Membership

Social Media Roundup: The Dangers of Diversification

Why associations shouldn't mistake broadening the audience for growth. Also: an ad by Apple that'll get the waterworks going.

Here’s a sure path to for disaster: trying to be all things to all people.

Sometimes, it’s best to admit that your organization is good at certain things, and leave the spare corners of the market to someone else. More thoughts on this in today’s Social Media Roundup:

Narrow Your Scope

Sometimes it’s the members you don’t bring into your organization that make you better.

That’s the take of Smooth The Path‘s Amanda Kaiser. In her latest blog post on Association Marketer, Kaiser breaks down a common misconception about where an organization’s growth should come from. Long story short: Breaking away from the narrow focus and tight audience your organization already has can be dangerous and ultimately destructive to your core mission.

“More is the path to destruction,” she argues. “Diversification sounds great on paper but if you have 20 things you have to do you can never get great at doing one of them. If you answer to five or 10 or 15 member audiences, you can never get great at serving one of them, let alone all of them. When we personally wear too many hats we too become ineffective.”

If that point isn’t clear enough for you, perhaps this cartoon version might help. (ht @MultiView)

Tearjerker of the Day

Apple knows a thing or two about beautiful, effective marketing—which is why it’s always worth checking out the company’s ads as examples of current marketing trends.

Apple’s latest ad combines something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, then puts it all on an iPad in a dramatic moment. The simple but beautiful duet between a granddaughter and grandmother will most certainly make your eyes feel like you’ve been cutting onions. Enjoy! (ht @ASegar)

(iStock/Thinkstock)

Ernie Smith

By Ernie Smith

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. MORE

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