ASA Marketing Initiatives
Here is some news related to recent ASA marketing activities that I thought you might be interested in hearing about:
ASA Marketing and Communications
There are a lot of changes on tap for ASA marketing and communications. The ASA Board of Governors recently approved funding to explore re-branding the Society with a fresh and more modern logo. A focus group consisting of members and non-members (within the U.S. and abroad) has been established to explore changes to the ASA logo and the implications nationally and internationally of the name, American Society of Appraisers. The focus group plans to make recommendations to the Board of Governors at its midterm meeting in March – ASA will keep members apprised of any and all changes.
ASA’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Todd Paradis, and his team have worked closely with our discipline committees over the past few months to establish and implement discipline-specific marketing plans. These plans consist of lead generation, advertising, promotions, news releases, tradeshows (see next section below) and much more. Todd has worked closely with BV’s marketing committee on its many endeavors and most recently embarked on a plan to better position ASA’s education courses in the current marketplace.
Another big change coming to ASA is a new website! Staff will have a “beta” version of the site available for the Board of Governors at its midterm meeting in March and the official launch will take place shortly thereafter. Some features to look for are an improved Find an Appraiser search, a major facelift of the ASA Store, but most importantly for our BV members, you will find the overall look and feel and the navigation of the site to be a huge improvement. The goal is for members to quickly and easily conduct business and be a site ASA members will be proud to send clients to.
ASA Represented at Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning
ASA was present at the 47th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning convention in Orlando, Florida, held January 14th to the 18th, 2013. Representatives from ASA, along with the Society’s Business Valuation discipline, shared valuable information with attendees about the reasons why an appraisal should be included in the estate planning process, why ASA-designated appraisers are among the top in their profession, and why estate planners, attorneys, trust officers, accountants, insurance advisors and wealth management professionals should hire ASA-designated appraisers.
Sharing their insights on the event were Susan Houchins, ASA’s Director of Membership, Accreditation and Reaccreditation who helped coordinate the event along with Maury Hatcher, ASA, who volunteered at the event:
“This event is the nation’s leading conference for estate planners. As an exhibitor, ASA had the opportunity to meet face-to-face with top professionals to promote the Society and share information about the expertise of our members.” - Susan Houchins
“Although many estate planners and related professionals may be aware of IRS regulations requiring appraisals and the benefits of their deductable expenses, few understand the true value of hiring an ASA-designated appraiser. Their independence, expertise and experience establish instant credibility. They also can assist in structuring an estate plan to maximize tax benefits by providing a “value” point of view.” - Maury Hatcher, ASA
Other ASA representatives included: Erin Hollis, ASA, Matt FitzGibbon, ASA and Jay Reardon, ASA.
A raffle sponsored by ASA for an Apple iPad was held to attract attendees to the ASA’s booth. Informational materials were handed out to attendees, inviting estate planners to visit ASA’s website to learn why they should include an appraisal in the estate planning process, as well as to take advantage of ASA’s Find an Appraiser Referral System.
From the editor: The above were contributed by Todd Paradis and Bonny Price at ASA. Many thanks for their update to us members!