Association Client
A trade association for manufacturers within the packaging industry, businesses that supply materials and machinery to these manufacturers, and consultants who help those looking to invest in this expanding industry
Purpose
Since 1997, our client has aimed to foster, educate, develop, and lead its industry in pursuing technological, manufacturing, and sustainability intelligence.
Initial Situation
Association's Challenges
- Stagnant Membership and Revenue: Our client faced challenges in growing both membership and revenue, which had become stagnant.
- Geographical Spread: With its geographically spread international membership, our client struggled to grow at a pace matching the expanding market.
- Perceived Membership Value: Due to a lack of tangible benefits, membership was often viewed as a donation rather than an investment.
Approach and Strategy
Our Strategic Plan
- Focus on Annual Conference: Our client’s most extensive program each year is their Annual Conference, which attracts members and non-members globally. Our strategy began with increasing conference attendance to boost revenue.
- Revenue Investment Loop: The increased revenue from higher attendance was then reinvested into marketing and programs to attract a larger audience and build membership, creating a feedback loop of growth.
- Multi-Channel Marketing: Leading up to the conference, we implemented:
- Thoughtfully designed email campaigns
- Strategic calls to key industry stakeholders
- Engagement with the Board of Directors
- Promotion through email marketing, social media, direct outreach, and a paid marketing campaign
- On-Site Engagement:We sent our in-house communications team to the conference to:
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- Take professional photographs
- Write blogs
- Post-real-time social media content to help maximize audience engagement
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The results
Record-Breaking Success
Attendance: In our first full year managing our client, we exceeded record attendance numbers, surpassing even pre-pandemic figures.
Sponsorship Revenue: Achieved higher sponsorship revenue than ever before.
Social Media Growth: Our client’s follower count increased by nearly 50% during and immediately after the conference, expanding our marketing audience.
New Members: We converted new prospects into members within the next 90 days, resulting in a 20% increase, translating to six figures in revenue.
Long-term Impact
Sustainable Growth
Ongoing Success: Thoughtful programs and strategic marketing have put us on pace to make this year’s conference even larger than the previous year’s.
Snowball Effect: The increased membership and sponsorship revenue allow further marketing investment, perpetuating membership and event attendance growth.
Future Plans
Continued Marketing Efforts
Leveraging In-House Expertise: We plan to continue using our in-house marketing and communications team to promote the value of our client’s membership and event attendance, ensuring sustained growth and engagement.
Conclusion
TMG’s strategic marketing and communications solutions have driven significant growth for our client. By understanding the industry and implementing a multi-faceted approach, we have increased revenue, membership, and event attendance, proving the value of our tailored marketing strategies.
Our marketing and communications services, both remote and on-site at events, have delivered proven results. Our experts understand your industry and effectively communicate the value of engaging with your membership, utilizing various approaches to grow revenue and membership simultaneously.
TMG has taken us to the next level in terms of communication, membership management, website design, and marketing. TMG gets to know the membership and our issues and then dives in with us to provide added value to our members – that’s what The Markens Group does best.
Testimonials
Dan Felton
Executive Director, AMERIPEN
TMG has spearheaded our industry’s representation on national initiatives and organizing annual meetings that are both entertaining and educational. Even better, the entire TMG staff has been ‘on point’ whenever we have a need.
Darryl Carlson
President, Royal Paper Box Co.
Board Member, Paperboard Packaging Council