What do trends in streaming services and TV purchases have to do with chapters? Well maybe we should say member components rather than chapters. And the answer is provide an important lesson.
AssociationsNow.com tech writer Ernie Smith shared recently that people are increasingly relying on streaming services and holding onto (or really upgrading) their TV sets. Read Streaming Services Still on the Rise, CTA Says—but So Are Giant TV Sets.
He quotes CTA Senior Director of Market Research Steve Koenig who said the reason is simple: People want to watch stuff anywhere, at any time. “Today’s advancement of technology delivers ‘content convenience’ that results in cultural changes such as binge watching, second-screen behavior, content recommendations, and the screens consumers use to consume video.”
Jeff Joseph, CTA’s senior vice president of communications and strategic relationships, told MediaPost “The TV remains the essential entertainment hub for activities such as gathering to watch sporting events, watching movies as families, and playing video games together.”
Focus on that phrase content convenience and essential hub for activities such as gathering. People still want to gather. But people also want it on their own time.
Enter member components or communities. Some (think virtual/online groups) offer binge networking, content sharing/recommending. Some (think our geographic groups) offer gathering around a table to share time, content and entertainment. Having a variety of communities meets the ever growing demand for content convenience – to access the connections anywhere, at any time.
Not every member is going to want to connect at the chapter level in person, in real time. Not everyone is going to want to access your online community. The best strategy we can adopt is to think about our associations as eco-systems with variety and options. This means we don’t address and discuss chapters in void but as part of larger picture.
Oh, and more lesson. CTA’s research says streaming subscribers will likely surpass paid TV services by a fair margin in the next year or so. Our members will expect us to offer streaming services as well. And why can’t chapters?