Business people illustration

Why People Join and Renew – or Don’t; the Value of Conveying Benefits and Your Commitment to Innovation

by Media

Asked what keeps you up at night, one respondent wrote: “Growth and innovation… how to find new offerings (and staffing to support that) to keep our mature members engaged.” According to Marketing General’s 14th annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, innovation and clearly conveyed benefits can drive membership success.

Executives reporting increases in one-year and five-year membership levels and increases in new member acquisitions and member renewals are significantly more likely to consider their organization to be extremely or very innovative. About one-quarter of respondents currently have a framework in place for innovation and new ideas (26%, up from 20% in 2021) and one-third are working on developing a process to support and grow innovation and new ideas (32%, up from 27% in 2021).

Just like the Q&A period can be the most beneficial part of a webinar, individual comments in the back of a survey report can be the best part of those. In both cases, they can just be so much more specific. Here are some key respondent quotes from Marketing General’s 14th annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, which can be downloaded here.

Ask members to get members. “The most valuable recruitment strategy is enlisting the support of current members. A current member testimonial is invaluable. We ask current members for referrals and introductions, we ask for testimonials, and we recognize the current member as the referral source in our newsletter when announcing new members.” Of the marketing channels used for member recruitment, email (48%), events and meetings (30%), and member referrals (28%) are considered the most effective.

Ask the right questions. “We utilize member satisfaction surveys to determine what benefits to highlight to potential members, which benefits to remove, and other ways we can improve the membership experience. We do these about every other year, but we would like to do them every year to better support our strategic plan.” When creating the survey questions, ask yourself, “What do you want to know?” For instance, if you were running the nhà cái uy tín nhất Việt Nam, you might want to understand whether your users prioritize security, game variety, or payment options. Do your subscribers want an app version of the brand? Is there price sensitivity? What topics do they want covered? It’s important that the surveys are timely (don’t contact an expired reader about why they didn’t renew two years later). Also, keep it brief (“this is a 3-minute survey”) and make sure that at least one question is open-ended.

Share key information. “We’ve shifted to offering more white papers and infographic documents sharing important data with our members that they can share with the C-suite, keeping members engaged.” This works on a few levels—shows transparency and trust; delivers important information; and gives staff a way to look good with their higher-ups.

Start young. “We have an extensive and successful program to engage students and trainees that runs year-round with science and soft skills webinars, networking and panel discussions.” We may not see the revenue return on this right away, but it’s certainly worth the investment, plus it can uncover more young and diverse people for your regular programs.

Don’t give up on non-renewals. “For several years, we have run an acquisition campaign that begins approximately 2 months after our non-renewed members lapse. This campaign targets these lapsed members as well as other targets we have in our database with an email and telemarketing campaign. Benefits of membership renewal at this time include prorated membership fees and a contest where all renewed members are entered into a prize draw. This campaign usually results in 15–20% of our acquisitions annually.” Results show that organizations with renewal rates at or above 80% are significantly more likely to offer a two- to three-month grace period. But going beyond a simple phone call—contests are always well-received—makes sense.

Convey your benefits. “Know your audience! What are their challenges? How can your organization help? What is your competitive advantage over the competition? Then, create a persona and carve benefits specific to the target audience. Make it short, specific and digestible.” Another respondent wrote: “We developed a member benefit summary that outlines all the benefits that the member has received.”

Tell stories digitally. “Digital content—podcasts, interviews, webinars—have been a great tool for engaging members and letting them tell their stories.” Lack of engagement remains the top reason that executives believe members do not renew their membership (52%, up from 50% in 2021). About one-third of respondents report that members do not renew because they believe the membership lacks value.

Again, you can download the report here.

sia-impact-awards-new (2)

SIIA’s New Impact Awards Have Gravitas, Industry Value, and a ‘Nice’ Ring to Them

by Media

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
—Jackie Robinson

When considering what to name our new awards last year, several great words were suggested. But when we thought about the mission—to acknowledge leadership in the publishing industry, specifically championing Emerging Talent and Equity—“Impact” certainly stood out.

Thus, the Impact Awards are a part of a continuing commitment by SIIA (AM&P Network’s parent organization) to help our members achieve better outcomes in diversity, equity and inclusion, and spotlight and develop outstanding young professionals across the publishing industry.

The entertainment industry has their EGOT status for those who win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. With our esteemed and new Impact Awards, SIIA just might have the equivalent with our Neals, Impact, CODiES and EXCELs. Reaching NICE status would be quite the accomplishment.

The Impact Awards are broken down into two categories:

Emerging Talent recognizes those age 35 and under who have 3+ years of service to the industry and have demonstrated outstanding success and leadership potential.

Equity Awards recognize individuals and teams demonstrating significant progress and identifiable achievement toward efforts related to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. Within this category there are several sub-categories of awards including:

  • Individual Contribution
  • Outstanding Employee Resource Group (ERG)
  • Team Award (organization with less than 50 employees)
  • Team Award (organization with 51-99 employees)
  • Team Award (organization with 100-149 employees)
  • Team Award (organization with 150+ employees)

The application includes several short-answer questions that describe actions taken to elevate equity within a community, supported by meaningful and measurable results. Nominees have the option of uploading additional PDF documentation to support their nomination.

Nominated projects/initiatives or ERG accomplishments should have occurred—or in the case of ongoing efforts, begun—between April 1, 2021, and June 1, 2022.

In a Lunch & Learn introducing the awards last month, Alexis Redmond, managing director, legal, risk & compliance community, Manufacturers Alliance, talked about crafting your submissions like you’re telling a story about yourself—and it being a good exercise for your career.

“You have an opportunity to really shape a nice narrative that you could use again,” Redmond said. “Because a lot of times those same things you can pull into cover letters [or bios] later, you can pull into your narrative about your ability to make an impact. And then for those groups that are submitting, [your submissions] are going to show the legacy that you’re having for [organizations,] for publishing and for society.

“I always recommend to people as they are thinking about their submissions, that you think about how to structure it really clearly… What’s the situation? What actions did you take as a result? Make it so that if you handed it to your grandma, [she] would know exactly what you’re talking about. When I’ve submitted for things, I have the one person who knows me well, who can tell me if I forgot to include something. And one person that doesn’t know me at all who can tell me if any of it makes sense.

“For those who are on the organizational side, tell us how you’ve overcome a challenge; tell us how you rallied the troops and got everyone together,” Redmond added.

Speakers also encouraged people to sign up to judge. It will be an opportunity to read firsthand the DEI strategies being implemented in our industry. Impact Award judging will take place virtually from Sept. 12-26. During this period, participants can explore various aspects of innovation, including the rising trend of crypto casinos, which has been a significant topic of discussion in recent industry forums. Judges will then convene for a 2-hour, live, digital roundtable discussion on Sept. 28 to determine the winners. A celebration luncheon will be held on Nov. 15.

“My main piece of advice is definitely don’t be afraid to apply and be confident when you apply,” said Nicole Racadag, the team lead of publications at the American College of Radiology. “Especially think outside the box when thinking about your nomination letters and who you want to write a letter for you. It doesn’t always have to be your supervisor or your colleague in the publishing community, although you can certainly ask them.”

The application period goes until Sept. 7. You will find all the nomination information here. You can sign up to judge here.

To circle back to the beginning quote, today I saw this story tweeted out by Ron Fournier, a former publisher and editor of Crain’s Detroit Business:

When the great baseball star and Black icon Jackie Robinson died, his widow [Rachel] called [Bill] Russell and asked him to be a pallbearer.

“Sure but … why?” Bill asked her.

“Because you were his favorite athlete,” she said.

NeemaRoshaniaPatel

Diverse Sourcing, Staff Cooperation and Active Listening Can Help Content Shine

by Media

“Most importantly, diversity in sourcing quite simply makes our journalism better,” Neema Roshania Patel, editor of The Washington Post Next Generation Audience Development team, wrote on Poynter recently. “More reflective of our world. And more accessible.” Neal Award-winning articles are reflecting this.

“There are always trade-offs when someone has to cycle off of daily coverage to do something bigger,” Ben Fidler, BioPharma Dive senior editor, wrote when I asked him about having the time to do long-form stories—in connection with his winning a 2022 Neal Award for an article on the physician-executive behind Verve, a biotechnology company created to protect the world from heart disease.

“In our case, because we have a small team, it means others have to pick up the slack quite a bit. But we all know that and aspire to write great stories. So when someone has an idea in the works, we come up with a plan to give them the time they need to execute efficiently. And I think that goes for other publications at Industry Dive, not just BioPharma. Many journalists I’ve spoken with here want to write standout stories, not just daily churn.

I bring this up because we’re having an Editorial Council meeting and discussion with two more Neal Award winners, Rachel Engel of Lexipol and Barbara Spector of MLR Media. The topics they covered—A Tribute to Female Essential Workers; and Reckoning: Family Businesses Confront Race, Racism and Inclusion—may not have been on the radar three years ago. But times have certainly changed.

Here are tips for creating a conducive atmosphere for these types of stories:

Be inclusive. Both the articles by Engel and Spector use a range of sources. “Diverse sourcing makes us more trustworthy arbiters of the news,” added Roshania Patel (pictured). “A 2021 study from the Reuters Institute shows that younger people have a strong interest in coverage that is clearly more diverse and inclusive, with an emphasis on ‘human, personal and real stories.’ …Are we engaging with a diverse range of sources, even when the story isn’t explicitly about marginalized groups?”

Encourage your colleagues. “As writers for a B2B publication, we have to have business angles in our stories. But business stories can be elevated to have so much more to them, and we are absolutely encouraged to get to those heights,” Fidler wrote to me. “As I reported this out and saw the story getting bigger, my colleagues pushed me to keep going and make it as great as it could be.”

Get others on your staff involved. Added Fidler: “We hired a photographer. Got the design team involved. It turned into a significant effort. As a senior editor, I may have gotten more instant trust in the idea, but this story could’ve been pursued by anyone who went after it.”

Present a positive big picture. According to an extensive new Pew Research Center survey of nearly 12,000 working U.S.-based journalists, 70% of journalists surveyed say “they are ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ satisfied with their job, and an identical share say they often feel excited about their work.” And an even larger majority say they are extremely proud of their work. But “when asked to describe their industry in a single word, nearly three-quarters of journalists surveyed (72%) use a word with negative connotations, with the most common responses being words that relate to ‘struggling’ and ‘chaos.’”

Be vulnerable—it’s okay. In an article titled The Surprising Power of Simply Asking Coworkers How They’re Doing, The Harvard Business Review said this: “Seek feedback from your colleagues, especially those who are junior to you. Demonstrate your trust in them through the way you communicate and act on their feedback. For example, expressing vulnerability by acknowledging their views and talking openly about challenges you’re facing humanizes the relationship you have with your peers and direct reports.”

Listen actively. “Active listening is about listening to understand rather than just to hear. That isn’t inherently difficult—but it does require much more of a conscious effort than the passive approach most of us normally take,” writes Fast Company, reporting on the “three A’s” of active listening: A constructive Attitude; a dedication of Attention; and Adjustment: “Maintain a degree of flexibility to follow the course of what a speaker is sharing with you rather than trying to anticipate what will be said.”

 

 

EdSAFE Alliance

SIIA Announces New Partnership With EdSAFE AI Alliance

by PolicyPress Release

The Software Information & Industry Association (SIIA) and the EdSAFE AI Alliance (ESAA) announce a new partnership focused on the responsible use of AI in education. The two organizations will work together to engage with educators, technology companies, policymakers and regulatory bodies to advance initiatives.

“SIIA is thrilled to partner with the EdSAFE AI Alliance to work together to promote safe and equitable AI in education. Our members believe in the importance of the responsible deployment of technology in the classroom and never has that been more important than with the advances in AI. We look forward to working with our member companies and ESAA on this critical topic,” said Paul Lekas, SVP of Global Public Policy.

“We are proud to launch this collaboration with SIIA and its membership. They will be adding to and joining the global community connecting and providing leadership in the development of a safer, more equitable and trusted education ecosystem of Artificial Intelligence,” said Dale Allen, PhD, Co-Founder of ESAA and President of the DXtera Institute. “ESAA brings together existing networks, frameworks, education organizations, ministries, research and standards bodies to provide global leadership, strengthen local work and develop benchmarks, frameworks and standards to enable innovation and build trust for the safe use of AI in education.”  

With over 450 members, SIIA is the principal trade association for the software and information industry worldwide and the only trade association for the ed tech industry. SIIA members provide critical tools for in class, remote and hybrid learning that enhance the learning experience at all levels. As AI in education continues to evolve, SIIA remains at the forefront of representing its members and the industry at large to policymakers around the world.

ESAA is a global alliance of AI ed tech and education leaders committed to establish a healthy ecosystem within the AI education industry. Spread across 20 countries with more than 200 participants, ESAA provides a foundation for building frameworks, community, resources and standards to establish a unified approach to help users and regulatory bodies work together on AI in ed tech issues. 

For more information please reach out to Pam Golden at pam@glapr.com or Lauren Lopez at lauren@dxtera.org.

Patent

SIIA statement on the Patent Examination and Quality Improvement Act of 2022

by Policy

Today the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) issued this statement on the the Patent Examination and Quality Improvement Act of 2022:

SIIA commends Senators Leahy and Tillis for the introduction of the Patent Examination and Quality Improvement Act of 2022.  Poor quality patents are a tax on innovation in the software and information industries. The bill recognizes the importance of examination time and resources, as well as the technical training needed for examiners of critical emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.  We look forward to working with the sponsors to help this bill become law.