Why Random Acts of Marketing Hurt Associations (And How to Stop Doing Them)

Why RAOM Happens

RAOM happens when there’s little or no clear marketing strategy in place. As a result, your marketing efforts simply turn into a series of fragmented ideas and promotions that aren’t connected or aligned with any other operational strategy. You may be very busy doing these activities, but they are low-value and low-leverage work and take time away from efforts that will impact the growth and value of your organization.

So, how do you stop day-to-day RAOM from getting in the way of your association’s progress? Answer: It all starts with a marketing plan.

How to Stop RAOM

When it comes to marketing, having a solid strategy is the difference between an organization that thrives and one that struggles to find relevancy and grow its member base. In fact, according to the Content Marketing Institute’s 2015 Benchmark Report, marketers with a documented strategy are not only more effective, but are also less challenged than those without one. It’s well understood that organizations need a “big marketing picture” strategy in place to get real, predictable results from your marketing efforts, but many struggle to get started.

Where To Begin

A good first step is to answer the following key questions:

• What are your organization’s overall goals and objectives?
• Why does your organization even exist? What is your mission?
• What problem is your organization solving?
• Who are your competitors? Can your members find a solution somewhere else?
• What’s the profile of your typical member? What do they need from you and how can you help them grow both personally and professionally?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll be able to create messages that convey the value of your organization to your target audiences. You can now act with purpose and confidence, knowing that the marketing tools and ideas you’ll implement are tied to your organizational goals and are carefully crafted to drive customer value, growth and revenue. In other words, smart marketing starts with a plan—there’s nothing random about it.