time. You might consider tailoring a unique message for returning guests and an alternate message for first-time attendees- every little bit of personalization counts!

Sorry, We Missed You!

Don’t miss an opportunity to check in with invitees who couldn’t attend by sending a “Sorry We Missed You!” communication. From an emotional perspective, it’s a great way to show them you care and that their absence was noted. It’s also an opportunity to showcase the missed conference highlights and keep communication channels open by extending invites for future events.  

Make the Most of Social Media

Choose the social media channel(s) that work best to best connect with your target audience. LinkedIn is a great avenue to give shoutouts and express gratitude in the professional arena.

Ginger Johson, Chief Connecting Officer, of Ginger Johnson LLC suggests tagging key attendees in posts and doing so regularly to help boost their presence as Johnson reminds us, “we all want to be seen, valued, and heard.” What better way to do that than on a global forum for all the professional world to see?

You might also consider going beyond shoutouts and hashtags by using social media to initiate thought-provoking or comedic conversations with your followers. Ask experiential, hypothetical, or critical thinking questions to get the conversation going and invite key stakeholders to contribute for some added notoriety.

Post-Event Page

We spend a lot of energy hyping our event ahead of time through social media, blogs, and vlogs, but these communication strategies are just as important afterward, too. You can keep the buzz going by simply editing your event landing page by adding a photo gallery, a video recap, showcasing speaker highlights, and providing access to presentation or marketing materials.

If you want to level up your engagement game, reach out to a few attendees requesting quotes you can include in an event recap or future article. Not only will your attendees enjoy these highlights, but those folks who couldn’t attend can see what they missed and perhaps motivate future attendance. 

Post-Event Survey

Even really successful events have opportunities for improvement. Inviting guests to complete a post-event survey is a great way to understand what went well and what could be done better next time.

Be sure to keep your survey relatively simple by using a Likert Scale to gauge satisfaction across essential amenities or metrics and keeping text responses to a minimum to increase the survey participation rate. 

Upcycle Your Content

Time and money were spent creating presentations and marketing materials, but chances are these materials didn’t reach every guest, and they certainly didn’t reach those who couldn’t attend. This is an excellent opportunity to re-purpose your material and reach more viewers by using them as the focus of an upcoming blog, vlog, or email communication.  Many events are utilizing a learning management system (LMS) or community platform to also host and create year-round engagement with attendees.

Get Personal

In our fast-paced world, there remains plenty of room for an occasional phone call, text, or handwritten note. That’s right- dialing a phone or picking up a pen are simple ways to connect on a more personal level. Johnson suggests sending a postcard as they are “incredibly economical- everyone who handles them sees them.” This is the perfect opportunity to check in, share relevant content, and build a lasting connection.   

According to Collin Tokosch, a Senior Account Executive at 42 chat, text messaging is also an excellent way to break through the clutter and interact with attendees after the event has ended. It must be done correctly, he adds.

“You wouldn’t send a mass text out of the blue, ” he explains. “They have to be timely, relevant, and value add. The engagement in that channel really starts pre-event, but the conversation continues post-event. This is also incredibly meaningful to important exhibitors and sponsors. You may also want to consider doing something special for your first-time attendees and exhibitors and sponsors as well.

Bring People Together…Again

Yes. You just brought many people together for a smashingly successful event but consider setting up a more low-key gathering for the sole purpose of networking and building connections. This can be a live or remote event. Still, the idea is for returning guests to come together in a targeted way- consider coordinating these small-scale events based on unique customer segments to keep the gathering focused.

Conclusion

You dedicated a lot of time and energy to bringing guests together for a successful event. But keeping your audience engaged in the following months will help you build meaningful relationships, nurture leads, and hit those conversion goals. Post-event engagement efforts don’t have to be overwhelming, though- having a well-conceived plan will save you time and help you make those lasting connections!

The post Post-Attendee Engagement: How to Keep Them Coming Back appeared first on Personify.

Where we’ve been. Well, some of the stops.

Our event calendar has been packed in 2022 with stops made and miles logged across the US. From up north, at ESSAE Annual in Saratoga Springs, New York where Director of Marketing, Erin Sullivan, presented No Community Manager? No Problem. To down south, at the SISO CEO Summit in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Trade Show Wonk, Rich Vallaster, attended and later published an insightful recap with key takeaways and the answer to the question, ‘Are Events Like Riding a Bike?’ Don’t forget your helmet.

We made a stop out east, as east as you can go (think touching the sand and the smell of the Atlantic Ocean air). Our team went to Jekyll Island, Georgia for GSAE’s Annual Meeting. Before we went east, we travelled way west to Olympic Valley, California for CalSAE’s ELEVATE conference in April. At ELEVATE, Chief Growth Officer, Phil Dolan, presented about creating your ripple effect and making a positive impact by widening our scope beyond the tasks at hand.

It doesn’t stop there, July and August may be our busiest months of the entire year. If we haven’t seen your association or chamber yet, we want to and here’s where to find us:

Where we’re headed.

AMCs Engaged

Meg Moulden is teaming up with our partner Synergos AMC to present at AMCs Engaged in Detroit, Michigan. Meg, along with Synergos COO Joy DesMarais-Lanz, CAE, MA, CMM and CEO Lane Velayo, CAE will share insights, perspectives and considerations for employers and employees as work schedules change, offices reopen, work from home normalizes and some find a hybrid balance. If someone on your team is attending AMCs Engaged, check out their session, Considerations for Employees’ Return to Office, on Tuesday, July 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET. If you aren’t attending AMCs Engaged, but want to learn more, reach out to Meg via LinkedIn.

FSAE Annual Meeting

It’s Tampa time! We’re packing the sunscreen, our signature branded socks (we’re giving some away – lucky you) and these fancy folding Ray-Ban sunglasses, a major #ProTip from the Trade Show Wonk’s Event Suitcase. We will be exhibiting at FSAE Annual July 20-22, and if you’re attending, we’d love to connect. Stop by Table #3 to meet the team, grab some socks (while they last) and to learn more about how we can work better together by advancing your mission and engaging your members.

#ACCE22 in Indy

We’re making bucket list dreams come true this year at ACCE Annual! If your bucket list includes, ‘gondola ride,’ we’ve got you. Enter for your chance to win a VIP Gondola Ride through the Indy canals during the #ACCE22 Opening Party on Tuesday, July 26! The contest closes on Wednesday, July 20 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Booth #307 in The Circuit is where it’s at! Stop by and chat with familiar faces, hear about product updates and register to win a $200 St. Elmo Steak House gift card. That’s a lot of beef!

GREAT CONTENT ALERT! Personify’s Laura Alin will join Denise Starr, Director of Member Relations for our longtime partner the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, to present insights about how the Nashville Area Chamber increased staff productivity (yes, please!) by automating manual tasks with MC Trade. As a result, Denise and her colleagues saw improved member engagement and retention. Find out HOW on Wednesday, July 27 at 10:30 a.m. CT in Room 201.

On Wednesday evening, we’re celebrating with the 2022 Chambers of the Year Finalist, an impressive list! Congrats to all y’all!

End #ACCE22 on a HAPPY note. Join fellow Personify clients at a refreshing Happy Hour at High Velocity, JW Marriott on Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. CT. RSVP HERE.

ASAE Annual

Hey ASAE Annual, we’re the “new” Personify, and we’ve never met in-person! That’s right. We’re getting ready for the big show. While we’re still polishing off what’s sure to be an amazing in-person introduction to the “new” Personify, we CAN give you a sneak preview of next month’s awesomeness.

Associations just wanna have funds? They sure DO! Which is why this year’s Personify Booth, #515, is flush with cash. Take a spin in our cash booth and GET MONEY – It just makes cents!

The Shindig just got bigger and better. The former Small Staff Shindig presented by MemberClicks is now The Shindig presented by Personify and AffiniPay, welcoming staffs of all sizes to the fun. We guarantee that your Sunday evening just got more delicious at Bakersfield Mexican Restaurant. Go ahead and add it to your calendar – RSVP coming soon!

Small staffs and BIG plans. We’re working on big plans for associations with smaller staffs, starting with the Small Staff Reception on Sunday, August 21 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. CT.  Join other small staff professionals in room 102AB of the Music City Center. Drinks and food will be available.  RSVP details are coming soon.

If your team is small, then you know that time and resources always seem short. Stop by the Small Staff Lounge to relax your feet, grab a snack and find out how we can help, because small staffs and Personify are better together. The Small Staff Lounge is open Sunday and Monday form 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. until noon in the Davidson Ballroom A3 of the Music City Center.

While we know we won’t see everyone this summer, we are excited to be attending events and supporting industry partners. If you won’t be attending any of the events listed above, we are back on the road this fall and perhaps, coming to a city near you.

The post <strong>We’re Better Together – Summer Show Events Mashup</strong> appeared first on Personify.

Community Lab’s full day of community connection, learning and discovery kicks off with an opening panel discussion between Personify’s Benjamin Morton, an expert in community consulting, Personify’s Erin Geoffroy Sullivan, a marketing and brand leader with expertise in online communities, and thought leader and community influencer, Marjorie Anderson. Marjorie is the founder of Community by Association, and she’ll speak with Benjamin and Erin about the possibilities for associations and nonprofits to create and maintain vibrant online communities as inclusive spaces that keep members informed, engaged and connected. 

Event programming continues with 12 learning sessions that explore the real-world challenges and opportunities from hundreds of community builders. Sessions will cover a wide variety of topics including building a thriving online community with limited resources, successfully onboarding your team and members, fundraising beyond in-person events and making inclusive practices the foundation of your online space.  

The sessions also feature Personify clients such as the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (NANP) and FTK Nation as they share how their associations leverage online communities to increase their fundraising impact and cut down on costs associated with document storage and sharing. 

Additionally, peer-to-peer roundtables will provide a space for attendees to connect, share knowledge and learn from each other’s successes and failures through topical discussion forums. Each Community Lab learning session is worth one CAE credit. 

Whether you’re someone who is “community curious” and are beginning to explore the benefits of an online community or you’re a seasoned community veteran, Community Lab will be a place for anyone who uses, creates and loves online communities to explore, connect and build together. 

For the full Community Lab event schedule, speaker lineup and to register, click here. 

The post Get creative with community: Personify hosts event for online community creators  appeared first on Personify.