Today’s association business environment requires us to stay abreast of ever-evolving technologies, and be ready to pivot. At one time, email was the shiny new sales tool. Now, social media is quickly blowing it out of the water regarding reaching a broader audience. In fact, technology is moving fast in every industry, and we must stay ahead of the curve to meet our business objectives with success. This may be old news to you, but take it from me, a strategy you think is rock-solid today, may not work the next.
An essential part of my work is to stay informed of changes and upgraded functions within our Salesforce. This effort involves carving out time to read up and hone my skills. It can be difficult to dedicate time to stay on top updates to Salesforce when there is not an immediate return as you wait for implementation; but, playing catch up on missed opportunities could slow down business. Capabilities we hoped for a few years ago are now at our fingertips.
Pardot, an email marketing platform, is used as a constant stream of communication to nurture and qualify prospects until they’re ready to “buy.” (For more information on Pardot, check out my recent blog, Data Sells). Every week, I collect data from our mass communications and evaluate what’s working and what’s not. The data trends over the past six months have prompted me to stop, evaluate, and brainstorm additional ways to qualify if a prospect is “sales ready.”
The new strategy? Social media. Social media opens an entirely new stream of data and a way to connect with prospects. Everyone has access to these tools, and you don’t need a fancy tracking platform to get started. If your association is not present on any social media platform, I strongly encourage you to start today – with a dedicated company Facebook page and a Twitter account. An additional blog on social media can get you started – Going All in With Social Media.
Social media hasn’t replaced email communication yet, but one day it might, and you’ll be thankful you’re ready.
Kerry Doyle is the Certified Salesforce Manager at The Moery Company. Follow Kerry on Twitter and connect with her on LinkedIn.
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