Fast Association PR despite Member Input
Strong public relations begin with a deep understanding of what matters to your members. Only when an association truly knows the needs and perspectives of its community can it position itself confidently in public, respond quickly to new developments and advocate effectively for its causes.
5 minutes
Why Member Insights are Essential for Effective Public Relations
The public relations work of an association determines how it is perceived by members and prospective members:
- Is an association visible, or does it remain unnoticed?
- Does the association shape the development of topics in the media early on, or does it lag behind them?
- Does an association advocate for issues and members, or does it remain passive?
The line between effective and ineffective public relations is often a narrow one. To represent the interests of its members, an association must first know those interests. But how can it gather member opinions on developments in relevant topics and still react publicly at short notice.
Why is Public Relations such a lengthy Matter?
Timely public relations and a comprehensive opinion picture from the membership are, by nature, contradictory.
An association should respond as quickly as possible in order to steer new developments and emerging topics in the right direction. In doing so, it can have a shaping influence early on and make an important impact. Additionally, such timely action strengthens its public profile and makes it a trustworthy representative of its members. Yet the association does not always know in advance how to react to public issues. Some developments require the opinions and expertise of members and committees.
However, obtaining this opinion picture is not easy. Member consultation is often carried out by email, a process so slow that the association cannot react, or can only react with major delays, on publicly relevant matters. As a result, the association loses much of its potential for impact and visibility.
Member participation is also generally low, as replying to emails may appear too time-consuming or cumbersome. A comprehensive opinion picture cannot be formed this way. Even worse, regularly seeking input or sending written reminders about ongoing votes further reduces participation. Too many emails lead to frustration among members, lowering their enthusiasm and engagement.
Nevertheless, an association’s public work is fundamentally dependent on a comprehensive and meaningful understanding of its members’ opinions.
But relying on emails as an information channel means relying on an unreliable partner. Emails are not always delivered, they get lost, end up in spam folders, slip through filters, are not read fully, lose their attachments and are by no means as time-saving as one might think.
In the hope of reaching as many members as possible, mailing lists are created and then maintained with great effort. Granular distribution of information is, however, not possible this way. Specific groups, committees or regional areas cannot be targeted separately. Members also have no control over their own user data or the ability to manage which emails they receive or unsubscribe from.
Can Public Relations be accelerated?
Yes, public relations can be accelerated, significantly.
The first step is to shift the voting process away from emails and into your member portal. Members can participate in votes with just a few clicks, which will greatly increase participation. The resulting opinion picture becomes broader and more precise.
Create, through committees or temporary groups, a structure in which your members can quickly find their way around. It is possible to assign individual permissions to members and admins. Within such a group, responsible persons, such as group admins, can store files, documents and other materials and make them available to the group.
The more extensive and better prepared the information presented to your members is, the faster they can understand a topic and form an opinion. Integrate trustworthy external sources as well. Industry news and other relevant information can be embedded daily in the new group of your member portal using tools such as an iFrame, Twitter feed or RSS feed.
The greatest Advantages of an interactive Member Portal for your Public Relations
Simplified and accelerated press work:
All contact persons for public relations are brought together in a dedicated PR group within your member portal, making them centrally accessible. Press enquiries can therefore be directed to the appropriate members and processed more quickly and easily. For particularly important topics within the group, all members of the group are notified on their mobile devices and by email.
Always up to date through fast access:
Thanks to mobile apps and browser accessibility, members can access the portal at any time and from anywhere. Current developments, relevant interim results and outcomes are communicated more quickly and can be absorbed faster by your members. This ensures that every contact person remains well-informed. If content is missed, structured email summaries alert members to upcoming PR tasks.
All developments in real time:
By storing documents in a dedicated group, members and contact persons can work on documents simultaneously and in real time. Time-critical coordination can therefore be carried out with minimal effort, even in the busy working routine of your members.
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