3 Unique Association Content Ideas to Boost Member Engagement

A podcast is a collection of digital audio files made available for downloading or listening via the internet, and the medium continues to grow rapidly in popularity. In fact, many of your members are likely among the estimated 209 million people in this country over age 12 who have listed to online audio in the past month.

One of the reasons for the widespread adoption is that podcasts are easy to access. Anyone with a smartphone, tablet, or computer can access a wide variety of podcasts with just a few taps. They’re also convenient to listen to while walking the dog, commuting to work, or exercising at the gym. Best of all, they build intimacy. Listening to a podcast feels like you’re listening in on a conversation about a topic that interests you. For these reasons, they can be a great tool to build engagement among members.

“Podcasting offers a portable, convenient way to promote an association's mission and vision, providing consistent member engagement opportunities,” says Colby Horton, CEO of Association Briefings, which helps associations produce podcasts.

“The conversational, non-scripted format allows for authenticity to really come through, humanizing the association's brand more than any other communication effort you have, in my opinion,” continues Horton. “It's this authenticity that drives a loyal audience of members and non-members alike to engage with the association on a regular basis.”

Despite the opportunity podcasts represent, only 19.7% of associations have a podcast, according to the 2022 Association Benchmarking Report. So, not only can a podcast foster member engagement, but it can also help you differentiate your organization.

For examples of well-executed association podcasts, check out:

• That’s Brilliant! by the American Lighting Association
• Engineering Greatness by the American Concrete Institute
• Construction Leaders Podcast by the Construction Management Association of America

Roughly one-third of associations do not incorporate video into their strategy. Of those that do, the primary usage is for continuing education. But there is an additional opportunity to use video to build a sense of community.

Video is human. It allows people to see one another despite not being in the same room and can resonate in ways other media cannot. It’s an effective way to build an emotional connection with your members. With members located around the country and globe, associations can use video to educate, advocate, tell stories, and unify their members to build a stronger sense of community. And, video is an increasingly popular way for people to consume content.

According to Michael Hoffman, CEO of Gather Voices, which helps organizations collect and share user-generated videos, “Membership organizations are in a great position to benefit from this video trend. Simply getting members to share their own stories using video can have a major impact on engagement.”

Hoffman says the associations he works with get, on average, 88% more time on web pages with video and that using video thumbnails in emails generates between two and three times as many click-throughs.

Some examples of associations using video to boost member engagement include:

• Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association
• U.S. Travel Association
• California Teachers Association

One of the challenges of executing a robust content strategy is that many associations simply lack the resource bandwidth to produce more content. According to a study by Association Adviser, for example, nearly half of member engagement teams feel understaffed. An online Resource Library can solve for this challenge.

A Resource Library (aka “Knowledge Hub,” “Resource Center,” or “Knowledge Center”) can be an indispensable tool in your member engagement strategy because it requires no investment in new technology or staff. A tech-enabled Resource Library, like the kind offered by Lead Marvels, curates select third-party content and promotes it to your members on an ongoing basis.

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Partner Knowledge Center, for example, features more than 150 resources, including eBooks, white papers, how-to guides, reports, and webinars. The resources are developed and provided by third-party vendors and solution providers in the legal industry with subject-matter expertise to share with the ACC’s more than 45,000 members.

According to Moustafa Abdel-Kader, Senior Director of Business Development at ACC, the organization’s Partner Knowledge Center has proven to be an effective way to provide in-house counsel members with a steady stream of new and timely resources. And because the materials are provided by sponsors, the Partner Knowledge Center allows ACC to engage its wider community of members and sponsors, who are looking for new avenues for business development while also promoting their brand and expertise.

“Our members can select among a wide variety of topics that are important to them — from AI to intellectual property to contract management — and access high-quality resources to help them professionally,” says Moustafa. “The platform is a great way for us to increase engagement with our community of members and sponsors without having to invest in additional staffing resources.”

A unique aspect of Lead Marvels’ no-cost Resource Library program is that it allows association partners to build year-round member engagement, while also increasing non-dues revenue. Whenever a member opts in to access content within a Resource Library, they become a lead for the sponsor providing the content. The association then shares in the incremental revenue generated by each lead.

In other words, members get access to high-quality content resources, sponsors get business leads for business development, and associations increase member engagement and revenue. It’s a win-win-win scenario.

To learn more about Lead Marvels’ unique Resource Library partnership program for associations, request a demo.