Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement

Recorded live at ASAE’s Marketing, Membership, Communications + Tech Conference, guest host Brittany Lancor of PropFuel sits down with best-selling author and MarketingProfs CCO Ann Handley to discuss the power of “strategic patience” in a culture obsessed with speed. Handley challenges associations to focus on meaningful engagement over vanity metrics, communicate in members’ own language, and prioritize authentic, human-centered messaging. She also shares practical advice on creating more effective email communications and explains why AI is best used to uncover insights and support strategy—not to replace the human connection that drives engagement. Check out the video podcast here: https://youtu.be/nKZs2BI23bQ Associations NOW Presents is produced by Association Briefings.   Transcript Brittany Lancor: [00:00:00] Hello, everyone. Welcome to this month's episode of Associations NOW Presents, an original podcast series from the American Society of Association Executives. I am Brittany Lancor, senior marketing manager of PropFuel. We are recording today from ASAE's MM&C conference here in Washington, DC, where association professionals from across the industry are gathering to share ideas, build connections, and explore what's next for the community. Today, we are so excited to welcome Ann Handley, the world's first chief content officer, best-selling author, and CCO of MarketingProfs. She just delivered the keynote address on the first day of this conference, so we are going to ask some questions. The first question I have for you is where did you get your suit? This is amazing. If you are watching from home, you have to look at this suit. It's wonderful.  Ann Handley: So you're asking who am I wearing?  Brittany Lancor: Yes.  Ann Handley: Is that the question? Yes. Yeah, first of all, [00:01:00] thanks for having me. I'm really excited to be here with all of you, be here with you. So who am I wearing? Today I am wearing Alice + Olivia, and I'll tell you, my biggest stress today was not even the keynote, it was, do I include the bow? Brittany Lancor: I love it. Ann Handley: Or do I leave it off? It's detachable.  Brittany Lancor: The bow was the great choice.  Ann Handley: So I don't know, I went for it, and I like the way it kinda waves around on stage a little bit,  Brittany Lancor: like- Yeah ... I'm prancing around and doing whatever. Yes. It looked great. Yeah. Okay, next question. Oh, yeah, I guess the questions now. Who are you? Help us, like give a quick introduction of who you are, help the audience understand who we're talking with today.  Ann Handley: So yeah, obviously Ann Handley, chief content officer of MarketingProfs. I've been in marketing for a million years, a million dog years. That was like a million plus years. I founded a company called ClickZ ages ago, which is one of the first sources of digital marketing at a time when digital marketing was a sort of brand-new thing, and from there founded MarketingProfs, and I've written a few books about marketing and content, particularly Everybody Writes, which is a [00:02:00] Wall Street Journal bestseller. It's been translated into 19 different languages. The whole ethos of that is really helping marketers, not just content marketers, but all marketers and all businesses really figure out, how do we communicate in a way that's authentic and real, and uniquely us? And honestly, that's a message that we need more than ever now- Yeah in the age of AI. So yeah, author, entrepreneur. Speaker, obviously, and yeah, just friend of Brittany.  Brittany Lancor: Yeah? Yeah. And did I see you're also a dog mom?  Ann Handley: Oh, yeah. Most important thing. Yeah. Yeah, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, his name is Augie. He is a stage five clinger. I love him so much, and he loves me just even more. Because love is just that. Do you have a dog?  Brittany Lancor: I have two.  Ann Handley: Oh, you do?  Brittany Lancor: Yes.  Ann Handley: What kind?  Brittany Lancor: They're mutts. One's a terrier, blue heeler mix.  Ann Handley: Oh, wow.  Brittany Lancor: And the other is a pit bull terrier mix.  Ann Handley: What are their names?  Brittany Lancor: Archie and Pepper.  Ann Handley: Okay. Yeah. This is the information that you're here for, people. This is. Archie, Pepper, and Augie. Just-  Brittany Lancor: Yes ...  Ann Handley: remember that.  Brittany Lancor: Keep that in mind. Yeah. Okay, [00:03:00] so I am actually so excited to talk with you about all of the things related to the keynote.  Ann Handley: Yeah.  Brittany Lancor: So MM&C is Membership Marketing and Communications. And we als