There are 4 steps on the road to increasing an association’s memberships, namely:
- Acquire
- Engage
- Upgrade
- Renew
Understanding how to instigate member engagement is important for an organization to achieves its membership goals. Here are 13 ideas for providing value to implement into a membership marketing campaign.
Contact is Key
One of the first points of member engagement is contact. Once someone has joined, it is essential to welcome them and follow up to find out if they are taking advantage of the member resources and tools.
Offer Free Webinars
One idea for member engagement is offering a free resource, such as a free eBook, free webinar or similar item. People always respond to freebies, so this can be an important part of retaining members.
Invite Members to Annual Conventions
Members like to feel like they are part of something special, so exclusive conventions or conferences are an ideal way of getting everyone to meet, further cementing their loyalty.
Offering Invitations to Attend Professional Development Meetings
Similarly professional development meetings provide members with an insight into the running of the business, which encourages more involvement, leading to better retention of members.
Offer Membership Certificates
Offering a certificate or professional accolade, depending on the organization can be a valuable resource in attracting and maintaining members, especially if they can use these in their professions.
Encourage Social Networking Tools
Social networking in the form of Facebook Fan Pages, or similar, ensures that members are constantly captivated by conversations pertaining to their industry, and are more likely to remain. Associations need to constantly maintain these sites to give the members the value they require, being an efficient source of information.
Encourage Participation in Private Networks
Private networks such as company forums provide a similar purpose, but engage the members in a more specific way where more pertinent issues can be discussed among peers.
Offer Special Discounts on Products and Services
Organize discounts with vendors. They get the benefit of your large database, but the organization members will benefit from discounted rates on products and services.
Ask for Volunteers
Organizations can add value by asking for members to test certain items, or volunteer for certain duties, making them feel important and therefore more likely to remain a member.
Find Out What Members Want
A company that is interested in its members will gain interest in return. Excellent member engagement includes sending surveys or short questionnaires to members, giving the organization more insight into what members want.
Offer Participation in a Young Professionals Program
Special programs or internship opportunities are a highly valuable asset in any membership scheme which will lead to upgrades and renewals.
Form a Partnership or Alignment
Partnering with insurance companies or other organizations that members will have a likely interest in, gives an organization an added element that makes their membership that much more valuable.
These ideas are a great way of providing value and helping with member engagement.
