Forum - April 2012

Step 3: Define when and where mobile makes sense for your audience. Consider when and where your audience will be using the mobile solution. If a member may be using an association mobile app on their commute to and from work, would they most likely want to read content, participate in a discussion, listen to a podcast or look up a contact? It’s unlikely they’re going to be reading the organization’s constitution or consuming large amounts of information. Will they have Internet access? Will they be on the job where your association will be providing some type of resource to help them do their jobs better? Will they be reading a hard copy of the association’s publication, where an inbound text campaign could invite them to request information about an upcoming conference that would be later sent to them via email?

Consider the Whole
There are many things to consider when
putting together your association’s over-
all mobile strategy. Taking the time to
consider the entire organization will
build more value in the mobile projects,
potentially benefit multiple departments
and create long-lasting engagement for
the organization. After you’ve worked
through the steps to build a mobile
strategy, you may find that what you
thought should be a mobile app for a
two-day conference would benefit the
entire organization and membership by
including multiple programs in a mobile
website and promoted through QR
codes and a text campaign.

Kelly Flowers is principal at GrowthVine, LLC, focusing on mobile and social strategy consulting for associations. She maybe reached at Kelly@ GrowthVine.com.

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Step 4: Conduct industry and competitive research.

One of the keys to providing the right solution for your defined audience is to find out what is already available via mobile from their industry, or your association’s competitors. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel, but it is important to know what your members are already using and to whom it is already providing something similar.

Step 5: Rank mobile projects and ensure alignment of mission. Once you’ve identified the types of projects you’d like to “mobilize,” rank them in order of importance and effort. You should look at what types of projects will require the least effort and cost, and weigh the costs and benefits of those that are more complex and require more detailed planning and execution. A final check should ensure that all of these projects are in alignment with your mission.

Visit the Association Forum’s “Use
of Social Media in Associations” Pro-
fessional Practice Statement to learn
more social media best practices at
associationforum.org>Resources>
Samples and Best Practice
Guidelines>Professional
Practice Statements.