Many marketers fall into the trap of mining the same old list
year after year. Creativity calls for new concepts. Who else can
benefit from this conference? Try a focus group approach for re-
searching the answers to that question. Review occupational hand-
books and industry directories. Ask suppliers for information
about their client lists, those they would like to see attend your
exposition.
Examine the offerings of list brokers and direct-mailing ser-
vices for audiences who will be worth additional investment in
the data they can provide. Meet with representatives of pertinent
industry trade publications and professional journals to determine
their subscriber readership in your field who may become poten-
tial attendees (as well as potential members). Inquire as to the
availability and cost of subscription lists.
A periodic list management audit is fundamental to effective
list maintenance. Among the questions that should be included
are: “When was our list last formally updated?” “Could we use our
list today for an immediate mailing or phone solicitation?” “What
is the chain of command for ensuring that updated information is
passed along and immediately incorporated into the list?” “What
record keeping is in place to ensure that process has been accom-
plished, and with accuracy?”
This audit should not be taken as part of a casual conversation
over the coffee pot, but rather as a continuous and candid formal-
ized review of all staff involved. Given the continuing increases in
the costs of postage, paper, printing, and labor, proficient mar-
keters must treat list management with no less a sense of daily ur-
gency and discipline.
What marketing vehicles are available through direct mail? In-
credibly, most associations miss many of the most obvious. Direct
mail, for example, is not necessarily limited to the promotional
brochure that is in the envelope. It should also include the
preprinted event message or slogan that is onthe envelope. Every
organizational mailing for months prior to a convention should
bear a “teaser,” or a reminder of the event, even before the recip-
ient opens the envelope to find a business letter, an invoice, or a
report about events in the legislature.
If preprinting is not an option, brightly colored stickers also
work well to grab attention. They can be utilized on the associa-
tion’s envelopes and letterhead, the front sheet of press releases,
monthly newsletters, mailings of meeting minutes, and virtually
Promotion Methods for Association Events 107