The document discusses best practices for marketing communications staffing in associations in the 21st century. It recommends establishing a centralized Marketing Communications function led by a high-level executive like a CMO. This centralized team should include dedicated staff with expertise in each of the association's revenue-generating activities like membership, events, and training. It also stresses the importance of digital marketing professionals. With the right structure and staffing in place, associations can effectively implement strategic marketing plans and ensure ongoing success.

1. Association Marketing Communications Staffing:
Best Practices in the 21st Century
asaecenter.org /Career/content.cf m
By Barbara A. Myers
Associations were not created or staf f ed to be sophisticated marketing machines. In f act,
associations traditionally have had a tendency to under-resource their marketing f unction because
it’s of ten viewed simply through an overhead lens. This is especially true f or associations hit by the
recession and suf f ering reduced revenues, as marketing cuts are of ten seen as an easy cost
savings measure to help balance budgets. However, due to the advent of new marketing and
communication channels and the impact of technology on consumers’ expectation and pref erences,
associations’ traditional approach to the marketing f unction is no longer viable. Associations are
f inding they need to quickly ramp up substantive marketing communications expertise in order to
remain competitive and successf ully f ulf ill their missions. This reality has presented challenges f or
many associations.
The good news is that associations can successf ully meet this challenge with the right approach to
marketing communications staf f ing.
The advice that f ollows is gleaned f rom my observations of what has worked and hasn’t worked over
the course of my 15 year marketing communications career. During this time I have led two marketing
communications department restructures, rebranding initiatives, and development of a number of
integrated, strategic marketing communications strategies and plans f or associations, and I’ve seen
f irsthand the positive impact when associations “get it right.”
Structure
From my experience, I f eel the staf f ing approach that works best and the one all associations should
seriously considering adopting is a centralized Marketing Communications (MarCom) f unction. I’ve
managed MarCom f unctions that were decentralized and siloed within every association department
and centralized, and my experience is that the latter approach yielded better results. I acknowledge
that transitioning f rom a decentralized, siloed marketing communications structure to a centralized
one is not easy, but that’s a topic f or another article.
So, what does a centralized MarCom f unction look like and how does it operate?
Leadership
It starts with great leadership, pref erably with C-suite representation in the f orm of a Marketing
Communications Vice President, Chief Marketing Of f icer, or ideally, a “Chief Branding Of f icer” who
can f oster a collaborative culture between the marketing f unction and the rest of the organization.
Another critical role f or this leader is to direct the development, implementation, and evaluation of an
integrated, strategic marketing communications plan. This is an organization-wide exercise that will
require input f rom all stakeholders at various points, including staf f , key volunteers, and corporate
supporters. Why is this so important? Because in today’s world, the ability to develop, implement, and

2. evaluate the right marketing communications strategy is a dif f erentiator that can elevate an
association’s perf ormance to the next level.
This individual should also establish clear processes and procedures f or f inancial management, as
well as clear roles and responsibilities f or the marketing staf f , association staf f in other areas
relative to marketing, and association volunteers.
Staffing
With strong leadership in place, the next step is to create alignment with each of the revenue
generating activities of the association. For example, if Association XYZ generates revenue f rom
membership, events and training, each of these activities should have a dedicated, experienced and
skilled marketing communication staf f member assigned to it. Ideally, individuals in these roles should
have expertise in the association activities they are marketing as well as the industry they are
marketing them to.
In today’s connected world, it’s also critical to have prof essionals skilled in digital marketing as part
of your MarCom Team, whether on staf f or in an outsourced capacity. These individuals will oversee
strategy and execution of social media, content marketing, and the association’s website(s).
If you are going to look at outsourcing any of your marketing and communications activities, here’s a
good rule of thumb. Don’t outsource any activities that require interf acing with organizational
stakeholders. Ensure outside service providers only have to interf ace directly with staf f .
Success
With the right marketing communications structure and staf f ing in place associations can become
well positioned to ef f ectively navigate this complex, 21st century world. They will have the leadership
and staf f expertise in place to: establish sound marketing and communications strategies, broadcast
a clear and compelling value proposition to the right audiences, and assess what’s working and
what’s not and adjust accordingly to ensure ongoing success.
Barbara A. Myers, CAE recently joined IMN Solutions as their new Vice President of
Association Services. Her career spans 15 years during which time she’s held key
leadership positions in both the nonprofit and for profit sectors including Vice
President of Professional Development with the International Society for
Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), Chief Account Strategist with Frost Miller Group
and Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Association of Public-Safety
Communications Officials (APCO) International.
ASAE CareerHQ.org provides the resources you need, f or the results you deserve. Visit
www.CareerHQ.org today!