It may only be August, but for association volunteer leaders, now is an ideal time to start thinking about next year and start planning.  

As association Boards and committees begin discussing priorities, budgets, events and member initiatives for 2027, marketing and communications should be part of those conversations from the beginning – not as an afterthought or after the plans have already been made. 

For volunteer leaders, that doesn’t mean developing social media calendars or writing email campaigns. Your most valuable contribution is helping establish what the association needs to accomplish, who it needs to reach, what success should look like and setting key performance indicators (KPIs) for the year ahead, which will serve as a check-point for each year’s incoming planning.  

That starts with understanding the difference between a marketing strategy, a campaign and a tactic. Sounds simple, right? Perhaps. But often confused.  

Strategy, Campaign or Tactic? 

These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they serve very different purposes. 

An annual marketing strategy provides the big picture. It connects marketing and communications activities to the association’s strategic priorities and defines key audiences, objectives, positioning and measures of success for the year ahead. 

A campaign plan focuses on a specific objective within that strategy, such as increasing membership, launching an event, promoting professional development or strengthening awareness of the association. 

Tactics are the individual activities used to execute the campaign: emails, social media posts, advertising, videos, webinars, media outreach and other communications. 

Think of it this way: 

  • • Strategy: Where are we going and why?
  • • Campaign: What are we trying to accomplish along the way? 
  • • Tactics: What are we going to do to get there? 

 

Without the first two, it is easy for associations to jump directly to tactics such as:  

  • • “We need to post more on LinkedIn.” 
  • • “Let’s send an email.” 
  • • “We should create a video.” 

 

These are all worthwhile activities, but the better question is: What organizational objective will they help us achieve? 

Start With Association Priorities 

A strong annual marketing plan should begin with the association’s strategic plan and the priorities established by its Board. 

If membership growth is a priority, for example, marketing objectives might focus on increasing awareness among prospective members, strengthening the value proposition, or improving conversion rates. 

If member engagement is the priority, the focus may instead be on increasing participation, improving awareness of existing benefits or reconnecting with less-engaged segments of the membership. 

The strategy should follow the organizational goal. Not the other way around. 

What Should Association Volunteer Leaders Bring to the Conversation? 

As planning begins for 2027, Boards and committees can help their association team by considering a few important questions: 

  • • What are our top organizational priorities for the coming year? 
  • • Which audiences are most important to achieving them? 
  • • What do we want those audiences to know, feel or do differently? 
  • • What programs, events or initiatives will require dedicated campaigns? 
  • • Are our expectations realistic given available budget, staff capacity and timelines? 
  • • What does success look like, and how will we measure it? 
  • • Are there activities we continue simply because “we’ve always done them”? 
  • • Where should we focus our resources for the greatest impact? 

 

These conversations provide the strategic foundation that allows association staff and marketing professionals to translate organizational priorities into an actionable annual plan. 

And to help keep the planning intentional and respectful of everyone’s time, here’s one of my previous articles on How to Elevate and Streamline Your Association’s Strategic Planning Sessions. 

Equally important and a good read is my colleague Geoff Powell’s article, “Strategic Planning for Associations: How Much and How Often.”  

Plan Early, Stay Flexible 

An annual marketing strategy should provide direction, but it should not be rigid. Member needs change, opportunities emerge, campaign performance provides new information, and priorities can shift. 

The value of planning early is not predicting every post, email or campaign for the next 12 months. It is creating a shared roadmap that helps everyone make better decisions throughout the year. 

When Boards, committees and association teams agree on the destination, marketing becomes more than a series of communications. It becomes a strategic tool for moving the association forward.