I don't have anything to add from a Marketing stand point today, I just wanted to say Merry Christmas!
I hope everyone has a great holiday with family and friends and enjoys sometime off from work. The NALS office will be closed beginning today and continuing through the New Year. I am sure I will still be doing some work from home over the break so if you have any questions or want some help, shoot me an email or post it as a comment to this post and I will be checking in.
Anyway, Happy Holidays!
See you in 08!
Jay
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Know Your Product!
There will be a short article by our Marketing Director, Rose Carter, in the next Leading the Way set to be posted at the NALS website later this week about knowing your product. This is an essential part of the marketing mix and should be the foundation for all marketing efforts. You should know everything there is to know about your product and the benefits your product provides to its end user. When I say benefits I don't just mean the standard "education", "networking", and "development." I mean get to the REAL benefits such as feeling a part of something or belonging, making friends and forming relationships, or maybe finding a new or better job. It is all how you word things and "networking" does not sell a reception like "making the connection to land your dream job" does. You will need to know everything about your product so that you can develop some promotion that brings some emotional tie to it. This emotional tie will make it a can't-miss event and will have your members and guests excited!
Another aspect of knowing your product is knowing the competition. You need to evaluate competitive products or events and learn ways to differentiate your product from it. Use their good ideas and add to it your good ideas to create the ultimate product. Don't be afraid to use their good ideas...just don't create an exact replica.
I want to thank everyone that reads this blog and I look forward to seeing some new comments regarding these posts!
Jay
Another aspect of knowing your product is knowing the competition. You need to evaluate competitive products or events and learn ways to differentiate your product from it. Use their good ideas and add to it your good ideas to create the ultimate product. Don't be afraid to use their good ideas...just don't create an exact replica.
I want to thank everyone that reads this blog and I look forward to seeing some new comments regarding these posts!
Jay
Friday, October 26, 2007
Introduction to Marketing and the Marketing Mix
In popular use "marketing" is the promotion of products or services. Many people use it synonymously with advertising, while advertising is an aspect of marketing they are not one in the same. Marketing is a social process which satisfies consumers' wants or in our case what members or potential members want. Marketing will include advertising, distribution and the selling of a product or service. It will also be concerned with anticipating the members' future needs and wants.
Good marketing is derived from knowledge of what it is the consumers need or want. This can be obtained through market research. This knowledge should drive all marketing aspects. Do not get consumed with trends and ideas that other markets may use successfully. They do not necessarily transfer their success to the association market. I am not saying that we should be aware of what they are doing and possibly utilize some aspects of their campaigns but there should be thought applied to insure that your members and potential members will be receptive to it and it will be successful.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) states, "Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizaitonal objectives."
Okay on to the stuff that you can use!
The Marketing Mix is a good way to determine the strategic position of a product or service in the marketplace. This is not a new concept, according to Wikipedia the origin of the Marketing Mix was in the late 1940s and was presented to the AMA in the 1950s. I was taught to remember the Marketing Mix as the four P's.
PRODUCT - The service(s) or good(s) that you offer your members or potential members. Your products will range from education, meetings, and events to your logo items and products. One thing to think about in the association market is that your products will often time be intangible. Remember that you will be offering a sense of belonging, satisfaction, and joy with your members and this comes from your members feeling like part of the family. Other intangibles will be an enhanced sense of professionalism by being a part of the association. These are going to be the "PRODUCTS" that will keep your members attached and active in your association.
PRICE - This is the amount one will pay for your product(s). Your price should be determined by a number of factors and not just arbitrarily decided upon. You need to think about your costs, competition costs, your market share, and (possibly the most important) the consumers perceived value of the product.
PLACE - Place represents the location where a product can be purchased and where it may take place. With associations a key point is the location of an event or the time of a meeting. These aspects must be carefully thought out so that it does not limit the attendance or participation. Remember that "PLACE" does not have to be a physical location, it can also include virtual locations online.
PROMOTION - Now for the fun part right? Promotion is what most people think of when they hear the word "marketing". This is the covering, the part everyone will see and hear. While many people think that this is what sells the product I think that if a focus is put on the product itself along with its price and its place the promotion just has to inform the consumers of those things in an affective way. Promotion does have four distinct elements that will work together to be successful. These four elements are Advertising, Public Relations, Word of Mouth and Point of Sale. Advertising is all things that are paid forin the promotion of the product whether it is a print or radion ad or even a promotional product that is used to help promote the product. Public Relations are pieces that are not directly paid for such as press releases, sponsorship deals, exhibitions, press coverage or community forums. Word of Mouth is any informal communication about the product or service by ordinary individuals. Word of Mouth is probably the most affective form of promotion because the consumers often hear positive comments from people they trust rather than on a billboard or in a magazine. Point of Sale is the experience the consumer has when he purchases the product or uses the service. This is extremely important for association because a positive point of sale experience can leverage that member into a life time participant in your activities and services.
The optimizing of these aspects of the Marketing Mix is the basic responsibility of marketing. If you are able to utilize these aspects of marketing development your services and products will be a success!
• information adapted from Wikipedia •
Good marketing is derived from knowledge of what it is the consumers need or want. This can be obtained through market research. This knowledge should drive all marketing aspects. Do not get consumed with trends and ideas that other markets may use successfully. They do not necessarily transfer their success to the association market. I am not saying that we should be aware of what they are doing and possibly utilize some aspects of their campaigns but there should be thought applied to insure that your members and potential members will be receptive to it and it will be successful.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) states, "Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizaitonal objectives."
Okay on to the stuff that you can use!
The Marketing Mix is a good way to determine the strategic position of a product or service in the marketplace. This is not a new concept, according to Wikipedia the origin of the Marketing Mix was in the late 1940s and was presented to the AMA in the 1950s. I was taught to remember the Marketing Mix as the four P's.
PRODUCT - The service(s) or good(s) that you offer your members or potential members. Your products will range from education, meetings, and events to your logo items and products. One thing to think about in the association market is that your products will often time be intangible. Remember that you will be offering a sense of belonging, satisfaction, and joy with your members and this comes from your members feeling like part of the family. Other intangibles will be an enhanced sense of professionalism by being a part of the association. These are going to be the "PRODUCTS" that will keep your members attached and active in your association.
PRICE - This is the amount one will pay for your product(s). Your price should be determined by a number of factors and not just arbitrarily decided upon. You need to think about your costs, competition costs, your market share, and (possibly the most important) the consumers perceived value of the product.
PLACE - Place represents the location where a product can be purchased and where it may take place. With associations a key point is the location of an event or the time of a meeting. These aspects must be carefully thought out so that it does not limit the attendance or participation. Remember that "PLACE" does not have to be a physical location, it can also include virtual locations online.
PROMOTION - Now for the fun part right? Promotion is what most people think of when they hear the word "marketing". This is the covering, the part everyone will see and hear. While many people think that this is what sells the product I think that if a focus is put on the product itself along with its price and its place the promotion just has to inform the consumers of those things in an affective way. Promotion does have four distinct elements that will work together to be successful. These four elements are Advertising, Public Relations, Word of Mouth and Point of Sale. Advertising is all things that are paid forin the promotion of the product whether it is a print or radion ad or even a promotional product that is used to help promote the product. Public Relations are pieces that are not directly paid for such as press releases, sponsorship deals, exhibitions, press coverage or community forums. Word of Mouth is any informal communication about the product or service by ordinary individuals. Word of Mouth is probably the most affective form of promotion because the consumers often hear positive comments from people they trust rather than on a billboard or in a magazine. Point of Sale is the experience the consumer has when he purchases the product or uses the service. This is extremely important for association because a positive point of sale experience can leverage that member into a life time participant in your activities and services.
The optimizing of these aspects of the Marketing Mix is the basic responsibility of marketing. If you are able to utilize these aspects of marketing development your services and products will be a success!
• information adapted from Wikipedia •
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Purpose of this Blog
I should have been more clear in my first post as to what the purpose of this blog is going to be. Blogs are meant to be ways of communicating but more of an arena for one person or team of people to post information for others to read and comment on. Blogs are not necessarily a place for dialogue and conversation but more a place for people to gather information or read someones thoughts and then make comments on them.
That said I will be using this blog to discuss marketing and communications information that I think is beneficial to members of NALS and potential members of NALS. I will also try to help those in need of marketing or communications assistance by providing tips and other useful information so that they can more effectively market their state or chapter association's programs and benefits. I would like the comments sections to stay on topic with the original post the comments are in reference to, but feel free to pose questions or add your experiences to the post.
The beauty of blogs is that you can subscribe to them and then you will be notified by an RSS feed reader that new information has been posted...thus eliminating the need to arbitrarily surf back to the page.
I hope this helps and keep an eye out for some marketing tips in the near future!
That said I will be using this blog to discuss marketing and communications information that I think is beneficial to members of NALS and potential members of NALS. I will also try to help those in need of marketing or communications assistance by providing tips and other useful information so that they can more effectively market their state or chapter association's programs and benefits. I would like the comments sections to stay on topic with the original post the comments are in reference to, but feel free to pose questions or add your experiences to the post.
The beauty of blogs is that you can subscribe to them and then you will be notified by an RSS feed reader that new information has been posted...thus eliminating the need to arbitrarily surf back to the page.
I hope this helps and keep an eye out for some marketing tips in the near future!
Getting Started
Hello Everyone,
I am Jay Moore the Communications and Marketing Manager for NALS...the association for legal professionals. In my efforts to keep NALS up-to-date and on top of the technology ladder I am starting a marketing blog. Since blogs are now common place we can begin using them and pretend that we are ahead of the game! Just kidding, the legal community is not the first at anything technology wise so it is normal for us to be on the second or third train when it comes to technology.
I hope to post information that will help you all with marketing your local and state associations as well as help with communicating to your members. I am sure I will also post some things that have little to do with either but I think of as good information. I will try my hardest to tie it in somehow to marketing or communications...fortunately pretty much anything can be tied into these things!
Sit back, relax and enjoy the information I post...or don't. Whatever you like works for me.
I am Jay Moore the Communications and Marketing Manager for NALS...the association for legal professionals. In my efforts to keep NALS up-to-date and on top of the technology ladder I am starting a marketing blog. Since blogs are now common place we can begin using them and pretend that we are ahead of the game! Just kidding, the legal community is not the first at anything technology wise so it is normal for us to be on the second or third train when it comes to technology.
I hope to post information that will help you all with marketing your local and state associations as well as help with communicating to your members. I am sure I will also post some things that have little to do with either but I think of as good information. I will try my hardest to tie it in somehow to marketing or communications...fortunately pretty much anything can be tied into these things!
Sit back, relax and enjoy the information I post...or don't. Whatever you like works for me.
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