Another potshot at marketing
So when I touched on marketing earlier this week it was so popular (see Lisa's comment about the people taking me to task for it) I thought I'd try again.
On the Membership Marketing Blog, Tony even had the nerve to point out an annoying habit I have of introducing topics with "I'm not such a big believer in..." whatever it is. (Just kidding, Tony -- thanks for keeping me on my toes.)
In that spirit, I offer this: I'm not such a big believer in associations marketing at all.
It's actually the use of the word "marketing" that sticks at me. I may be getting too wrapped up in semantics, but I've been thinking recently that I'd rather inform members than market to them. I'd rather let them know of something great that I think they'd find valuable, rather than try to motivate them to action. I like to think of an association model where people are linking together to accomplish something and to participate in something that would be impossible to do alone. I don't like to think of an association as a captive member-market for products that an organization produces. To whittle it down even further: I like to think of all members as creators (or potential creators) rather than consumers. Getting back to marketing, it's not so much that you're marketing a product or program as you are informing members of opportunities to participate.
With that approach, does the work of what is currently called the marketing department change? Or perhaps it goes back further in the process than that--the types of things that the organization works on and develops may change.
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Comments
Scott,
Yes, I'm afraid it seems you are getting too wrapped up in semantics. Everything you just described sounds great, sure. It's also marketing, and/or related to marketing, and/or informing marketing. ("Informing members of opportunities to participate"? Well, that's pretty much the definition of association marketing.) I suppose you can call it something else if you really think it's worth the bother.
But thanks for kickstarting a good conversation!
Posted by: Kevin Holland | September 21, 2007 11:36 AM
Oh, boy! I see another round of blog posts on the horizon. By the way, I don't believe in blogs. I think that we should all communicate with ESP. That's a joke! Have a great weekend. Tony
Posted by: Tony Rossell | September 21, 2007 3:31 PM
Tee hee! This is TOTALLY the point I was trying to make in my blog response (http://diaryofareluctantblogger.blogspot.com/). There something very annoying about the word "marketing" that gets everyone's knickers in a twist. Semantics or not, I agree with Scott 100%.
Posted by: Maddie Grant | September 21, 2007 4:29 PM
I think you're blaming "marketing" for flaws in organizational strategy. Regardless of whether you're "informing" or "marketing" you had better be motivating people to action...that is, to join, to attend, to provide content, to connect, etc...or you will quickly find your organization has become irrelevant.
Let's make next week "Marketing Department Appreciation Week" just for a little balance. It's starting to feel like Fox News over here.
Posted by: Lindy Dreyer | September 21, 2007 6:08 PM
Hey Briscoe!
I'd just like to wish really hard and have people join my organization or come to our meetings, but it doesn't work very well in my experience. It would, however, be a lot less expensive.
As you know, the reality is that associations do sell things -- sometimes we sell the idea of belonging to a prestigious community or the opportunity to co-create with respected colleagues, and sometimes we just sell products - books, ads, meetings, etc. And whether we use traditional marketing, word of mouth, or more subtle techniques, we are still trying to motivate people to buy. If people stop buying, we stop existing.
Perhaps all of this crass commercialism just offends your delicate intellectual sensibilities. :-)
Posted by: Scott Steen | September 25, 2007 4:02 PM