One of the proven marketing techniques I find so many organizations do not take full advantage of is social proof in the form of good testimonials from customers and members. This is particularly surprising in the case of membership organizations, where a sense of affiliation and loyalty are absolutely essential for generating sales of educational products and service.
There are many ways to go about getting testimonials without a great deal of effort. It just requires a little planning and a few simple – and often free – tools. These include: [click to continue…]

To wrap up 2011 and tee things up for 2012, I reached out to a number of colleagues at associations, learning technology firms, and other consulting firms across the sector to get their predictions (things they think will happen) and wishes (things they think ought to happen) in association education in 2012. In the first part of what follows, I have tried to weave all of the input into a cohesive narrative that spans five major themes:
Following this narrative, I provide the full input from each person who participated. There is a great deal of good insight here – all of which merits careful consideration if not action. I encourage you to share this and discuss it with colleagues at your organization.
Many thanks to everyone who took the time to provide input. I welcome feedback as well as other predictions and wishes in the comments.
Jeff
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