By Carolyn Shomali, PAR Director of Content

Our associations are continuously looking for ways to deepen engagement, drive revenue and deliver value to our members and industry partners. But how often do we pause to ask a fundamental question: do our products and services truly reflect what our market needs?

Robb Lee, Senior Vice President of Integrated Strategy for the creative and marketing agency Yes&, emphasizes the importance of regularly examining market conditions to meet stakeholder needs.

“Organizations are changing and evolving every year, and the stakeholders, and their expectations are evolving and changing every year,” Lee says. “Are the products and the services that the organization is offering changing to reflect that?”

If you aren't sure if your products are aligning with market needs, begin by examining these three steps.

1. Get the Data

Every decision about your product portfolio should be grounded in data. What are your members engaging with most? Which formats and price points drive the best results? Where is the market headed, and how can you anticipate future needs? Using data doesn’t just help you make better decisions—it gives you the confidence to advocate for change within your organization.

“You don’t want to just decide on your own what is of value,” says Dr. Michael Tatonetti, Founder of Pricing for Associations. “I’m very data-driven because typically it’s our boards or our leadership that is pushing back and saying, ‘I don’t know if we should stop doing this.’”

Basic surveys and focus groups provide associations with the data needed to make informed decisions. To begin, Tatonetti recommends a simple two-axis survey that plots member value against association effort. The results will highlight whether current products meet market needs and align with the association’s capabilities.

2. Find Strategic Alignment

Every strong product portfolio begins with a solid strategic plan. If your association’s strategic priorities aren’t aligned with market opportunities, you’ll see the disconnect show up in your revenue and engagement metrics.

“Look at that strategic plan and ask, ‘Are the aspirations of the strategic plan aligned with the market opportunities that the organization sees?’ The next step is to align those market opportunities and that strategic plan with the product portfolio,” Lee recommends.

Amy Lestition Burke, CEO and Executive Director of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), emphasizes that finding strategic alignment is equally important for building strong partnerships. Staying informed about the work and priorities of industry partners can uncover shared goals and opportunities for collaboration. For example, the SWANA team was able to identify a company with a stated goal that aligned with their own mission to advance waste as a resource. Being aware of this alignment enabled Lestition Burke and her team to secure the company as a sustainability partner for their annual event.

“It’s good to know what is happening and what's on the forefront [of their work] because if they release something new, how can your association help magnify that?” she asks. “Go that extra step.”

3. Embrace Product Lifecycle Thinking

One of the most valuable tools in association product management is the product lifecycle model. Every product or service you offer falls into one of four phases: introduction, growth, maturity, or decline. Understanding where each offering stands is essential for making informed decisions about what to keep, what to refresh, and what to retire.

“If an organization has the majority of its products in the mature or in the declining stage, then there's a challenge and there's a problem because that means there's not anything in the pipeline,” Lee says.

Lee emphasizes that relying on the same products year after year requires more effort to market and sell to new stakeholders—sometimes with diminishing revenue and engagement returns.

Mapping your products to their lifecycle stages allows you to identify gaps. And when it comes time to introduce new products, Lestition Burke stresses the importance of considering revenue early in the process.

“When something is being created, are we going to bring in revenue with this program? You've got to have that conversation. It can be a no, it can be a yes, it can change a year later, it can change two years later, but you've got to have that.”

Securing data, finding alignment and utilizing the product lifecycle model will help ensure your association products reflect the needs of your market.