From new legislation and amended statutes to precedent-setting cases and revised codes of conduct, the legal profession is in constant motion.

For tomorrow’s lawyers, technological innovation has the greatest consequence. The digital and mobile revolution, ushering in an internet of things, is making it more critical than ever for these professionals to understand why and how innovation is changing their work. Lawyers must keep up with technology in order to thrive.

Technology is creating new legal challenges

Experts in data, privacy and the law have all been discussing how technological innovation is changing legal rules and their enforcement. For example, the internet can offer an anonymous environment for criminals to conduct online crime, such as identity theft, as well as new ways for law enforcement to conduct surveillance. While trials have struggled with the use of technology in jury deliberation, as heard in the Georgia Court of Appeal, some experts warn that wearable technology is raising legal questions on the admissibility of evidence and note that hackers could manipulate digital evidence to alter the outcome of cases.

Innovation in the legal process

Technological innovation has started (and will continue) to change the business of law. In some areas, legal representation might no longer be necessary. The development of apps like JustFix, which helps New York City residents resolve housing issues, is just one example of how technology is increasing access to justice for people who might consider traditional legal counsel out of reach. Nevertheless, as discussed at a recent conference attended by international legal and innovation experts, “technology does not make lawyers obsolete. It just changes the role of the lawyer.”

Technological innovations like machine learning and artificial intelligence have the potential to improve litigation decisions and research, and will change how lawyers bill as well as give value to their clients. This is increasingly important given concerns over the high cost of legal representation.

More obviously, cloud computing has altered how law firms ensure the secure filing of confidential information, while mobile technology has changed the dynamic of client-lawyer communication and digital media raises issues of advertising and the fiduciary relationship.

Embrace tech to learn

Lawyers are being asked to find new ways to be efficient. In 2012, the ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct were updated to reflect the need for lawyers to maintain competence, through continuing legal education (CLE), in technological advancements, risks and uses. Close to 30 jurisdictions have adopted the revised standard, but as former American Bar Association (ABA) President William Hubbard explained, there are still lawyers who consider technology as “a backdoor of disrupting a system they’re very comfortable with.”

To overcome this education challenge, the American Bar Association, in addition to the work of its Standing Committee on Technology and Information Systems, has put forward several resources, such as technology webinars, buying and user guides, and commentaries that address key security issues involved in implementing cost-efficient technology for client services.

The competent use of technology has and will continue to improve productivity in online research and issues analysis, document and database management, communication and accounting. Though there are several benefits to running a paperless law office, lawyers and firms need to make informed decisions on how to be not only efficient, but also ethical and secure. The North Carolina State Bar is the latest among an increasing number of bar associations that are requiring members’ CLE to include technology training.

Indeed, bar associations can use CLE, including mobile-friendly interactive lessons to communicate best practices and important new ethical and security guidelines to their members. For example, learning modules can be gamified with reward and competitive elements to motivate and encourage better learning. Scenario-based CLE puts learners into real-world situations, which makes lessons feel more authentic and enriching. And story-based learning embeds lessons into a narrative that increases retention by connecting important concepts to characters and their challenges.

We can’t assume that recent graduates or current law school students (digital natives) are any more savvy in using law-focused technology than lawyers approaching retirement. All individuals in the legal profession should have the technical skills and inventiveness to adopt new tools that can help them and their clients. Law associations and societies should support technology adoption along the way. Promisingly, current ABA President Hilarie Bass spoke at Stanford Law School on how new technology should be adopted into the legal profession in a “bold, adventurous and creative” way.

Lawyers and their staff understand that professional ethics, integrity and sound judgement are of the utmost importance when representing the interests of a client — the fiduciary responsibility is supreme. But the world is a changing place, and major advancements in technology — from automation to social media — are creating new challenges and opportunities.

It’s not enough to give lawyers, firms and their staff guidelines and codes of conduct on the intersection of technology, ethics and law. Technology, such as online learning platforms and resources, should be fully embraced as a vehicle to keep new, forthcoming and existing lawyers up-to-date on how to best thrive in an innovative world.

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The technology landscape is changing rapidly and it is ushering in organizational changes and shifts like we have never seen before.

Nowadays, leaders and their teams are increasingly required to complete more complex projects with smaller budgets and at a faster pace. What does this new reality mean for leaders? To better succeed, it’s time for them to adopt an agile mindset that will allow their organizations to thrive in the new digital age.

Over the past two decades, software development has been the wellspring for an agile approach to developing new technologies. The enormous success of this framework has transcended the software development world and agile techniques are being used by organizations across a variety of industries and organizations. Indeed, the Project Management Institute reports that “organizations that are highly agile and responsive to market dynamics complete more of their projects successfully than their slower-moving counterparts — 75 percent versus 56 percent.”

So, what do we mean by an agile mindset?

For many, the term agile is associated with a certification and a specific form of project management. However, the agile mindset is neither a certification nor a hard-nosed playbook. What we do know is that a leader with an agile mindset focuses less on the rigidity of project processes and more on communication, collaboration, rapid responsiveness, flexibility, customer feedback and satisfaction.

Specifically, for leaders, being agile means recognizing the need to move quickly and easily in a transparent manner. The words of business magnate Rupert Murdoch resonate: “The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow.” Adopting an agile mindset means becoming aware and responsive, adapting to achieve project progress, and ultimately prioritizing human interaction over documentation in order to move swiftly and collaboratively in an efficient way.

As a leader, being agile means harnessing change provided by constantly evolving information or new workplace technologies more broadly. For example, it is essential to helping employees feel trusted and expressive in how they creatively contribute in the workplace. Epitomizing an agile mindset at the top will help influence and cultivate an agile culture throughout teams and with employees.

Leaders can also create an agile culture by shaping how their team members value and engage with one another and with clients or members, while being aware of the networked environment in which their team exists. Creating an inclusive environment that fully embraces the expertise and ideas of all team members is an important first step. But leaders should also create an atmosphere that is inherently unafraid of failure and prioritizes open communication while still promoting constant communication.

Agile leaders should adopt innovative tech

As previously mentioned, advancements in technology continue to usher in rapid changes. Organizations run the risk of being left behind if leaders do not adopt an agile mindset. For example, instant messaging has evolved incredibly since the early days of AIM and MSN Messenger —  several workplaces now use new tools such as Slack to improve project communication, collaboration and progress. In modern-day agile adoption, organizations that are innovative tend to have higher rates of success. These organizations are able to adapt quickly to constant changes and at the same time track individual, team and organizational productivity while fostering strong collaborations with customers by using remote/virtual tools. Unexpectedly then, agile leaders should position themselves to adopt innovative tools that help them gain a broader understanding of all the moving pieces involved.

An agile mindset is a process; it is about continuous improvement and adapting to change. To succeed, leaders must promote continuous improvement and must be open to thinking differently in order to evolve rapidly.

Source

Project Management Institute Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
https://www.pmi.org/certifications/types/agile-acp

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The recent advancements in technology and the improvements in online education delivery, have made it possible to give those programs a major facelift with minimal change. Online programs of universities are usually incredibly diverse, they are filled with students of different educational backgrounds, experience levels, and aptitudes. This is why we have helped many educational institutions to add programs that prioritize practical skills, prior knowledge, and individual learning abilities with competency-based online programs.

1. Competency-Based Education

Competency-based education provides exactly what it suggests: education progress tracked by competencies. That means, rather than measure student progress by the time spent in a course, the competency-based model measures student aptitude.
 
General Benefits of Competency-Based Learning

• Minimal time wasted on subjects that have already been mastered or are unnecessary for the learner
• Learning is more personalized, focused, and purposeful
• Learners progress at their own pace, no longer confined to standardized time markers
• Skill-based learning allows for quicker progress for more advanced learners
• Education typically helps generate more revenue because enrollment rates are much higher due to the fact that learners get exactly what they are looking for

Benefits for online programs
When competency-based education is utilized in online programs, both universities and students stand to benefit substantially.

• Specified learning allows students to earn certifications or credentials in specific fields
• Focused learning enables quicker mastery as well as more current and applicable material
• Competencies in most professions are readily defined, which makes for easier course development
• Competency-specific modules double as refreshment courses and reminders for experienced practitioners
• Final outcome tests are powerful tools for measuring in-house applicant’s or trainee’s aptitude levels

Next Steps For Competency-Based Online Programs
As universities continue to define and build competency maps, competency-based online programs will steadily improve. However, online programs must ensure that it meets the following requirements:

• Learners must be able to absorb and apply learning
• Learning objectives must be identifiable and job-specific
• Learning must be engaging and immersive for modern learners
• Competency-based program must accurately measure prior learning and/or skills
• Learning must be current, relevant, and flexible

This is where interactive online video comes in.
 

2. Interactive Online Video Learning

Despite being the fastest-growing form of continuing education today, interactive online learning is still relatively new. That means that it’s still in the process of discovery. With online videos taking up about 1/3 of all internet activity, online educators are looking for the most effective ways of incorporating education into online videos. Optimal results in online video learning are found when the lessons are engaging, responsive, and, most importantly, interactive. Interactive online training often begins with a demonstration. The learner must then apply their learning into practical scenarios to demonstrate adequate understanding – all within the video content itself.

Benefits of Interactive Online Video Learning
The best way to improve the educational experience of online videos is to turn them from a passive experience into an active experience.

• Learn by practice and through the recollection of actual experience
• Learners are given real-world scenarios and situations to apply learning
• Keep learners engaged, attentive, and retentive, gauging comprehension levels on the go
• Multiple delivery methods, such as gamified, scenario-based, and/or story-based videos
• Intuitive videos enable learners to apply prior learning or to advance through completed sections

3. Competency-Based Interactive Online Learning for Universities

Though interactive online video learning for higher education is still new, the relationship between these two sides is absolutely ideal. Over time, online programs have morphed from long on-demand videos into short modular segments that are more focused and visually enhanced. These micro-lessons are often called nano courses or nano credits. With interactive online video added to these nano credits, students are able to earn credit for learning quicker and through the application of practical skills. Furthermore, time waste is drastically reduced, and the study flexibility increases tenfold.

Overall Benefits

• Education typically helps generate more revenue because enrollment rates a much higher due to the fact that learners get exactly what they are looking for
• Realistic and challenging scenarios make learning engaging and useful
• Material learned from nano credits is gained quickly and instantly applicable
• Effective for self-assessment, training, and/or mastery of a topic
• Nano courses are quick and easy to create, allowing lawyers to earn credits in newly developed areas
• Easily created and updated videos allow for the most up-to-date and relevant information
• Enables students to stay engaged while learning around very demanding schedules
• Situational-based learning and exercises helps for drafting documents, responding to real life questions, and many other scenarios

Adding interactive online training courses helps universities to drastically improve their reach online. Right at this moment, potential students can advance their skills in the areas they want, where they want, and in the order they want. With interactive online video, universities remain competitive while helping potential learners to achieve these skills in more engaging and practical ways while better retaining more applicable knowledge.
 
Vocalmeet’s higher education platform comes with a customizable interactive video player that creates an engaging learning experience for your members. Here are a few examples that can be used for all of the strategies outlined above:

a) Hotspots

b) Multiple Choice

c) Smart Chapters & Single Choice

d) Fill in the blanks & Slide Carousel

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Most Associations strive to bring in more new members and keep existing members, but many don’t know how to accomplish this.

By observing the trends in The 2017 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, I created a best practices list based on the actions of the highest-performing associations with over 80% member retention yearly. The following list highlights what the most successful associations are doing to keep members interested and provides a helpful map of what others can do to follow.

1. Have a Strategic Engagement Plan

The most basic and perhaps the most important principle to increasing member retention is to have a plan in place. Of the associations with more than 80% retention rates, 68% have a strategic engagement plan laid out. The best of these plans start from the very first contact. Once a member joins, call them personally or send them a welcome kit.

2. Provide Benefits Right Away

A significant number of successful associations offer members a free trial membership to start. This helps build member loyalty right away. From there, many associations in the highest category offer membership discounts for the remainder of the year. Many even discount membership dues for the second year, keeping in mind that securing member commitments for first and second years are the most challenging obstacles.

3. Utilize Continuing Education Online

Associations reporting renewal rates of 80% or higher indicate that specialized information, continuing education (online) and advocacy are significant member drivers. This is compared to associations with less than 60% renewal rates that consider publications and supporting the mission of the association to be the reasons members join the association.

4. Embrace Mobility and Social Media

Associations in the top retention bracket also have the largest membership base of millennials. This could be because these associations put a substantially larger emphasis on connecting with members through social networking websites, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Mobile access and ease of connectivity is also a major contributor to these associations improving their digital footprint and increasing the number of millennial members. It should also be noted that those that use digital marketing techniques for recruitment and retention, see more members retained year after year.

5. Provide More Membership Incentives

According to the Marketing Benchmark Report, associations with greater than 80% renewal rates find that granting members access to specialized content is a powerful driver for retention. For example, of these associations, 41% offer certifications as part of the membership package. Some simply package content or offer multiple years of membership at discounted rates.

6. Improve Engagement Opportunities

The more a member is engaged with an association the more likely they are to renew their membership. Therefore, the most effective associations focus on improving associational engagement opportunities. Associations that see increases in event and webinar attendance and/or growth in member website visits and service purchases are the associations that see the best retention rates.

7. Increase Non-Dues Revenues From Members

Members that rely on their associations for things like industry training, certifications, products, networking events, and subscriptions are much more likely to renew their memberships. This is fairly straightforward. To engage members in associational initiatives, the most successful associations find new ways of offering value to members and this often results in non-dues revenues increasing.

8. Offer Members a Sliding Membership Scale and More

For the associations that offer many different levels of services, the most successful see extremely positive responses to offering a sliding membership scale, giving members the choice of what benefits they wish to pay for and receive. Find out what members truly want through member research. Try different things and gauge the response.

9. Start Renewing Members Months in Advance

One of the things that most of the best-performing associations have in common is they almost all start the renewal process months before the membership expiration date. Most begin the process within two to three months before the membership is up, allowing members time to consider their options without going past the deadline.

10. Don’t Be Afraid To Call Members When It Comes Time to Renew

The vast majority of the most successful associations find between three and four contact attempts is the sweet spot when trying to get members to renew. They use different types of contact as well. This blend is important. While email is the most common starting point and the most successful touch point, only 15% of the associations with over 80% retention do NOT use the phone. In other words, 85% find that a phone call is a very useful, personal and necessary renewal tool for retention.

11. Call Your Members More Often For Improvements All Over

While 49% of the most successful associations feel that the phone is best renewal tool, the phone is also useful in other ways. Phone calls are the best way to create brand awareness in members as well. It adds a personal element to the association. The phone is also a powerful resource when trying to call members to action for a new association initiative, such as a conference, a webinar, or for a networking event.

12. Improve Your Email Touch Points

Though this may seem obvious, associations looking to improve retention rates should place a larger focus on the content and quality of emails. This is because the associations with great retention rates see much better open rates for emails than the others. It is integral that associations find a way to ensure members see a benefit to each email touch point and have a desire to open them.

13. Offer Renewal Payment Plans in Installments

Within the most successful group of associations, grace and flexibility are extremely common. The majority of these associations offer members the chance to pay dues as part of an installment plan (a percentage almost twice as high as those that require a lump sum).

14. Allow a Grace Period After Memberships Expire

One of the largest majorities within the successful associations in the Benchmark Report is witnessed in the grace period allowed after a membership expires. An astounding 83% of these associations allow members to receive member benefits for a significant period of time after their membership has run its course. Of that group, 70% give three months of grace. This is important because it allows members more time to reconsider letting their membership expire.

15. Don’t Give Up On Expired Memberships

Many successful associations find calling former members six months after the membership expired is a good time to attempt to recover former members. Offering these expired memberships discounts on the next year’s dues proves to be an effective strategy to inspire members to renew their membership.

Conclusion

Even though the focus of this best practices list is on member retention, there is a far-reaching and significant ripple effect demonstrated within the report. For instance, the associations that reported more than 80% renewals also experienced the greatest growth in both new memberships and overall five-year memberships. Interestingly, their growth isn’t the result of higher operating budgets, as the 80%+ group actually had a lower median operating than the associations with 60% retention or less. Another positive is that most of these successful associations found that raising member dues year over year (typically 10% or less) was completely acceptable for members.

Sources: The 2017 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report

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Today’s online consumers report that ads are more pervasive, more plentiful, and more intrusive than ever before. As a result of years of being bombarded with ads, online users have developed banner blindness, the subconscious ability to ignore banner ads. While many believe this is only relevant to certain ad placement, it goes much further than that. According to a survey administered by Goo Technologies, 82% of Americans ignore all online ads, regardless of location. For online marketers, that’s a troubling statistic.

Online marketing changes all the time, but there are rarely philosophical shifts in regards to how ads are created. Sure, ads have become more intelligent and personalized, but the vast majority are still one-off advertisements hoping to catch consumers at the right place and the right time. Well, multi-channel marketing or omnichannel marketing is looking to move beyond hope. This new wave of online marketing looks to create multiple advertising touch-points spread across various channels, all connected in one cohesive campaign. The results from these multi-channel campaigns have been incredible, but, surprisingly, few organizations are taking advantage of the advertising strategy.

Here are the main reasons Why Associations Should Consider Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns.

1. Avoid Being Avoided

As consumers are becoming more blind to online ads, marketers need to find new ways of capturing interest. Each online channel, whether it is through Facebook, Twitter, video, or on a mobile device, demands a different type of interaction and engagement. Multi-channel marketing is much more than simply increasing the number of touch points. It is about customizing each touch point based on the channel it is on. By itself, this customization captures and challenges the consumer’s eye more than the standard ad. Together, as part of a larger cohesive campaign, the ad elevates.

When a multi-channel marketing campaign starts with a strong central idea, the individual ads all benefit from it. Each ad contributes to stronger brand recognition, but each ad also contributes to a larger message. Some associations may use a common color theme or slogan, whereas others may use a different device to connect the campaign. If the ads are consistent and connected, they can become an effective and memorable platform. In a small way, these interconnected touchpoints demand a level of problem-solving from the consumer which has a lasting and impressionable effect.

2. Spend Marketing Dollars More Wisely

Online marketers understand and accept that most ads are ignored and forgotten. The goal of multi-channel marketing is to create several standalone ads that are integrated into a larger common theme. This integration creates a cohesive, unified message. According to Kantar Millward Brown, these integrated campaigns are up to 31% more effective at building brands than the alternative. This is because, even though they may seem more complex, integrated campaigns use various visual and audio cues to trigger consumer recognition. The more recognizable an ad is the more memorable and effective it is.

There is another level to multi-channel marketing that makes it even more impressionable: customization. As discussed, the most effective multi-channel marketing campaigns are also customized to the different channels. As a whole, an integrated and customized marketing campaign catches the consumers interest in specific ways depending on the channel it is viewed on. Kantar Millward Brown’s study on multi-channel marketing suggests that campaigns that are both integrated and customized perform up to 57% more effectively than those that are not. This is because each touchpoint is not only performing at the optimal levels of effectiveness as a channel-specific ad, but they are also part of a larger campaign.

3. The Time is Right

Multi-channel marketing online is right on time. For one of these campaigns to be most effective, the customization on each channel must be optimized and the entire strategy must be integrated. Well, we know that consumers are no longer one channel users. In fact, millennials are often considered challenging targets for marketers because they utilize so many different channels. By targeting each channel and customizing ads based on how users interact with that channel, multi-channel marketing will become associated with this modern channel-surfing behavior.

Additionally, we know how users interact within each channel, meaning true and proper personalization and customization can be created. We know our consumers and how they consume, and we understand the technology. Finally, many of the different channels are being used more than ever before or ever again. It’s time that knowledge was put to use. This is the time to jump in and create a multi-channel marketing strategy.

4. More Accurate Data

For online marketers, multi-channel marketing has one major advantage over traditional marketing that might be the most beneficial: more accurate response data. Currently, simple push marketing provides associations with information about the consumer’s actions that is more about the channel than it is about the ad or the user. Since ads are not customized or varied between channels, marketers expect consumers to react and respond to each ad within each channel the same across the board. But we have the consumption data about each channel and know that isn’t the case.

Multi-channel marketing provides data that tells marketers exactly how an ad on that specific channel is performing. If one ad in the campaign is struggling, marketers can fix it or eliminate it based on the data provided. As consumer data becomes more effective, so too does multi-channel marketing. Furthermore, the current targeted ad technology in combination with multi-channel marketing allows marketers to create ads that are so customized and personalized that the consumer’s actions will be about as detailed and accurate as it gets. In advertising, knowing exactly where your possible consumers stand is half the battle.

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Not every association needs to live on the cutting edge of technology in order to be successful, but ignoring trends can result in missed opportunities. Every year, technology changes, adapts and improves. There are times when a new technology dissolves before it ever catches on, but there are also technologies that become necessities.

As technology continues to increasingly evolve it is important for association leaders to understand trends in order to make better and more informed decisions in the long run.

The following list contains 18 technology trends or business and social trends that are influenced by an our evolving technology landscape.

1. Chatbots

While some people may still have issues with dealing with chatbots, they are here, and they are only getting more prevalent. With the advance in natural language processing, chatbots will soon be the standard for associations that wish to provide quick and helpful information to members and website visitors. New-age chatbots are able to gather data and learn, which means the more they are deployed and interacted with the better they become.

2. Crowd-Learning

The strength of crowd-learning is more than strength in numbers. Crowds are able to quickly and effectively scrutinize quality, ensuring only best and most accurate information rises to the top. Though crowd-learning sources have been quite visible for a while, such as in sites like Wikipedia and Health Data.gov, associations have recently begun to reap the benefits of the crowds. By drawing information from members, associations have access to insider information, learning what is needed and wanted from the industry and stay ahead of the curve.

3. Voice User Interfaces

The advancements in voice interface technology has come quickly. The reason why the latest surge has been so much larger than ever before is because of the recent advancements in the built-in learning capabilities of the current technology. While Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Now, and Cortana are the names that everyone knows, many more companies are finding ways of incorporating voice user interfaces into their business practices.

4. Digital Archives

In the digital world, information protection is often taken for granted. Many organizations don’t give a thought to properly protecting or archiving its information. However, information can be removed and/or lost from the web easily, making the archival process incredibly important. Furthermore, associations are finding new ways of keeping information that should be accessible to members available at all times under all circumstances.

5. Radical Transparency

Transparency is one of the most important concepts in business today. The access to information has led to increased consumer skepticism, so many associations are looking to be an objective industry voice. Radical transparency simply describes the different approaches to delivering accurate and fact-based information while presenting the association as open and honest as possible.

6. eLearning Videos

Tutorials, instructions and lessons of all kinds are moving or have already moved to video format. Users and learners wish to see rather than be told instructions as it eliminates the risk of misinterpretation. When it comes to eLearning content, users also need access to video content that is mobile, available anytime and anywhere and can be streamed easily.

7. Mixed Reality

Providers of eLearning are discovering new ways of delivering content in the most effective ways. While many still see virtual reality and augmented reality as futuristic and far off, these technologies are already here. As the technology becomes more accessible, more associations will adopt mixed reality to create immersive and near-distraction-free learning mediums for members.

8. Security and Privacy

Security and privacy for technology is one of the most pressing concerns for organizations who provide digital services. Associations need a protection plan to defend against theft, digital damage, breaches, and data retention. These plans include action and response measures that are needed in case of breach. In addition, associations need to be prepared to respond to online discord and those who cause it (i.e. trolls).

9. Addressing the Skills Gap

For the last several decades, there has been an increasing societal and educational push to have everyone get a college degree, which has led to an ever-decreasing supply of skilled trades people. Organizations in these fields need to find new ways of reaching and engaging with younger people, attracting them to the trades and advocating for careers in these fields. One such tool to respond to this trend is to incorporate flexible and effective eLearning training methods for aspiring tradespeople.

10. Cord-Cutters

Cord-cutting has become a reality in many households, leading to many service providers delivering on-demand and pay-pay-service content. While packaged content is still saleable, these consumer wants are changing the way business is done in many different industries. Because of this, many associations have moved to offering individualized services for members and customers, providing everyone with flexible and personalized pay-per-service memberships.

11. New-Age Customer Service

Customer service has always been important, but social media and instant communication has made quality customer service more important than ever before. Modern associations are expected to converse with their members in a timely manner, and, while a bad customer service experience will result in the loss of a customer, a publicized bad customer experience will result in loss of a group of customers. Thankfully, this works both ways, as quality experiences are publicly advertised as well.

12. Microlearning

New mediums for learning have led to new methods of learning, and one of the fastest-growing styles is microlearning. Microlearning is a way of breaking down information into small chunks of learning content for quick and easy consumption. These digestible packages are great for learners who use mobile devices as they can be completed in short periods of time.

13. Social Media Advertising

Social media marketing was one of the best kept secrets out there, but, now that more people are doing it, the landscape is changing a little. As big social media networks continue increasing advertising costs, the effectiveness is expected to improve for advertisers. The reason for this is that increased costs will scare off or dissuade casual advertisers from using it, ensuring that the associations who dedicate more funds to social media advertising are set up to benefit from less advertising traffic.

14. Engagement

The importance of engagement between associations and members may seem obvious but way we engage online is changing. Micro-moments of engagement create a bond between association and member without being overbearing. Most importantly, the technology and information available ensures that associations connect with members when the members want and need to be engaged with and in the most effective way.

15. Business Analytics

Analytics have been utilized for a while, but now smaller associations have gained easy access to the benefits of the technology. Member data and behavior is tracked and analyzed, allowing associations to better understand and gain insights into members’ actions. Similarly, analytics allow associations to gain insights into business activity, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses that might not be visible to the naked eye. All this information can be used to improve how the association approaches initiatives, communications, and more.

16. Lean AMS

A lean AMS is more than a simple AMS; it’s about efficiency and effectiveness. A lean AMS features a clean and organized interface that is intuitive and boasts a lightweight presentation layer. This ensures that users of all experience levels are comfortable and capable of utilizing the AMS to its full potential. Behind the scenes, the system has the ability to track members in ways that help associations group and categorize their users based on their activity and engagement levels.

17. Data Analytics

A powerful yet lean AMS also has the power to leverage data analytics to enhance the user’s and the association’s experience. Over time, members develop patterns in how they interact with the association. This data and these patterns help associations understand members better and can even be used to generate predictor models for the future. Associations can get a glimpse of what members may do and how initiatives may perform long before it happens.

18. Cloud-Based Technology

Cloud-based technology is already here, but more and more associations are picking up on its usefulness for storage and scaling. With a database hosted in the cloud, associations can scale out when needed without requiring additional servers, staff or resources. Furthermore, the cloud accommodates this growth instantly, making only as much space as is needed.

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