Public or Private – What Type of Association Community Do You Favor?

By Ryan Graham | Published: September 15, 2009

This year’s ASAE Annual was dominated by a very consistent theme– “Building Communities through Social Media”.  Many associations are trying to make sense of social media and how to best leverage it for their organization and make it profitable. With that said, it’s evident to me that an association can take one of two routes towards deploying a community – 1. Create a public network through tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc.. OR 2. Create a private “white label” community that is closed to the masses and driven by membership.

Some of you may have noticed through our August 6th webinar “Creating an Online Knowledge Community: 6 Tips for Association Executives” that Peach New Media is exploring this topic as it relates to our clients and their professional development goals.  The fact is that there is not a right answer when you’re talking about a closed or open community – you can have both and they can work together or you can pick one or the other.  They each serve a different purpose as it relates to the type of collaboration and community you are trying to develop.

Want to learn more?

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We’re excited to host Jeff De Cagna, experienced association professional and founder of Principled Innovation, as he will be leading a 3-part webinar series starting on September 25.  This will be a great opportunity to learn more about how your association can leverage the social web and develop a community strategy.  All 3 webinars are being offered for just $299, which gives you full access to each 90 minute session and the associated webinar recording and handouts.  To take advantage of this great opportunity or learn more CLICK HERE.

Posted in Knowledge Community, Social Media, Uncategorized, Web Site Strategy | Leave a comment

(Part II of III) Create a Strategy for a Profitable Online Community

By Dave Will | Published: September 3, 2009

We want to start a Blog. We want to do Twitter. What is it again? I just set up a Facebook site for our Association.

Every day I hear from Association Executives and business owners that they want to do {fill in the blank with choice of social media tool}. Usually it’s because they have found some connection with that particular tool or they know someone else who is doing it. What are lacking in most cases are a strategy, a plan, and measurable metrics to identify if your plan is working.

Well, this is part 2 with a few more tips: (see previous post for first 2 tips)

3. Create a blended solution – Create a goal, strategy and id your tactics
Not everyone learns best from whitepapers, or podcasts, or webinars and webcasts. Some like short snippits and sound-bites to keep them informed and others want a video clip as it may be more stimulating. There are a number of tools out there you can utilize create a blended solution for your community. And surely the right mix will help appeal to the right people interested in your content.
It may be easier to pick out the tools if you start thinking about your goals. What do you want to accomplish? Once you know that, you can figure out how you’re going to get there. That’s your strategy. And then of course what tactics you’re going to use along the way. This is a complex process and probably a good blog post in and of itself. But this is the start to identifying the tools best for your online community.

4. Speak to the people and for the people – no jargon – keep it personable
Remember, you’re probably not writing a whitepaper or a commercial. This is a community. It’s the neighborhood around your specialty. Talk to me like a person, not a commercial. Leave the big words out of it. Save the big words for professors, pharmaceutical companies and rich people!

5. Provide valuable content in a pyramid structure – start simple and lead to depth
Think about content like a resume. I think the best resumes are 1 page. I’ll bet Ronald Reagan had a good 2 page resume, but imagine his one page resume!?! Tease people into getting more information. Don’t go crazy with content. Keep it simple and short.

More to come….

Posted in Knowledge Community, Non-Dues Revenue | Leave a comment

Perfecting the Rubik’s Cube

By Dave Will | Published: August 23, 2009

So Johnson Cook (Peach COO), Ryan Graham (VP, Sales, Peach), Tom Kerwin (Sales Associate, Peach) and I went to the ASAE Annual Conference in Toronto last week.  The days were filled with meeting people we’ve only talked to on the phone, meeting other vendors, and of course meeting  association execs interested in webinars, webcasts and building a community around their knowledge.

The evenings were filled with other kinds of networking. The kind of networking I have not participated in since college. And this is when I began to acknowledge my age. Well after my bedtime, a young lass stepped up to me and with the music pounding in the background and she yells, “I’LL GIVE YOU $20 (Canadian, I assumed) IF YOU CAN TELL ME WHO SINGS THIS SONG!!!” I didn’t hear everything she said but heard enough to know the answer was “Justin Timberlake”.  Her jaw dropped and I heard her say, defeated, “Oh my God! (OMG) I thought you were, like, 40!”

Well, I am like 40. And I know who Justin Timberlake is. I like to think I’m hip.

And being nearly 40, I have worldly knowledge (extend a slow nod and a knowing wink if you’re over 40). For instance, I remember the Rubik’s Cube when it first came out in the late 70’s. I also remember getting 2 sides solid before giving up and going back to riding my Flying Turtle down the drive way.

(Flashforward) – Last week, among the people we met at the ASAE Food and Wine Classic in Toronto was Eric Limeback.  Eric solved the Rubik’s cube for us in about 11 seconds.

And if you search YouTube, you’ll see videos of Eric doing this blindfolded. Really???? Yes. So I Googled it… How can it be?.

Ok, so I fell asleep in the second paragraph but I dreamed about how similar the theory is to the way we run webinars. Everything is discombobulated to start. But based on the configuration and the state of things, we (and Eric) apply certain memorized algorithms to produce the end result. It’s a collection of procedures all glued together. Every event is managed and treated differently, just as every time Eric solves the Rubik’s cube he applies a different set of algorithms.

Funny how everything comes back to webinars for me…. Funny how I’m comparing my genius with Eric’s.

Just curious: Have you ever had success in solving the Rubik’s Cube? How old were you when it first came out? Do you know who Just Timberlake is?

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Kick Start Your Webinars – 4 Factors That Affect the Health of Your Webinar Program

By Ryan Graham | Published: August 5, 2009

The economy is down.  Your association has either cancelled your annual conference or has a realized attendance decline of 30+%.  From speaking with associations small and large, from coast to coast, I’ve realized that this is a real scenario in 2009 and potentially into the near future.  Many associations have turned to webinars.  They have either been running them for years (as is true with the Association of Fundraising Professionals – https://afp.bostonconferencing.com, whom we work with) and decided to increase the volume of webinars they host OR they may have just begun to adopt webinars (as is true with the Associated Builders and Contractor, Inc. – https://abc.bcconf.com, whom we have helped to launch a new series of monthly webinars this year) and are integrating them into their meetings and professional development for the first time.

Let me be the first to say, Webinars are not new! They have been in existence for over 10 years and whether your organization has 8 years of webinar experience under your belt or has just begun your foray into webinars this year, here are 4 Factors that will affect the health of your webinar program:

  1. Webinar Frequency & Schedule – A set webinar schedule is not for every organization, but it is something to strongly consider.  We see many associations who have their entire next calendar year of webinars planned and scheduled by September.  That way people can plan for their webinars at the beginning of the year and plan their schedule around them.  Your Takeaway – Whatever the frequency of your webinars may be, the key is to maintain that frequency so people come to rely on and expect your webinars.
  2. Webinar Timeliness  (Make a HOT TOPIC Webinar Available) – In many industries these are very important, as some topics or initiatives come up and a webinar is a great way to present on them.  If you can find a good combination of frequent webinars and ad hoc webinars, that may be a great fit.  Your Takeaway – As the trusted source of information within your industry, you should always be searching out critical topics and be ready to host a webinar on those topics.
  3. Marketing Efforts – The best call to action to foster registration for a webinar is via a dedicated email blast about the webinar –and not just 1.  Send at minimum 2 and hopefully 3.  Different from a plug in a newsletter and/or website banner about the event (both of which are good compliments to the dedicated email), the dedicated email is the most effective way to promote a webinar.  You have to make it clear and simple, avoid clutter and too many calls to action.  Give people a visible place to click and register for the webinar.  Your Takeaway – Plan on distributing at least 2 dedicated emails for every webinar you host.
  4. Integration – Too many organizations have their webinars in one place, their podcasts in another and their social media networks scattered all over the place.  However the most successful organizations have adopted Knowledge Communities.
    Definition – A knowledge community brings together your education and online learning content (ie. live webinars, archived webinars, webcasts, podcasts etc.) and social media presence, displaying it all side by side.  Someone can read your blog, see your last tweet, follow you on Facebook, watch your YouTube channel, register for a live webinar and submit online continuing education credit ALL IN THE SAME PLACE! Your Takeaway – In today’s learning environment you should consider the integration of your online learning with your social media to enhance the learning experience and drive your community.
Posted in Webinars | 2 Comments

(Part I of III) Create a Strategy for a Profitable Online Community

By Dave Will | Published: July 26, 2009

We want to start a Blog. We want to do Twitter. What is it again? I just set up a Facebook site for our Association.

Every day I hear from Association Executives and business owners that they want to do {fill in the blank with choice of social media tool}. Usually it’s because they have found some connection with that particular tool or they know someone else who is doing it. What are lacking in most cases are a strategy, a plan, and measurable metrics to identify if your plan is working. Not to mention, managing a community is a commitment. The last thing you want is to put all this energy into a site that isn’t engaging.

In this blog, we’ll be posting some tips that will help you think through some components of a successful engaging and profitable online community.

Tip 1. Commit for the Long Haul

You need to decide if you’re in this for the long haul. If you’re dabbling, there are ways you can do that without risking your organizations reputation. Recognize that although it’s not a full time job to sustain a community, it’s a good hobby, for sure. It’s not a good idea to kick it off ‘just a little bit’. Or to kick it off big and then fizzle out. It will affect your credibility with your constituents. You need to continually provide good content, but you don’t have to do it alone.

Tip 2. Braintrust and Community Contributions

Take advantage of the fact that people love to talk about things they know something about. End your posts with questions. Inspire participation with controversial topics. And one of the things you can do that will really help is to find some key players in your community and ask them for their commitment to contribute. You will find that the vast majority of your community will just read posts, but a small percentage will offer a lot of content on their own. Create a “braintrust” of your favorite community members to continually provide content. Hold them to certain standards to remain a part of your “braintrust”. Check back on the PKC Blog for more tips in the coming days!

Posted in Social Media | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

We want your feedback!

By Johnson Cook | Published: July 22, 2009

This posting will allow feedback. Tell us all about your social media and how it affects professional development.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Welcome to the PKC Blog!

By Johnson Cook | Published: July 21, 2009

Welcome to the Peach Knowledge Community Blog. Here the Peaches at PNM along with contributors to webinars and other programs will be posting articles relevant to association executives and their use of new media for professional development, lead generation, and other member benefits. We are happy to have you along!

Posted in Continuing Education, Distance Learning, Marketing, Non-Dues Revenue, Social Media, Uncategorized, Webcasting, Webinars | Comments closed