02/23/2023

Digital Revenue Opportunities for a Mobile Content World

Association offerings have changed to meet member needs and behaviors

In 2021, mobile devices accounted for more than half of all internet usage worldwide. For content creators, this means not only navigating a shift from print to digital but also ensuring mobile accessibility. Data and insights from ASAE Research Foundation resources highlight how associations are responding to these shifts—and how leaders might seize on evolving opportunities for audience and revenue growth.

Association offerings have changed to meet member needs and behaviors: Most associations have transitioned from a print media focus to a more hybrid or digital focus. Data from Benchmarking in Association Management: Policies and Procedures, Vol. 1 shows that just 15.3 percent of associations offered majority print publications in 2018, while 38.2 percent offered majority online and electronic publications and 43.5 percent offered a 50/50 mix. The pandemic likely accelerated the shift toward digital delivery.

Likewise, a social media voice is now essential to meet the mobile audience. The foundation’s 2013 benchmarking research on communications found that 80 percent of respondents used social media of some kind to promote their association. In 2018, 98.7 percent of respondents used social media in their marketing outreach, with smaller associations more likely to outsource some or all of that effort.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE’s Center for Association Leadership.