{"id":9306,"date":"2019-12-20T08:00:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T08:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=9306"},"modified":"2019-12-19T22:08:38","modified_gmt":"2019-12-19T22:08:38","slug":"successful-sales-series-testing-out-new-marketing-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/successful-sales-series-testing-out-new-marketing-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Successful Sales Series: Testing Out New Marketing Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you made the huge decision to build a sales department for your association. Now what?<\/p>\n

There are a lot of valuable marketing tools out there, and it can be intimidating to choose which to implement in your sales department. What makes them less intimidating is how you approach them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re looking at the whole cake like you need to eat it all, but take it one bite at a time,\u201d said Elyce Gronseth, marketing supervisor at Naylor Association Solutions.<\/p>\n

She likes to keep this advice in mind when she is feeling overwhelmed in any given situation.<\/p>\n

When looked at on an individual basis, many of these suggested association marketing tools are quick, easy and fairly cheap to get started. Take the vital tool of KPIs, for example.<\/p>\n

Setting your key performance indicators<\/strong><\/a> (KPIs) is a crawl step that follows through every other step of the way. Before you attempt implementing any other tools, your association\u2019s internal team should decide what data points you will use to measure the success of sales and marketing efforts, Gronseth said. Designating which metrics signal success to your association will allow you to ask yourself throughout the process, \u201cAre we on pace to hit our success metric goals?\u201d<\/p>\n

This is what campaign analysis is all about \u2013 figuring out what is working and what isn\u2019t so you can then retool things if you need to.<\/p>\n

Start with these tools:<\/p>\n

Social Media<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Social media is one of the easiest tools to start working with since your members are already engaging with these platforms. It is an ideal gateway tool to try out before other marketing tactics that require more investment. If you want to get a feel for what members might pay for, Gronseth recommends trying fun and engaging tactics like polls and quizzes. Questions to consider asking: \u201cWould you pay for this type of event?\u201d or \u201cDoes this webinar topic interest you?\u201d Once you have an idea of what is piquing your members\u2019 interests, you will have a better idea of how to successfully use other tools.<\/p>\n

Nurture Campaigns<\/h2>\n

Nurture campaigns are another essential tool to determine what is working and what isn\u2019t. A nurture campaign is a type of email campaign that is based on a prospect\u2019s behavior. Targeted information that relates specifically to the prospect is presented using previously gathered data. The goal of one of these campaigns is to distribute relevant information to the prospect so that he or she is more likely to engage with your association.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about knowing your demographic and figuring out what is the best way to get to them. For example, in email campaigns, you should test different email styles (such as a letter style versus a nurture style) to see which is going to appeal to different clients.<\/p>\n

Having already established nurture campaigns, associations can then feed extra information or sales tidbits to members that may tip the scales with regard to more event registrations, paid community members, or filled sponsorships without members feeling like they\u2019re getting a sales email, Gronseth said.<\/p>\n

Content Marketing<\/h2>\n

Content marketing<\/strong><\/a> is another tool that often feels heavy to association professionals, but realistically can be as simple as identifying a problem that your association\u2019s members have and writing an article about how to solve that problem, Gronseth explained. Once members feel like they\u2019re getting valuable information from their association, they are more likely to engage with all of the extra things that the association offers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more you come across as a trusted resource that is aware of the problems that your membership faces, the better the whole sales cycle is going to work. Each of these sales pieces is going to be even stronger,\u201d Gronseth said.<\/p>\n

Account-based Marketing<\/h2>\n

Imagine pursuing a potential client for years but are never able to get a hold of, no matter how many times you call or email. You then launch an account-based marketing campaign and, within a week, three people from that company call you back.<\/p>\n

And it only cost you $5.<\/p>\n

Account-based marketing<\/a><\/strong> is \u201ca form of marketing that uses highly targeted, personalized campaigns to win over particular accounts. Rather than relying on blanket campaigns that are meant to appeal to an entire market, account-based marketing treats individual accounts as markets in their own right,\u201d according to the Information Technology Services Marketing Association<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is a real example of how account-based marketing (ABM) benefits Naylor\u2019s association clients, Gronseth said. ABM campaigns can be a very effective way to reach your target demographic (such as advertisers wishing to reach association audiences) through digital marketing. Outsourcing ABM services is also an option that helps organizations avoid having to hire a ton of new staff.<\/p>\n

Talking to other associations that have experience employing ABM tools can be extremely helpful when attempting to establish an ABM plan. You can get answers from sister associations who are already using these tools successfully, or you can get answers from other association professionals you meet when attending conferences. Consider asking questions such as:<\/p>\n