Marketing

How Nimble is Too Nimble?

Scott Oser
May 11, 2021

Over the last year and a half, I have closely watched a number of organizations announce how successful they have been in quickly changing their communications and transitioning their meetings from in-person to virtual. I realize that quick changes are often infrequent in the association space and therefore I do offer praise to any organization that has been able to become nimbler in their decision making.

As I have been listening to stories much of the discussion is around pricing of events and membership. I have heard many stories about how associations are currently offering free, or discounted, access to their offerings and having great results. I agree that this could be a time where money is tight for our customers and members, but I have also been wondering how much these quick decisions are going to impact business in the future.  

Everything an association does with their pricing and how they communicate with members and customers will impact the levels of success in the short-term and in the long-term. Are associations taking the time to develop scenarios that look past the current crisis so that the likelihood of future success is part of current decision-making process? If they aren’t, they really need to be. 

Being nimble and making quick decisions is awesome, but it should not be done in a way that puts the future at risk. I hope that as things are getting a little less fuzzy associations are taking the time to take a breath and develop a deeply thought-out strategy that will help them today and going forward.




Scott has over 20 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries. Before starting his consulting firm, he worked for market leaders like National Geographic Society, AARP, and Science. Throughout his career Scott has excelled in developing, implementing, and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs. He is highly skilled in creating effective membership, marketing, and sales programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals.