For many associations, their content has been available only to members as a benefit or to non-members through a subscription. However, as marketing efforts have moved almost entirely online, free content became a critical component for driving interest in an association’s area of expertise and for generating traffic to its digital and social channels. The trade-off for doing this has often been a reduction or complete loss of revenue generated by the content.
In today’s environment, most associations understand the value of both free thought leadership content and revenue-generating content. But less clear is when a piece of content should be designated as available at no cost and when a piece of content should be part of the association’s revenue model.
Our organization, the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), set out on a journey (we called it a “content lock-down strategy”) to determine which audiences should have access to different types of content. We knew some content should be totally open, some should be available only with a login, and some should be members-only. Here’s a look at what went into determining our strategy.
Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE's Center for Association Leadership.