From the new Spark whitepaper, Member Relations: An Association-Centric Approach to Customer Relationship Management:
The once distinct line between AMS and CRM is blurring. CRM systems are increasingly able to integrate with third party solutions to provide additional functions, social networking platforms in particular, and AMS systems are adding many “classic” CRM capabilities. The key difference is specialization.
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From the new Spark whitepaper, Member Relations: An Association-Centric Approach to Customer Relationship Management:
Now that we’re on board with CRM the concept, what about CRM the software?
One of the major differences between CRM software and other types of databases is Sales Force Automation (SFA). SFA focuses on contact management with the goal of supporting a formal process for moving leads through the purchase loop until they become customers.
Want more? Download your free copy at http://bit.ly/10s8UUb.
From the new Spark whitepaper, Member Relations: An Association-Centric Approach to Customer Relationship Management:
CRM, properly understood, supported, and implemented, helps us manage customer (member and non-member) relationships in a coordinated way across our associations so that every staff member can access the information we maintain on our audiences and use that information effectively to build stronger relationships with those audiences.
Want more? Download your free copy at http://bit.ly/10s8UUb.
I’m excited to launch the second Spark whitepaper – Member Relations: An Association-Centric Approach to Customer Relationship Management, which, with the assistance of George Breeden and Tom Lehman, I recently completed.
This week, I’ll be blogging about the contents of the whitepaper.
The basic premise is:
Associations are starting to look at CRM (customer relationship management) software, either as an adjunct to or a replacement for, their more traditional AMS systems. However, without a proper understanding and adoption of CRM as a philosophy, the software itself it pretty pointless. Moreover, AMS and CRM are not a one-to-one replacement for each other, so it’s important to understand what they can each do (and not do) and how that matches (or doesn’t match) your association’s needs before taking the plunge. Finally, I offer case studies of three associations that have each taken a different path to meeting their audience data needs, and share what they’ve learned and their advice for others who might be considering the same approach.
I’ll be writing more about each of these points this week, but in the meantime, pick up your free copy at http://bit.ly/10s8UUb, no divulging of information about yourself required.
I’m presenting on the topic above at the Events By Design Small Staff Association workshop today, and while it’s too late to join us, I thought I could share my best membership marketing tips for small staff associations (aka “the handout”) with everyone.
Barter!
Find a complimentary organization or two, and swap member lists, swap magazine ads, swap e-newsletter promotions, swap banner ads, swap conference attendance/booths/speaking spots, etc.
Email!
It takes time, but you can do personalized, segmented HTML emails using some very simple shareware tools, some skill, and a little legwork. It doesn’t require subscription to RealMagnet or Constant Contact, etc. (although that does make things WAY easier).
Word of Mouth!
Who are your passionate members and volunteers? If you know, ask them to spread the word about the exciting things you’re doing (you are doing exciting things for them, right?). If you don’t know, FIND OUT!
Customer Service!
Don’t underestimate the value of excellent customer service at every level, from the CEO to the mail clerk. Retention is even more important than recruitment – it’s a much lower cost, higher value transaction. “How can we serve our members better today than we did yesterday?”
Little Things Mean a Lot!
Get the invoices out on time. Track who’s paid and who hasn’t paid. Proof read all written communications. Test your emails to make sure your links work. Double-check to make sure your return address (snail- or email) is correct in your marketing materials.
Chanel suits are fashion iconography. A Chanel suit is the prototypical dream clothing acquisition: stylish, simple, elegant, and timeless. Assuming you can afford one, it will form the foundation of your entire wardrobe. It’s a classic.
The same should be true of your association’s brand. It is the foundation of your marketing and communications wardrobe. Everything you do, say, or produce as an organization should relate back to your brand, to a common vision of what your association is.
To get to that level of consistency, you must have a clear, memorable statement of what you stand for, and everyone, from your CEO to your mail clerk, needs to live it.
Oh, and if that vision has to do with being the “market leader” or “providing exceptional value” or “world-class” anything (or sounds like it could’ve been the result of the late, lamented Automatic Mission Statement Generator), toss out the cliched business-speak, and start over, from the place of using simple words to explain what really matters to your association.
Another belated book review – or, to be more precise, a timely review of a book it took me way too long to read.
I just finished Andy Sernovitz’s Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking. If you’re familiar with Sernovitz, either from Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That or his WOM newsletter, the book is not going to be revolutionary. It will be more like sitting down with an old friend, where you’ve heard at least some of his stories, but they still make you laugh every time.
WOMM is written in an extremely practical, friendly style, just like everything Sernovitz produces. It’s simply laid out: the first part deals with the concepts behind WOM, and the second part breaks down the key elements. All are accompanied by short anecdotes illustrating the points.
Some of the key points that particularly struck me include:
In an era of social networking and nearly ubiquitous connectivity, customer service may be your MOST important marketing tactic. Treating people well, even to the point of going WAY above any beyond (the famous Ritz-Carlton $2000 rule) is going to serve your organization far better than pretty much any other action you can take to promote yourself and what you do.
WOM is simple but not easy. Being interesting and trustworthy and making people happy are simple to understand, but not easy to do, particularly in organizations where lower-level staff lack decision making authority (you know who you are). When you can do these things, though, people’s natural inclination to share things they like to help other people (and hopefully be seen as smart, connected and important in the process) kick in, to your benefit.
I think the key chapter is “Six Big Ideas” (chapter 2).
Sernotivz then runs through the five key elements of WOM (talkers, what they’re going to talk about, the tools you can use to help them spread the word, getting involved in the conversation yourself, and how to track all this) in detail, complete with worksheets to help you plan your WOM campaign.
I’m pretty sure you’ll walk away from this quick, engaging read with at least ONE concrete thing you’re going to try or change immediately (if you’re really pressed for time, skip right to page 197, pick any of the ideas there, and go).
And, finally, the MOST important advice of all:
Be nice.
You’re putting together a marketing campaign.
You have clarity on your audience and goals. You can clearly describe who you’re trying to reach, what outcomes you seek, and how you’re planning to measure success.
You have a call to action. You can answer “what do you want me to DO?” concisely. You know what you want people to do AFTER that, too.
You’re ready to roll, right? Time to send those emails, mail those postcards with the PURLs, place all those ads with the QR Codes, and send everyone to your gorgeous landing page or microsite!
Hold on there, killer.
Has your site passed the “Mom Test”?
Hand your mom – or your grandpa, or your Luddite cousin – your credit card. Send that person to your microsite. Watch what happens. Does she understand what you want her to do? Can he complete your desired transaction? Does she get frustrated and bail? How long does it take him? Does she break the process in the process of trying to complete the process?
Only once your campaign passes the Mom Test, from start to finish, are you ready to roll.
This may be the most important question you need to ask yourself when launching a marketing campaign. If you aren’t clear about the answer to “what do you want me to DO?” your campaign’s not ready for prime time.
You need to have ONE, CLEAR call to action. Not three, not five – one. The Paradox of Choice tells us that if people are presented with too many options, they end paralyzed and unable to choose anything. But you need to have that one call to action. Otherwise, you have no campaign, and why are you bugging people in the first place?
Another common campaign planning flaw: you need to know what the next action you want people to take AFTER that is.
You are planning that your campaign will be at least somewhat successful, right? So at least some of your targets will actually take your desired action. Which means in their busy lives, they’ve chosen to engage with you. They’ve hopped onto the first rung of the ladder of engagement (a concept derived, as far as I can tell, from a 1969 paper on citizen participation).
What’s the next rung?
You can’t wait until your campaign is underway to figure that out. Attention spans are short, and there’s always someone waiting to snatch that slice of focus you’ve earned for your association, profession, industry, or cause away from you. If you don’t have a logical next step for people to take, one that deepens their relationship with you and further engages them – but not too far, too fast (you don’t want to jump straight from the first flirty text exchange to asking them to marry you) – they’ll flit away to someone who does.
Thinking about putting together a marketing campaign? Not sure where to start?
You have a lot of options: the 4 P’s, the 4 C’s, market analysis, competitive landscape analysis, pricing strategies, making a list of your available assets, thinking about resources and budget…the mind reels.
Let me make a suggestion:
Clarity about your audience and goals → clear results. Start here.
Don’t know who you’re trying to reach or what you want to accomplish? Go back to the drawing board.
If you know your audience, what they need, and what you want them to do, everything else will follow.