I’m headed to Denver this weekend for Content Marketing World. I always get inspired by listening to others’ ideas, fixes, and challenges — inside and outside the presentations. Who will be there? I’d love to meet face to face. Can’t join us? Next week, I’ll share a few of the tidbits I learned and some I shared in my writing workshops.

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— Ann Gynn

I keep getting invited to join organizations — my local chamber, industry groups, networking groups, professional associations, and others. They all sound like they could be valuable, but the membership fees add up quickly. As a small business owner with a limited budget, how do I decide which organizations are actually worth joining and most likely to help me grow my business?

When I started out, I joined almost everything I could — an industry group that had a local chapter, my local chamber, the regional women’s business center, and the alumni groups for my colleges. Most came with a price tag, though a few were free.

Before you say, “Free should mean an automatic yes,” take a pause. Joining a group — if you do it right — takes time, too. If it’s not worth your time, free membership isn’t that great of a benefit, and it could be a detriment if you join but don’t participate.

Instead, start by deciding what you want the membership to do for you. Are you joining to learn, connect, build credibility, become more visible or a combination?

Then assess each organization based on how well it could help accomplish those goals:

You may conclude five organizations could help you and your business. But you probably don’t have the time to actively participate in that many groups, run a business, and have a life.

So, now look at the potential outcomes alongside the price tag and the time required. Which are most likely to help you grow the business?

Be careful not to consider only the organizations that could connect you to prospective clients. Most of these groups aren’t sales groups. Yes, you may get clients, but it’s usually a longer road.

As a communications professional, I’ve found joining organizations in my industry to be most helpful in establishing and enhancing my credibility. I was a member of the Public Relations Society of America for years. I earned my accreditation through the organization and gained my first national speaking opportunities through it. Later, I did get a few referrals, but that was never my primary goal.

I’ve also learned that an organization that sounds like an obvious fit may not be. My local chamber of commerce, for example, hasn’t been particularly useful for my business.

Before paying for a membership, I attended some of its events and quickly realized it wasn’t ideal for me. During one sold-out lunch and speaker event, they invited all members who wanted to give something away to stand in a line. About 20 people did. Each spoke briefly about their business, then drew a business card from the attendee bowl to pick a winner.

By the time the sixth business owner spoke, I was more focused on my iced tea than their spiel. I’ve also learned that for my business, 20-second brand-awareness pitches don’t do much.

That’s also why I recommend trying before you buy. Membership may not be required to participate in an organization’s events. Attend an event or two as a non-member. Talk to members about what they get from the organization and how involved they need to be to make membership worthwhile.

If you’re only going to attend a few events in a year, paying the higher non-member price may still cost less than annual dues — and you can accomplish your goals without adding another membership.

Don’t overlook leadership opportunities, either. They can grow your presence in the organization and usually give you a reason to connect more directly with other members. They also may grow your credibility in your industry or community.

Whatever you decide to join, make a plan. Call it your membership business growth strategy. Add the organization’s programming to your calendar. Ask about speaking opportunities. Mark down when leadership elections occur. Attend committee meetings. As you get familiar with the group, set goals for what you want to get from — and contribute to — your membership.

Then reassess every time the membership comes up for renewal. Add a reminder to your calendar so it doesn’t automatically renew without you deciding you want to keep it. You may find it didn’t deliver the experience you expected, or your business mission or goals may have shifted, making the group no longer the best fit.

Asking whether a membership is worth it isn’t an easy yes-no answer. It requires a little time to assess and investigate whether it’s a good fit for your business, budget, and schedule.

Got a question you’d like me to answer in a future edition of The Hotline? Call or text Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

This week: Audit one membership. What do you want from it? What does it cost? How much time are you investing? If you can’t identify the value it brings to your business, decide what you need to do differently — or whether it belongs in next year’s budget.

I’ve been working on my two presentations for Content Marketing World. Since I have no design talent, I tried Beautiful.ai. But it wasn’t sufficiently conversational, and I couldn’t easily figure out how to ask for revisions, so I stopped.

Then, I went to the old standbys—ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. ChatGPT kept serving up the same mistakes even when it told me it had fixed them. Eventually, I gave up. Gemini was OK, but it struggled some with understanding what I wanted. Claude understood me much better, though the technical side means the renderings are sometimes problematic. In the end, I went with Claude.

Do you find it’s easier to work with an AI tool you know rather than an AI tool that’s new even though it might deliver better results for the task? Reply to this email or tag me on social to let me know.

Have any AI tricks of your own? Hit reply, call, or text the Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

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