Association Marketing Benchmarks: 6 Data-Backed Methods for Success
Insights, delivered.
Mighty Citizen’s 2024 Marketing Benchmarks for Associations report finds countless ways to improve marketing maturity.
Many associations are on the cusp of mightier marketing. But to elevate efforts from acceptable to exceptional, a few areas must be prioritized.
We preach the virtues of research to all of our association clients. So, of course, we have to walk the talk. That’s why we recently released our 2024 Marketing Benchmarks for Mission-Driven Organizations—and this year, we developed an edition specifically for associations.
What we found is that research, SEO, UX, tech, branding, and collaboration are the building blocks to better marketing success. Read through the following key takeaways and recommendations from the report. To make it easy, we separated our recommendations into “quick wins” (short-term goals) and “invest in success” (longer-term goals).
But first, some background.
The results you’ll see are based on responses from associations who took The Mighty GPS™—our free self-assessment for measuring marketing maturity. We use the following scales for marketing maturity stages and scores in this report:
Crawling stage: 0-39
Walking stage: 40-59
Running stage: 60-80
Soaring stage: 81-100
1. Prioritize research.
A shockingly low number of associations are using research and analytics to inform their marketing decisions. The overall marketing maturity score in this category was 40.5 out of 100, down .3 year-over-year. This is the weakest area out of the six we measure for associations—barely escaping that “crawling” stage. So, how can your association improve?
Quick wins:
Your research doesn’t always have to follow a rigid plan. In fact, that pressure is what prevents many associations from doing research in the first place. You can gather information where your audiences already are. Look at what your members are saying in online communities like Reddit, Threads, and if you have it, your association’s own online community. Better yet, get involved in person at conferences and marketing events to collect some casual qualitative data.
Invest in success:
Too many associations base marketing decisions on guesses or blanket “best practices” that don’t work for their unique audience. Conduct member surveys and hold in-person interviews or focus groups. Then, use these findings to build out personas. When you take the time to learn your audience better than anyone, you can stop playing the guessing game. This will always make your marketing more precise and effective.
2. Establish specific and measurable goals for every marketing campaign.
Marketing and SEO among associations had a maturity score of 57.5 out of 100, a 2.0 increase from 2022 to 2023. While still considered “walking,” it’s on the upswing. There’s plenty of room for associations to improve the way they document their social media strategies, establish measurable goals, and design campaigns.
Quick wins:
Jump into Google Search Console to see which pages on your site get the most traffic. Once you have that knowledge, you can decide how to pivot your marketing goals. Do you need more links to a popular page? Are members straying from the journey you want them to take? Then, establish a goal and a plan to increase conversions.
Invest in success:
If you can make the time for it, it’s best to think through an omnichannel strategy. That means thinking through not just the website, but also emails, chatbots, apps, signage, social, and more. Write down your plan and how you’re going to get there. An SEO audit and keyword research can help you establish clear goals, too.
3. Don’t sleep on content—plan it out.
The marketing maturity score for UX and Content this year was 62.2 out of 100, up 2 points year-over-year. Woohoo—that’s now in the running stage! Broadly, associations indicate a strong understanding of how UX design and great content support their success. Accessibility has also become increasingly valued both for its support of equity and its support of business goals.
Where can associations improve in this area? Content governance and content management are big opportunities. Here, associations can improve their effectiveness through:
Quick wins:
Are you holding regular meetings to discuss upcoming content? Have you looked at your alt text lately? These are two quick additions to your calendar to level up your content and accessibility.
Invest in success:
In addition to hiring an experienced writer to craft your content, it’s a good idea to create an inventory and audit of your website content and create a comprehensive plan for content governance. Laying the groundwork now can lead to greater reward in the future. It can help you refresh high-performing content or revisit the most relevant topics.
4. Take a closer look at your tech, especially your marketing automation platform (MAP).
Associations are making gains in the technology space, too. The marketing maturity score for this category was 63.1 out of 100, up 4.7 points year-over-year. In fact, associations that adopt data privacy best practices aren’t just running—they’re soaring. Most associations are comfortable with their data privacy and security practices, and for the most part have reliable data in their systems. And, although many are using a MAP— using it is not the same as maximizing it.
Quick wins:
Audit and clean your Association Management Software (AMS) biannually to ensure data integrity. And if you can, start taking courses or training your MAP offers—or assign team members in your department to do this and report back with new opportunities. Bottom line: Make time and space for learning how to maximize the platforms you already pay for.
Invest in success:
We never tire of audits, do we? To be effective, you need your current and prospective members to have a seamless and consistent online experience across all your platforms. Conduct a marketing tech stack audit to ensure all your tech is humming along nicely. Associations can also look into more fully customizable content management systems (CMS) like Craft, use advanced analytics platforms, or start to master GA4.
5. Ask yourself if it’s time for a rebrand.
With a marketing maturity score of 64.3 out of 100, this area increased by 2.4 points year-over-year. Running again! Among associations, there’s a baseline understanding that adhering to visual brand guidelines is an important part of brand recognition. However, associations could still improve by following a written marketing and communications plan.
Quick wins:
Is your brand consistent across departments? All departments? Do a mini audit through your channels to check. While you’re doing that, review your content and make sure you repeat your value propositions and differentiators often.
Invest in success:
Consider a rebrand. Most companies rebrand once every 7 to 10 years, with even more minor refreshes in between to elevate their visual identity. Don’t be that house that has the same dusty wallpaper from the 70s. While you’re at it, create a messaging platform that clearly defines your “why,” who you serve, and what you offer. You’ll be glad you did.
Read about our partnership with the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) to strengthen the visual elements of their organization and conference brand:
6. Create collaboration stations.
Last but not least, we saw team dynamics with a score of 71.8 out of 100, which is up .2 points year-over-year and the strongest category for associations. Broadly, teams excel in project execution, skillset, and leveraging trusted outside partners. But marketing teams still often lack the budget they need to do their best work. Here are a few ways to elevate team dynamics:
Quick wins:
Working in silos leads to poor communication and duplicative work. Be sure to set up cross-department committees whose sole focus is to break down silos and get everyone on the same page.
Invest in success:
Leadership needs to invest in marketing, plain and simple. Create and track a marketing and communications budget, then test, test, test. Finally, be sure to evaluate your marketing department’s skills—it’s one thing to have the funds, but another to invest in the right people who get the job done.
What now?
Associations have improved (yay!), but there’s room to step up your game, especially as you begin the new year. Take a hard look at your current marketing efforts by taking The Mighty GPS. Read through the full 2024 Marketing Benchmarks for Associations report to see where you’re ahead, even, or falling short compared to your peers. Pinpoint what’s lacking and gear up for significant improvements, positioning yourself for success in 2025 and beyond.
