ASSOCIATION

DIGITAL
MARKETING TRENDS.

20
19
The results are in...
For the first time ever, digital ad spending in the U.S. will exceed
traditional ad spending this year, growing 19% to $129.34 billion.
So undoubtedly, there’s a lot of ad dollars flowing into different digital
marketing channels – channels we’re all familiar with such as social,
programmatic, SEM, SEO, email, etc.

In Q1 2019, MultiView conducted a first-of-its-kind survey focusing

specifically on the use of digital marketing within the association space.
From website and email to social media and programmatic advertising,
the survey results showed how leaders in the industry are utilizing digital
marketing to advance the marketing and communications efforts of their
individual organizations.

We surveyed almost 1,200 association executives from small, mid-sized,

and large associations – some with very low operating budgets and
some with higher than average operating budgets. We received a 20%
response rate, with the majority of responses coming directly from
executive directors and director-level marketing executives. Our
questions focused specifically on associations’ use of digital marketing.
We’re excited to share the results of the survey in the following pages.
Titles of Survey Respondents
53% | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 20% | DIRECTOR 7% | SPECIALIST / COORDINATOR

3% | CMO / CCO 10% | MANAGER

1% | EVP / SVP 3% | VP
Digital Spend
How much did your association spend on digital marketing in 2018?
$10k 75%
$10-25k 15%
$26-50k 7%
$51-75k 0%
$76-100k 0%
$150k+ 3%

Compared to 2018, are you planning to spend more money,

less money, or the same on your digital marketing activities in 2019?

68% ABOUT THE SAME

21% MORE MONEY

11% LESS MONEY

Are you spending more on digital marketing than

traditional print marketing (print ads, direct mail, etc.)?

Yes, considerably more than print 19%

Yes, more than print 39%

Same as print 13%

No, less than print 21%

8%
Marketing Objectives
What are your goals with marketing your association?
Please order the following according to priority.

Member Member Increased Brand Increase CE

Recruitment Retention Tradeshow Awareness Web Traffic Promotion
Attendance

60% 18% 5% 11% 4% 2%

Digital Tactics
What digital marketing channels do you currently use & what channels
do you plan to invest in 2019?

Website SEO Programmatic PPC (SEM)

USE 96% 22% 11% 1%
INVEST 83% 22% 15% 2%

Social Media Content Marketing Paid Social Email Marketing

USE 91% 30% 30% 84%
INVEST 70% 29% 33% 67%

Overall, how effective do you consider these marketing tactics for your association?

Website
22% 38% 22% 18% 0%
Social Media
15 39% 32% 13% 1%
Email Marketing
21 37% 28% 14% 0%
SEO
2% 19% 22% 33% 24%
Content Marketing
12% 21% 28% 24% 15%
PPC (SEM)
1% 3% 16% 34% 46%
Programmatic
5% 19% 16% 21% 39%
Paid
2% 14% 32% 20% 32%

Extremely Very Quite Not Very Not at All

Staffing
Who handles your association's digital marketing efforts?

In-house Team 73%

Outsourced Team 3%

Combination of
in-housed/ 24%
outsourced

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

How many employees are focused on your digital marketing efforts?

10+
0%
7-9
2%
3-6
6%
2-3
45%
1
47%
Road Blocks
How limiting do you feel these factors are on the success of your
association’s digital marketing efforts?

46% 39% 20% 15% 3% 6%

13%
15%

18%
26%
14%
24%

30% 33%

31%

44%
22% 40%

32%
28%
18%
21%

9% 11% 12%

7%

3% 3%
7%
Lack of Lack of Lack of Lack of Competition Creativity
Budget Time/Resources Knowledge Reporting

Not at All Not Very Quite Very Extremely

Programmatic Advertising
Rank your understanding of programmatic advertising.

High Medium Low None / No

Confidence Confidence Confidence Confidence

4% 23% 37% 36%

Do you plan to implement programmatic advertising into your digital marketing plan?

We have done so already

Yes - Within the next 12 months Yes - It’s on our radar, but no timeframe
No - It is not in our plans I don’t know

13% 6% 22% 22% 36%

Social Media
What social channels does your association currently utilize?

Linkedin Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Snapchat Pinterest

67% 98% 81% 55% 48% 5% 3%

How many times per week do you update each social channel?
1-3 4-6 7-9 10+ N /A

60% 52% 41% 38% 41% 10% 2%

00
1%

11% 5%

22% 4%
3%

12% 24%
13%
3%
1%

13% 12%

6%
24% 5% 12% 44% 54% 90% 97%
Websites
How often are you updating content on your association’s website?

60%

51%
50%

40%

30%

22%

20% 18%

10%
6%

1% 1%

Daily Weekly Monthly Quarterly Yearly Not at all

Content Marketing
Does your association maintain a blog?

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Yes 29%

No 63%

No, but plan to

7%
within the year

How often do you update the blog with new content per month?

1-3 4-6 10% 4% 7%

Times Times
7-9 10+
Times Times

77%

Are you currently utilizing video in your digital marketing efforts?

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Yes 50%

No 39%

No, but plan to

11%
within the year
Email Marketing
Does your association currently utilize an email marketing platform?

No, but plan to within the next 12 months

3%

No Yes
22% 75%

What email marketing platform does your association currently use?

Is your email marketing program directly tied to your AMS?

No Yes

69% 31%
Marketing Automation
Do you plan to implement marketing automation software?

We have done so already. Yes, within the next 12 months. Yes, but no timeframe.

12% 5% 17%

No I don’t know.

39% 24%

What's the biggest benefit you've seen from your marketing automation platform?

Saving time Lead generation Member retention

40% 4% 3%

Delivering Enhancing
Increase in personalized measurement &
revenue content reporting Other
4% 11% 4% 30%
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