Archives for March 2021

Why Advocacy at the Local Level is Crucial to Your Association’s Success

March 22, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Local government is very important to associations when it comes to the municipalities in which their industry members have a presence. Legislation that affects economic development, employment, operations, taxes, and more are decided at the local level. There is often important legislation that impacts how an industry can operate within a municipality in which it is located, and these can either benefit or hinder the marketplace for their industry and their members’ success.

When it comes to advocacy and policy issues, many think the most important action takes place at the state and federal levels. This is not always the case; some of the most important and influential work happens at the local level; in fact, many are saying in the age of COVID 19 that local is becoming the new state. The municipal and county level is often the starting point for policy ideas and from there they then expand to the state and federal levels. To be successful, your advocacy efforts must be comprehensive, and include strategies for the local level as well as for the state and federal levels.

Associations have started to shift advocacy resources and efforts to the local level to keep track of the issues important to them and their members. Whether it is a local ordinance that supports an association’s goals or threatens them, it is important to have strategies in place to either fight or support local legislation.

Writing letters, calling, and scheduling meetings with your local elected officials are a few grassroots level things you can do to advocate. Even in the age of COVID-19, you can still make a big impact by setting up Zoom meetings with a Mayor or City Councilman to discuss matters that are important to your association.

Grassroots efforts are very important for any association. Making sure you stay in the loop regarding local ordinances and issues that may affect your members is vital to keeping members happy and making sure your industry is successful in the municipalities it operates in. State and federal level advocacy garners headlines and attention, but the local level is closest to the people and where the most impact can occur. With many issues beginning at the local level, it is imperative to have a strong comprehensive strategy and action plan.

For help with your association’s advocacy efforts, contact us at https://arc3communications.com/contact-us/.

How to Increase Association Members’ Value with a Strong Content Strategy

March 19, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Content strategy is vital for your trade association, not only to bring in new members, but also to provide your current members with value for their membership. Just like other aspects of your organization, having a detailed and planned content strategy allows you to develop and put out content in a way that will draw the attention of your audience; attract new members; and provide your current members with valuable resources and information. Creating and releasing content without a strategy makes it difficult to track success; and also makes it difficult for your members to follow your content schedule, or lack thereof.

Below we will discuss ways to put together a content strategy that will allow you to test methods and see results. This will help you plan, create, and track your content marketing efforts and make tweaks where needed to reach your goals.

Planning and Goal Setting

First things first, you have to work with your team to pinpoint the ultimate goals you are trying to reach with your trade association’s content marketing efforts. Whether you are trying to bring in new members, raise awareness, provide value, promote an event, or a mixture of things; having them laid out allows you to plan your content efforts with these goals in mind. This lends purpose to your content creation and distribution strategy, instead of just posting content to get it out there.

Part of this process is identifying your audience. Consider the age range, background, profession, industry, and any other contributing factors that may affect the type of content you produce. These attributes may also influence the channels you choose to use to distribute your content. Researching information such as this Pew Research Center study on social media use and demographics, can help you decide the appropriate channels to reach your specific audience.

Content Types and the Popularity of Video

When it comes to the types of content you create and distribute, you may need to experiment to
find out what works for your audience. While blogs and e-newsletters are good staples of content marketing for everyone to have, other content forms such as infographics, videos, photos, live-streams, webinars and more can help diversify and give your content strategy what it needs to cut through the noise. With so much content competing for your audience’s attention, the more you can stand out and draw members’ attention to you, the better. You may have to test multiple content types to gauge what gets the best results.

One of the most popular content forms now is video. According to Small Business Trends, 93% of marketers say video has brought new customers. With current video recording technology, it is possible to make professional looking videos straight from your cellphone. There are a number of different ways you can take advantage of video such as vlogs, behind-the-scenes, interviews, Q&A sessions, how-to videos, and many more. No matter the content path you choose to take, video is a good choice to have on your list.

Content Schedules, Calendars, and Consistency

As you create content, it is important to create a schedule for releases and posts. A good tip is to create and implement a content calendar that keeps track of what content is being posted, on what channel, and on what day. This helps you further strategize by allowing you to plan in advance what content you’d like to share. For example, if you have an upcoming virtual event, you will want to plan content regarding that event strategically leading up to it in order to recruit attendees.

Content buckets are a helpful strategy for organizing your content. Content buckets (remove link) refer to sharing certain subject matter on specific days of the week and can also be planned and tracked through your content calendar. For example, you can decide to always share association news on Monday’s, employee stories on Tuesday’s, industry how-to videos on Wednesday’s and so on. This way your audience will know when to look for the content that is most important to them. Your content buckets can also be tested and changed depending on performance. Always try to have a reason behind your strategic decisions to get the most ROI for your content efforts.

Consistency is key to a successful content strategy. As a trade association, you want your members to get as much value for their membership as possible. You also want potential new members to see that you are the leading authority for your association’s industry. In order for this to be possible, you have to consistently provide new and quality content on a regular basis. If you have an active blog that you post to once a week, try to find what day and time gets the highest traffic, and consistently post your new blog every week on that day and at that time. Again, this allows your members and the rest of your audience to know when to check back for new content.

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

When it comes to content strategy for your trade association, there is not a one size fits all strategy that works for everyone. If you need help creating and implementing a content strategy that works for your association and would like to learn about our content marketing services, contact us here.

How to Hold Successful Virtual Meetings with Your Legislators

March 5, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Lobbying is a key aspect of any state’s legislative session. Traditionally, lobbying and advocacy involved going to the state capitol and forming and maintaining relationships in the attempts to persuade to have a bill passed or killed. This has changed drastically since the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year. Many state capitol’s have put in place limitations and restrictions to meet safety requirements during the legislative session. Many of the traditional ways to meet with lawmakers such as legislative receptions and special days at the Capitol have been taken off the table, leaving many lobbyists and citizens lost as how to participate in the legislative session.

Many new communication techniques have come into play since COVID-19 reared its ugly head. One is familiar to many, the virtual meeting. Zoom has become a commonplace in the daily life of many people. From business meetings to family visits, Zoom has been utilized to connect people during a time of social distancing and shutdowns. This includes communicating with legislators, and when doing so, you should know how to conduct the meeting.

Below are some tips and tricks for having successful Zoom calls with legislators during the legislative session and how to present yourself and make a lasting impression.

Familiarize Yourself with the Virtual Meeting Software

If you are a frequent user of Zoom or Microsoft Teams you may be well versed in all the features and functions of the platforms; but if you are not, take time to learn before your meeting. The respective software websites and YouTube how to videos are great resources to ensure you know how the program works and the many features that it has. Be sure to know where the mute button, share screen button, chat button, and other items are located and how they work. Also be sure to understand how to join into a chat and how to make sure your microphone and audio is set upon entering a meeting. This way if you find yourself muted, you will know how to unmute quickly without keeping your legislator waiting while you try to figure it out.

Keep Virtual Meeting Software Up to Date

A big item when using virtual meeting software, whether you use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or any other form, is making sure you keep the software up to date. Check an hour ahead of your meeting time to make sure there are no last-minute updates that need to be made. You do not want the time to come around for your important call with a legislator only to be late because you had to spend time updating the software.

Do a Visual and a Sound Check

It is important to login early to perform a visual and sound check to make sure your camera and microphone are working properly. There is a test feature on most virtual meeting software that allows you to record a short clip and play it back so you can hear how you sound to the other party. This will help you adjust levels as needed so you are not too loud or too quiet during a meeting. There is also the ability to test your camera and make sure you do not have any unwanted filters or backgrounds activated and that your lighting and positioning are ideal. Doing this before every meeting is a good idea in case there are any issues that need to be resolved prior to your meeting time.

Avoid Silly Filters

A video went viral recently of a lawyer meeting with a judge on zoom and he had a cat filter turned on that made him appear in the meeting as a talking cat. While the video was amusing to those watching, this kind of mishap could cost you your credibility with a lawmaker. This is why it is best not to mess with these sorts of filters on a professional account that you use to conduct meetings. If you are unaware of how to deactivate these filters, it is best to not mess around with them at all, as once activated, they will remain activated on all future meetings until they are disabled manually.

Use Backgrounds Wisely

Virtual backgrounds can be useful for helping to provide a more professional feel if you are calling from a home bedroom for example. Virtual backgrounds are images that can be downloaded and used to replace your actual background in a video call. It is wise to test these out before the call to make sure they work visually and don’t cause any hiccups or distractions. Sometimes, depending on the device you are using for the meeting, virtual backgrounds can glitch or not work at all. This is why it is always important to test anything you plan on using during the meeting, beforehand.

Technical Issues Will Arise, Don’t Panic

Just like with all technology, it will work perfectly until you need it to. There are apt to be issues that are out of anyone’s control such as disconnects, lags, and other technical issues. Do not panic, do your best to ride out the issue and if you get disconnected, attempt to rejoin the conversation. If it gets to a point where the meeting is completely dropped, email or call your representative, apologize and see if he or she is willing to retry the meeting. If worse comes to worse, see if you can complete the meeting over the phone and apologize for any inconvenience. Again, things happen so don’t panic, do your best to resolve the situation and continue the meeting as best you can.

According to many, virtual meetings are here to stay. While lobbying and advocacy are most effective face-to-face, many legislators may take to virtual meetings as they can be more convenient, and they can fit more into a day. This isn’t to say you should not try to schedule in person meetings in the post-pandemic world, just be aware that lawmakers may prefer this method far into the future.

Need help designing a Zoom background for your organization or brushing up on your virtual advocacy messaging, content and presentation skills? Contact us here.

Why Advocacy at the Local Level is Crucial to Your Association’s Success

How to Hold Successful Virtual Meetings with Your Legislators

Our Location

Let’s Work Together

Connect with Us