Presented by John Foley, Jr., CEO, interlinkONE and Grow Socially; Roy Snell, CEO, Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics; and Hunter Montgomery, CMO, Higher Logic
One of the wonderful things about content marketing is its ability to pull your members in, rather than pushing them toward your message. It’s extremely attractive for associations, because great content creates a sense of community and engages and educates all members. Here are four tips on how you can leverage content marketing to grow membership and keep your current members engaged.
The Goals of Content Marketing
You may well be sitting on a wealth of content without knowing it. Member evangelists (who serve as writers within your association) and publication pieces are your best friends when it comes to quality content. For most, the end goals of content are lead generation, thought leadership and brand awareness – but consistently outstanding content will deliver so much more, like that true sense of community for which you are aiming.
What Makes Great Content?
The single most important rule regarding content marketing is this: Don’t be boring! It’s okay for your content to be disruptive. While there is no secret recipe, remember that content should tell a story and make your audience feel valued. In doing this, you will overcome one of the biggest challenges of content marketing – producing engaging pieces that encourage action.
Promoting Your Content
So you have quality content. Hooray! Now you need to make sure people read it. By using multi-channel marketing, your members can access your content the way they prefer. The trick is using the right channels, so you’ll have to think like a member and deliver your content based on their habits. You’ll want to create an editorial calendar that works around your association’s acquisition and retention cycles, along with timely community topics. Don’t forget to measure! Take time to regroup to ensure your content marketing is meeting your community’s goals.
Leveraging Your Community Created Content
Finally, make sure you are taking advantage of your best subject matter experts and biggest supporters, your members. Your online community is a wealth of content that is being updated and added to every day. From discussions to the document library to events, your members are sharing relevant and timely information. Also, don’t be afraid to open some (or even all) of your content to non-members. By creating a dynamic and open community, you become THE knowledge resource for your industry.