Membership

Monday Buzz: When Your Member Database Loses Its Luster

Does your member database need a public relations campaign to convince your staff to rely on it again? Also: Snapchat tries something new.

Your member database should be one of the most valuable things your association has. But what if your own staff doesn’t trust what you’ve been putting in there?

Wes Trochlil of Effective Database Management says that, of course, you should be managing your database effectively. (See what I did there?) But he also says that you may need a public relations campaign for your database.

“As consultant Alan Weiss points out, beliefs inform attitude, which in turn informs behavior,” Trochlil writes. “Or to invert the equation, in order to change behavior, you have to change attitudes, and in order to change attitudes, you have to change beliefs.”

So what does Trochlil suggest you do? He suggests a bit of prioritization of what in the database needs to be the most accurate, setting benchmarks for accuracy and, most importantly, telling users that you’re keeping the database up to date.

“If you don’t tell them, who will?” he writes.

After The Conference …

Just because a conference is over doesn’t mean your work is. Aptify’s Jennifer Barrell breaks down a few steps you should take to ensure your members don’t feel neglected after the flight home.

Other Links of Note

Buzzy new product worth watching: Snapchat (which recently changed its name to Snap, Inc.) will soon offer sunglasses that have the ability to shoot video. Basically, Google Glass, but cool. Head this way to learn more about Spectacles.

Useful reminder of the day: Your audience defines you based on what you publish every day.

“Loose tweets sink fleets.” That’s a piece of advice from the Navy’s social media handbook, and it’s advice that you should keep in mind for your own organization, argues CMS Wire Contributor Dana Simberkoff.

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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