3 Creative Marketing Strategies for Your Healthcare Association

I’ve written for several associations, ranging from healthcare to real estate. No matter the industry, I’ve noticed that members like to feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.

With strategic content marketing, you can help members feel connected and engaged with your association’s brand. Here are a few ideas to get started:

Develop a storytelling email strategy about your meeting

Don’t think about it as blasting emails. Think about it as sending out short stories about your annual meeting. Highlight what makes your meeting special — maybe you’ve got a glamorous swag bag, a celebrity keynote, lively networking opportunities, individual coaching sessions, an amazing meeting location, discount registration opportunities — whatever makes your meeting different than all the rest, tell your members about it.

Remember: You need a separate email strategy for vendors and sponsors, too. Read more tips about promoting your association’s meeting.

Send out a handwritten “Welcome New Member” card

After a new member joins, you’ll probably send out a “welcome to our association” letter from the president. While that’s nice, make it personal. What if you sent each new member a handwritten card from someone on your staff?

You can still include all the marketing collateral or tchotchkes that go along with your welcome kit, but a handwritten note provides an immediate connection to the organization. Handwritten cards don’t have to be a one-time-only occasion. You can send them out again if you’re looking to encourage membership renewal or details about your referral program.

Gather content from members

And speaking of making members feel included, ask them for content ideas. They know the ins-and-outs of their industry better than any association professional. If you work together, content marketing magic can happen. You can encourage your members to write blogs, suggest story ideas for newsletters, host webinars and more. By making them feel included with the content, they’ll be more likely to read it and share it.