WASDA Marketing Plan 2005

Executive Summary

Marketing Strategy

Mission
Our mission is to enhance WASDA's image and position WASDA as the leader in the waterworks industry among distributors, manufacturers and end users..

Objectives
WASDA's primary objectives are to acquire and retain a sufficient number of association members in order to meet its financial requirements, provide valuable services to those members, and be perceived by other organizations and companies as the primary association which serves water and sewer distributors and their interests.

Given historical membership retention rates, retention has not been a significant issue. A majority of members who leave WASDA do so due to other reasons such as a consolidation of firms within the industry.

Membership Goals
Currently, there are approximately 60 distributor members and 50 manufacturer associate members. One of the key successes for 2004 was to add an associate membership level for manufacturers.

Goals for 2005:
• Increase distributor membership to 120 by 2010. Doing so requires a net addition (gains minus losses) of 10 members per year over the next 6 years.
• Increase manufacturer membership to X by 2010.
• Increase overall member revenues by x% from $X in 2004 to a projected $Y in 2005. The additional $(Y-X) dollars will enable WASDA to...
• Monitor associate member manufacturer activity in its first year to increase probability of a 95+% renewal rate.
• Increase member participation by 10% per year, meaning an additional 10% of total member companies participate in at least one event and/or committee.

Strategy & Keys to Success
WASDA is the only waterworks association that specifically meets the needs of distributors. With the addition of manufacturers as associate members, WASDA is supporting the development of stronger relationships between the two, which in turn, result in better relationships with end customers.

Critical Issues
At present WASDA does not perceive any significant changes in the associations serving the water works industry. The greatest challenge is to continue to monitor government legislation to assure that new laws and regulations properly serve WASDA membership.

As an organization, WASDA needs to maintain and even increase membership in order to keep strong value perception among members. A lack of strength could dilute value of membership and result in lower retention rates over the long term.

Business Case WASDA is currently operating as a sound business and has an opportunity to explore additional services for its members. This marketing plan is a first step in beginning to identify and explore means of reaching out to members and the waterworks industry as a whole.

Actions List
The following actions are categorized into two primary areas: (1) member acquisition & retention and (2) member services. Asterisks flag those actions which we believe are most likely to yield significant gain for WASDA.

Member Acquisition and Retention

Priority	Ownership / Timeline	Action
		Overall: Track membership levels over time. Include BOTH member company and site numbers to account for aggregate membership growth versus consolidation trends. Incorporate geography as an additional measure of coverage and indicator for opportunities (e.g., states with no current member sites, populations vs. sites). In addition track non-member interest by category (familiar with WASDA Yes/No; interest in WASDA Yes/No).
		Acquisition: Develop distributor member acquisition program: create prospect list, identify criteria for and select best candidates, develop call script, assign prospects to members, initiate campaign, and track results. Work In Process
		Acquisition: Develop manufacturer member acquisition program once manufacturers become more involved in organization and needs are better understood (utilize similar process as above).
		Acquisition: Send WASDA welcome packet to new members and encourage involvement. Include letter personally signed by Board representative Include 'how to' guide to help new members make the most out of membership quickly (key places to visit on website, invite to upcoming events, archives of past industry survey results and other relevant information...)
		Acquisition: Consider establishing an incentive for members to encourage non-members to join WASDA. Joining incentive. Also, pro-rate dues.
		Acquisition: Track member acquisition rates and vehicles. Identify where members are most likely to come from and use those vehicles to reach out to them.
		Renewal: Establish a renewal process for all members and associate members with associated timeline and key contact points. Flag those members who have missed deadlines and contact them directly for renewal.
		Renewal: Identify potential defection candidates and preempt loss by proactively engaging them to participate more fully. Recognize impact of time/dollars and make alternate means of interaction available for member involvement.
	Manf.	Loss/winback: Conduct an 'exit poll' for members who choose not to renew to understand and track key reasons. Monitor results over time to understand trends and uncover potential opportunities to reduce defection rates.
		Loss/winback: Identify potential winback candidates from those members who have fallen off based on specific characteristics/reasons for leaving.

Member Services

Priority	Ownership / Timeline	Action
		Market Research: Purchase and/or develop state of industry assessments for members (as appropriate.)
		Market Research: Conduct member surveys to understand needs and future directions for association.
		Market Research: Identify best practices of other associations, and identify those with best fit for WASDA. Examples might include: recommendations for speakers, use of website and technology, member acquisition and/or retention ideas, member involvement, etc.
		Marketing Communications: Strengthen the WASDA brand in the eyes of the waterworks industry to enhance perceived value of membership to WASDA member customers. Identify specific values that customers of WASDA members would perceive as plusses to doing business. Potential value areas include: certification, training, ... Promotional messages along the lines: "WASDA members are backed by X which makes them easier to do business with"
		Marketing Communications: Develop overall branding with logo and messaging/tagline. Identify specific audiences which drive positioning and messaging. Create a library of templates to be used for business cards, letterhead, newsletters. Allow members to apply 'WASDA Member logo' to their business correspondence to build value of WASDA in eyes of end customers.
		Marketing Communications: Solicit and incorporate ideas to enhance member directory with additional information. For example, an online member directory in addition to hardcopy would facilitate changes throughout calendar year.
		Marketing Communications: Develop a member information packet which might include: a brochure, listing of member benefits, calendar of events with general descriptions, membership application.
		Website: Develop upgraded website. Work In Process
		Advertising/PR: Develop an advertising/public relations plan identifying key objectives and audiences. Within the plan, identify key venues (magazines, websites, events, organizations) and key audiences for each (members, prospects, end customers, manufacturers, others with vested interest). Potential objectives: Solicit new distributor and/or manufacturer members Increase value of WASDA brand to end customers (should be linked to concrete reason that can show value, e.g., members are better trained, more industry savvy, certification (?)...see Marketing Communication action above) Advertising/PR: Create branded items for members, if appropriate. Again, audience is key--promotional items and identification aimed at end customers works only if end customers know of and perceive value of WASDA.