How Do Communities Fit With Associations in 2020
The past year has been an exciting year for online communities. Every report I have read demonstrates the growing importance of online communities. Community professionals are being allocated more staff and resources and even expanding to more in-person events (CMX 2020 Community Industry Trends Report). But what does this mean to community professionals in the association space? What does this mean for association branded online communities? Unfortunately, I believe the association space is a little behind our for-profit friends. Here are some key trends I believe association communities will need to focus on in 2020.TechnologyThe biggest complaint I hear from community professionals is not having the technology they need to accomplish their goals. Not just on the community platform, but in the technology they are provided across the organization.The needs of our community platform as an organization are much larger than providing a discussion forum. We are using our platform for committee management, mentoring, discussion forums, and a curated website for younger members. There are a lot of unique use cases for associations.I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with leaders of two community platforms being developed for associations. I was impressed that both platforms are reaching out to community professionals in the association space to listen to the needs and use cases so they can provide technical solutions in their platforms.I’m inspired by the vision in the leaders of these platforms. I will not make any predications about these platforms. However, I believe both platforms will “emerge” in 2020 to shake up the tools currently being offered to associations. It should be a fascinating year.Member Journey (Open vs. Closed)The buzz word I keep hearing is “member journey.” This takes on a different meaning in the association vs. community space. We need to consider what this means in the association community space. Whether you are mapping it or not it is happening….We need to consider the member experience from the member perspective in every touch point we create for our members. I’m an “officer” or “leader” in multiple non-profit organizations. It’s really enlightening to engage with national organizations at this level to experience what their member journey looks like. What are my frustrations? What do I wish could be improved? The digital world is vast. One bad experience will eliminate a potential member.Association communities need to do a better job of expanding on social media following. It’s not enough to say this is our community and this is our social media presence. These two should be feeding each other in the “funnel” that is the member journey. How do we attract, engage, and recruit members for our associations? In 2020 we need to be more strategic about all communication and community channels to influence the member journey.“Real-Time Communication” When we look at community platforms, we are noticing more focus on creating “in-person” events for the community. It makes sense, right. You want to meet people in person after you’ve communicated with them over a period of time. One of the highlights of my job is when you finally get to meet an active volunteer. However, associations are a little different. We already have “in-person” events. They are local chapters, right? How does your community supplement these local chapters? Do you provide them more support within the community space? What does that relationship look like? These are some great questions we can begin to tackle in 2020.I’m noticing there has been a focus on creating more “real-time” content in association communities. Webinars and AMA (Ask Me Anything) events have been extremely popular. We are seeing a trend of trying to connect people in real time. I’m not sure where this goes or what this means. But…. It will be fun to watch in 2020.ConclusionI believe there are so many great things online community can accomplish for associations. Association executives need to be aware of the impact communities are having on the bottom line of for-profit organizations. Research shows more and more companies are investing in their communities because they know the impact on business goals. I hope association executives are willing to look at the data and start investing more resources to make online member communities thrive.