Are You Ignoring The Value Of Your Professional Memberships?
Written by: Vicki Amendola
Like any other group of professionals, resellers should be looking to build professional networks and uncover new industry resources, as well as optimize revenue-generating opportunities. One way to further these goals is by becoming a member of a professional industry or trade organization. Here are some common advantages of professional memberships:
· Professional networking at local, regional, and national levels
· National, industry-specific publications
· National, regional, and local seminars, workshops, and symposiums
· Professional certification opportunities
· Exclusive Web sites and other tailored resources about the industry on the Internet
Above all, membership in industry organizations can provide marketing opportunities already targeted to the specific audience you are trying to reach.
In ECM (enterprise content management), several of these organizations are available, including AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management), TAWPI (The Association for Work Process Improvement), and ARMA (Association of Records Managers and Administrators). I recently had the opportunity to sit and talk with John Mancini, president of AIIM, to discuss how AIIM members may — or may not — be leveraging the marketing power of their membership. When it comes to marketing advice, his is simple: Focus on where the users are looking. For example, take a look at the first five benefits listed on the membership page of the AIIM website:
1. Free press release distribution service; only AIIM trade members enjoy unlimited press coverage in Inside ECM eNewsletter and at www.aiim.org, attracting nearly 20,000 unique visitors each month.
2. Free listing on AIIM’s online buyers guide — where customers come to make purchase decisions
3. Free listing in the annual AIIM Guide to ECM Purchasing and in the AIIM section of the AIIM/OnDemand Show guide
4. Free submissions to the AIIM online searchable vendor white paper/case study library
5. Significant discounts for enhanced marketing exposure at AIIM events and online seminars, and in AIIM publications and industry research projects
Of these five benefits, Mancini explains that the first four items on the list are “sorely underutilized.” “I am constantly amazed at the disconnect that exists between how the channel markets itself, and where end users are looking for information on document solutions,” he says. Why? Sure, getting your name out in front of the AIIM crowd at the annual expo and in other AIIM sponsored events and publications should be an important part of your marketing plan. But items 1 through 4 represent the kind of resources end users rely on most often when looking for content management education or when making content management purchases. (A recent AIIM study indicated that more than 50% of end users list a visit to an industry or association web site as one of the top two resources used when looking for information on a local service or solutions provider.) “Quite simply, membership can afford enormous visibility for your company and the ECM products and services you provide, enabling you, the ECM provider, to leverage your marketing dollars.”
By all means, take advantage of this kind of increased marketing muscle, but don’t underestimate the impact that can be gained by becoming active in the organization. Involve yourself in the organization. Over the past year, the most successful resellers I have spoken to were active members in industry trade organizations, some even heading regional AIIM chapters. It serves as proof that the more you engage yourself in the organization, the more you will receive from your participation. Membership can open a pathway to a national, and often international, community of like-minded individuals and organizations, presenting opportunities for competition, professional recognition, and educational advancement.