Industry Associations are in Danger: What Can You Do?

Published by Toby Marshall on

Industry Associations are in Danger: What Can You Do?

Let’s face it – There are many threats to Industry Associations. Luckily, we have the solutions to help you prosper in today’s climate.

All Industry Associations must continually assess the value they provide their members; that much is a given.

But, we see three additional steps for Industry Associations to turn threats into opportunities…

  1. Be the first in your field to build a LinkedIn Group (“LIG”) – with both critical mass in your market and engaged membership. Such a group is ideal both as a powerful marketing tool for attracting new members, and retaining existing membership. For nearly all Industry Associations it is too late to have the largest Group in their field, but there is time to build the largest in your region.
  2. Target the student market, and aim to engage even before they graduate. Again, Social Media is ideal for efficiently and effectively building and maintaining connections. Some Associations have or are considering investing in a Private Network. Though this is an essential step in their survival strategy – being the prime tool for building engagement – it doesn’t negate the necessity of LIG’s.
  3.  Use new media tools to directly market towards prospective members. LinkedIn is perfect for this, and is so effective that we can safely guarantee results to clients.

LIG’s offer two things Private Networks cannot…

  1. Defence for what you have built. Without a successful LIG, you are allowing the main business networking ‘battle field’ to be dominated by many powerful competitors.
  2. A powerful marketing tool for driving members to your private network. While connections made offline are generally stronger, networking is far more efficient online. This leaves smaller Associations exposed to global threats, especially LIGs, large international Associations and growing websites. But with our advice and strategies, Associations can protect themselves from outside competition and even grow and dominate their sector. Good Luck!

Find out more about Associations click here

Cheers, Toby. [C118]

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Toby Marshall

B2B Marketing & Lead Generation, a very short story... A few years ago one of our clients started getting amazing results. They stumbled across a really clever sales technique that changed the way we do business. It was simple and smart - they asked thousands of targeted contacts for their opinions on challenges they face in day-to-day business. Hundreds of prospects started talking back. We soon realized that this simple method was positioning the client as expert on those issues, developing real insights, and connecting with hundreds of prospects on common ground. Best of all, prospects were coming to our client about the challenges they solve. Imagine if you could also start hundreds of valuable business relationships. Is B2B Marketing a seperate discipline to B2C? In every way yes- in terms of scale, media used, and the lead time and complexity of the buying decision. Most importantly, business to business marketing is really Business Networking and what marketers need are the skills and tools to build powerful networks. ► WHAT MAKES OUR BUSINESS VERY DIFFERENT (apart from guaranteeing results): ■ Young staff who are the ultimate for Social Media. Who grew up with it, live it, uncorrupted by the limiting beliefs of marketing departments and advertising agencies. ■ Ongoing Government R&D funding to develop new sales processes using Social Media. ■ Strong relationships with the top universities in 7 countries who send their best students to intern. We change their lives as they work on real client projects, transforming our clients in the process. ■ Skilled offshore teams we have worked with for years, and who are integrated into our local staff ★ Businesses are sick of marketers who only tell you what to do. With the leverage and innovation from our interns and offshore teams, we implement and affordably make it happen. ★

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