Don’t get me wrong: Every association needs to have an active and diverse digital presence. Social media, email marketing, website… all of these boxes need to be checked in order to promote your association and engage current and prospective members. The Internet’s ability to give your audience instant access to your organization is as powerful as it is effective. But there’s another tool for education, engagement, and recruitment that shouldn’t be ignored – a printed publication. Yup, the latest thing in marketing comes off a printing press.
A Publication as a Differentiator
The average American spends almost half of their day looking at a screen. We’re inundated with content through our phones, computers, TVs, and tablets. We consume so much information that very little of it actually registers as meaningful; it’s estimated that only a fraction of the content consumed stays with us for more than a few hours.
A publication isn’t another screen. It’s an experience that is removed from the bombardment of content found through electronic devices. With a printed publication, an association can get what many advertisers and influencers are so desperately after online: the full attention of their audience.
A Versatile Tool
A publication is one of the most versatile tools in an association’s marketing arsenal. A magazine can be part of a membership renewal sequence or a new member marketing initiative, as well as a resource to be sold to non-members as part of a non-dues revenue stream. Ad sales generated from an association’s publication can be used to cover the cost of the publication, as well as usually become a valuable source of revenue in times of membership downturns.
For many associations, the printed publication is one of the most valuable and tangible benefits of membership. If our experience with the Ruffed Grouse Society is any indication, a magazine is, or could be, the most effective piece in renewing and attracting members for many associations – including yours.
Want to learn more about reviving or starting a printed publication for your association or nonprofit? Get in touch. As one of the largest custom magazine publishers in the Midwest, paired with our extensive membership marketing experience, there are few other companies better suited to helping your association adopt the latest, effective membership marketing tool, a printed magazine.
Article written by:
Wes Sovis
Business Development Manager
