Events should be your association’s best pathway for turning prospects into loyal members. One positive experience can demonstrate clear value and spark lasting connections.
Yet, despite heavy marketing investments, many associations struggle to attract non-member attendees.
Here’s what’s really happening—and how you can fix it.
Your SWOC Analysis is Outdated (or Doesn’t Exist)
If you’re not seeing new faces at your events, it may be time to revisit your SWOC (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Challenges) analysis. If it’s been more than two years since your last deep dive, you’re flying blind.
Today’s prospects aren’t automatically drawn to the biggest or longest-running events. They choose based on clear, immediate value—and they have plenty of options.
An updated SWOC analysis pinpoints exactly why prospects choose competitors and shows you what gaps need closing.
You’re Asking Non-Members to Take a Leap of Faith—Without Building Trust
Think about it: You’re asking busy professionals to invest significant time and money traveling to meet strangers. Attending is rarely casual; it can feel risky. Why should prospects trust your event over countless others?
The truth is that many associations miss the mark when it comes to understanding what prospects really want.
Your marketing should highlight personal, meaningful experiences over organization-focused messages or big promises.
Your Emails Aren’t Connecting (Especially with Younger Prospects)
Email may be familiar, but younger audiences increasingly view it as outdated and untrustworthy. Inboxes overflow, emails look impersonal or suspicious, and the content feels disconnected.
Blasting thousands of impersonal emails won’t inspire attendance—it’ll push prospects away.
Time to replace outdated mass emailing with genuine conversations.
Personal Outreach is Your New Best Friend
Today’s prospect outreach demands targeted, authentic connections. Replace generic emails with meaningful personal messages.
LinkedIn or direct messages from real people at your association go much further than mass emails. Someone who understands your prospect’s situation and can clearly explain the event’s value builds trust faster than an automated inbox message ever could.
Build Trust Quickly with Short-Form Videos
Thirty-second videos are powerful trust-builders. Short clips featuring real people from your team clearly answering prospects’ pressing questions quickly establish a human connection and prove value.
Consistently share multiple short videos on LinkedIn and other social platforms. Combine real faces with compelling event benefits.
Prospects quickly sense authenticity and relevance, reducing skepticism.
The Winning Combo: A Current SWOC, Personal Outreach, and Authentic Videos
If you want non-members at your events, let go of outdated practices that no longer work. Today’s prospective attendees need tangible proof.
They’re careful, skeptical, and selective. Connect with this audience by delivering human-centered outreach and trust-building videos that directly answer their needs, supported by a current SWOC assessment.
At Rottman Creative, we’re serious about solving your toughest engagement and membership challenges.
Let’s talk about building genuine connections with the attendees—and members—you want.
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