Your Association Should be Focused on Building an Online Community-Today

Big thanks to Rick Rutherford, Industry Resource Director with YourMembership.com for being our guest blogger this week.

In the last half of the 90’s the question for many associations was the value of having a web presence. Some groups understood the need and others had to be dragged along kicking and screaming. That was the time when the way an association engaged and communicated with its members changed forever. Websites were no longer a luxury; they were essential to how an association conducted their daily business. Looking back today, it’s hard to imagine a successful association not having an interactive website.

Less than ten years ago we saw the discussion shift from web presence to social media and online communities. As recent as the last three years, many organizations have struggled to find value in having a presence on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. The lack of a professional focus within the early offerings in the social media world made it a tough sell for many association leaders and boards. And then LinkedIn entered the mix and the social media world changed and others followed.

And yet many member-based organizations are still less than convinced they need or have the right social media strategy. However, the generational shifts in member demographics for all associations require not only a need to embrace social media and community within the workings of the organization, but make it necessary to have a viable strategy that complements its mission and goals.

The label we often see used for a number of online community offerings for associations is private. It ties right in with “members only” and “member exclusives” – the perfect value-add for membership recruitment and retention. But when it comes to social media and online communities for associations the word you should think of is focused.

In a recent blog I shared how LinkedIn is poised to become a disruptive force in the traditional job search market in 2014. The social media giant is quickly positioning itself as the place to go not only to find a new job, but also to become better at the job you are currently in.

Image by: shaunjones_72

That sentence alone should raise red flags for any association looking to attract and retain members – basically everyone. It addresses three areas associations traditionally have provided value to members and prospects –career opportunities, continuing education and relevant content.

But before you start thinking of this as a David vs. Goliath scenario, it is important to understand that you can provide unquestioned value to your association through a focused online community. Let’s look at how this can work for your organization.

One of the easiest values to highlight is how your online community can cut through the noise and clutter to provide discussion and content that is highly relevant to your members’ professional lives. It becomes easier to make connections with peers and subject matter experts that bring real value to a community member.

It is important to identify the stakeholders for your online community so that the strategy you build and implement over time lines up with their needs and expectations. This exercise will help you recruit content experts for your community. You will be able to identify and recruit mentors who can easily engage your members who need their help. And arguably most important, your online community will help you to identify and recruit your association’s future volunteers and leaders.

A focused online community will provide your association with an ongoing forum for your leadership and staff to engage members regularly. By joining the discussion you will be able to take the pulse of your members, see what they are talking about, and in doing so determine the current and future needs for your organization. We see the combination of association management software and online communities as a one-two punch to help any association stay ahead of the competition.

Like this post? Learn more during this week’s webinar on the value of developing a fully integrated online community focused on your members and the work of your organization, hosted by YourMembership.com with Ben Martin, CAE and Rick Rutherford, Industry Resource Director.