What Membership Organisations Don't Know About Digital Marketing


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Digital Marketing Digital Strategy
More Thinking

Digital marketing is moving at a bewildering rate. The Martech 5000 analysis now reports that 7,040 new digital marketing technologies are now available for organisations. These are all now pretty much cloud-based offerings available on a monthly subscription fee and all add up to a mind hurting range of options!

Most membership organisations know the basics; create key personas, make websites mobile responsive, focus on digital journeys, deliver great content, optimise digital for search etc. However, when it comes to developing an effective digital marketing strategy, most membership organisations are in the dark ages.

So, what are the key tips?

  • Firstly, as Stephen Covey said, in his iconic book, ‘Seven Habits of Highly Successful People’ ‘Begin with the end in mind’. Look at best practice – envision the organisation about what is possible.

     

  • Secondly, abandon traditional detailed 3- or 5-year marketing plans. A clear vision, yes, but detailed plans will be out of date within months of the plan starting.

     

  • Be fast. Technologies are evolving so fast that you need to accept that you cannot know everything before you act. Act on the basis of sufficiency (i.e. when you have sufficient information to make a marketing decision, make it!)
  • Experiment. Digital thinking means prioritising experimentation above planning. Online marketing enables marketers to capture data. Establish clear metrics, measure them and experiment to see what is effective. 
  • Keep it simple. Confusion reigns if you attempt too many things all at one time. Keep objectives clear, undertake concise actions and measure.

     

  • Collaborate. Not even the biggest membership organisations have all the skills. Attend conferences, keep up to date with developments and work closely with specialists. 
  • Be agile. In a fast-paced digital environment the organisation has to adapt quickly. Industry disruption is phenomenal – who would think that Facebook hadn’t even been founded when Roger Federer first ranked as the world no.1 tennis player?
  • And finally... digital needs to be a part of everything a membership organisation does. For example, yes, customer service does mean picking up the phone to customers, but those that have live chat alongside the option to make a call score considerably better for service!

     

Do you really want to find out how to develop a winning marketing strategy for your membership organisation?

Then, download our FREE guide: “Winning Marketing Strategies For Membership Organisations”

Not only does the book deal with the shifting digital landscape, but it gets into the nitty gritty of digital communications, digital content and, most pertinently, digital personalisation. 

It will even give you some guidance on what marketing budget to establish.

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Contact the team at Cognition Agency for all your digital marketing requirements.