Almost all associations have one thing in common: an aspirational mission. But many association leaders find they don’t have what they most desire: achievable results.
Building a strong brand for your association can help bridge that gap. Effective association branding creates clarity around who your organization serves, what it stands for and why membership matters. That clarity can help attract new members, strengthen relationships with existing ones and give your organization a stronger position in its industry or profession.
If you’ve been thinking about how to grow your membership base, there are two important things to consider: your association’s name and its position in the marketplace.
What is association branding?
Association branding is the process of defining how a membership organization is perceived by its members, prospective members and other important stakeholders. It goes well beyond developing a name, logo or visual identity. A strong association brand communicates who the organization serves, why it exists, what makes membership valuable and what role the association plays within its industry, profession or community.
That makes branding an association somewhat different from branding a traditional company. A business can often build its brand around the value of a product or service. An association has to create value for a community of people who may have different needs, priorities and reasons for belonging.
For example, current members may value networking and professional development. Prospective members may be looking for career opportunities or access to industry expertise. Employers may value the association’s ability to advance the profession, while policymakers and other external stakeholders may see it as an authoritative voice for an industry.
A successful association brand brings these audiences together around a clear, compelling idea about why the organization matters.
Why is branding important for an association?
Strong association branding helps people quickly understand both what an organization represents and why participating in it matters. That clarity can affect everything from membership recruitment and retention to event participation, partnerships and the association’s influence within its field.
This becomes especially important as associations evolve. An organization’s membership may expand beyond the audience it originally served. Its industry may change. New generations of professionals may have different expectations of membership. Services that once differentiated an association may become widely available elsewhere.
When that happens, there can be a growing gap between what the organization has become and what people think it is. Association brand strategy can help close that gap.
Does your association need a new name?
First, could your association’s name be getting in the way of its growth? Two associations we worked with had this exact issue.
The Guilford Merchant’s Association (GMA), a business membership organization focused on supporting member companies with educational programming, lead generation and marketing activities and overall enrichment, had several issues with their name. To begin with, some stakeholders knew the association only by its acronym: GMA. And the members who did know what the name stood for couldn’t relate to it at all.
The problem was two-fold: One, GMA’s membership base had expanded beyond Guilford county, so the “Guilford” part of the name was geographically limiting. And two, the word “Merchant” came from a time in the early 1900s when the association’s membership was a collection of store owners in town. Today, most of GMA’s members are not retailers. Instead, most members are part of small to medium sized businesses like insurance agencies and law firms. And some members are part of large corporations.
It was clear that a name change would help grow the organization and serve as a smart marketing asset. After embarking on our naming and research process, the right new name for the Guilford Merchant’s Association emerged: Triad Business Advantage. This name opened up the association geographically and spoke to the association’s benefit, it truly gave their members a business advantage.
But association branding isn’t the same as simply renaming an association. A name is one expression of a brand. The broader association brand can encompass its positioning, value proposition, purpose, member experience, messaging, reputation and visual identity. A new name should therefore be considered in the context of the organization’s larger brand and strategic direction.
When should an association consider rebranding?
There isn’t one trigger that means an association needs to rebrand. Instead, leadership should look for signs of a disconnect between what the organization is today, what it wants to become and how members and prospective members perceive it.
It may be time to revisit your association’s brand when:
- Your name no longer accurately describes your membership or mission.
- Your organization has expanded geographically or into new disciplines or member segments.
- Prospective members struggle to understand the value of joining.
- Member needs, demographics or expectations have changed.
- The association is perceived as dated or less relevant than it actually is.
- Your mission, services or strategic direction have evolved.
- Members and leadership describe the organization and its value in very different ways.
Understanding those perceptions is an important part of the association branding process. Research among current members, prospective members and other stakeholders can reveal what people value most, what they believe differentiates the association and where the existing brand may be creating confusion or limiting growth.
Sometimes a new name is also part of a broader rebranding project. Our renaming and repositioning of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) is one example of this.
AADE had embarked on a new vision: to drive optimal outcomes for people with diabetes through the integration of clinical management, education, prevention and support. Thanks to input from many stakeholders that the current specialty name, “diabetes educator,” was limiting and not inclusive of everything that a specialist did for people with diabetes, we embarked on an extensive research process that ultimately determined there was a need for a new title that reflected the increased relevance of the diabetes educator role.
We then used another rigorous research process to help determine that the specialty title that resonated most was “diabetes care and educator specialist.” Today, this member-affirmed specialty title allows the association and its members to stand as leaders in diabetes care because it more accurately describes all that they do for people with diabetes. The association’s name changed to reflect the specialty as well.
The American Association of Diabetes Educators became the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES).
Associate branding goes beyond the name
While a name change alone can help drive new membership and growth, an updated brand positioning that aligns with the strategic direction of the new name can drive outcomes to an even greater extent.
ADCES truly wanted to make the greatest impact in the healthcare environment and marketplace that they could. So, we also worked with them to reposition their brand.
A brand can help an association differentiate themselves and create an experience that is meaningful to their members and other key stakeholders. Ultimately, an association’s brand is reflected in how they position their value to members. It can retain and grow current members and open doors for new members.
For membership organizations, that positioning is especially important because members aren’t simply purchasing a product. They are choosing whether to become and remain part of a community. An effective association brand gives them a clear and compelling reason to belong.
By partnering with ADCES to rebrand the association, we helped give them the additional leverage they needed to launch their specialty into the future and gain the recognition they needed to further demonstrate their importance to providers, payers and other decision makers.
Today, the organization has a shared purpose and a singular focus. It’s accelerating excellence, optimizing outcomes and building community. By renaming and repositioning, its members feel listened to and energized, and the association proves every day that’s it’s on the forefront for better care.
Not every association needs to change its name
While a name change was the right strategic decision for GMA and ADCES, it’s important to note that many associations don’t need (or want) to change their name. In most cases, a refreshed brand positioning is all an association needs to attract new members and member segments without alienating their core, ensure strong engagement with current members, and make decisions about how to allocate their limited resources—in the ways that matter most.
That’s why the process of branding an association should begin with understanding the problem the organization needs to solve, not with deciding that it needs a new name, logo or visual identity. Research may reveal that the existing name still carries significant equity, while the real opportunity lies in clarifying the association’s positioning and communicating its value more effectively.
The goal of association branding isn’t change for the sake of change. It’s to create a brand that accurately represents the organization today, gives members a compelling reason to belong and provides leadership with a clear foundation for future growth.
Build an association brand with strategic focus
In summary, successful associations have one thing in common: strategic focus. Brands with focus know who they are, what they stand for, and where they’re going.
Effective association branding turns that focus into a meaningful promise for members and prospective members. Whether that requires a new name, a new positioning or simply a clearer articulation of your value, the objective is the same: build an association brand that strengthens member relationships, differentiates your organization and supports future growth.
Your association’s brand, in other words your reputation, is a lever you can use to increase membership and create the results you desire to take your association successfully into the future.