{"id":3287,"date":"2023-09-18T15:13:21","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T19:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cerestalent.com\/?p=3287"},"modified":"2024-05-07T14:16:37","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T18:16:37","slug":"cmo-roundtable-roundup-associations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cerestalent.com\/cmo-roundtable-roundup-associations\/","title":{"rendered":"CMO Roundtable Roundup – Association Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Washington DC Metro area is chock full of professional trade associations. Being headquartered in DC, we were overdue in gathering marketing leaders from the association world for a CMO Roundtable conversation with Doug Anderson of DCA Live. So, four association execs jumped on Zoom with us to talk about the challenges their teams are currently tackling \u2013 and the next position they would hire if they had the opportunity.<\/p>\n

Here are a few takeaways from our conversation:<\/p>\n

A strong value proposition underpins all. <\/strong><\/p>\n

A strong value proposition is the backbone of an association\u2019s success. We hear this theme each time we talk to an association marketing leader \u2013 they need to ensure their messaging communicates the ROI of membership at every touchpoint. This is especially critical during challenging economic environments or if an association is raising dues and\/or introducing new products and services.<\/p>\n

Several participants mentioned they\u2019ve challenged their teams to make their communications crisper and to ensure they\u2019re delivering digestible \u201cnews you can use\u201d to their members. They\u2019re big fans of Axios\u2019 Smart Brevity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To hear more about how a very well-timed overhaul of its value proposition helped one association survive \u2013 and even thrive \u2013 \u00a0during the pandemic, check out our recent interview with Chris Jacobs, CMO of AGB<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You had me at segmentation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Segmentation is another key focus for association marketing leaders. As one CMO said, \u201cI operate in a $1.4 trillion two-sided marketplace. I need to know my members\u2019 likes and wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gone are the days when a one-size-fits-all member strategy worked and one could market all services to all members. Today, association marketers are digging into the data to understand how to organize their members into discrete segments, so that they can develop targeted messaging and product\/service portfolios that speak to the specific needs of each audience.<\/p>\n

[Interestingly, this is exactly what Tina Beaty, SHRM\u2019s CMO<\/a><\/strong>, talked about in our recent Ask a CMO<\/em> interview \u2013 how her focus on audience-centricity, honed by many years as a PR pro, informs SHRM\u2019s segmentation strategy.]<\/p>\n

<\/br>AMS platforms are not feeling the love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Four association CMOs, four different AMS platforms. And not one love affair. It seems no one is fully satisfied with their current AMS, but neither are they ready to embark on the challenge of migrating to a new one. There were varying reasons for this \u2013 cost, effort, and existing integrations with other martech platforms.<\/p>\n

Who would you hire next? (They may not be the answers you\u2019d expect.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

We were a bit surprised by the answers to the question \u201cif you could hire anyone right now, what position would you choose?\u201d On the surface, they may seem unexpected, but they all connect back to the communication themes mentioned above.<\/p>\n