While keeping up with technology can be a challenge for some Association Executives, trying out new technology and using the best of it can pay off in many ways. First, real-life technology can make it easier for regular people to communicate. Second, it allows you to keep in touch with your members. And finally, your young professional members will appreciate your efforts to keep the association moving forward through technology.
Even if you have barely mastered email, here’s a basic five-piece toolbox for AEs that you can learn easily and begin using today:
1. Smart Click to Call
If your goal is to respond to members’ needs as quickly as possible, are your phone system and website making that happen? In this economy, member loyalty is key, and customer service is a vital way to show it. Yet there are still associations that leave callers on indefinite hold. There are associations whose websites don’t let that members of all ages easily find what they need in one click. There are associations that don’t snag a member who might want to volunteer. There’s an easy technology fix for this. You can make your association immediately available through a live phone call using Click-to-Call technology (also called Live Chat). When your member clicks on the Click-to-Call link (in an e-mail or an e-newsletter or on their website), their telephone rings and they are connected to the association. Investing in 24/7 live chat, or availability on nights and weekends, could be the way you put your money where your mouth is. (www.ifbyphone.com).
2. Video
When today’s young professional members visit a website, including your website, they expect to find video. If it is not there, they notice that something is missing. That means no marketing effort is compete without incorporating online video to generate member awareness, satisfaction, and loyalty. In fact, video is second only to word-of-mouth for its ability to influence people. Now more than 80 percent of Internet users watch online video regularly. You no longer need to worry that you’re too high-tech for your members: worldwide, there are 452 million broadband subscribers, and almost every business has a high-speed connection to the Internet.
To make use of this important tool, you can use one of the new technologies that let you tape yourself and load the video onto your website. You can chose from a service where you do it all yourself, (www.talkfusion.com) or, for the same price, a service that does almost everything for you (www.association1on1.com).
3. Glance
If another of your goals is keeping members informed and educated, are you using technology to do that? Many of us have had a bad experience with conference call technology, with a provider that doesn’t deliver or is very complicated to use. But there are new systems out there that make it worth giving conference calling another try, and add a new level of visual communication. Think about the value of demonstrating a new camcorder technology for property photos, reviewing the top six legislative issues, or hosting a session to teach members how to understand and use market statistics.
Glance is a low cost desktop sharing service. That means it’s an alternative to formal conferencing. It’s not complicated; can be branded for the association; and the conferencing call lines are included. Glance combines free teleconferencing services with a low cost way to connect with up to 50 members at a time. (www.glance.com).
4. XOBNI
You know it’s important to keep track of and respond to email messages from members, but for most people, keeping up with email notes and attachments can be overwhelming. Sometimes even the search function doesn’t seem to help.
You might want to try out XOBNI (backwards for inbox). It searches forward and backwards. It also connects the strings of an email so you see who is connected with a contact or a subject matter. This can take your inbox off the list of things you worry about, and free you up to do more important business (www.XOBNI.com).
5. Snag it
Your members now expect more than words from you. The Internet has pushed us all into an age of communication that incorporates graphics as well as words into our documents, websites, emails, and presentations. One easy way to capture logos, screen shots of websites, photos, or even captions from a newspaper, is to “snag” the image. You simply draw the boundaries you want and save it as a .jpeg image. Then, the item can be inserted in presentations and other documents. The image is nice and “clean” – not pixilated, as often happens when capturing images. For PC users, $50 software allows you to “snag” the visual and save it as a .jpeg image. (www.snagit.com) Mac users can do this with the built-in Grab application. (www.grabit.com).
As you build your own toolbox...
These five ideas introduce you to some of the easy and fun ways to keep up with the new technology that's out there. The best way to stay ahead of your members is to spend some time every month checking out new technology that meets your communication goals. Remember, there are times for turning off the computer and talking to your members face-to-face. But when you can't do that, you owe it to them to make their interaction with your association as technically un-challenging as possible.
Melynn Sight is President of nSight Marketing. She is a dedicated Marketing Consultant committed to the success of Real Estate Associations. Melynn can be reached at melynn@nsightmarketing.com or 913.261.9100.
