Mark Buzan is Principal and Chief Magnifier in Action Strategies, a full service strategic communications, public relations and public affairs consultancy for non-profits and associations. Find him online at www.actionstrategies.ca and on Twitter at @markbuzan.

Working with nonprofits, I hear the continuing comment from association execs: “I like the idea of social media or a blog but what if someone says something negative about us?” In my last posting, I touched on the point that in all honesty, your bigger risks are not participating or having a social network presence devoid of participation.

That said, association executives and board members would be wise to consider strategic planning that reflects upon the following:

Avoid anonymous postings on other blogs or social networking sites: In the world of social media, commonsense rules still apply. It’s not wise to make hidden or anonymous attempts to influence the public perception in any forum.

Have a clear participation policy: Let your staff know the rules of when and if they are speaking on behalf of your organization. By like turn, be certain to explain to them that whether they like it or not, they should be mindful of what they place in social networking spheres in their personal lives can be cross referenced easily on the net and as a result, it can reflect on the organization that employs them! As a basic rule, don’t post what one would not want neighbors to know about in one’s personal life.

Decide on who speaks for the organization: Good social media communication and good governance protocols call for identifying who in your organization will speak. Depending on your audience and with whom they most regularly interact, this might vary from case to case.

Be flexible: I encourage experimentation and testing of new social media tools. Social media tools are new and developing rapidly. However, if no policies cover future technologies, organizations will need to be practical and flexible in dealing with them using what ever resources available. However, organizations should only adopt only those tools and platforms that will help them advance their mission and not because they are trendy or cool.

What challenges is your organization confronting and how do you expect to face the needed paradigm shift?

Shelly Alcorn, CAE, is a thought-leader, speaker and association management consultant.  Reach her on twitter @shellyalcorn, on LinkedIn or at the Association Subculture blog. This is the first in a five-part series for SmartBrief Insights.  In his most recent work, “How the Mighty Fall,” Jim Collins posits five signs of an organization at risk of or beginning the descent into chaos, decline and — at the very worst –  destruction.  This five-part series will take a look at each of the main stages identified by Jim Collins and relate them to issues you may be facing as association professionals particularly in this economic climate. You can find the first post in her series here.

After the hubris born of success, the second stage in decline is the undisciplined pursuit of more.  It’s like managing a group of race car drivers.  Association volunteers and staff that feel invincible and overconfident will begin to lean into the accelerator pedals in the turns.  The speed is fun, maybe just a little out of control and the adrenaline rush is addictive.  Each time around, they lean into the pedal a little more.  The trick is getting laying off the gas enough to maintain momentum without losing control.  The Stage 1 and Stage 2 run-up in the race may be long or short, but the Stage 3 crash is the same.

Members, members, members – Beware of leadership which, absent direction from legitimate needs outlined in the mission and vision, begins to obsessively focus on new member acquisition.  More members, more members!  Leaders who focus on “more” often judge performance on new member recruitment numbers rather than current member retention.

Rapid chapter expansion – Beware of excited yips around conference rooms that sound like, “Of COURSE we need a chapter in Yreka, population 7,368!”  Leaders in Stage 2 often pursue membership increases and chapter expansion simultaneously. Chapter/section/region/component development is a complicated process that should not be rushed.  There are myriad political, governance and financial issues to address in the process.

Mergers and acquisitions – If your association leadership has that “more” gleam in its eyes, keep a sharp ear out for talk that bubbles up about sister associations within your profession or industry.  If leaders are feeling cocky they may suddenly and aggressively pursue potential mergers and acquisitions that may not serve the long-term interests of either organization.

Non-dues program proliferation – If a little non-dues revenue is good, more is better right?  Not necessarily.  Beware of leaders who become obsessed with non-dues revenue programs as a way to generate additional income.  Often in their zeal to pursue revenue leaders will endorse any and every program that comes their way without determining if the program will serve a strategic purpose, offer genuine value to the membership or if the proposed partner is willing to operate within the ethical guidelines and stated values of the association.

Balance sheet insanity – Association leadership on the “more” bandwagon will often waffle between two financial extremes.  They either become obsessed with spending money or saving it.  Boards can fall victim to reckless spending and borrowing in order to acquire more office space, more staff, more stuff, more lobster, more whatever.  The flip side is becoming miserly and hoarding more and more in reserves and investments at the cost of member service.

The bottom line is this – expansion, even rapid expansion, is a good thing when done responsibly and when contingencies are thoughtfully planned for.  Expansion at all costs including the abandonment of the strategic vision of the organization, recruitment for recruitment’s sake and other risky behaviors are a recipe for disaster.  The undisciplined pursuit of more is a heady mixture of danger and daring and often includes stifling dissent and pie eyed optimism.

Join us as we evaluate the third stage in decline — denial of risk and peril. For a more in-depth exploration of Stage 2, please visit the full post on the Association Subculture blog.

Peggy Hoffman is president of Mariner Management & Marketing LLC, an association management company.  She twitters at @peggyhoffman and blogs at the Idea Center.

A couple of months ago I happened to “stumble” on ASAE & The Center’s get involved page and was wowed by the diversity of options and intrigued by the open volunteer opportunity. Then I noticed at the top of page that “get involved” was listed as #3. Get Started and Get Connected were steps #1 and #2.

To even an old-timer like me (I’ve been a member since 80’s) this felt very welcoming. As a plugged-in volunteer, this felt more inviting than the regular volunteer page. I wanted to know more which is how I came to meet and talk with ASAE’s somewhat new Manager of Engagement and Retention, Alyssa Thomas. Check out her title again because in it is the clue to the 1-2-3 project.

The 3 steps are part of the “Get Trilogy” project which Alyssa explains is designed to “help engage people at all the points along their membership. There is much more to the project that the simple 1-2-3 steps. What was happening behind the scenes was a shift in how they looked at the membership cycle and rethought engagement. From my conversation, I took away several lessons for associations.

1. We know that engagement drives retention but to drive engagement we need to view the membership cycle differently. Trilogy started was one of those “aha” moments where the staff realized that they had a traditional mindset that focused energy on the acquisition process and the billing process.  With their focus on the two end points, it meant you didn’t know there was a problem with satisfaction until renewal time. But what if the middle part of the cycle became a focus?  What if engagement was an going priority.

2. If we’re serious about an engagement strategy, we need staff for it. The traditional membership staffing model focuses on member acquisition and member services.  Generally speaking the first is marketing efforts and the second customer service.  Engagement falls somewhere in between. Putting engagement in the title and engagement metrics in the plan will shift this. One step further is to create  a position that serves as the connector. Alyssa’s title is manager of Engagement and Retention and her role is connecting members and staff to do the work of the association. The Medical Group Management Association recently established the position of Director, Member Engagement & Component Relations as part of their re-engineering to focus on engagement.

3. The door to engagement has to be easy to open. One of the things Alyssa noticed in her process was that are a lot of places to plug in but many aren’t clearly visible. From the launch of the project at 20099 Annual Meeting, the goal has been to make it as easy as possible to plug. Under get started for example, you’ll find 5 simple things to do today.

4. None of this changes the fact that membership is an organizational effort. To create the richest pool of opportunities for member engagement, it takes touching every department. Buried within the association are “odd-jobs” that can encourage members to connect and in doing make the outcome of our work richer. (Check out the jobs of choice gathered from association volunteers through a fun meme and add your own!)

5. To have an engagement strategy you have to have an engagement definition. I recently suggested in a post that we have a far too narrow definition. I would suggest that each association will ultimately create its own definition.  To find the right definition, we need to broaden the conversation to include both staff (as ASAE did) and members.  We shouldn’t miss asking members since they know best what connections create value.

We’re sure to get learn more lessons from the Trilogy project as Alyssa was quick to point out that this is an evolving effort. In 2009, they built a foundation to “get our minds wrapped around the idea.” This year they are wrestling with getting measurements in place (you can’t truly fix what you can’t measure) and getting the word out.

ASAE’s journey offers an interesting case study on remixing the membership strategy. How are you remixing?

Jeff De Cagna is chief strategist and founder of Principled Innovation LLC, and editor-at-large of SmartBlog Insights. Widely recognized as an association community thought leader, Jeff is the executive producer of the Principled Innovation Blog and Podcast, and also posts on Twitter as @pinnovation.

If you have feedback on SmartBlog Insights, Jeff can be reached at jeff@principledinnovation.com.

Last month, I released my Top Ten 2010 Trends for Associations, and I am publishing a series of posts on SmartBlog Insights in which I will discuss two related trends and their implications for associations.  The focus of this post, the second in the series, is the content challenge.

• Content Conflict — For the last few years, the conflicting interests of association content consumers, creators, publishers and financial supporters have played out both online and offline.  Continued changes in technology and expectations will intensify these conflicts going forward.

Association publishing –  including books, journals, magazines and other print resources — has been in a period of significant upheaval for nearly a decade and a half.  Open access to content has been a front and center business challenge for association publishers since the 1990s and the long-term sustainability of advertising-driven print publications is an open question for associations, especially during down economic cycles.  With new technology tools and delivery platforms going mainstream, 2010 may well be the year in which the competing interests of content stakeholders come to a head.

In late January, Apple announced the introduction of the iPad, a touch screen tablet-computing device with built-in Web access that will run current iPhone apps as well as iPad-specific apps now in development.  The iPad is just one of many tablet devices hitting the market in 2010, as well as several new e-book readers, that will provide content publishers, creators and consumers with powerful new options to more easily deliver and access rich and immersive content experiences in a timely and convenient fashion.  For association publishers, the time to rethink current business models and experiment with fresh approaches, including what I call “mobile magazining,” is now.

• Curate to Innovate — One of the most significant innovation opportunities for associations is content curation that helps their stakeholders make sense, make meaning and make better decisions around their personal and professional challenges.

According to some estimates, the amount of information on the Internet will double every 72 hours by 2013.  As content creators and publishers, associations contribute to this staggering rate of information growth.  As content aggregators, associations play a role in finding and organizing at least some of that material for their members.  But neither of these functions wholly addresses the core problem today’s association stakeholders must confront:  how to manage their finite human attention in the face of nearly infinite content creation and almost unlimited access.

With this problem in mind, associations must begin to take seriously their emerging role as content curators.  From my point of view, content curation is an intentional and careful effort to identify meaningful content and place it a rich and valuable context that supports understanding and enables action.  To be effective content curators, however, associations cannot simply pick and choose information that fits with their existing worldview.  Providing “deep support” through content curation demands the inclusion of a full range of perspectives, including the unorthodox, unpopular and controversial.

Figuring out the content challenge will be critical to the development of successful business models for associations in the years ahead.  As part of this strategic conversation, association leaders must understand that, in many ways, the future of content will bear little if any resemblance to its past.  Engaging in this crucial conversation with a future orientation is essential to long-term success.

Jeff is leading a three-part Webinar series, “The Future of Associating is Mobile: Powerful Strategies from Third Screen Success” beginning March 5.  For more information or to register, please visit http://bit.ly/thirdscreensuccess.

Previous Top Ten 2010 Trends post: Mobile technologies
Next Top Ten 2010 Trends post: Intelligent decisions by design

Sterling Raphael is an entrepreneur, speaker and the founder & CEO of @NFiStudios, focusing on delivering innovative technology to associations and events around the world.

Many organizations are feeling the pressure to keep up with the times! It’s no longer beneficial or sufficient to offer “one size fits all” content to customers. So what’s the secret? Social networking seems to be the hot topic, so maybe that’s the ultimate solution. Or, perhaps businesses can move all their services/solutions to an online-store.  Either way, in this day and age, it is essential for associations to embrace a practical and achievable action plan for their digital future.

Associations must ensure their content is not just clutter on the Web. Well-defined, relevant, fresh knowledge is a tremendous magnet for prospective consumers.  This may sound like preliminary Web 1.0 advice, but surprisingly, many associations still aren’t doing Web 1.0 correctly. So, that’s the first step — go from Content to Knowledge.

The next step is to extend value by creating community connections around the knowledge.  This aspect of the digital strategy is centered on people and their ability to connect to the things that are meaningful to them.  Interaction is the key ingredient of any community Web site and group forming can be a powerful exercise.  This is web 2.0 at its finest, not just social networking, but professional knowledge sharing.

Finally, the association can extend to web 3.0+, relevant and semantic user experiences in an interactive marketplace. Associations can facilitate the knowledge, connections and business of its industry. People collaborating online, exchanging business ideas, sharing and contributing knowledge.  Effective strategic planning and measurement will lead to better ongoing results.

In summary…

Step 1: Knowledge (Web 1.0 done right)

Goal: Convert content to knowledge

Approach:

• Harvest existing knowledge assets into central repository.
• Use analytics to determine which content is most popular. Analytics is a fantastic tool. With just a little search of your traffic stats you can learn about the tastes and demands of your members.
• Keep content easily accessible and fresh/current.
• Keep design/layout intuitive and consistent.

Technology Needs

• Content Management System (such as Drupal or ResultsDirect).
• Integrated Member Database (such as Avectra or Timberlake).
• E-mail Blast Solution (iContact or Highroad Solutions).
• Search Engine Optimization.

Step 2: Connections (Web 2.0)

Goal: Turn member database into community of connections.

Approach:

• Allow for user generated feedback to ensure content (knowledge) is meaningful: ratings, commenting.
• Facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing through integrated professional networking solution with features including member profiles, messaging, groups and resources.
• Connect outside organization walls with Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr).

Technology Needs:

• Integrated Professional Networking Platform (MemberFuse).
• Social Media Aggregation (HootSuite).
• Web Analytics (Google Analytics).

Step 3: Marketplace (Web 3.0+)

Goal: Create a marketplace through relevant knowledge, connections and products.

Approach:

• “Productize” all Content.
• Deliver Relevant/Targeted Content.
• Offer Personalized User Experiences.
• Distribute and Connect with Video, Mobile, RealTime.

Technology Needs:

• Fully integrated E-Commerce/CMS /AMS/Community.
• Video Content Repository (Viddler).
• Mobile, RealTime (Mobile App /Google Wave).

Jeff De Cagna is chief strategist and founder of Principled Innovation LLC, and editor-at-large of SmartBlog Insights. Widely recognized as an association community thought leader, Jeff is the executive producer of the Principled Innovation Blog and Podcast, and also posts on Twitter as @pinnovation. If you have feedback on SmartBlog Insights, Jeff can be reached at jeff@principledinnovation.com.

Earlier this month, I released my Top Ten 2010 Trends for Associations.  Over the next few weeks, I will be publishing a series of posts on SmartBlog Insights in which I will discuss two related trends, and their implications for associations.  The focus of this first post is mobile technologies.

• Mobile Everything ⎯ The explosive growth in mobile technologies will continue to accelerate in the year ahead, challenging associations to rethink every aspect of how they relate to stakeholders, create and deliver value and perform work.

Through the end of 2009, Apple sold more than 75 million mobile devices (both iPhones and iPod Touches) worldwide.  While many of us have been carrying Blackberries or other mobile phones for quite some time, the iPhone and, more recently, devices running Google’s Android operating system, have shifted irrevocably our expectations for the mobile platform and created exciting and potentially game-changing business model innovation opportunities for associations.

To capitalize on these opportunities, associations need to give immediate and serious thought to how they will establish a meaningful presence on their members’ “third screens.”  In addition to serving as a platform for engagement, mobile devices are personal access points to the rapidly growing public and private networks to which association stakeholders belong.  For example, Facebook reported late last year that 65 million of its active users are accessing the service through mobile means.  As an intrinsically social technology, the mobile platform must be fully integrated into the broader set of social experiences so many associations are striving to create for their members in digital space.

• Mobile Professional Culture and Practice ⎯ The introduction of new smartphones, as well as other mobile and highly portable computing devices, will put in the hands of very capable professionals many powerful new tools that will change the way they do their work.

Arguably the most disruptive development in the recent evolution of the mobile platform is the emergence of the “apps economy.”  According to technology consultancy Gartner, cumulative mobile app store revenues totaled more than $4 billion in 2009, and are expected to approach $7 billion in 2010.  But perhaps the greater long-term strategic impact for associations is how mobile apps will innovate the very nature of how work gets done in the industries, professions and fields they serve over the next decade and beyond.

Nowhere is the burgeoning professional impact of apps more evident than in health care.  In November 2009, New York Times personal technology columnist David Pogue reported that there were more than 7,000 medical apps in the iPhone App Store, including apps physicians can use to review patient information, make diagnoses and prescribe medication.  Not only do these apps reduce the possibility of medical errors, they make it easier for doctors and other health care professionals to place greater focus on their patients.  And with more than 140,000 iPhone apps overall, and growing app development for Android, Blackberry and other platforms, associations far beyond the health care sector can expect the rapid arrival of powerful new tools that will change both professional culture and practice, with clear implications for certification, professional development and research.

Without question, mobile will be a major topic of, hopefully, generative conversation across the association community throughout 2010.  How will you make sure that conversation occurs inside your organization?

Jeff is leading a three-part webinar series, “The Future of Associating is Mobile: Powerful Strategies from Third Screen Success” beginning on March 5.  For more information or to register, please visit http://bit.ly/thirdscreensuccess.

Next Top Ten 2010 Trends post:  Content conflict and Curate to innovate

Shelly Alcorn, CAE, is a thought-leader, speaker and association management consultant.  Reach her on twitter @shellyalcorn, on LinkedIn or at the Association Subculture blog. She will be a contributing blogger for SmartBlog Insights.

The Ethics Resource Center published the 2009 Ethics in Business Report in November.  Many of its findings are fascinating, and I believe they have ramifications for both trade and professional associations and the industries they represent.

Interestingly enough this recessionary year saw overall reported incidences of ethical misconduct in the workplace decrease by 7% and reports by whistleblowers increase by 5% compared with results obtained in 2007.   At first glance, those numbers may seem a bit counter-intuitive.  Several theories are put forward in the analysis in an attempt to put those results into context.

However, one key finding of particular note has to do with measuring the impact of the current recession on workplace ethics.  In this 2009 report, researchers went beyond the normal scope of the study and included questions specifically designed to quantify such an impact.  Here’s a startling fact: of those companies surveyed who employed even just one of a number of recessionary tactics, (i.e., downsizing, layoffs, benefit reductions, etc.), reports of misconduct and ethical violations increased 26%.

In light of that finding, I strongly urge association executives to download, read and then distribute the report to both staff and volunteer leaders in order to help them better understand their current operating environment.  Then, employ appropriate measures to reinforce ethical behavior in the workplace.  A few sample tactics include modeling correct behavior, adopting and enforcing policy, fostering awareness and positively communicating and reinforcing expectations of ethical behavior within your workplace culture.

The report itself is free and can be obtained here.  Visit the Association Subculture Blog for a more detailed take on this issue from an association manager’s perspective.

Alex George serves as account director and chief social media strategist for Fixation Marketing, providing strategy, design and interactive services to associations nationally. Connect with him on Twitter at @Alex_Fixation. He will be a contributing blogger for SmartBlog Insights in 2010.

In this climate of budget-cutting that has forced us to find innovative ways to attract new members with less money, social media can feel like both a blessing and a curse. By now, we’ve all heard at least one or two successful case studies where a major brand has “harnessed” the power of social media, attracting thousands of new customers and increasing profits tenfold. If you’re like me, as you read these stories, you feel a sudden rush of hope, your imagination sparks an “a-ha!” moment, and a dream bubble appears above your head, filled with visions of you leading your marketing team into the green pastures of social media bliss. Unfortunately, this moment usually fades…fast. Who are you, anyway, to dare to dream for that fleeting moment that you could tweet with the likes of the big brand honchos, right? Wrong. It’s possible. And it’s not as hard to accomplish as you think.

Let’s look at the social media success story of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. They achieved record-breaking attendance at their 2009 North American Tradeshow, IAAPA Attractions Expo with a 10% jump in international attendance alone, and overall attendance numbers that exceeded their projections. Much of this success can be attributed to their adoption of Facebook, Twitter and online interactive strategies that began to reach their constituents in new ways and further position their show as cutting-edge and fresh. However, the IAAPA marketing team didn’t gallop toward the social media horizon without hesitation or pause. Instead, they took small, focused steps toward integrating these tools into their already innovative marketing plan. They invested in hands-on training workshops to learn to use Facebook and Twitter optimally to provide useful information to members, communicate special promotions and, ultimately, draw attendees and exhibitors to their show. They devised a plan to integrate social media efforts into their team’s existing workflow. They weren’t afraid to test promotions and try multiple methods to acquire Twitter followers and Facebook fans. In less than one year, they went from zero followers and fans to almost 2,000, collectively.

Regardless of what trade your association represents, it’s ultimately made up of members who are people that are increasingly using social media portals to share and receive their information. I can say with confidence that your marketing efforts would benefit from adoption of these tools and tactics. Who knows? Before you know it, your association could be mad dashing ahead of the big brands.

One important note: Social media is not the magic tool that deems all of your other marketing strategies obsolete. On the contrary, it’s the incorporation of social media into your existing marketing toolbox that will enhance your brand and broaden your reach.

Peggy Hoffman is president of Mariner Management & Marketing LLC, an association management company.  She twitters at @peggyhoffman and blogs at the Idea Center.

So what do with all the what-if’s and great ideas left-over from 2009 as we look ahead to 2010? As I am wont to do this time of year, I look back at my “great ideas for the new year” list and figure out which ones I captured, those I missed and those I dismissed. Then I build my list for the new year. This time around – at least on the association side I have plenty to consider thanks to ASAE’s Acronym challenge to the association-sphere. Their Big Ideas Month challenge has generated dozens of blog postings and ideas listed in one compilation. You can read them all through Acronym archives.

Last year, some of my inspiration also came from Acronym. Stephanie Vance’s post Get One Idea Going put webinars on my great ideas list, while Stopping the Silo Effect by Katie Paffhouse helped me put a couple of communication ideas on my list.

But it was Shannon Otto’s posting that got me asking the question: So what do with all the what-if’s and great ideas left-over from 2009 as we look ahead to 2010?

All the ideas have merit, many of them have potential, but alas few will be acted on unless we make a commitment. The challenge is to shift through all the ideas to find the one or two that really resonate with your organization and for which there are passionate champions.

Whether it’s this set of ideas or a set generated from within your own association, now is the time to commit to action. Not on all the ideas, but on the one or two that make sense. Identifying those can be as simple as gathering staff and volunteers around in a room for a free-flowing discussion on all the options with the end goal of winnowing the list to just one or two. Then give free rein to the most enthusiastic champions to act.

What would be interesting would be for ASAE to go through the same process using the list generated through the challenge. They would be an incubator for the couple of ideas garnering the most enthusiasm from a cadre of staff and ASAE members.

With the big ideas at hand, let’s throw out the challenge to act.

PS — Read my What If on volunteer programs.

Peggy Hoffman is president of Mariner Management & Marketing LLC, an association management company.  She twitters at @peggyhoffman and blogs at the Idea Center.

I recently re-read a tagged item in my Delicious account as I was searching for another on association governance and it gave me a pause. Communication in a Post Media World, by Chris Brogan, was written in 2008 but could have been written easily today for the message grows in relevance and urgency. Okay, he’s talking about communications — but look he’s also talking about associations including association chapters and other components. How?

He writes: “When Google is the front door, the side door, the hidden key under the mat, the cash register, the finder of everything we ever lost, and everything we wished we’d lost, what comes next?” We have long acknowledged that the internet is an association’s toughest competitor. For chapters, this is even more difficult given the travel/time challenges.

He writes: “When everyone is a newspaper, a magazine, a TV station, a radio station, a conference, a curator, an educator, a business owner, a shopkeeper, what do we have?” Our members can start – and have – their own association with a couple of keystrokes.

He writes: “When you and I are the creators, the consumers, and the collaborators of this media, what does this mean to us?” Our members have always played this role in associations.

The response. Chris puts it simply: “We cast off the old models, and we assemble new forms.” This is a mantra being spoken in several association corners from folks like Jeff De Cagna,  Jamie Notter and Ben Martin. It’s a mantra in action over at Oncology Nursing Society,  American Society of Interior Designers,  and Institute of Food Technologists, among others. We’re working with a couple of associations that on the journey including the Medical Group Management Association and the American Association of Diabetes Educators.  And we’ve written about it before.

Perhaps the reason more associations aren’t joining in is because it’s not easy. If everything is modular, then we have to think hard about how to make them connectible. And in the absence of a single gatekeeper, we need to coordinate “control.” And we may need to figure out how to offer all member services both a la carte and bundled. Luckily for us, a swarm of digital natives are entering our “worlds” so the first step I suggest is that we watch, listen and respect those who are willing to change and willing to teach new ideas and new ways. Then let’s figure out exactly what success looks like. Lastly, let’s assemble new forms.

Read Chris’s piece … do you see a message for associations?