--- title: "Wednesday Buzz: Members Want to Know the Benefits" id: "26456" type: "post" slug: "wednesday-buzz-members-want-to-know-the-benefits" published_at: "2014-12-10T18:39:28+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T13:13:12+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/12/10/wednesday-buzz-members-want-to-know-the-benefits/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/12/10/wednesday-buzz-members-want-to-know-the-benefits.md" excerpt: "An association marketing pro notes the danger of a key messaging disconnect when discussing member benefits. Also: why digital transformation isn't coming along so easily for many companies." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Digital Transformation" - "Marketing" - "Membership" - "Messaging" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Wednesday Buzz: Members Want to Know the Benefits Question: Do your marketing materials focus on the benefits of your association or the features of what you offer? If the answer is the latter, SCD Group’s Steve Drake suggests you may have a problem. [In his most recent blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.scdgroup.net/2014/12/to-hell-with-your-associations-grass.html) , Drake explains a piece of advice he received from a PR professor four decades ago: “If you are in the lawn seed business, remember that your audience is saying, ‘To hell with your grass seed, what will it do for my lawn?’” The point? People don’t just want to know what you’re offering; rather, they want to why it matters to them. Drake says he sees this issue crop up in associations everywhere, and marketing pros need to help them fix it. “Almost all association marketing professionals know that we should share benefits, not features, yet we plaster features all over our association websites and materials,” he writes. How do you think you’re doing on this front in your messaging? ### Graphic of the Day **Altimeter Group’s Brian Solis,** the opening general session speaker at [ASAE’s 2012 Technology Conference & Expo](http://associationsnow.com/2012/12/brian-solis-the-coming-flood-of-member-data/) , is a smart guy—and in case you need a refresher as to why, [his latest blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.briansolis.com/2014/12/digital-transformation-year-review/) is a great place to start. Solis breaks down how companies are doing with digital transformation. The news isn’t encouraging for many companies, which are throwing loads of money at new technologies but failing to focus why these advancements are important. And selling true change can create conflict in boardrooms. “In most cases, digital transformation takes an internal change agent to spark a sense of urgency, gain support, and pave the way for a more formal, collaborative approach to change,” Solis writes. “The human side of all of this is about the people in different parts of the company who are pushing for change. They’re fighting politics, egos, skepticism, and uncertainty. They’re on the front lines, in the hallways, in the conference rooms, bringing people together to find ways to not only collaborate but solve for problems and opportunities.” ### Other Links of Note **Former Michigan Gov. John Engler** has been busy in the association world in recent years, and last week he reaped a reward for his hard work: *Association TRENDS* [named the Business Roundtable president (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationtrends.com/news/trends/headlines/2015-association-executive-of-the-year-john-engler) its association executive of the year for 2015. **Even if you don’t have a big budget,** your event can still punch above its marketing weight. The *Event Manager Blog* [has a few ideas to help (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-marketing) . **Does your association have a Sina Weibo presence?** The CFA Institute is using the social network as one way to reach its growing Chinese audience, [according to SocialFish (opens in a new tab)](http://www.socialfish.org/2014/12/association-social-media-cfa-institute/) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Digital Transformation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/digital-transformation/) [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#Messaging](https://associationsnow.com/tag/messaging/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyACI Brand GuidelinesMay 6, 2020](https://associationsnow.com/2020/05/06/aci-brand-guidelines/) - [VideoRecap from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 19, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/19/recap-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoDaily Recap: Day 1 from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/daily-recap-day-1-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F12%2F10%2Fwednesday-buzz-members-want-to-know-the-benefits%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !