2024 was a bit of a rollercoaster for every organization in every sector. Associations weren’t immune. Federal funding seemed tenuous. Stock indices teetered. And the airwaves were thick with urgent calls to action.

The usual election-year uncertainty was dialed up to 11. Yet, associations held strong with their marketing performance.

Results from our annual Mighty GPS marketing survey — a self-assessment that measures effectiveness and confidence in six key areas — were mixed. Some areas saw marginal gains. Some saw marginal dips.

Now in its third year, our annual benchmarks report shows a broader arc of the association space. Below, we offer both survey analysis and recommendations to help associations like yours thrive in 2025 and beyond.

Technology Use and Optimization Struggled to Keep Up

Robust data privacy and security seem to be a given for associations. Bravo! But overall, the technology category slid to a three-year low. We believe it’s a two-fold issue.

First, Google sunsetted Universal Analytics (UA) and launched Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Many associations weren’t able to make the leap (-12.5 points, YoY). That’s left many associations unable to maximize their SEO or track user behavior.

Second, there’s the generative AI learning curve. New tools and platforms seem to appear daily. There are questions around their capabilities and ethics. But there’s a very real 10 to 15 percent boost in productivity that comes with base-level competency.

Our Recommendations

Switch to and set up your GA4 dashboard immediately! Your website is arguably your most valuable digital asset. You can’t optimize it if you don’t know how it’s performing.

Do some research on the most common AI tools on the market. Some of our favorite enterprise-level platforms are Writer and Gemini. Request demos. Take a few courses to familiarize yourself with prompt engineering. And create an organization-wide AI policy ASAP.

Research Continues to Backslide

The research and analytics area of our survey continues to be the lowest-scoring category for the third year in a row. As audiences increasingly demand personalization and hyper-relevance in their marketing, it’s going to take leaps to keep up.

Some associations found ways to improve their understanding of audiences. In fact, associations that use research-based customer journeys to inform marketing decisions scored 20 points higher in marketing effectiveness overall than associations that don’t. When it comes to brand positioning, associations that conduct a competitor audit scored 16 points higher overall.

Our Recommendations

Personalization will make or break your marketing in the coming years. You need at least three to four audience personas to effectively segment. Personas help you differentiate your language and messaging based on specific pain points, career stage, or aspirations. Pro tip: Any decent AI tool can help you quickly segment your communications with little effort.

Marketing Dollars Are Harder to Come By, and It’s Shaking Team Confidence

We’re all feeling the budget pinch. Marketing teams are being asked to do more with less. Many association leaders are turning to defensive maneuvers, i.e., cost-cutting.

Our benchmark report supports this claim. Confidence in the marketing budget reached a three-year low. Belief in the ability to execute projects reached a three-year low as well. Leadership’s belief in the value of marketing dropped four points.

But when the going gets tough, marketing dollars need to get growing. People need the camaraderie and professional boost of associations more than ever. Marketing resources are not a “nice-to-have” line item.

Our Recommendations

Track. Your. Marketing. Performance. Keep tabs on every dollar spent running ads or boosting social media posts. Pull reports on reach, engagement, and click-throughs. It’s all about gauging the ROI of your marketing dollars.

If you connect the dots between spend and return — with data — it’s easier to make the case for a larger budget. Or at least maintain the budget you have. Help your leadership see how marketing generates revenue and grows and retains membership.

Content Planning and Brand Messaging Aren’t Quite Hitting the Mark

Many associations are leading voices for professions, fields, or industries. That means your ideas, opinions, and analyses carry a lot of weight for members. Alongside a sense of community, your association’s key value is what it says and how it says it.

Your organization needs to think like a publisher. Publishers think‌ about what their audiences want to read. What topics are most relevant to them? What are their burning questions and concerns? Effective content delivers exactly the answer they need, in their words, in the format that works for them. Unfortunately, 2024 saw many associations falter when it came to content planning and messaging alignment.

Our Recommendations

Put together a content and editorial plan. Think about the topics that matter most to your audience. More importantly, think about the topics that will be important six months from now. A year from now. Lead the conversation.

And align your messaging to ensure you’re articulating your value consistently. If you don’t have a messaging platform, at least define three to five value propositions and tout them in your communications often.

What Now?

The most important thing you can do today is figure out where your association stands. The Mighty GPS self-assessment is a great place to start. You’ll be asked questions about research and analytics, branding and strategy, marketing and SEO, UX design and content, technology, and team dynamics.

In six to seven minutes, you’ll get a score report with custom recommendations. Your responses also contribute to next year’s benchmark report.