5 Ways to Convince Your Boss to Pay for Your MnSearch Membership

We need to talk.

For some reason we are drifting apart and I don’t know what to do about it. When we announced the formation of the Minnesota Search Engine Marketing Association, you took a wait and see approach. You were pleasantly surprised when we pulled Taylor Pratt out of our hat, awed by Arnie Kuenn and had to be administered a local anesthetic when the Local U lineup was announced.

Now you have the opportunity to get retargeted up in here when Marty Weintraub melts your face off with his upcoming presentation.

All of this great programming is free to members along with search snippets events each month in between, featuring the best talent that Minnesota has to offer.

And yet you still haven’t become a member yet, and that makes me sad.

It’s not me, it’s you.

Or maybe it’s your boss?

Maybe you are in a stalemate with your organization about whether they should pay for your membership or you need to pay? We all know how that goes – a big standoff that may or may not come to a resolution before the end of the Mayan calendar.

Are they not seeing the value in membership? Do they even know if it’s available?

We are here to help. Here are the top 5 ways to convince your boss to pay for your membership.

 

1) Cheapest Professional Development on Either Side of the Mississippi 

At $125 a year, your MnSearch Membership is legalized stealing. You get so much benefit by giving so little. Nationally renowned speakers, 12 events a year and networking with other search professionals. This is cheaper than your cabfare to and from an out of town event. Plus, our great sponsors are usually kind enough to provide you with great selections of free food and drink. If you are like me, this benefit alone is worth somewhere between $3 and $7 million dollars.

 

2) Tax Deduction Season is in Full Force

Who needs Black Friday or Cyber Monday when you have the entire rest of the year to get the biggest write-off of all? We are a non profit organization dedicated to professional development. You should consult your tax professional to make sure it works in your case.

 

3) Your Future Depends on It

Zombies are allergic to both those who pay for MnSearch memberships and those who are currently members of the association. While we have not had a chance to prove out this theory in the open, we do know for a fact that all members of MnSearch have not succumbed to Zombies so far.

Protect yo Brain son!

 

4) We Haven’t Outsourced MnSearch Yet

Proudly, this organization is all Minnesota, all the time. How many other search engine marketing associations can say that? None.

 

5) This Isn’t Their Fathers Search Engine Marketing Association

Search has changed a lot over the years and we are on top of it. We Asked Jeeves and he told us what to do.  We totally have our meta keywords tag filled to the brim with keywords that say so. Our Alexa ranking is one in a million. Our cousin knows a guy at Google who told us what we need to do in order to rank.

 

Conclusion

Your boss wants you to be great, because they will also look great when you demonstrate your increased skills. Maybe they will read this post and think that you are crazy, but more than likely, they will agree that membership is the right way to go. If they are really cool, then they will have a good laugh.

If they want to earn that best boss of the year mug? They will buy a membership for you and your entire team.

Help make them the best boss.

If you thought 2012 was a great year for our organization, we have even more great things planned for 2013.

Sign up and Stay Tuned!

Jeff Sauer is a Board Advisor for MnSearch. Jeff is also the Vice President at Three Deep Marketing in St. Paul, MN and author of the popular Digital Marketing Blog Jeffalytics. Teacher, Speaker and passionate marketer, you can find Jeff on Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.