--- title: "Marketing Challenges That the Pros Are Tackling" id: "37024" type: "post" slug: "marketing-challenges-that-the-pros-are-tackling" published_at: "2017-02-17T22:34:33+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T18:41:05+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/02/17/marketing-challenges-that-the-pros-are-tackling/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/02/17/marketing-challenges-that-the-pros-are-tackling.md" excerpt: "With all the noise around different marketing strategies, find out which ones the pros are actually employing. Also: The New York Times smartly adjusts headlines for mobile." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "content strategy" - "Marketing" - "Member Engagement" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Marketing Challenges That the Pros Are Tackling The sheer amount of digital marketing advice, tactics, and strategies that your association can employ can be overwhelming to choose from. Stephanie McGehee from Association Success helps cut through the noise by detailing [five marketing trends (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/15-interviews-with-association-executives-reveal-these-marketing-trends) that are actually being practiced in the association space. Here are just a couple of them: **Cross-departmental collaboration:** In 2017, it’s time to leave the marketing, content, and membership silos behind. “More and more organizations seem to be either reorganizing or implementing strategies to allow for better collaboration and insight into the types of content the association is producing and how to better leverage it across multiple channels and platforms,” McGehee writes. **Personalization:** If there’s one thing that social media algorithms are good at, it’s personalizing content to their users. Associations should take a cue from them, but that means needing more data from your members. McGehee spoke with Jason Glei, senior director of marketing at the Associated General Contractors of America, and he says its biggest challenge this year is “building a bigger, better, more robust database to further identify people and really start to hyper segment folks so they are only receiving what they want, when they want, and how they want it.” Check out the article for [more (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/15-interviews-with-association-executives-reveal-these-marketing-trends) . ### Headline Help https://twitter.com/GlennF/status/832465487820787712 **Your association is likely producing lots of content,** but are you optimizing your display copy for different platforms? *The New York Times* cleverly adjusted its [headline on a story (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/business/streaming-flights-movies.html?_r=0) about airlines phasing out screens on the back of seats because people are preferring to look at their devices. The desktop headline was written using the word “devices,” while the mobile headline simply used “this” to refer to the reader’s smartphone. It’s important to use a content management system that lets you alter headlines for SEO, as well as social, mobile, and other platforms your readers may be using. You’ll increase engagement and get more people clicking to read your stories. Gatehouse Newsroom has several tips for writing effective [headlines for different channels (opens in a new tab)](http://www.gatehousenewsroom.com/2016/08/09/how-to-write-a-killer-mobile-headline/) . ### Other links of note **Infographic of the day:** *Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog* illustrates how [communication pros spend their time (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2017/02/16/how-nonprofit-communicators-spend-their-time-infographic-npcomm2017/) managing different channels and doing different activities. **Go big or go home:** The American Society of Civil Engineers [recently sponsored](http://associationsnow.com/2015/10/civil-engineers-imax-dream-earns-corporate-funding/) a 3-D IMAX movie aimed toward children. The [Moery Company Blog (opens in a new tab)](https://moerycompany.com/association-dreams-big-3-lessons-learned/) reveals lessons all associations should learn from dreaming big. **Collaborate efficiently:** MemberClicks takes a look at the pros and cons of different [workplace communication tools (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.memberclicks.com/the-evolution-of-workplace-communication-and-what-it-means-for-your-association) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#content strategy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/content-strategy/) [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) **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 - [VideoThe Adaptive Leader: Integrating Values and Strategy to Thrive Under New LeadershipDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/the-adaptive-leader-integrating-values-and-strategy-to-thrive-under-new-leadership/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastThe Next Chapter What’s Ahead for Future-Ready AssociationsSeptember 25, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/09/25/the-next-chapter-whats-ahead-for-future-ready-associations/) - [VideoAssociation Leadership and Strategy Alignment with Tim HopkinsFebruary 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/02/12/association-leadership-and-strategy-alignment-with-tim-hopkins/) ## 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%2F2017%2F02%2F17%2Fmarketing-challenges-that-the-pros-are-tackling%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !