Sherlock Holmes once said, “The temptation to form premature theories upon insufficient data is the bane of our profession.” Was he talking about detective work or membership marketing?
One of the biggest problems associations face is falling into a marketing rut - not only in terms of the message, but also the audience. You think you know who your prospects are based on organizational precedence. You have your lists, and you send your materials to the names on those lists, hoping your message strikes a chord. The problem is, your message can be fantastic, but if it’s directed to the wrong audience, it can go virtually unnoticed.
Sherlock Holmes solved crimes, but he used the art of elimination to do it. Physicians are very adept at this as well; many tests today are employed to rule out a particular disease or condition. As a marketer, how effective are you at ruling out audiences that aren’t receptive to your message?
The American Ceramic Society’s (ACerS) PURL campaign addresses this issue specifically. Yes, a PURL campaign can be a risky, unconventional tactic. But in this instance – where the organization’s goal was not recruitment per se, but to find the audience most ripe for recruitment later – it was an idea with legs.
How often have you developed a can’t-miss marketing campaign, only to see it fizzle with little response? Have you pinpointed the reasons for your challenges? How have you addressed them?
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