True story – A for profit company stole the coveted position of being the leader in online education away from a well-established association in the health care space – along with the loyalty of the association’s own members.

This is not an isolated incident. Associations are no longer the only game in town when it comes to content coveted by members to help them stay informed, competitive and credentialed. Phrama competes with associations in the pharma space. Consequently, the ability of associations to hook members through its content is under siege — from everyone.

While this sounds like doom and gloom, there is good news here. Associations know how to create killer content and have a content-creation machine in place. The bad news is that the machine needs to be reconfigured for the new playing field that is being shaped by social and mobile. The approach to content creation and curation needs to evolve to match the constantly shifting ways that we now share and consume information.

What you can do: Take cues from content marketers who know that creating great copy isn’t enough. Success comes when you tap the right distribution channels and measure and track your content.

How vulnerable is your association or how hooked are your members?