Communications for Professional Associations
Your association has to demonstrate value to members, represent the expertise of a profession and provide reliable information to external audiences. We manage the public relations, marketing and communications work required to reach those audiences and give leadership a clear view of the results.
The Real Problem
Professional associations rarely communicate with one audience about one issue.
Members
need practical resources, professional support and an understanding of what you do for them.
The Industry
needs credible experts and reliable information about the profession and the issues affecting it.
Leadership & Boards
Need to understand how communications support organizational priorities and how the budget is being used.
One Association. Multiple Audiences. Different Expectations.
Members need to see the value of belonging. Prospective members need a reason to join. Journalists need timely access to credible experts. Policymakers and industry partners need the association’s perspective. Consumers may need clear information about unfamiliar or sensitive topics.
Your communications need to address those different expectations while coordinating input from leadership, committees, subject-matter experts and member spokespeople.
Challenges Unique To Your Industry
- Making member value visible throughout the year
- Coordinating experts, committees and approvals
- Preparing spokespeople to represent the profession
- Reaching members and important external audiences
- Connecting professional authority with public education
- Showing leadership what communications accomplished
Communications Support for Professional Associations
What We Can Take Off Your Team’s Plate
Members need to see how the association supports their profession, represents their interests and provides resources they cannot easily find elsewhere.
We develop member email, website content, leadership updates, annual reports, initiative materials and campaigns that connect the association’s work with the practical value members receive.
Your executives, committees and members may have valuable knowledge but limited time to develop it into content.
We interview experts, identify useful topics and prepare articles, media pitches, website resources, research materials, podcasts and email content. We also coordinate reviews and keep the work moving toward publication.
Subject knowledge alone does not ensure that an interview will communicate the association’s most important messages.
We prepare spokespeople to explain complex issues clearly, establish their connection to the association, communicate priority messages and direct audiences to useful resources. We also review completed interviews to identify what was communicated and where additional preparation may be useful.
An interview creates value when the spokesperson appears in the final story, the association is identified, priority messages are included and the outlet reaches an intended audience.
We develop story ideas, identify the right journalists and publications, prepare experts and pursue media and podcast opportunities. We measure more than the number of placements by tracking message inclusion, spokesperson presence and audience relevance.
Some associations educate consumers or the general public through the association itself, a foundation or a separate public-facing initiative.
We turn professional knowledge into clear website content, downloadable resources, podcasts, videos, email and digital campaigns. Media coverage and expert content can then direct audiences toward information, public tools and member services they can use.
Association leaders and boards need reporting that answers practical questions:
- Did our experts communicate the right messages?
- Was the association clearly identified?
- Did we reach the audiences that matter?
- Did members and public audiences use our resources?
- Did we add contacts we can continue reaching?
- Did the work support association priorities and stay on budget?
We establish those measures at the beginning and report the results in language leadership and boards can use.
Built for Teams With Limited Campacity
The Harbinger Group can manage the full communications effort or support selected priorities. We learn how the association works, who needs to participate and what leadership expects to see. We then manage the process from planning through execution and reporting.
Planning & Messaging
Communications and audience research; Association positioning and member value messaging; Campaign, editorial and public education planning
Earned Media & Professional Visibility
Media, podcast and contributed article outreach; Spokesperson preparation and interview review; Executive, member, research and award visibility
Member & Public Engagement
Member communications and recruitment campaigns; Website, email, podcast and video content; Digital advertising, resources and contact development
Measurement & Reporting
Earned media and message analysis; Member, audience and resource engagement; Budget tracking and leadership reporting
Results of Our Work
From Data Source to Trusted Professional Voice
The National Funeral Directors Association represents funeral service professionals and serves as an authoritative source on the issues affecting the profession and the families its members serve.
NFDA had a strong base of research and industry knowledge, but media coverage often used the association primarily as a source of statistics. Its spokespeople had fewer opportunities to explain what the data meant, provide professional context or communicate the value funeral professionals provide.
We developed a proactive earned media strategy built around expert commentary, timely story ideas and issues affecting the profession. We prepared NFDA spokespeople for interviews and podcasts, then reviewed completed appearances to measure whether the association’s priority messages were delivered.
We also connected NFDA’s media visibility with Remembering A Life, its consumer education initiative. Website content, email, podcasts, downloadable resources and digital campaigns gave families access to practical guidance and a way to find an NFDA-member funeral home.
1,523
Media stories secured in 12 months
96%
Message pull-through from podcast appearances
53%
Of coverage included meaningful spokesperson commentary, up from 5%
2x
Increase in traffic to the Find a Funeral Home tool
Who Does Your Association Need to Reach—and What Do They Need to Understand?
Schedule a conversation with our team to discuss your members, professional expertise, public audiences and communications priorities. We can identify where additional support would make the greatest difference.