In the world of cyberspace, where all companies are trying to get noticed, it is often that one will become bombarded with emails on a daily basis from any company they have ever even thought about. The updates, weekly deals, new blogs, etc. can become overwhelming for someone that is not all that interested in a company. Recently, HubSpot did an experiment about the effectiveness of NOT taking this route anymore. The end result: open rates, clicks, clickthrough rates, and email notification opens all increased. You may wonder exactly what this process of “giving the customer space” looks like in order to be successful. That is where I can fill you in.

 

The first step HubSpot took was essentially unsubscribing any person that has not opened an email from them in the last six months. Out of their nearly half a million email subscribers, half of those had not opened an email in that time. Now there are 250,000 subscribers that at least have enough interest to open an email twice a year. This automatically helps the chances of future emails being received well because the email is being sent to only people whom actually have a chance of opening it. The rule of six months continues past the initial clearing out of subscribers. If at anytime someone does not open an email for six months, they will receive an email saying they are about to be unsubscribed, and there they will have the option to click a “re-subscribe” button if they choose.

 

Then, rather than just clicking a “subscribe to email list” button on the page, HubSpot created a few options that might suit different people better. You can either get daily emails or weekly emails. By doing this, the open rates automatically increased. If a person is getting one email per week rather than five or more, they are more likely to be interested in it. If a person is dedicated and wants a daily email, but they get more than just their one daily update, they will likely be turned off. It is simply because those extra emails turn into graymail and end up losing their value.

 

Although more than half of the initial email list was kicked to the curb, the subscribers now show an even higher interest in the mail they are getting. Quality over quantity is definitely something HubSpot focused on with this experiment, and it could be a good idea for many companies that want their subscribers to be more engaged as well.

With the various social media platforms that nearly everyone is on, it is incredibly easy to click a request, connect, follow, etc. button to get a “connection” with someone. What many do not take advantage of, though, is how you can use those easy tools to actually become an engaged connection with influential people, perhaps people that can even benefit you personally or career-wise. There are a few easy steps to getting started:

 

Step 1. Figure out who you want to connect with and why that relationship could be beneficial for both parties. It is easy to see why someone of influence may be a good connection for you, but why are you a good connection for them? What do you bring to the table? It is important to be able to answer that question yourself before they pose it to you.

 

Step 2. Identify their most used platform: If the person you are trying to connect with is relatively known, they will most likely have multiple forms of social media, but it is important to do your research and find out which they seem to favor. You wouldn’t want to contact them through Instagram if they only post once a week, right?

 

Step 3. Keep your relationship moving: After the initial “like” it is vital to keep yourself on their radar as well as keeping up with the influencer’s recent posts and news. You do not have to cyberstalk them, clearly, but it might be a smart idea to favorite the person’s profile so whenever you log on to facebook, for example, their recently shares and posts come up first. To stay on their radar you should retweet if on Twitter, mention them in posts, and keep your posts relevant to the goal of connecting with them (and appropriate, of course).

 

Step 4. Turn the informal relationship into contact: After a while of getting comfortable with the information you may be learning about your new connection, it is time to send them a private message, request DM on Twitter, or even call if you are able to. The conversation should be light and you should not force a relationship out of one call. Asking a question, relating to a similar thing you went through, or even if you simply just like something they posted. As long as you make yourself stand out and seem approachable, you have a real shot!

 

Step 5. Set a connection goal: The final step. What did you come this far to do? What did you plan to get out of this connection? The answer will differ for every person, but the process is similar. Keep in contact daily if possible, learn more, talk more, and look for opportunities to come!

Engagement. It is a primary goal of any association. Everyone wants members to feel involved and up to date on everything the association offers, but how exactly does one break down the components of what it means to have engaged members? Association Library did a white paper called “Implications of Economic, Market, and Societal Change on Association Engagement” in March of 2014 that breaks down the components of engagement in an easy to understand way: The four “I”s

 

1. Involvement: This includes gaining the initial action from members as well as generating follow up actions. In many cases this can be as simple as a person taking the time to read an email or brochure. It can also evolve from that to members searching for more information or heading to events and conferences. This can be looked at as getting an association’s foot in the door in regards to a potential member.

 

2. Interaction: The next step after involvement is interaction. By being involved, a person is receiving information willingly from the association, but by interacting, a person is choosing to respond back to the initial involvement. For example, after learning about an association for a while, one may decide to purchase a membership to the association. This is them agreeing to a mutual relationship with the association. Some may think this is the last step. You got the member, right? Wrong! Quality, engaged members do not come from simply paying a membership fee.

 

3. Intimacy: This portion of engagement is especially important because it forms an emotional tie between a member and an association. When connections are stronger between the two, the member will start to feel a sense of pride from being a part of the association as well as feel like they are contributing to better the association in some way. These will be the opinion leaders of the association and they can be vital for keeping everything running smoothly.

 

4. Influence: The highest level of engagement an association member can have is influence. Once all three of the other steps are completed, a person will have the ability to create positive feelings towards the association. It is important that this person completely understands the mission, goals, and initiatives of the association.

 

http://www.associationlaboratory.com/pdf/associationlaboratorythefutureofassociationengagementwhitepapermarch2014.pdf

I have often been asked what associations really do aside from group together people of similar profession or interest to directly benefit themselves. There are many answers that I could give in response, but one of my favorites is that they introduce recent college graduates into the professional world in a way that no one else can. Personally, as a brand new, young professional myself, I can appreciate these efforts and understand just how helpful they actually are. “How do they do this?” you may ask, let’s take a look!

 

Talk About the Career Options

The simplest, yet most valuable part of associations contacting college students and recent graduates is simply giving them the knowledge of what is even out there in the world. Once you are in a career path of your own it can be easy to forget that there was a point when you might have not even known the job you now have existed.

 

Understanding Relationships Between Employers and Potential Employees

Many associations, such as the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, set up systems that replicate the application and interviewing processes in order to get a feel for the types of young professionals coming in to any given workforce. With this information, companies can more easily brand themselves for more incoming college graduates, thus creating a more cohesive bond between soon-to-be employees and their potential employers/jobs.

 

Actively Involving Pre-College Students

It is even easier to allow college students and post college students to grasp what each profession entails when they are exposed to it actively before even getting to their higher education destination. For example, The Aerospace Industries Association holds a contest annually for middle school and high school aged students called the Team America Rocketry Challenge. I know I personally did this challenge for many years across the many states that I lived in, and it definitely did spark my interest in possible careers in the field of aerospace. Ultimately, it was not something I pursued, but it definitely did give hands on experience of what that career might include. By having associations give this early look into varying fields that the school system simply cannot include to the same extent, certain industries are priming potential employees early on!

 

So what do associations “really” do? They can use their power to affect the career choices of students nationally, thus strengthening their own field. Have you had an association affect your career path in any way? What phase of your education was it in? Let us know!

 

Kaiser, A. (Jan. 11, 2016). “How Associations are Attracting Students to the Profession or Industry”, Retrieved from http://www.smooththepath.net/2016/01/11/how-associations-are-attracting-students-to-the-profession-or-industry/