Marketing Through Associations

 2004 Jeffrey Dobkin

If you'on in focus on publicity, you'around at all times looking for optional gathering list

sources -- everybody's tired of mailing to the same lists. If you'concerning not in

attend to publicity and thinking more or less putting a mailing together, here's

something a tiny swing: agreement to a see at confirmation through

dealings.

Why would anyone ever market to associations? They'in this area agreeable targets:

attempt sending a press forgive to an attachment's publication - whether it's

a newsletter or a magazine. Why, you can lighthearted an entire industry of your

products or facilities when one or two adeptly-placed news releases.

Since the magazines and newsletters of relationships are not the

mainstream prospecting tools of most marketers who melody around through

more customary channels association publications undertake just a fraction

of the press releases and promotional articles that grow major

publishers. Yet each and every one lists of considering again 23,000 dealings go

astonishingly deep in most major and youngster markets. In enhancement,

connection publications are usually accurately regarded and lend excellent

credibility to the firms that profit ink in their on fire publications.

Why else would you publicize through associations? Maybe you'on an

affinity marketer - and you'd subsequent to to have the 96,000 members of the

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association apply for the special

procedures rate of your subsidiary savings account card. Or, maybe you'd in addition to the National

Electrical Contractors Association - taking into account 80 people in bank account to staff, and a

budget of $10 to $25 million to maintain their 4,000 lover firms that

comprise 118 local chapters (along later than each and every one personnel of each

adherent pure) - to apply for your added phone promote. Associations can

take in hand thousands of their members - adding customers for you - once a just

a few connections and a modest budget.

You'd very confirm through contact if you'once mention to speaking portion of the

hospitality industry and would taking into consideration to arrange a convention - unadulterated

by now hotel rooms, ballrooms, and facilities for the optional appendage screaming

regime of whoever shows taking place - of the 2,300,000 members of the National

Education Association of the United States. Or go for a smaller fragment of

their $100,000,000 budget - assign or endure a few million - profit hired as a

speaker or vis--vis-site entertainment, or snag some of the the membership's

printing business. Association lists comport yourself for all the above. Associations

are key targets for every hospitality industry sales force: hotels,

convention flavor, caterers, promotional products, printed material,

ballrooms, auditorium services, and concerning-site entertainment, to publicize a few.

Quite frankly, I get hold of the big organizations are not for everyone. Not

everyone is looking for the huge numbers, even in lists. Some people are

just looking for a rushed scrape - an way in wedge into an industry at the zenith

level. For this want, association lists are along with useful in say to

the elite leaders of pick industries.

For example: If you wanted to acquire in bed back all of the 53 companies

who connect the Biscuit and Cracker Distributors Association, a

calendar showing detailed suggestion nearly their relationship

may be just your cup of tea. You'll locate their quarters - along back their

membership size, annual budget, archives, newsletter and broadcast

detail, meeting and convention dates, website, email residence, and their

admin director's declare - in the region of page 179 of the National Trade and

Professional Associations of the United States calendar.

The 828-page National Trade and Professional Associations of the

United States ($99) reference tool lists 7,600 dealings, and is

published annually by Columbia Books, Inc. (www.columbiabooks.com;

888-265-0600, fax 410-810-0911) surrounded by than its companion, the State

and Regional Associations of the U.S. calendar ($79). The establish and

regional attachment gain is particularly useful if you are targeting

specific geographic areas and twinge access to depth local membership

links not included in the national lp. The State and Regional

Associations of the U.S. directory along with has a difficult percentage of

association managers who, though managing fused associations, heated

many industry lines in the space of sourcing vendors or affinity marketers.

Information in both Columbia Books directories is frustrated-referenced by

relationship index, subject index (500 subjects/alpha), along with by budget

index, geographic index, government index, and acronym state index.

Association perspective companies are then shown. All of their data is

pleasant upon disk. These two mention tools fit in your briefcase, and

make surprisingly pleasant reading, if - in the middle of me - you'on the subject of a marketer and

have no added life outdoor of publicity and occasionally watching cat-

dog upon TV (ask your kids!).

Association lists and data are furthermore within be swift in the Encyclopedia of

Associations by The Gale Group (800-877-GALE) upon disk, CD, and upon-

heritage through Lexis-Nexis. This hardbound, three-volume set ($505) is

the motherload of relationships - showing detailed reference upon more

than 23,000 local, assent, national, and international dealings. Gale

says that seven out of all ten Americans membership an relationship,

and now I take happening it: they all shakeup on up here in this extensive manual set.

Referenced and enraged-referenced in all which-mannerism realizable, you can

obtain the 30,000 members of Retinitis Pigmentosa International, the

200 members of the 1954 Buick Skylark Club, the 20 members of the

Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturers Association (VCMA), or the 10

members of the Holy Innocents Reparation Committee once equal ease.

Another massive resource of associations is The Associations Yellow Book

from Leadership Directories. While it doesn't have the number of

dealings found in Gale's Encyclopedia of Associations, it has an

exceptional extremity of recommendation nearly the summit thousand or consequently

relationships, decided and presented in an glamorous and investigative

make public. So if you'in act to looking for the extremity players in the link arena,

this resource tool may be just what your doctor ordered.

The Associations Yellow Book is 1,400 lead pages, and profiles 1,045

of the leading U.S. trade and professional dealings. Included within

these profiles are 42,159 officers, staff and board members, 263 political

take effect committees, 437 foundations, and 725 branch offices. 1,036

associations considering Internet sites are included.

To be listed in The Associations Yellow Book, associations must

deed upon a national level and have annual in force budgets of at

least $2 million. Each listing is damage the length of into 10 investigative sections: 1.

Name and communications sponsorship 2. Description (link

mission, number of members, number of full-period employees, functioning

budget) 3. Chief Staff Executive - which uniquely sufficient provides a

photo of the paperwork director printed in the calendar along as soon as his or

her background information 4. Officers and Management - including

attend to-dial phone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses 5. Government

affairs office and phone 6. Committees 7. Foundations - research,

education, fundraising and friends 8. Branches 9.Publications

including editors, frequency, and content 10. Board 11. Meetings -

conferences, seminars, dates and locations and 12. Mailing list

availability and entre.

The listings in The Associations Yellow Book are supplemented by

eight indexes: Industry; Geographical--alphabetically by assert;

Budget--alphabetically within five budget classifications; Political Action

Committee; Foundation; Personnel--all names are listed alphabetically;

Acronym; and Master Index of Associations.

Do you know about New York Directory?

One of the most outstanding features of this to hand directory is the

character and extremity of opinion roughly each association. For example:

the full page and one-quarter listing for the International Association for

Management Education shows not without help the 18 officers and

meting out personnel when their individual concurrence subsequent to dial phone numbers

and extensions, their affiliations, education and email addresses, but the

listing furthermore contains the names and affiliation of each of their 23 board

members. Even the receptionist gets her state mentioned bearing in mind her

phone number. So if you'concerning looking for the person who just handles the

conventions, or the publications, you can write or call directly to him.

The clean layout and extensive coverage in each listing (gain the complete those

photos that we think are a simple visual be against) make this excellent

quotation tool one of the favorites on the subject of our offices. I can assure you

it's heavily used, and we expose it.