If you missed the CSAE – EXPÉRIENCE 2023, here are the top 3 trends that your association peers have been talking about. CSAE Annual wasn’t just a conference; it was a journey that redefines the landscape of association growth. We had the opportunity to speak with numerous executives at our booth. We also had the opportunity to share an award winning case study on RTOERO to a room full of marketers.
After hundreds of executive conversations, and a plethora of enlightening presentations, we’ve summarized a few key themes below (as it relates to digital transformation):
Journey analysis to improve Member Retention
Member retention isn’t just a metric; it’s the lifeblood of associations. The CSAE sessions illuminated the challenges associations face in retaining members and emphasized the crucial role of detailed journey analysis.
Member journey mapping is a key strategy in optimizing member retention. By understanding and mapping the entire member journey using touch points, associations can gain insights into the pain points and opportunities for improvement, ultimately fostering stronger connections and loyalty.
Food for thought:
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Is your association creating journeys that solve problems that matter to its members?
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Does the staff know what your members care about?
Data-Driven decision-making by breaking the silos
It is pretty obvious from our conversations that most associations still struggle with inefficient technology, manual processes, and many disparate systems leading to data silos.
The consequences include a lack of collaboration between the association functions, a limited view of members’ activities and engagement, missed opportunities for upselling/cross-selling or creating more value for members, and limiting opportunities for the organization’s growth.
On the contrary, imagine your association where systems and processes are aligned to create a great member experience. A world where processes are optimized, accurate data is available in real-time and there are tools to measure member engagement. An association where the staff is focused on thinking about new ideas to create member value and serve the organization’s mission versus dealing with manually gathering information from multiple sources.
How do you go from the current state to an optimized future state?
Food for thought:
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Is your staff working in isolated islands or as a collaborative force driving the association’s mission forward?
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What may be the opportunity cost of disparate systems leading to data silos?
A strategic approach minimizes risk and guarantees an ROI
Adopting technology is no longer a choice; it’s a necessity. Unfortunately, many technology projects fail to deliver the outcome. The No. 1 reason for failure is the failure to plan and a short-term “bandaid” approach. The opportunity cost of the “status quo” should be enough to invest in a Digital Strategy that can mitigate the risk of failure or investing in a wrong project or technology. Do not adopt a technology without building a roadmap and a future state. This approach should also be leveraged when it comes to the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
Food for thought:
- Are you happy with the results of the latest technology you implemented at your association? Why and why not?
- Do you have an implementation roadmap for implementing new technologies?
We hope you found the above insights helpful. At 108 ideaspace, we recognize how the above challenges come in the way of achieving your mission. Our team is always ready to hop on a call to discuss your challenges and goals and provide insights from our expertise. So, call us at 1-888-807-1147 or email [email protected] to start the conversation.
