Marketing/Sales/Advertising
Sponsorship ROI
Has your company ever sponsored an event only to find you are amongst many other sponsor logos competing for the same attention from attendees? If you’ve been an event sponsor, you know what I’m talking about. More companies are measuring their sponsorship ROI which is challenging given the standard model of sponsorship benefits. For decades, sponsorship packages have been dictated by the event host or association: “Here is the price; here are the benefits. Would you like to sponsor?” With the resurgence of ROI, the standard sponsorship offering must change to a benefit that can be measured. Jeff Hurt goes into more detail about how the game is changing...
Read MorePrint Versus Digital – Can you have one without the other?
Do I need a digital offering for my publication? We get this question when talking with our association clients, and I happened upon a good pros and cons list on OmniPress. Daniel de la Cruz sums it up nicely. The most basic explanation to this question is this: Readers consume information differently, so having multiple options will reach across preferences, demographics and generations. Some information is better suited for print and other for digital, but have a nice mix of both. How do you determine which data is better received in print versus digital? Survey! As de la Cruz says, “Use surveys to gain understanding of how your membership prefers to consume content.”...
Read MoreLinkedIn: Curiosity is Key
With so many social media avenues available and new ones popping up constantly, I find myself wondering how to best use LinkedIn for business. It was curiosity that first led me to Facebook and LinkedIn and I’ll admit that today the only other social media platform I use is Pinterest. I like Facebook primarily for personal social media. Monarch has a Facebook page, so I now dabble in the business side too. Pinterest is my personal go-to place for ideas to spur my creativity—or make me feel really bad for not handcrafting my child’s valentine cards! It made the crossover into my business world when I needed inspiration and graphics for a recent speaking gig. And then...
Read MoreAre You Using Native Advertising?
When I first heard the term native advertising, I’ll admit I didn’t know exactly how to define it. According to Wikipedia, “native advertising is a web advertising method in which the advertiser attempts to gain attention by providing content in the context of the user’s experience.” I think the most obvious native advertising we encounter is through Facebook, as their advertisements populate our news feed. This article, Advertising Groups Struggling to Self-Regulate Native Advertising, published by Associations Now explores how the Federal Trade Commission is viewing native advertising. If you are using native advertising as a revenue stream, you’ll want to read this...
Read MoreExpo Evolution: Don’t be Afraid of Change
We recently read an article written by Samantha Whitehorne with Associations Now that described how the Associated General Contractor’s of America turned their tradeshow on its head in a radical move that would either make or break the event. AGC’s Chief Marketing Strategist Jeff Wilson and Patrick Wilson, president of The Profitable Association, Inc., shared the turnaround story earlier this month at ASAE’s 2013 Annual Meeting & Expo. Whithorne extracts three lessons: Set goals for change, but know your limits. Don’t be afraid to change again. Create an expo brand. This is a great example of how sometimes you need a little courage, a little faith and a brilliant...
Read MoreThe Closer
None of us like to admit that we are in sales, but as a small business owner we are always on the lookout for another great client or another advertiser for a current client. Very rarely will the perfect client or advertiser walk in your door with a checkbook in one hand and a long-term relationship in the other…am I right? Since we all have to go through the challenges that come along with finding clients, we all go through trying to close the deal as well. Some deals end well, some fall apart in the middle, and some become almost unrecognizable through this process. CNN Money ran an article titled “5 Ways to Close Big Deals Now” and it was a nice refresher on...
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