Wednesday Buzz: Do You Need a Digital Advisory Board?

From giant corporations to small associations, organizations are trying to boost their savvy about digital outreach. That’s led to an increase in so-called digital advisory boards. But what do these groups actually do?

“Typically made up of six outside experts under 50 years old, digital advisory groups meet regularly to coach management on ways to reach different audiences and emerging marketing tools such as virtual reality,” Wall Street Journal reporter Joann S. Lublin  (opens in a new tab) writes in her story on the trend  (opens in a new tab).

And sometimes these groups kickstart some significant results. Lublin cites the case of Medtronic PLC, a medical device company that former Vice President Nancy Katz admitted “had no Facebook. We had no Twitter. We had no YouTube.”

Katz led the creation of a digital advisory board in 2011, and since then, Medtronic has established a sizable presence on Facebook  (opens in a new tab), Twitter  (opens in a new tab), and YouTube  (opens in a new tab).

While Lublin’s story focuses on businesses, the concept has strong potential for associations looking to improve their digital efforts.

Question of the Day

If you’re involved with your association’s newsletter, ask yourself that question, and then head over to Network for Good and read Senior Content and Marketing Associate Liz Ragland’s Lesson in Segmentation  (opens in a new tab).

Other Good Reads

The term “Yuccies” may be the worst title for a cultural subgroup in history, but there are some interesting insights into the DIY ethic driving younger employees in this post by writer David Infante on Mashable  (opens in a new tab).

Get some crowd-management tips from an unlikely source with this post  (opens in a new tab) from BizBash editor Alesandra Dubin  (opens in a new tab) on how the Anime Expo handles its growing attendance.

Don’t just hire employees—create employees for life. Some tips from Blue Rooster founder Kevin Conroy  (opens in a new tab) on CMSWire  (opens in a new tab) will help.

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