In the association world, retaining members, attracting new recruits and building attendance at events are continual challenges. And, effective solutions go well beyond the annual meeting. Groups like the Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Medical Staff Services are discovering that year-round engagement is essential to their survival and growth.
Following is a look at how NAMSS successfully turned its fortunes around by connecting with members 365 days a year.
How research led to action
The National Association of Medical Staff Services was founded in 1978 to represent professionals who accredit physicians to work at hospitals and other medical facilities. By 2008, membership had dropped by nearly 25 percent (from 4,353 to 3,396) in the space of two years.
The recession was an obvious contributing factor, but association leaders thought there was more to it than that. They conducted a series of focus groups and surveyed members, former members and potential recruits. The conclusion: NAMSS was not meeting the various educational needs of members, nor communicating effectively with them.
A key finding was that newer members were joining solely to obtain a certification required for the medical staff services field, notes Chris Murphy Peck, senior director, education and learning services, for Chicago-based SmithBucklin, which manages NAMSS. (The association offers two such programs, for the Certified Provider Credentialing Specialist and Certified Professional Medical Services Management designations.) But beyond the certification, they felt little connection to NAMSS itself, or growing in their career.
Another area of concern: Seasoned members said they needed more communication and education to keep up with all the government-regulated changes and reforms affecting the modern health-care industry.
Plan of action
To address these issues and to elevate the status of the medical staff services profession as a whole, the association tackled the issues on several fronts: First, leadership identified four distinct "audiences" within the membership (new members, newly certified, certified management and executive level) and then set about engaging each of them via communication targeted to their specific need and interests.
NAMSS also revamped its website to be more user-friendly and interactive, developed more targeted email marketing, and launched its own groups on Twitter and LinkedIn. And, to attract and engage more entry-level professionals -- the future of the profession and the association -- NAMSS created a toolkit for new members that included a glossary of industry terms, acronyms and links to other sites related to the industry.
Research also revealed that some members, primarily due to location or scheduling, would never be able to attend the annual meeting or periodic live education courses. To engage that underserved group, NAMSS launched a robust online education program. Virtual offerings now include classes for certification and live-streaming of sessions from meetings. NAMSS coaches presenters to address online participants as well as the live audience.
Meeting content from the annual convention also is posted on NAMSS' website throughout the year to help foster and reinforce the learning experience. To keep the information fresh, even for those who attended the sessions, the content often is expanded online, according to Carol McGury, executive vice president, event and education services, at SmithBucklin.
Virtual engagement has not adversely affected face-to-face attendance at the group's annual meeting. In fact, McGury notes, online participation has helped to convert some members to in-person attendees.
These enhancements were implemented in two stages over five years, and the results are impressive: Membership leaped from 3,396 in 2008 to 5,143 in 2013. What's more, the expanded membership and educational options have boosted the association's revenues since 2007 by a stunning 265 percent.
Engagement for all
The National Association of Medical Staff Services' successful engagement model offers a number of takeaways that other associations can use to create their own 365-day engagement.
[--image id='Barbara Myers'--] • Leverage the annual meeting. For associations, the annual convention is the gift that keeps giving. "The idea is to create a year-round community that starts with the annual event and continues from there," says Barbara Myers, CAE, vice president, association services, for IMN Solutions, an Arlington, Va.-based association and event management firm.
Content generated during the show (keynote speeches, breakout sessions, courses, photos, videos) can be used year-round in a variety of formats. Consider live-streaming sessions, as NAMSS does. After the event, repurpose content by breaking up recorded and videotaped sessions and editing them into weekly content that can be posted to the association's website. Be sure to promote those posts through social media outlets like Twitter.
[--image id='Kevin Miller'--] "Don't be concerned that members who attended the meeting will tune out the post-event communication and online content," says Kevin Miller, president of Frost Miller Group, a Bethesda, Md.-based strategic marketing communications firm that works with many associations. "With editing and retooling, content does not have to be repetitive. Also, annual meetings typically offer so many sessions that attendees can't attend everything live; they'll now have the opportunity to view missed courses online."
• Provide a wealth of content. You can easily generate new material online by asking meeting presenters to post blogs to the association's website, conduct webcasts and post white papers on related topics. Many speakers will do this gratis because it extends their exposure, says Miller.
For more ideas on how content can serve as the backbone of 365-day engagement, see Frost Miller's chart.
• Coordinate the effort. Frequent communication with members -- via email, Facebook, Twitter and other social media -- is another cornerstone of engagement. Members need to hear from the association more than a handful of times during the year. But make sure it's done right.
"Many associations operate in silos, with each department -- events, education, membership -- sending out their own emails and communication, to the point where it can be overkill," says Miller. "Don't just push out 'stuff.' Engagement should be a coordinated effort overseen by one department, typically the marketing communications department."
• Measure success. How can you tell if you're successfully engaging members year-round? While each association will have its own way of determining success, SmithBucklin's Chris Peck recommends comparing membership and revenue figures before and after an engagement plan is introduced, and tracking website views of posted content and webcast attendance.
If the association offers certification, note any increases in demand there, which also might be a result of the new engagement efforts.
THE BIG BANG THEORY OF CONTENT MARKETING
How one meeting can provide 365 days of content
The simplest way to engage attendees year-round, according to Kevin Miller, president of strategic marketing communications firm Frost Miller Group, is to use the annual meeting as your basis. Following are examples of how to keep the conversation going well beyond the actual event:
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