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Content Creation & SEO Marketing Tips for Associations

A good piece of content can spark a lot of engagement. Is your association writing relevant content to engage current and prospective members and employers? If not, now is a great time to start. Once you have a content creation strategy, you’ll reap the benefits of engaging current members, driving more traffic to your website, attracting new members, and increasing your SEO.

As an association marketer, you’re up against a tremendous competition for your members’ and prospective members’ attention.

Download this whitepaper for ways to deliver content that will help you break through the clutter to reach your members and prospects.

Read on for five content creation tips that will engage your association’s current and prospective members while improving organic search ratings to reach a wider audience.

Association content can boast several benefits, such as:

  • Enhance professional relationships with partners and sponsors
  • Increase traffic and SEO ranking on your association’s website
  • Boost your member engagement and draw new members
  • Establish your association as an industry thought leader
  • Build rapport with your community

1. Repurpose old content for blog posts.

Why re-invent the wheel? Your association has already spent a lot of time creating e-books, whitepapers, webinars, social posts, and more. Repurpose webinars into whitepapers, whitepapers into informative blog posts, etc.

Keep in mind not to just copy and paste old content. Rather, present it in a new way that will provide value to your members. That might be something as simple as updating data and trends from an e-book or webinar. A blog is an effective way to give your content an extended life and stay relevant and valuable to your members who might not have seen the original content in the first place.

2. Understand your members’ interests.

The more relevant your content is to your members’ interests, the more reach it will have. Research from Community Brands shows that career advancement is the number one reason those early in their careers join an association. Once they join and progress along their careers, job opportunities and industry-specific content are in the top ten benefits they value most.

Member Priorities Based on Career Stage

Creating content about your career center and the benefits it offers is just one way to spark the interests of early-careerists, job seekers, and even passive candidates. If you have a career event coming up, blog about it, call out sponsors and let your members know you’re providing them the resources they’re looking for to help advance their career.

targeted content

3. Collaborate with thought leaders in your industry.

Readers engage more with content that is relevant, diverse, and interesting. One way to create such content is by inviting thought leaders in your industry to guest blog, provide relevant quotes, or be a webinar guest. When you collaborate with thought leaders or associations that share similar audiences, you could draw new readers from their network.

You can even take it a step further and ask for quotes or stories from your members. They have knowledge of your industry and are the best ones to know what topics are relevant and are important to your members.

4. Write what you know.

Having the resources to create enough content might be an issue for your association. Along with updating and repurposing content you already have, write about what you know or content that you are utilizing in other areas for quick and easy posts. A few content ideas include blogging about the benefits of joining your association or writing a whitepaper about how to start a career in your industry (point them to your Career Planning Portal).

5. Use keywords and related synonyms to improve SEO.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for improved Search Engine Results Page (SERP) ranking is constantly evolving. Mastering this means a better digital ranking and more traffic for your website. When attracting organic traffic to your site, it’s useful to be a thought leader on trending issues in your industry.

Using industry-specific keywords and related synonyms in web content will capture traffic unfamiliar with your brand name but interested in the topics your organization is addressing. Over time, readers will become reliant on the topical content you deliver and view your brand as a professional resource. Maintain a steady cadence of relevant content for readers and include subscribe links in all your outward facing communication channels.

Let’s review some talking points that you can add to your website and social channels to escalate your ranking in organic search results:

  • Attracting job seekers – Highlight professional resources and access to top industry employers available through your online job boards and career fairs (virtual and onsite).
  • Attracting members – Focus on benefits important to (new and experienced) professionals in search of mentorship, networking opportunities, and continuing education.
  • Attracting employers/exhibitors – Emphasize the number of niche professionals accessible and looking for employment on your job board and at your events.

Mastering SEO is like trying to catch the perfect wave. There are established rules to follow, but focusing too much on one thing can mean a wipeout.

YM Careers provides extensive, industry relevant marketing support.

Discover how our marketing team can drive more traffic to your website and employers’ jobs to your job board.

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