A Beginner’s Guide to Using AI for Associations By Melanie Marcotte, Account Supervisor
According to the 2024 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, only 11% of associations are using AI (artificial intelligence) for membership marketing. That means most organizations are still missing out on AI’s potential to boost efficiency and creativity.
As an association marketing professional, using AI tools in my own routine has assisted with brainstorming, speeding up tasks, and making edits. To help you jump in, here are a few key guidelines:
With these essentials in mind, here are practical examples for getting started with AI at your association.
Email Marketing
You’ve written an amazing piece of content, but now you need to think of subject lines. Type the following into your AI tool:
“I am sending out an email to association executives (or your primary audience). Can you please use the following piece of content to generate 5 ideas of subject lines and preheaders that are optimized for open rates?:” And then pop in your email copy after the colon!
We used this exact prompt to help with ideation for A/B testing subject lines for this month’s Tipster email! Check out the results we got from ChatGPT below:
Social Media Marketing
You have a piece of content that you would like to showcase on your social media account. Type in the following query to your AI tool:
“I would like to turn the following content piece into an organic social media post. Please create 2 posts each for audiences on Facebook and LinkedIn:” and then copy and paste your content copy following the colon.
Your AI system will then spit out copy designed specifically for those platforms. Make sure to review and edit all copy before posting on your accounts.
Event Marketing Analysis
We all run multiple events and conferences throughout the year, but do your websites say what you think they are saying? You can use an AI tool to quickly synthesize your website as a third-party eye. Type the following query into your AI tool:
Can you tell me why someone would be interested in this event, based on this webpage? And then insert the link to your webpage.
The AI tool will then crawl your page and tell you what it sees. Is anything missing from its analysis? Did it pick up on a topic you weren’t expecting it to? Use this information to inform your marketing and any landing page changes you should make.
AI offers a range of possibilities that can enhance your workflow. Treat it as a personal assistant, and don’t hesitate to explore its capabilities to fit your unique needs. Looking for AI tools to start with? Ones we’ve tested previously are ChatGPT, Copilot, Perplexity, and Claude.
The best tip I’ve gotten about AI is what I’ll give to you now: AI isn’t about getting the right answer, it’s about asking the best question. Play and explore by asking questions in different ways and you may be surprised by what you get!
MGI is your proven partner to help move your association forward. Want to reach out and ask questions? Contact John Sample, Vice President, Business Development, at jsample@marketinggeneral.com or 703-706-0346.