How associations can help member reputations

How professional associations can influence a member’s reputation and value in the workplace.

Having a professional association membership can be an invaluable asset in the workplace. Professional associations provide members with access to resources, knowledge and experiences that can help them develop their skills and increase their value as employees.

While many professional associations are helping their members bridge skill and knowledge gaps, which enables them to advance their careers, few are providing the education, resources or opportunities for engagement to employers and their leaders that can ultimately increase a member’s reputation and value at the organization.

Here are three ideas that your professional association can implement to help influence your members’ reputation in the workplace:

Create a direct-to-employer marketing campaign focused on member’s business value

The business value that a professional brings to a company isn’t always obvious. Professional associations can take the lead in communicating the business value their members deliver. A straightforward way to do so is by launching a direct-to-employer awareness campaign on behalf of your members to educate and remind employers of their business contributions be it cost savings, revenue growth or company reputation.

What needs to be demonstrated in your campaign to help organizational leaders understand the business value your members bring to their success? In your campaign, support those facts with great content like testimonials from organizational leaders, infographics that explain their benefits and messages that convey your members’ commitment to the field and moving an organization forward. Also, a campaign should recognize the significance your professional certification program(s) bring to companies and the collective industry.

Establish an employer recognition initiative

Professional associations are in a great position to recognize employers and company leaders that influence members’ career successes. A recognition initiative facilitated by your professional association can acknowledge the important contributions employer parties make to members. This initiative will serve as an invitation into your association’s inner workings, and it could deepen your connections with organizational leaders as well.

Nominations for your recognition initiative can be led by your staff, but it is more meaningful when your members have the opportunity to nominate a leader at their organization. By opening the opportunity to members, you’re broadening the possibilities for employer connections that can ultimately lead to strong perceptions of your association among important organizational leaders.

Make your research inclusive with influential organizational leaders

If your professional association is developing original research studies about the industry or industry vertical in which your members work, it’s important to create opportunities to include organizational leaders. Doing so can bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and resources to your study. It can also bring forth new perspectives to the research process and help ensure that any outcomes achieved are representative of the population being studied. Utilizing influential organizational leadership can involve having them provide guidance, mentorship and access to resources with their organization. Developing relationships with these individuals can also be useful for promoting the research’s objectives or any desired outcomes.

An invitation into your study can create a strong, long-term connection between them and your professional association, and the relationship will positively influence how they perceive your members’ and association’s value.

How is your professional association promoting your member’s reputation in the workplace?