Ever had a BFO moment? A BFO is a Big Flash of the Obvious – when something that should have been apparent ages ago all of a sudden reveals itself to you – A Damascene conversion, if you like.
At a recent ASAE (The association for associations!) event, the buzz was all about social media and that was where I got it. At this point, other IGAF Worldwide staff members probably said, “at last – we have only been telling him for the past 2 years!” - But if associations are really about bringing people together then this is really the way forwards.
So (tooting own horn alert) it is great to see that a couple of early adopters of this coolness (not to mention representatives of pretty far-sighted firms by any measure) appear to be somewhat pleased with IGAF Worldwide, but perhaps more importantly with the peer firms that are in the membership.
First of all, Mark Bailey in his Innovative Practice Management blog said nice things about our member firms, and then, in Scott Heintzelman's blog, he was also very complimentary. Finally, a group that sometimes gets short shrift in accounting firms - the marketers - got some very positive comments on guru Bruce Allen's blog.
So, turning off the self-promotion, communication is key - building member loyalty takes consistency of communication and a judgment as to the 'right amount' to keep the message to the forefront without being overwhelming. Your members want to hear from you - Do they, or do they get an unnerving silence?
