Author: Gordon Glenister

ASSOCIATION EVENTS – MAKING THEM WORK BETTER WITH HEATHER LISHMAN – ASSOCIATION DIRECTOR FOR ABPCO

In this episode Heather Lishman, Director of the British Professional Conference Organisers, talks about the changing face of association events.

One of the most stressful jobs, the professional event organisers role has changed considerably over the years, with them having to grapple around event tech, sustainable events, tighter and tighter budgets and more demanding sponsors.

One of the areas we talk about is the growth in event legacy and Heather cites some great examples of what associations are doing.

This podcast has been sponsored by RD Mobile - the complete events and membership engagement platform. Find out more RD Mobile | Virtual Event Platform and Member Engagement App (resultsdirect.com)

THE GOAL SETTER – WHY WE ALL NEED GOALS TO RUN OUR LIVES FT. DEBRA ECKERLING

Goal strategist Debra Eckerling is on a mission to change goal culture in and out of the workplace. She is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide and founder of the D*E*B METHOD® system of goal-setting simplified. A speaker, consultant, and workshop leader, Debra offers personal and professional planning, content development, event strategy, and team-building for executives, entrepreneurs, consultants, and companies.

Debra has spoken on stages for TEDx, Innovation Women, SCORE LA, and more, and is the host of #GoalChatLive aka The DEB Show and the Taste Buds with Deb podcast. Connect with Deb on LinkedIn or learn more about her at TheDEBMethod.com.

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THE EVOLUTION OF INFLUENCER MARKETING FT. JAMES ERSKINE

James Erskine is the Group CEO of ROCKET, specialising in telling brand’s story through creating, producing and marketing content to a children’s, youth and parent focused audience. Branded content, content marketing, advertiser funded programming, brand funded partnerships, integrated sponsorships, call it what you want, James has created, produced, managed and distributed it across all media over the last 12 years in media, marketing and communications.

Over that time he’s worked on hundreds of campaigns and integrated advertising, sponsorship, PR and promotional activity. The campaigns he’s worked on have launched products, increased basket size, won awards, driven subscription, encouraged data capture, demonstrated CRM and always demonstrated a solid return on investment.

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How do you sell products and services into the association market?

As a former director general of the British Promotional Merchandise Association and the founder of Membership World I am well placed to answer this question. There are literally thousands of associations around the world from tiny specialist niche communities to large multi-million pound companies. Members join because there Is an implied value in the services the association offers and this might vary from specialist education, industry topic conferences, social events and networking opportunities.

For the supplier the association offers an opportunity to align themselves with the organisation either as a specialist supplier member or allowing themselves to have a tailored approach in their message that is likely to be similar. For example selling an insurance service to lawyers, needs to be focused in the specific needs they may have. Also a consideration is are you aiming to provide a service for the association, or their members or both?

Here are a few ways in which you can work with associations

  • Consider joining a community that already has access to the sector for example Membership World has a vetted partner program that links suppliers with membership organisations. There are others as well. You can attend conferences and events where they will be present. Some of these you will be able to feature in newsletter, webinars and roundtable advertising promotions
  • Make sure that the offer is tailored to the industry body in any meeting and presentation. If you are offering a service for the association members too, consider a rebate or commission structure for the association as well as a benefit for members.
  • Do your research to make sure you know the key influencers in the association, they may not just be executive team members but Board members too who in many cases sign off on new projects
  • Connect with entrenched suppliers to the community and see if you can find affinities where you may support each other in a symbiotic relationship
  • Run a webinar or event yourself and promote through Google/ Facebook/ Linkedin ads with a clear focus on your audience being associations
  • Sign up to newsletters like Associations Now, Associations Management International and pitch an idea for an article
  • Create a piece of industry leading research and use this as a sign up. I have done a number of industry leading reports. This has been a great way to facilitate leads

Look at prospecting on certain industry types of association – finance. For example if the United States there are over 400 national associations for banking and finance, 700 for business, 500 for education, 800 for manufacturing, and 1,100 for science.

First of all, associations, may also be called Institutes or Royal Colleges if in the medical sector and governing bodies so ensure you understand all the different types of terminology. When it comes to your product or service it might be an idea to do some buyer profile mapping. Small organisations often have skills spread across a few staff members, eg they may not have a dedicated marketing or IT project manager, it falls under the membership or the CEO.

When you make your first association pitch use this as a test run to refine to others so you really understand how they tick. Remember in most cases membership bodies primary aim is to grow and retain its members as well as offering supporting services to drive revenue streams. On top of that they will have a wider focus on growing the recognition of the industry and educating those within it

Your final proposal should include

  • An executive summary of how you would meet the association goals
  • A company profile on your service offering and your ability to sustain a long-term relationship
  • Your experience in working with trade and membership associations - a testimonial from an existing customer might be a good idea
  • Your offering, services offered, length of period, any rebates available
  • A marketing or content calendar
  • Final summary of next steps and what actions both parties need to take to ensure success

About the Author:

Gordon Glenister is an international expert on influencer marketing and membership. As 11 years at the helm of leading trade association, he has been instrumental in the setting up of the influencer channel of the Branded Content Marketing Association and also the Meetings and Events Support Association.

WHAT MAKES THE PERFECT BRAND PARTNERSHIP – COTY INFLUENCER LEAD & TOP AGENT DISCUSS

This episode features Grace Fung (Influencer Marketing & Comms Lead at COTY) and Kay Ganesh (Co-Founder of Hypesight). COTY is one of the world’s largest beauty companies with an iconic portfolio of brands across fragrance, colour cosmetics, and skin and body care. COTY is the global leader in fragrance and number three in colour cosmetics.

COTY’s products are sold in over 150 countries around the world. COTY and its brands are committed to a range of social causes as well as seeking to minimise its impact on the environment. COTY is deeply committed to Changing the Conversation around Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in an effort to create a more open, inclusive, and diverse workplace where all employees can be their authentic self.

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INFLUENCER MARKETING CAMPAIGNS ARE BECOMING MORE PERFORMANCE LED FT. CHARLOTTE LAKE

Our guest today is Charlotte Lake. Charlotte began her career over 15 years ago within the broadcast industry working in advertising for Channel 5 before transitioning into Talent Management. It was here, looking after the likes of Meghan Markle, Lily Cole and Bob Geldof, to name but a few, that Charlotte discovered the huge potential in pairing the right talent with the right brands in order to help them thrive.

And in 2017, Project X was born! Charlotte and Co-Founder Caren of Caren Agency wanted to create an agency that gave brands an unbiased view of the marketplace, helping to pair them with talent that would answer their specific wants and needs and connect them to the right audiences, at scale. Over the last 6 years, Project X has gone from strength to strength launching and scaling the influencer marketing channel for brands including, Oddbox, Skin + Me and allplants, in order to deliver exponential growth!

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WHY TOASTMASTERS COULD HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING FT. NICK RONALD

Nick Ronald is a Division Director at Toastmasters International, a not-for-profit organisation that has provided communication and leadership skills since 1924 through a worldwide network of clubs. There are more than 400 clubs and 10,000 members in the UK and Ireland. Members follow a structured educational programme to gain skills and confidence in public and impromptu speaking, chairing meetings and time management. To find your nearest club, visit www.toastmasters.org

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PEARL & DEAN CEO SAYS CINEMA CREATES MORE ATTENTION FOR BRAND ADVERTISING

As CEO as one of the inconic advertising media companies, Pearl and Dean, Kathryn Jacob extols the benefits of why cinema is still a highly effective advertising medium. Kathryn sits on the Development Board of RADA and The Council and Board of the Advertising Association, and also where she is the board lead on inclusion work across the whole of our sector. She is the President of SAWA, which represents screen advertising companies worldwide, bringing together expertise and knowledge. She is also the very proud Chair of HOME Manchester, an iconic arts venue. This is a truly inspiring interview.

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INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN WITH 400% GROWTH IN VISITOR TRAFFIC FT. LUCY ROBERTSON

Lucy Robertson heads up the marketing team at SEEN Connects, a global creator and social agency connecting the right people to the right brands, including Nike, Panasonic, LVMH and eBay. A strategic thinker & experienced creative, Lucy loves nothing more than getting under the skin of a brand to understand how to deliver results. Lucy forged her career working for agencies such as Edelman and We Are Social where she was agency lead for brands such as Netflix, HP and LEGO. In this episide we talk about successful influencer campaigns not least of all one with retail brand Very which saw a 400% increase in Unique Visitors.

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