Focusing On The Association Market

10/6/2016

We’ve been busy. There are some that will read that previous statement and think to themselves, “Who is she kidding-I’m always busy.” And while that might be true, there is a massive difference between activity and performance. We can be efficient in a lot of things in our professional lives, without ever being effective.

Becoming More Effective

A few months ago, our leadership team at Next Wave Connect realized that it was time for a major shift in focus for our organization. Our platform had 20,000+ plus healthcare users, hundreds of communities, and ongoing engagement. But what we were missing is what our Founder, Ivo Nelson, refers to as our “edge.” What turns our software and services from a “nice to have” to a “need to have.” We had healthcare leaders on the site, but were they really having meaningful engagement? Was our site the vehicle to help these leaders truly transform the industry? Point blank-we needed to be more effective.

Pay Attention To The Data

So, we dove into the data. When we looked further into our member engagement metrics, three (3) major trends glared us right in the face:

The most active public communities were those launched by a thought leader from the industry-not the NWC staff
The communities with the most activity and re-occurring engagement were listed as private and had less than 40 members
The only organization-sponsored communities thriving on the site were based on an upcoming event or industry initiative

All this time we had been trying to make sure our platform could be the right vehicle for all sorts of projects inside healthcare organizations and had lost direction. Everyone on the team was pulling in a different direction, trying to make sure we stretched to fit our client’s needs. We had been making changes to meet the needs of Vendors, Universities, Providers, and Associations. Instead, we needed to concentrate our focus.

So many important matters can compete for your attention in business that it’s often difficult to see the “wood for the trees.

Concentrating Our Focus

It was evident from the data that we needed to make the most of our market opportunities. Looking at the healthcare system, we needed to concentrate on a branch that:

Had established groups of peers that needed a way to communicate
Hosted events-both virtual and in-person
Actively developed new content relating to key industry topics and initiatives
Helped develop new and emerging leaders within the field-everyone needs to platform to promote their brand
Appealed to young professionals (who doesn’t love a good social site after all)

Associations Align With Our Strategy

Its seemed simple. The answer was staring us right in the face. Associations. Our member engagement data had proven that you can have a constant flow of social postings between thousands of members, but that’s not really meaningful collaboration. True collaboration starts when you have a trusted circle of peers. Healthcare Associations are just that-like peers that already have established groups that NEED to communicate (committees, task forces, etc.). Plus, look at the timing for healthcare in general. In 2016, the trillion-dollar healthcare industry is continuing to experience extraordinary change spurred by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the growth of large health systems, technological advances, and an emphasis on quality and outcomes. This being a presidential election year additionally promises heightened scrutiny and debate of healthcare policies and practice. Staying on top of new developments occurring at breakneck speed is not a new challenge for healthcare professionals. Fortunately, for every sector of the healthcare industry, there is at least one, if not numerous, professional associations and societies that focus on these issues.

So, when I say that we have been busy, TRUST ME. It has been a busy few months. We have been on the ground, in the field, and in your offices researching, listening, engaging, networking, and evaluating the Healthcare Association industry. We have focused on not just identifying – but truly understanding – what the big picture industry trends are and what our individual customers need to be successful.

Author

Calli Dretke
President & CEO

Calli stands at the forefront of one of the fastest moving Association Software industry trends: member engagement. Described by her peers as a “unicorn”, Calli exhibits passion, intellect, creativity and detailed execution in everything she does. .

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