--- title: "Separating the Inbound Marketing Wheat From the Chaff" id: "30681" type: "post" slug: "separating-the-inbound-marketing-wheat-from-the-chaff" published_at: "2015-10-19T18:47:33+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T17:52:53+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/10/19/separating-the-inbound-marketing-wheat-from-the-chaff/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/10/19/separating-the-inbound-marketing-wheat-from-the-chaff.md" excerpt: "There are plenty of digital marketing tools out there, but how can your association know which to invest in? Plus: An ethical argument for blocking ads." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Marketing" - "Social Media" - "Tech Tools" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Separating the Inbound Marketing Wheat From the Chaff Trying to separate the tools that can actually help your association reach its target audiences from the tools that fail to impress? Nicholas Scalice, the marketing consultant behind [Earnworthy (opens in a new tab)](http://earnworthy.com/about/) , has a new feature that’s right up your alley. In the first entry of the [Inbound Tool Review (opens in a new tab)](http://earnworthy.com/sprout-social-review/) , Scalice takes a look at [Sprout Social (opens in a new tab)](http://sproutsocial.com/) , a social-media media management platform that’s been building momentum among publishers. But what separates Sprout from the multitude of other social media admin tools? [Scalice breaks it down (opens in a new tab)](http://earnworthy.com/sprout-social-review/) : “One of my favorite features of Sprout Social is the Smart Inbox,” he writes. “This centralized repository brings together all of the messages from your connected profiles into a single, filterable stream. It is very well-executed, and if you’re trying to fly through every message so that you don’t miss anything, it makes the process a breeze.” And for any association with a social presence large enough to require the efforts of more than one designated team member, Scalice has nothing but good things to say about Sprout’s capabilities for collaboration. “If you’re primarily looking for a solution to [be] used with a decent-sized team, Sprout Social is the obvious winner,” [he writes (opens in a new tab)](http://earnworthy.com/sprout-social-review/) , while focusing on real-time Smart Inbox editing, task management, shared publishing calendars, and publishing permissions. But Sprout, or whatever social media management tool your association uses, is just one piece of the puzzle. [Keep an eye on Earnworthy (opens in a new tab)](http://earnworthy.com/) to see more praiseworthy inbound tools. ### Conference of the Day > We’ll be live-tweeting the Strategic Communications & Storytelling Summit tmrw from the hashtag [#RaganStorytelling (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaganStorytelling?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > . Feel free to chime in! > > — PR Daily (@PRDaily) [October 19, 2015 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/PRDaily/status/655926105715683328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **“Done right, stories transform your entire company,”** declares the Strategic Communications and Storytelling Summit website, and [we happen to agree](http://associationsnow.com/2014/05/storytelling-defines-branding/) . To learn about all aspects of storytelling, from C-suite communications to editorial processes, follow the summit’s hashtag [#RaganStorytelling (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23RaganStorytelling&src=typd) . ### Other Good Reads: **“I thought the tech world would be full of new voices and people.** It hasn’t happened.” [Lastminute.com (opens in a new tab)](http://www.lastminute.com/) Founder Martha Lane Fox’s [spirited call for more women to enter the technology sector (opens in a new tab)](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/18/martha-lane-fox-technology-women-computing) can be found in *The Guardian*. **Trying to get a head start on taxes, whether your own or your organization’s?** *Tax Advisor* Senior Editor Sally P. Schreiber [lists numerous tax provisions (opens in a new tab)](http://www.thetaxadviser.com/newsletters/2015/oct/expired-tax-provisions-no-relief.html) that may expire this year unless Congress takes action. **Is it ethical to block ads?** While publishers and advertisers struggle with ad blocking, Oxford Internet Institute student [James Williams (opens in a new tab)](http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/?id=275) takes [an interesting dive into the ethics of ad blocking (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2015/10/why-its-ok-to-block-ads/) . (Toltek/Thinkstock) [Morgan Little](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Tags: [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) [#Tech Tools](https://associationsnow.com/tag/tech-tools/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **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 - [VideoRecap from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 19, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/19/recap-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoAttend MMC+Tech 2025 in Washington, D.C.!April 2, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/02/attend-mmctech-2025-in-washington-d-c/) - [ArticleWhat AI Means for Your Marketing Team (and Your Next Hire) October 28, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/28/what-ai-means-for-your-marketing-team-and-your-next-hire/) - [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%2F2015%2F10%2F19%2Fseparating-the-inbound-marketing-wheat-from-the-chaff%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !