The weekly list of free professional development events for the association community… I’m excited and honored to be heading to Association Charrette today with 19 other association geeks for a weekend full of “insightful conversation about emerging trends and disruptions” in the association industry. One of the most fascinating technological developments is the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver a more meaningful and valuable customer and member experience. MORE

Technology promises to give us unprecedented access to our members’ hearts and minds but does it really deliver? When you first step into a marketing role at an organization with few member insights, start with the data. Perhaps you have the tools to segment your audience to figure out who the organization’s biggest champion is, or the biggest user, or most profitable member group. We may start to repel members instead of attracting them. MORE

Members want us to solve problems that they can’t solve for themselves – Greg Melia , Director of Membership for ASAE at MASAE’s 2015 mid-year conference. We solve the problems that nag our members, problems that no one else cared to solve or could solve. The trouble is, many associations are losing members because they are no longer solving problems that members can’t solve for themselves. The trick is to start thinking of members first. MORE

Technology promises to give us unprecedented access to our members’ hearts and minds but does it really deliver? When you first step into a marketing role at an organization with few member insights, start with the data. Perhaps you have the tools to segment your audience to figure out who the organization’s biggest champion is, or the biggest user, or most profitable member group. We may start to repel members instead of attracting them. MORE

Hear how the National Association of Tax Professionals used Google Universal Analytics to uncover insights they previously only made assumptions about, and how the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association streamlined their business processes with Google Tag Manager. Learn what other associations are doing to address the opportunities and challenges that new technologies and the rise of Millennials have brought to chapters. MORE

MemberSuite describes how technology (beyond the conference app) can help you improve the event attendee experience. What a member (or anyone) says they need isn’t always what they really need. At Association Success , Chris Beaman explains why you have to dig deeper and keep asking Why to fully understand how to meet member needs. Digital Strategies to Engage Members (Coffee Talks with Results Direct – Alexandria VA). MORE

At the same time, we are seeing that our professions and industries are being turned upside down by changing technology, regulations, public perception, member expectations, budgets and more. To guide our members through the turbulence, we need to change, adapt and innovate more nimbly. To shift to a culture of innovation, we need to explain why we are doing this in our staff members’ own words. How do you make sure you are capturing the ideas of member-facing staff? MORE

Back in the old days of in-person meetings, member conversations helped only the members having the conversations. Not only do their conversations help them, but these conversations can also help us help them because these conversations are untapped rich qualitative member data. MORE

It should attract new members, offer smooth onboarding and persistent attention, and ultimately embrace marketing tactics like great content, campaigns and social media outreach. NSBE was founded in 1975 and has around 30,000 members. The community’s success hinged on everyone at NSBE getting involved – the team even required every staff member to moderate the community for one day, to better understand the community’s inner workings and how important it was as a member benefit. MORE

Related: Members need association help when they face change or start something new. Did you know that member surveys can be risky? Association Strategy Member Research change innovation member insights member problems risk strategy technologyThe award-winning process for association innovation. The post One Thing We can do to Prepare for Change appeared first on Smooth The Path. MORE

As a member researcher I see some validity to this statement. Research, particularly qualitative research is very good at naming member problems but members themselves are often hard pressed to articulate the right solution. The problem with this quote is too often it is used as proof of why member research, of why asking, is the wrong tactic to use for our associations. We have got to ask our members. We may see members pulling back and not purchasing. MORE

The associations with high member engagement know their members well. In fact, you might work at one of these member engagement unicorns. Do staff regularly conduct member research? Are listening tours, welcome calls, or member interviews on your list of to-dos? When testing new benefits, do you ask for member feedback? But member insights are hard to come by. You may have noticed that fewer members are answering your surveys. MORE

Your association must aim higher if you want to survive and thrive amidst economic, generational, and technological change. Join AENC affiliate members to discuss: How are you marketing your company and/or yourself? – Best Practices: Using Digital Metrics to Gain Member Insight. I’m not going to name names, but I saw a company promote a webinar on Twitter just two days before holding it—that was the first time they mentioned it on Twitter. MORE

Wouldn’t you like to provide industry news to members without having to write it from scratch? – Six Simple Ways to Use Technology to Improve Your Event. Learn about best practices to use when selecting and applying new technologies to your event, and examples of important ( and easy-to-use ) tools such as planning and content management, analytics, and website management. – Overview: Using Digital Metrics to Gain Member Insight. MORE

Your new member onboarding shouldn’t just be show and tell , says Billhighway. They suggest working with your chapters on an onboarding plan that helps you learn about new members’ needs, introduce them to the chapter and association, and guide them onto the most relevant membership path. Dan Hickey at DelCor describes the seven steps your association should take when building a technology project team. Young Members: What’s Affordable? MORE