Wednesday Buzz: 2018 Trends That Will Affect Associations

In an ever-evolving landscape, it’s important for associations to be reactive to industry changes, as well as proactive when emerging trends start to bubble up, in order to stay relevant.

Association management company SmithBucklin shares the 20 key trends  (opens in a new tab)that it says will affect all associations in 2018.

What’s first on the list? The pursuit of loyalty.

“Associations strive to build strong relationships with members and other stakeholders because ultimately, loyalty will not only sustain associations but also enable growth,” says the report.

The paper provides advice for associations to better leverage loyalty, including valuing members’ actions, capturing and acting on feedback, and using devoted members to recruit new members.

In addition, the report discusses other strategies, such as optimizing nondues revenue  and using member knowledge for content. “By properly leveraging that knowledge and passion, associations can create an unmatched, self-sustaining content model that rivals that of a world-class news organization,” the report says.

Community Revival

Reviving A Struggling Online Communityhttps://t.co/q6nuRC2okZ  (opens in a new tab) #cmgr  (opens in a new tab) #esn  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab)

— Richard Millington (@RichMillington) January 17, 2018  (opens in a new tab)

If an online community starts to fade and previous tactics stop working, what’s the best way to bring it back to life?

A recent Feverbee post  (opens in a new tab) suggests you may need to revamp the entire concept or purpose of the community—or even make the tough decision to close it down.

If you do decide to start all over, the post provides guidance for relaunch, including tips on employing the CHIP method and validating your new community concept.

Other Links of Note

Social media calendars aren’t easy to create. SocialFish shares five ways to generate a stronger calendar  (opens in a new tab) for your social accounts.

You’ve just completed a fundraising campaign. Now what? Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog offers up a few follow-up tactics  (opens in a new tab).

Event coverage on social media can be a lot of work. The Eventbrite blog shares 10 social tools  (opens in a new tab) that could make it a little easier.

(natasaadzic/iStock/Getty Images Plus)