Marketers used to see case studies as just an added bonus – the “whipped cream” on top of everything that their company does.  If they had the time to get around to them, they were great to use to brag with.  But, I am telling you that a well-executed case study, if used correctly, is far more important than that.  It isn’t a mere brag – it is PROOF of the industry-relevant, problem solving, superhero skills that your business is wielding.

Many of you might be wondering what the heck we mean by membership engagement.  Hey, completely understandable... but sorry to say that there isn’t a clear cut answer.  Membership Engagement isn’t just the newest buzzword that people like to sling around - it’s a real thing, but it will mean something different to each association. 

Today marks the start of Trending Up's #33DaysofStrategy, a celebration (and get-the-word-out-there promotion) of our latest product, the DIY Agency-Level Marketing Plan. 

So, you are wondering if you are offering enough membership value as an association.  That is awesome that you are even thinking about it. Having it at the top of mind is so crucial because, as you know, your members are the life blood of your organization.  You HAVE to keep them happy.

Step One: Lower Your Expectations… obviously, I’m joking. But seriously, you have been doing this for how many years now?  I’m sure it seems like a really daunting task to have to pass on all of that knowledge and experience to your sales team.  But, the fact is, without setting your sales team up for success and without adequate sales training your team will flounder, you will experience a ton of churn on your sales team, and your overhead door company will fail to grow.

I’m not telling you something you don’t already know here, but the overhead door industry is unique. You are working with so many different types of customers—homeowners, small business owners, big business owners and even mid-level executives who handle buying and repair decisions. Because you work with such a varied client base, attracting prospects may seem to be a complicated matter.

Well, today is the day.  The day that you, hopefully, got your act together and got that special someone in your life one of the typical, disgusting, pink and red, plush or chocolate presents.  If you haven’t gotten it already, then get your ass in gear and get to the closest drug or grocery store so you can stand in the card aisle with the rest of the assholes who forgot to pick something up and field the comments from every big-mouth person in the store, all containing the words “last” and “minute”.

So, to start off… what the hell is membership engagement? I know a lot of you might have been thinking that.  Well, that’s ok because there isn’t a clear cut answer.  Membership Engagement isn’t just the newest buzzword that people like to sling around - it’s a real thing, but it will mean something different to each association. 

We have all sat through a boring presentation.  Maybe it’s a topic that we are already familiar with, maybe the topic is too far over our heads, or maybe the person giving the presentation just has your sleep number dialed in and is slowly lulling you into a coma.

Listen, I get it.  You have a life, and you would prefer if it wasn’t spent totally in front of your computer screen.  At the same time, you want to make sure that you are making the right choices when it comes to your marketing efforts, and you also want to be able to show the value of your marketing and how it impacts the bottom line of your business.