How can association book publishing boost membership? Professional trade associations always seek to grow their membership and provide information about their group to others in related industries. And one common way to do this is through association book publishing, including membership books, educational booklets, and informational pamphlets.
Having high-quality, professional books on hand supports an association membership’s ongoing educational needs while also giving members a convenient connection with other members. And groups can also boost membership with association book publishing by providing a comprehensive organizational resource that potential members can access.
How Does Association Book Publishing Impact Your Organization?
Finding a tool that positively impacts an organization’s health and social status with the community as well as other potential members can feel like stumbling upon a unicorn. You always knew it was possible, but you never expected to actually find one.
But many professional associations have located their mythical creature in the outcomes linked to association book publishing when it is done well and utilized to its full potential. An organization can expect three key outcomes from a well-designed, thoroughly crafted association book publishing project like a membership directory.
1. Associations will be able to demonstrate their professionalism to the membership as well as the community.
When a beautifully bound, full-color membership directory is printed and distributed to members of the organization, the way that others see the group will be reflected in the professional appearance and beauty of the book.
With a sharp cover, designed with key details about the association’s brand and bright, crisp photographs inside, the clearly professional appearance of the membership association book publishing will help others see the group in the same, positive light.
2. Association book publishing can help with the recruitment of new members.
When community members and potential association participants see a beautiful membership book created by and for your association, they will be impressed by how well the group is represented. Instinctively people want to be connected to groups that present themselves in a professional manner.
Organizations can boost membership with association book publishing by letting potential members see themselves as part of a group that prioritizes professionalism and communication and provides a way for association members and supports the members’ abilities to connect with each other easily through the directory.
3. Association book publishing is a great way to raise money for the organization.
When an organization decides to create and distribute a membership book, opportunities to raise money for the group lie within the pages of the publication. Members can offset the printing cost of the book, but advertising and sponsorship can be a real moneymaker for the organization.
Groups can use association book publishing to reach out to other businesses, associations, or groups closely tied to the organization for advertising space or even a chance to sponsor a page, a section of the book, the back cover, or even the whole book. These moneymaking opportunities can help a group meet its budgets without requesting donations or fees from its members as well as provide a useful connection for the advertiser or sponsor to connect with the association’s members.
Groups can encourage members to do business with these preferred vendors, sponsors, or advertisers, further enhancing the membership’s experience while providing a valuable income for the organization.
Customizing the Association Book Publishing Project
Creating a beautiful, unique and useful book is easy to do when it is developed thoughtfully. Crafting a book that your membership will love, will be attractive to advertisers and sponsors, and will serve your group’s professional reputation in the community requires a few key decisions in the design process.
What kind of binding will serve the book’s use most effectively? When you think about how your association book publishing project will be used by members, consider what type of binding will help your book look great while adding convenience and style.
Binding Options
Perfect bound binding will help your book look highly professional and its spine on the bookshelf provides the perfect location to record the name of your group in a highly visible location. Books constructed with perfect binding will retain their classic appearance for many years and will look especially attractive grouped with successive years of association book publishing projects of the organization.
Wire-O and Plastic Coil bindings are more informal styles than perfect binding, but for some uses, they may be a necessary choice. Both of these bindings allow a book to lie flat, perfect for a membership book that provides space for notetaking or other spaces for users to write on.
In addition, books constructed with both wire-o and plastic coil bindings can be folded back to view a single page, ideal for a book that will be used heavily by members or associated groups.
Saddle Stitch binding is the most informal binding option, and books constructed with it are bound with a self-cover and strong staples. For smaller association books or books that provide updates to a larger, previously printed perfect bound book, saddle stitch binding can be an excellent choice.
What personalization will assist or impress members the most? Consider if personalizing each book with variable data printing would be meaningful to the membership. Or, creating more than one version of the book to focus on the most important content for different membership sectors, increasing the usefulness of the book and demonstrating the value of the members to the larger group.
An Experienced Digital Printer for Association Book Publishing
Don’t leave the creation of a key piece of your organization’s communication to just any printer. Consider partnering with a trusted printer like Dazzle Printing to help you make the most of your association book publishing so your book will look as professional as possible.
Dazzle Printing uses digital printing processes to help organizations create attractive books in a fraction of the time of offset printers. Picking a digital printer to finish out your association’s book means you can take advantage of these three big benefits of using this style of printing process.
1 Digital printing allows you to print the number of books you need. Unlike offset printing, digital printing can be done in smaller quantities. So whether your association is large, necessitating a large number of books to be printed, or your group is smaller and requires fewer copies to print, digital printing gives you the flexibility to print just what you need.
And when printing a book comes with the opportunity to raise money for your organization, a requirement to order unnecessary extra copies will eat into any profits your group would have made if you were able to print the number of copies you needed in the first place.
2 When your group creates a membership book, the ability for members to access that information in a timely manner extends the usefulness of the book. When digital printing processes are used, printers can make a quick turnaround so you can have your association book in your members’ hands in a matter of days or weeks.
By contrast, larger runs of books created with offset printing take much longer to produce and may mean that your members won’t be able to use their book as a resource sometimes for months.
3 Digital printing makes printing updates or additions to your book quick. With small minimum quantities and quick turnarounds, digital printing is ideal for large groups that add members frequently or that want to provide additional content to their books after the initial printing has occurred.
4 Using a digital printer means your group will have access to high-quality materials and expert support during the design process.
- Single or four-color ink options mean your book will look just as good in black and white as it will in full color.
- Multiple paper options are available to create the look and feel you want for your book.
- Digital printing offers choices of cover construction like gloss or matte finishes as well as hard and soft materials to create the perfect cover to protect and show off your association’s membership.
- Cover design support from experts who can help you create a cover that incorporates the most important elements of your organization so your book will accurately reflect the mission and focus of your group
Get the Ball Rolling on Your Group’s Book
If you are ready to increase your group’s professional outlook and boost membership with book printing, beginning the process is as easy as formatting member information utilizing a book template and deciding on how you want to personalize your publication. Partnering with a qualified printer can help you transform your content into a gorgeous book that your organization will be proud of for years to come.
A quality, well-designed book will impress potential members and encourage them to join the organization so your association can continue to grow and serve your industry and community in the future.
