Creating and maintaining fresh content for an association website is a common pain point for many of our client partners. Finding the time to write content from scratch can be hard to fit into a busy schedule, but adding new content is one of the most important steps you can take to retain your current visitors and draw in new ones.
So how can you balance the need for fresh content with the lack of time available to actually create it What many associations don't realize is that they're already sitting on a treasure trove of valuable, ready-to-use content. Leverage your industry connections, your members and, most importantly, their expertise, to create compelling, useful content that drives visitors to your site and grows your membership.
1. White Papers, Research Publications, or Op-Eds
Has anyone within your association been published in an industry magazine or journal lately? How about in an op-ed for their local newspaper? Most likely, members of your organization are already producing great content that is just waiting to be shared.
Content Idea: Write a two-paragraph blurb about the article's subject, the author, and their role within your association. Include a few block quotes from the piece, credit and link back to the original source, and you're done!
2. Conference Presentation Slide Decks
Many associations' headline events are annual conferences. Most of these events feature industry leaders giving informational lectures or keynote speakers. Sharing this information isn't always possible, but it never hurts to approach your presenters to find out if they're alright with making their presentation available on your website.
Content Idea: Upload a presentation slidedeck to a website like Slideshare, making sure that the slides are branded with your association's logo or at the very least the conference name. Embed the slideshow in a blog post and write 3 bullet points summarizing the key facts or analyzing the presentation. Title it "Takeaways from [PRESENTATION NAME] — 2013".
3. Member Interviews/Profiles
Every association has members who like to take on a more active role in the organization. Take advantage of your most passionate advocates and ask them if they'd be alright taking part in an interview that you can use on your association's website. This doesn't have to take place in person or even over the phone. You can simply send the questions over in an email and ask them to answer them at their leisure.
Content Idea: Ask questions regarding their career, skills, and accomplishments, as well as why they enjoy being active in your organization.
4. Give Away Your Resources for Free
Got a great PDF e-book normally only provided to members? How about an industry guide? As much as you may want to use that resource as a way to draw in membership, why not give something away for free to demonstrate the value of a membership? By doing this you're offering a tangible benefit to prospective members while also giving a glimpse into the quality of resources a full membership provides.
5. Infographics
In today's increasingly mobile device-centric world, quick and easy ways to consume large amounts of information are becoming even more important. Infographics are a great way to see large amounts of information and statistics in an easily digestible visual form. Sharing these with your site users is easy, and doesn’t require you to make your own!
Content Idea: Use a site like visual.ly or Pinterest to find infographics relevant to your industry and members. Then share it in a blog post or across social media. Many infographics feature easy-to-share buttons or an embed code with instructions for placing it on your website. Be sure to credit the author!
Bonus Idea: Use a member survey or industry data to create your own infographic!
6. Job Listings
One clear motivation to join a professional association is the opportunity to expand your career opportunities and professional network. These motivations also tend to be among the most searched terms in Google related to professions. Take a look at the second most searched result for "nursing":
Why not take advantage of this ready-made traffic source as a way to draw prospective members (or current ones) to your site?
Content Idea: Take advantage of relationships you have with key industry contacts. Post a "Job of the Week" on your website.
7. Link roundups
One of the easiest blog posts to write regularly is a link roundup. This can be done once a week, once a month, or whenever you have time. Collect links to stories or articles relevant to your members and combine them into one simple post. This doesn’t require much effort, especially if you are a regular social media user.
Content Idea: Compile all the links you’ve posted on social media for the week (or month). Write a brief description about what you found interesting about each.
