Medical Associations Share Ideas / Challenges

Last week Connect360 hosted a “Couch Conversation” virtual roundtable for medical associations.  The open forum is simply an idea exchange where medical associations can learn from peers facing the same difficulties during the pandemic. 

Some of the information shared included:

Virtual Events:  While it can be expensive to produce virtual meetings, they have many benefits.  For example, without the expense of travelling,  associations are reporting not only  spikes in virtual event participation, but more interest from reporters to cover the event since they can do so from their home base.  They have also shown to provide more opportunities to engage with  members.  With everyone looking for new strategies to improve the events, one association said they are fielding self-recorded clips and using it for promotions before the meeting as well as during.  Another said they are helping members submit better quality videos by providing tips such as the best way to hold the camera.  And yet another association is learning how to produce these virtual events in-house to save money while others are considering a hybrid approach for their future meetings and exploring ways to have better networking and exhibitor engagement.

Member Communication:  “Communication fatigue” is a problem for many members, contributing to feeling overwhelmed.  Several associations have created separate COVID newsletters with one organization showing the latest, most updated information via a scrolling feature on their home page.  These communications have not replaced their “general” newsletter and other regular emails.  Others are trying new mediums such as podcasts and more video engagement.  One association invited their members to exchange ideas through blog articles to help others during these challenging times.  This led to publishing approximately 50 blog articles to assist their members, plus it helped him have a first-hand look into what their members are experiencing. 

Patient Communication:  Due to their patient conditions, many associations have found themselves pivoting quickly to ensure the most updated information is provided.  One organization pointed out the CDC guidelines are changing regularly due to COVID.  This generates more media interest and increases the need for more patient education.  A medical association with an at-risk population sends out weekly mailings to their patients as well as a video series which has gotten a great response with millions of hits and an increase in YouTube subscribers. 

We are planning our next Medical Association “Couch Conversation” and hope you will be able to participate.  Stay tuned for more details. Lets Connect: http://c360m.com/contact-us/