Leveraging Expert Knowledge to Empower AAIME Members

Background: AAIME (Association of Accountants and Independent Managers for Entrepreneurs) is a professional organization supporting business owners and entrepreneurs. The association recognized a growing need among its members for direct access to expert advice on various business and financial matters.

 

Challenge: AAIME needed to find a way to provide its members with valuable, personalized guidance from industry experts without incurring significant costs or logistical challenges. They also wanted to increase member engagement and demonstrate the value of AAIME membership.

 

Solution:

AAIME decided to launch a virtual “Ask Anything” event series featuring co-founder and renowned business expert Paul Perry. This format would allow members to submit questions in advance and participate in a live Q&A session, addressing their concerns and challenges.

 

Implementation:

1. Event Planning:

   – Scheduled a 90-minute virtual event

   – Chose Zoom as the platform for its reliability and interactive features

 

2. Marketing Campaign:

   – Created a multi-channel promotional strategy including:

     – Promo newsletter emails

     – Social media posts

     – Reminder emails

     – Eventbrite listing

 

3. Content Preparation:

   – Developed a list of potential questions to ensure a smooth flow of conversation

   – Prepared Paul Perry with key talking points and recent industry data

 

4. Member Engagement:

   – Encouraged members to submit questions in advance

   – Planned for live Q&A participation during the event

 

Results:

1. Attendance:

   – 500 AAIME members registered for the event

   – 450 members attended live, with an additional 200 viewing the recording later

 

2. Engagement:

   – Received 150 pre-submitted questions

   – 50 live questions answered during the session

   – 98% of attendees stayed for the entire duration

 

3. Member Satisfaction:

   – Post-event survey showed 95% satisfaction rate

   – 92% of attendees found the information “very useful” or “extremely useful”

   – 88% expressed interest in attending future “Ask Anything” events

 

4. Membership Impact:

   – 15% increase in membership renewals in the month following the event

   – 25% increase in new member applications, citing the “Ask Anything” event as a factor

 

5. Long-term Benefits:

   – Created a valuable resource by recording the session for future use

   – Strengthened AAIME’s reputation as a provider of expert guidance

   – Identified common member concerns to inform future educational content

 

Key Takeaways:

1. Virtual expert Q&A sessions can provide high-value content to members at a relatively low cost.
2. Engaging a well-known and respected figure like Paul Perry adds credibility and attracts participation.
3. Allowing members to submit questions in advance ensures relevant, targeted content.
4. The format demonstrates the tangible benefits of membership, aiding in retention and recruitment.
5. Recording the session extends its value beyond the live event.

 

Future Plans:

Based on the success of this event, AAIME plans to:

1. Host quarterly “Ask Anything” sessions with various industry experts
2. Create a library of recorded Q&A sessions for on-demand member access
3. Develop focused webinars addressing common themes identified from member questions