1. Using content to acquire new
members (and do other fun stuff)
BRIAN F. O’LEARY
TOOLS OF CHANGE – CHICAGO
APRIL 9, 2012
2. Six core ideas
Repackage great content
Include content in recruiting efforts
Distribute copies in “public place” locations
Sell institutional subscriptions
Give content away
Remember the leave-behind
3. One core lesson: understand your targets
Not
aware
Aware
Lapsed
Member, Subscriber, Purchaser, Loyal Consumer
4. Repackage great content
Capitalize on or create a niche
Rebrand a professional series (e.g “member toolkit”)
Target a group (e.g., “young professionals”) and show
how your content works for them
“Just in time” content: a chapter or a compilation from
several other publications
Cross-over compilations: content taken from
books, magazines, newsletters, blogs and more
Adapt print content for webinars and other media
It’s okay to charge for this (or at least put a price on it)
Sources: James Heib, Marble Institute of America; Magellan research
5. Tools of the trade
Print-on-demand and short-run vendors like Author
Solutions, Lulu, Smashwords and CreateSpace
(Amazon)
SharedBook’s “Blog2Print” option
PressBooks, a WordPress-based tool that supports
output to PDF, EPUB and HTML
Apple’s iBooks platform, competing with Kindle
Direct for paid sales
The Daisy Consortium (accessibility)
6. Make content part of your recruiting offer
Make “best of” or “special issue” offers that borrow
from member-benefit content
Ask yourself: “What do we know/do that no one else
knows/does?”
Show prospective members (buyers) how your
content meets their expressed and latent needs
Differentiate platforms (magazines for thought
leadership; blogs for perspective and debate, etc.)
“Tools of the trade” can be used here, too
7. Use “public place” locations
Relevance varies; know your niche
Use response vehicles (cards, source & QR codes)
Track results (it’s a data-driven business)
Single-copy sales (cautiously!)
Example: American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery
Sources: Folio:, James Heib, Scott Oser, Magellan research
8. Sell institutional subscriptions
Journals, annuals, special reports
Some publications
Works well if you have vetted content
Content can sell at a (much) higher price
Helps to validate your credentials
Sources: Scott Oser, Magellan research
9. Give content away (smartly!)
First: know the companies or individuals you want to
recruit
Offer samples whenever you exhibit at or attend
relevant conferences and trade shows
Court industry influencers: government leaders, key
decision makers
Evaluate lower-cost, digital-only options
10. Some digital-only options
Apple’s iBooks Author platform (iPad only)
Google Currents (format for mobile)
Kindle Publishing for Periodicals
Adobe Digital Publishing (tablet only)
Inkling (cross-platform, cloud-based)
WordPress (and PressBooks)
Multiple HTML5 frameworks
The Atavist, Byliner (longer-form, for-sale products)
Source: Magellan research
11. Remember the leave-behind!
Editors, writers and contributors often speak outside
of your association
Give them copies of the publications in which their
work appeared
Encourage them to give it away, mail or e-mail it to
their contacts and colleagues (make it easy to do so)
Partner with organizations that need your content
and can introduce it to non-members
12. New rules of thumb for recruiting with content
Not “outbound”; think “surround”
Targets resist “campaigns”; try “experiences” and
“relationships”
Increasingly “segments” are too broad. Develop
offers that resonate with “individuals”
Think about selling relevant books or compilations
published by others (look bigger, more helpful)
Source: Forrester Research, 2010
13. Six core ideas
Repackage great content
Include content in membership recruiting efforts
Distribute copies in “public place” locations
Sell institutional subscriptions
Give content away
Remember the leave-behind
14. Additional resources
Association Media & Publishing
Scott Oser, Clay Shirky, James Kane
ASAE’s membership section
O’Reilly Media’s Radar blog (books, new media)
Magellan’s blog (associations, magazines, books)
A mini-bibliography: http://bit.ly/HlBuNY