{"id":371,"date":"2012-11-05T09:33:49","date_gmt":"2012-11-05T09:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/index.php\/2012\/11\/05\/newsletter25006_371\/"},"modified":"2012-11-05T09:33:49","modified_gmt":"2012-11-05T09:33:49","slug":"newsletter25006_371","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/newsletter25006_371\/","title":{"rendered":"Research: Associations Battling Info Overload and Clutter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100px; margin-bottom: 10px; height: 98px; margin-right: 10px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/NAY-ADVISER\/assets\/hank%20berkowitz%20resized.jpg\" alt=\"\" align=\"left\" \/>By Hank Berkowitz<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Information overload, combined with communication clutter, tops the list of association membership communication challenges by a wide margin. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/ssl.naylor.com\/benchmarking\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">proprietary research<\/span><\/a> and interviews with hundreds of association leaders throughout North America clearly support this hypothesis. But, there are plenty of other communication hurdles associations face (see chart below) and we\u2019ve found that these challenges can vary greatly by industry.<\/p>\n<p>This month, we looked at five major industries\u2013health care, building &amp; construction, education, government and food &amp; beverage\u2013that account for almost half of the 700 associations we surveyed, to see how they\u2019re handling their member communication challenges and adjusting to the fast-changing media and information landscape.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/NAY-ADVISER\/assets\/takeaways.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"border: 1px solid black; background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse;\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Associations across all industries continue to grapple with information overload and communication clutter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Regardless of industry, members are busier, more distracted and increasingly difficult to reach.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">No two industries have the same member communication challenges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Company members and individual members have very different needs. A one-size-fits-all communication approach won\u2019t cut it any more.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 534px; height: 344px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/NAY-ADVISER\/assets\/aa%20april%202011%20feature%20story%20graph.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Communicating Member Benefits<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The need to &#8220;<span style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\">communicate member benefits more effectively&#8221;<\/span> was the second-most frequently cited communication challenge by associations in building &amp; construction, government and health-care associations, but that challenge ranked only fifth among education associations (see table below).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You have to keep spelling it out and hitting \u2019em over the head with your message,&#8221; one building &amp; construction association exec said. Another association leader, Adrienne Dayton, vice president of marketing and communications for the 1,250-member <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nssea.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">National School Supply Equipment Association <\/a>in Silver Spring, Md., said she\u2019s learned to keep member communications brief and not to ask for more than one &#8220;call to action&#8221; at any given time. &#8220;They\u2019re very very busy. Don\u2019t make them have to think too much,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Maintaining Role as Industry Voice and Authority on Regulatory Issues<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The need to<span style=\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\"> &#8220;maintain our position as the No. 1 voice of our industry&#8221;<\/span>was the second-most important challenge for education and food &amp; beverage associations we surveyed, but only the fifth-most important challenge for government associations we talked to. Likewise, <span style=\"font-style: italic;\">&#8220;<span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">providing <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">timely legislative, regulatory or technical updates&#8221;<\/span><\/span>was thethird-highest worry for government associations, but only sixth highest for health-care and building &amp; construction associations and seventh highest for education and food &amp; beverage associations.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Ranking of Association Communication Concerns by Industry<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">on a scale of 1 (highest) to 7 (lowest)<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"border: 1px solid black; background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; border-collapse: collapse;\" border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black; font-weight: bold;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"151\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Concern<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"63\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\">Bldg &amp; Constr.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"74\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\">Education<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\">Food &amp; Beverage<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"66\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\">Govt.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"78\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\">Healthcare<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"96\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">ALL INDUSTRIES<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"151\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Information overload\/cutting through clutter<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"63\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"74\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"66\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"78\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">1<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"96\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">1<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"151\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Communicating member benefits more effectively<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"63\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"74\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"66\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"78\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"96\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">2<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"151\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Maintaining position as No.1 voice of industry<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"63\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"74\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"66\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"78\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"96\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"151\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Customizing communications for different sub-segments<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"63\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">4<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"74\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">4<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"66\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"78\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">4<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"96\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">4<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"151\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Keeping members informed about events, webinars, continuing ed.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"63\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"74\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">4<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"66\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"78\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"96\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"151\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Providing timely legislative, technical, regulatory updates<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"63\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"74\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"66\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">3<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"78\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"96\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">6<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"151\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Monitoring our online brand\/reputation<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"63\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"74\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"73\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"66\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"78\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"96\">\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Source: Naylor, LLC and Association Advider eNews, 2011<\/span><\/p>\n<p>(complete rankings and percentages available in <a href=\"https:\/\/ssl.naylor.com\/benchmarking\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">full report<\/span><\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Our survey sample of nearly 700 associations included 101 health-care associations, 67 in building &amp; construction, 55 in education, 24 in government and 15 in food &amp; beverage.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Not Over-communicating<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Charles Sadler, executive director of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sgmp.org\" target=\"_blank\">Society of Government Meeting Planners<\/a> (SGMP), said his organization has a policy of not sending more than one email a day. &#8220;My deputy director keeps me in line about that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Also, we don\u2019t allow advertisements on our home page. We don\u2019t want to interfere with the messaging and interfere with who we are.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, Susan Neely, head of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ameribev.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">American Beverage Association<\/a> in Washington, D.C., said she tries to be very judicious about how often she sends her &#8220;From the Executive Director&#8221; members communiques. It\u2019s very effective when used selectively, but loses its impact when overused. (See <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/nay-adviser\/articles\/index.asp?aid=149085&amp;issueID=25006\" target=\"_blank\">Corner Office Profile<\/a><\/span> of Susan Neely in today\u2019s issue)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Customization for Different Members <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Stephen Dupuis, CEO of the 1,350-member <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bildgta.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\">Building Industry and Land Development Association<\/a> (BILD) of Ontario, said you need to have customized communications for each of your member sub-segments and you need to be as succinct as possible in all your communications. Give members a very short synopsis plus a link to the full story if they want more. &#8220;It\u2019s got to be timely and relevant and it\u2019s got to be \u2018stuff that they can\u2019t read about in the newspaper,\u2019&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ihca.com\" target=\"_blank\">Illinois Health Care Association<\/a> (IHCA) Executive Director David Voepel said, &#8220;Our biggest challenge is finding the perfect vehicle to meet our all members\u2019 communication needs.&#8221; IHCA members include nearly 400 licensed and certified long-term care facilities and programs throughout the state, plus more than 275 associate and individual members.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Legislative and Regulatory Updates<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">\u00a0<\/span>Sadler said SGMP has a carefully sequenced program of alerts and awareness notices set up. It also has a set weekly schedule for member renewals and &#8220;what\u2019s new in the magazine.&#8221; But a weekly ad-hoc schedule is reserved for unexepected rule and policy changes that affect members as well as information about the national conference. Some of the nicest messages received from members all the time are, &#8220;Thank you for not sending us too much crap,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>IHCA\u2019s Voepel said, &#8220;The long-term care profession is constantly evolving with new regulations, etc. and it\u2019s a challenge for us to get our members all the information they need in as efficient a manner as possible.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Impact of Social Media<\/span><\/p>\n<p>According to our research, more than 71 percent of food &amp; beverage associations are touching members via social media on a weekly or more frequent basis. Across all industries, that figure was only 49.4 percent and was just a few ticks higher for associations serving building &amp; construction, education and health care. Case in point, The ABA just landed its 7,000th Twitter follower and has more than 700 Facebook fans. The organization\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ameribev.org\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\">Sip &amp; Savor<\/a> blog is updated and tweeted daily and consistently ranks among the five most-visited pages on the ABA website.<\/p>\n<p>BILD has also been very proactive in the use of social media and social networking, Dupree said. &#8220;We have a Facebook fan page for the association,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We have a Twitter feed and just got our 10,000th page view to our new blog, Build Blogs Dossier. We also have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.renomark.ca\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Renomark<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">, <\/span>a microsite it developed to help individual homeowners find reliable renovators.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other industries are more tempered in their enthusiasm for social media, and government associations were the least likely of the five major industries studied to use it regularly to touch members. SGMP\u2019s Sadler admits he\u2019s an &#8220;old school guy&#8221; whose organization is still coming up with the right mix of social media policies and procedures.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We need to make sure the social media we offer is integrated with our bigger integrated communication platform,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We want to set up each channel correctly and make sure it follows our brand messaging and consistency.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>NSSEA\u2019s Dayton said &#8220;We continue to experiment in all the primary social networking spaces. We feel we have to be there, but so far, we\u2019re not seeing much fruit from our labor.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Changing Face of Communication Flagships<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Thanks to a variety of economic, demographic and technological changes, our research shows two-thirds (66.5 percent) of the nearly 700 associations surveyed have changed their flagship member communication vehicle in the past three years. For instance, only 32 percent of health-care associations and only 38 percent of food &amp; beverage associations now use their member magazine as the communication flagship. Case in point, ABA doesn\u2019t even publish a member magazine.<\/p>\n<p>Dayton said the weekly e-newsletter (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nssea.org\/Publications\/essentialsweekly.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">Essentials Weekly<\/a>) is now her organization\u2019s communication flagship. It\u2019s been much easier to get timely information out to members via the newsletter, especially since the member magazine has been cut back to quarterly, from bimonthly, due to declining advertising pages.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, BILD now considers its e-newsletters instead of its member magazine to be the organization\u2019s communication flagship, according to Dupuis. Rather than a single weekly e-newsletter, BILD alternates two bi-weekly e-newsletters to keep members up to date. Liaison focuses on government lobbying and advocacy issues and Home Pages focuses on broader membership and association issues. In fact, electronic newsletters are the most-frequently cited communication flagship in the building &amp; construction association sector overall.<\/p>\n<p>IHCAs\u2019 Voepel said it\u2019s hard to nail down one flagship vehicle and he prefers to take a holistic approach. &#8220;We communicate with our members in so many ways,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Our communication efforts have been evolving over time and will continue to do so. We\u2019re certainly very proud of our redesigned <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ihca.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a> and have received very positive feedback from our members. In addition, our magazine <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nxtbook.com\/nxtbooks\/naylor\/IHCQ0310\/#\/0\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">LTC Today<\/span><\/a> stands right out as one of our premier communication pieces. We\u2019ve also launched a Facebook page and are working on adding members to it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">The Future<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Naylor CEO Alex DeBarr said industry up-and-comers across all markets are &#8220;digital natives&#8221; who intuitively do everything online.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Associations need to understand the age demographics of their membership,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They\u2019ve got to ask: \u2018What kind of information do you consume? Where else do you go to get your information?\u2019 It\u2019s not a matter of print versus online. It\u2019s what kind of information do they seek?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>NSSEA\u2019s Dayton agrees they prefer everything electronic, but worries that electronic communication is so much easier to delete.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At IHCA, social media has certainly become a huge part of how younger generations communicate and was one of the reasons we launched our Facebook page,&#8221; Voepel said. &#8220;We\u2019ve had good initial success and will continue to build on it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dayton said associations will continue to grapple with how to get and keep members\u2019 attention when they have so many other sources of instant, free information. BILD\u2019s Dupree said it\u2019s not just about keeping members informed about government regulations and the housing market, but handling the media\u2019s portrayal of the &#8220;big bad developers,&#8221; or in ABA\u2019s case, the &#8220;sugary soft-drink makers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The toughest part is keeping focused on your organization\u2019s core mission when you\u2019ve made so many changes in the past 24 months,&#8221; said SGMP\u2019s Sadler. &#8220;It a real challenge to make sure everyone, including the board, is up to speed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, BILD\u2019s Dupuis said it\u2019s all about &#8220;connecting the dots from initial input to final outcome\u2013and how the association played a role.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Keeping everyone up to speed when things are changing at the speed of light. More easily said than done. But our research and discussions with industry leaders show associations have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt during the recession and their hard work will be rewarded as economic conditions continue to improve. Those kinds of dots are easy to connect.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"><a href=\"mailto:hberkowitz@naylor.com?subject=Association Adviser eNews July 2011\" target=\"_blank\">Hank Berkowitz<\/a> is the moderator-in-chief of <\/span>Association Adviser <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">e<\/span>news.<\/p>\n<p>Take our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.naylornetwork.com\/nay-adviser\/newsletter-v2.asp?issueID=25006\" target=\"_blank\">reader poll<\/a>. Fast results. Find out what your peers are thinking.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<table style=\"border: 1px solid black; background-color: #dcdcdc; margin: 5px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse;\" cellspacing=\"3\" cellpadding=\"3\" align=\"center\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border: 1px solid black;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 10pt;\">Rate this article 5 (Excellent) to 1 (Poor). Send ratings and comments <\/span><\/span><a href=\"mailto:associationadviser@naylor.com?subject=July%20lead%20story\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic; font-size: 10pt;\">here.<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Information overload, combined with communication clutter, tops the list of association membership communication challenges by a wide margin. But associations face plenty of other communication hurdles, too.<br \/>\n<em>By Hank Berkowitz<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Research: Associations Battling Info Overload and Clutter - Association Adviser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/newsletter25006_371\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Research: Associations Battling Info Overload and Clutter - Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Information overload, combined with communication clutter, tops the list of association membership communication challenges by a wide margin. 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