Content, Experience, and Revenue: The Formula Behind Digital Member Value
Associations have leaned on a familiar rhythm for member value: an annual conference, maybe a quarterly magazine, and a lot of quiet in between. That rhythm no longer matches how members expect to engage, according to speakers at a recent webinar co-hosted by Naylor Association Solutions and TaleWind Digital, “Digital Destinations: The New Model for Member Engagement and Association Revenue.”
Dan Stevens, founder of TaleWind Digital, Darryl Lazarenko, an Association Success Manager at Naylor Association Solutions, and guest Carol Miller, Chief Marketing Officer at MHI, a supply chain trade association behind two major trade shows, presented an impressive case study of digital member value.
Stevens opened with a framework built around three coordinated elements: content, experience, and revenue. He cited ASAE’s 2026 State of the Association Sector Report, which lists membership retention and revenue diversification among associations’ top ongoing challenges. Lazarenko added that data from Naylor and Association Adviser’s 2025 Association Benchmarking Report shows non-dues revenue has ranked as the top challenge for association professionals for three consecutive years, cited by 61% of respondents. The two speakers agreed that these challenges are rarely solved because associations tend to treat them as separate problems, when in practice, they’re deeply connected.
To illustrate what a coordinated approach looks like in practice, Miller walked through MHI’s experience. Over more than a decade, the association built a content ecosystem that includes a quarterly print magazine, weekly and monthly newsletters, and a video and podcast library. Lazarenko noted this year marked the first time the association’s digital ad revenue surpassed print, and that advertisers who bought two or more placement types renewed at notably higher rates than those who bought a single placement.
Here are the top 10 tips from the webinar:
Stop trying to solve engagement and revenue separately. Associations that treat member engagement and non-dues revenue as one connected system rather than two separate initiatives tend to make more progress on both. When content, the member experience, and revenue are planned together, each one reinforces the others.
Match content to how members actually consume it. MHI’s mix of print, video, podcast, and web content reflects the reality that some members read, some watch, and some listen. Miller pointed to that variety as a major factor in the association’s engagement scores, noting that members who prefer a deep read still have the magazine, while those who want a quick hit have short-form video.
Make your events work more than once. Interviews, keynote recordings, and session footage captured live at a conference or trade show don’t have to disappear once the event ends. MHI repackages that content into videos and podcasts released after the event, extending an event’s value well past its final day and giving attendees who missed a session a way to catch up.
Launch without starting from scratch. A branded content hub doesn’t require a multi-month website rebuild. Stevens described a process that organizes content an association already has, fills identified gaps, and can go live in roughly 90 days, starting with an audit of what’s working and what isn’t.
Turn your sponsor list into a content calendar. For associations working with a limited budget, Stevens suggested a simple exercise: list current sponsors and exhibitors, note what each could speak to as a subject matter expert, and flag which of those topics members would genuinely care about. What’s left is the start of a content calendar that costs little to produce.
Let engagement data guide your content structure. Stevens noted that MHI’s video content holds attention at a far higher rate than industry averages, and that pattern shapes future decisions. When a topic is more complex, the association leans on added graphics and animation to keep videos concise rather than simply making them longer.
Gate content strategically, not immediately. Early in a content strategy, Stevens recommended keeping most content open to build an audience and attract advertisers. As that audience matures, associations can become more selective about what’s gated, offering it free to members while charging non-members, a distinction that reinforces the value of membership itself.
Build in a regular strategy review. MHI holds an in-person planning session each year to walk through what’s working across every content product and what needs to change. Miller and her collaborators described these sessions, built over a decade of history together, as central to how the strategy has evolved over time.
Repurpose long-form content for social media. Short clips pulled from longer videos and podcasts extend the life of that content on channels like LinkedIn, where MHI has found its professional audience most active.
Know your audience before you build anything. Miller’s advice for associations considering a similar path: define your audience’s needs first, deliver content in the format they prefer, and let the revenue follow from there. She was candid that sustaining a content strategy takes real, ongoing commitment—it’s not a one-and-done.
Digital content works most effectively as part of a connected infrastructure. When content, member experience, and revenue are planned as one system instead of three separate line items, associations put themselves in a stronger position to solve the retention and revenue challenges that keep showing up at the top of every industry survey.
View a recording of the webinar here: Digital Destinations: A New Model for Member Engagement and Non-Dues Revenue
Photo courtesy of Nadya_Art/Shutterstock.com.