Unlock the Secrets to Membership Marketing Growth & Retention

The only method to grow an association’s membership is twofold. You must both recruit new members and retain the ones you already have. You probably already know that retaining existing members is easier and less costly than finding new ones. However, in order to have a healthy association, you need a bit of both.

According to the survey, Annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, it’s no surprise that nearly 50% of associations indicate that their top 3 goals are:

1. Increasing member engagement
2. Growing new member acquisition
3. Retaining more of their existing members​

So, if all we need to do is get more people to join, stay, and get engaged, what are the primary motivational drivers that cause most people to join?

We, as membership marketers, must touch on one, if not all 3 of these primary reasons most people choose to join an association in order to earn a new membership.

1. Pain: In trouble and seeking a way out
2. Fear: Sees trouble and looking for avoidance
3. Gain: Compelled by association’s vision and wants to be a part of it.​

So what are the secrets to membership marketing success?

If all it took to gain or retain a new member for your association was to simply make one introduction to a new potential member, then growing or retaining membership through marketing would be a walk in the park.

But it’s rarely that simple. So what are we to do?​

It all starts with engagement. We must communicate in different ways through multiple channels (where prospective members already congregate) in a manner that fits their preferences. We do this in order to gain enough trust from that potential member to ask them to join our association.

The good news is that if you follow this blueprint, then you can join the ranks of other associations growing their membership rolls. Associations, via the 2016 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, are indicating that their success at growing memberships is up in 2016 at 49% over 46% in 2015. Furthermore, there is an increase in new membership acquisition, at 53% in 2016 versus 44% in 2015.​

Membership Marketing Blueprint Contents:​

• 4 Trends in Membership Marketing
• 7 Association Marketing Questions
• 7 Reasons Members Join
• Top 7 Places To Recruit
• 6 Reasons Members Leave
• 7 Steps to Retention

4 Major Trends in Membership Marketing Strategy

Now more than ever before, we are living in a world where the pace of change is moving headlong at breakneck speed. And in the realm of membership marketing strategy, this holds true. Do we want to lead that change or be swept up in its damaging floods? Check out these 4 trends to keep you moving forward in your association marketing efforts.

1. Unrelenting Growth of Access to Free & Immediately Available Information

Why would people pay for access to information that comes from being a member of a specific association when they perceive that they can get it for free from using a search engine or library? That’s a great question and one we must answer in order to survive and thrive in the 21st century because this pace shows no signs of slowing or stopping.

Online networks and information are growing at an exponential rate; however, providing just the right information to answer someone’s specific query is actually not that common. So while we might be overwhelmed with competing against the fire hose of free information online, there is still a place to provide solid, invaluable, targeted content and services if we are willing to make the investment.​

2. Will Mobile Overtake Desktop Browsing on the Web?

The fact is that in 2014 mobile already surpassed desktop web browsing. And if desktop web usage wasn’t already addictive enough, mobile devices are even more habit-forming with their apps, games, and continuous connectedness.

Whether or not most associations’ members are on their mobile devices more than desktop computers is not the question we need to ask ourselves. Many are likely on both. We need to be asking, “What are my current and potential members using more, mobile or desktop?” The answer to this question can easily be ascertained by using Google Analytics to understand those who visit your website. But the fact remains that our websites need to be ready to serve all devices equally.​

3. Are Search Engines Still the Primary Way Members Search?

Are you on information overload yet?

Google and other search engines offer nearly unlimited access to reams and reams of information. And, although search is unlikely to turn a prospect into a member immediately, it is one of the main ways they search for and find new information. So investing in sophisticated blog content marketing that actually gets ranked in Google is worthy of the investment to connect with new potential members.

4. Explosion in Competing Memberships & Subscriptions​

Are we aware of all of the competing membership offerings of other associations, from both nonprofit and for-profit companies offering the exact same or similar information or services? If you haven’t already, take a deep dive into understanding your competition and don’t just focus on nonprofit organizations. For-profit companies might be your competition too! They are encroaching on the membership space due to the consistency of monthly or yearly revenues.

7 Association Marketing Questions to Ask

It’s vital to routinely reflect on what your association is doing and how it is performing in order to execute its membership marketing strategy. Do you know where your prospects are in their career path (entering the field, middle, or nearing retirement)?

Here are 7 more questions to ask yourself in order to grow your membership marketing IQ and sharpen your skills:​

1. Are We Truly Marketing Our Mission?

Particularly with millennials, many members value the missional side of what you do. Telling stories and showing pictures and videos of the impact your association is making will positively influence your ability to build an emotional connection with members. And these emotional ties have a strong correlation to long-term membership.

2. How Much Can We Spend to Acquire a New Member?

In order to effectively assess our marketing budget and ensure that we won’t waste valuable advertising dollars, we must know two things: our Cost Per Acquisition (for each campaign) and the Lifetime Value (LTV) of a member. CPA is a measure of how much it cost to acquire a new member; this, in turn, gets measured against the LTV of a member to determine how much we can spend on a new acquisition.

​3. Is Tracking Our Results Truly a Priority?

Many organizations struggle with getting the day-to-day stuff accomplished and might not always have the best or most current reports, but without necessary feedback about how the data indicates we are doing with our recruiting and retention efforts, we are like a pilot flying without gauges or instruments.

To help ease the burden of not knowing where to start, Marketing General offers a Membership Tracking Dashboard Spreadsheet that you can use to track your efforts and ensure you know the following data points every month:

1. Percentage of overall membership change
2. Percentage of new membership change
3. Conversion rate
4. Year 2+ renewal rate
5. Overall renewal rate​

4. Do We Offer Different & Flexible Dues Options?

Having a variety of tiered membership options can make it easier for members to choose the level at which they want to engage with the association. Most people generally like to have more than one option from which to choose.

You could also allow new members to have a free or reduced first year of membership to get them in the fold and have the fees grow to full price over time. This is especially helpful for hooking new, younger members. And indicating that this special price expires by a certain future day will help them to take advantage of the offer now, rather than wait. Believe it or not, one association who offered an initial, discounted membership experienced a 40% higher response rate than those who sent a regular priced offer, and those that started on a discount were 33% more likely to be with the association 12 months later.

Consider offering different installment choices such as monthly, quarterly, lifetime, multi-year, etc. One study demonstrated that members who have to renew their membership manually renewed 55% of the time compared to an 82% renewal rate for those on an auto-renewal plan.​

5. Are We Engaging & Interacting in a Meaningful, Authentic Way?

Interacting with our members can include many different forms of communication like email, social media, phone, in-person, mailings, events, etc.

But are we just going through the motions in these channels, or do we look for ways to delight people? Do we show, not just tell, how their dues are spent? Do we allow emotion to seep into some communication to humanize the association?​

These provocative questions can serve to stimulate our thinking on new and more engaging ways to reach our members in meaningful ways.​

Do others regularly interact with our social media and email campaigns? Asking this question is a strong litmus test for how we are doing in the category of meaningful engagement. Check out our Ultimate Guide To Social Media For Nonprofits for a gaggle of ideas on how to use social media effectively.​

6. Do We Let Our “Fun Side” Show?

Don’t be just another association stuck in the boring past; instead of doing the same old thing, spice it up a bit. Maybe it’s a picture of your team wearing something silly for one of those National ________ Day. You want to make sure that it doesn’t seem to make light of your mission, but generally people want to see that the association knows how to let down their hair once in awhile, especially if it has a direct tie to the mission.

7. Is Our Registration Process Really That Simple?​

Or is it frustrating, and we don’t even know it?

Ask a group of existing members to go through the new member process as if they were new and knew little about the association. Then take their feedback on potential problems, inconsistencies, or errors. Or ask new members that just went through the process what they thought.

This is the one area where, even if they have already mentally committed to joining, things can quickly fall apart if there are issues. Check for the presence of social proof (testimonials, reviews, etc.), SSL authentication badge, and the welcome email that comes after registration. There are likely things that are not working properly (or simply have misspellings) just because the process been reviewed in awhile.

7 Chief Reasons Members Join Associations

It’s no longer okay just to target new or existing members based on cut and dried demographics; we must break out of the mold and look to psychographic ways of engaging members.

Do you know the 7 leading reasons people become members?​

1. Latest Trends & Best Practices Are Competitive Advantage

Offering invaluable information to keep your members abreast of the latest news and strategies to keep their business or career humming is critical, but beware that there are many competitive forces, direct and indirect, that can derail your efforts. A recent survey of associations highlighted the fact that their top challenge in growing membership is another competitive association or alternative sources of information. So it’s likely time to give your content a tune up!

2. Do Members Truly Need Career Assistance & Advancement?

Now, more than ever before, logical, straight-line career paths are becoming rare, even in staid industries. Helping members develop flexible, adaptable skills is vitally important to their future success.

Access to job boards is important, but connecting them to a mentorship network of people who’ve been there, done that and can help newer members learn the ropes is critical. What other ways can you offer value to those who are looking to advance their career? Certifications, webinars, and colleague meetups are just a few ideas, but try to find what works best for your association and is most relevant to your members.

3. Who Wants to Have Some Networking & Events Fun?

Some people want to get connected to as many people as possible and think that’s the way to success. But what most members will tell you is that it is the fewer, but stronger relationships that are built over many years that contributed to their success more than a volume of connections.

And it doesn’t all have to be serious with a focus on achieving the next milestone in your career. Some just want to have fun! Find out who those members are and target them for your fun events, since they will invite others of a similar mindset.​

4. Mission & Advocacy Mindfulness​

Some members genuinely want to help spread the word about your mission or cause, so take some time to engage with this set of folks. While some members enjoy giving back to other members, especially newer ones, by mentoring them, others may find an association a solid way to give back to their community. Regardless of their specific motivation, be mindful of their strong emotional tie to the mission.

5. Exclusive Discounts Due to Buying Power​

Just like AAA offers more than roadside assistance with their free or discounted passport photos, prescription drugs, theme park tickets, auto insurance, restaurants, hotels, and cruises, every association should ask themselves if they are providing enough for their members to gladly renew every year. Keep in mind that many other associations are adding new services each year, some without raising their fees.

6. Licensing, Certification, or Professional Development

​

Sometimes these are required by the federal or state government; other times, having them will help advance one’s career. 35% of all associations offer some form of certification, and offering some has the potential to increase a member’s loyalty. If offering a certification doesn’t fit your organization, then look at licensing or other professional development opportunities your members would be excited about.

7. Large, Unified Political Voice

Associations lobbying the government for protection against legislation that would negatively affect their members is a significant benefit to members who have no way to defend themselves individually. Sharing these expenses across an association is a cost-effective way for members to achieve protection for themselves and the industry as a whole.

Top 7 Places to Recruit New Members​

According to a survey of 828 associations by the 2016 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, there are 7 ways that are most successful to recruit new members. And associations with higher retention rates are those who are using multiple channels and frequency to connect with their prospective members. We all know how busy people are, not to mention how varied people’s contact preferences can be, whether by email, mail, a person, online, or all of the above.

1. Word of Mouth Is Still #1​

Activating your current members to spread the word through “member-get-a-member” campaigns or to contact lapsed members should be high on your list. It represents some low hanging fruit, since it won’t cost the association a dime like most other membership marketing campaigns.

Through this approach you can offer some sort of reward to existing members for bringing on a new one. This both engages the existing member and makes them more likely to stay since more of their friends will now be involved.

People love and are influenced by testimonials and endorsements, so don’t be bashful to trot these out in other digital or physical forms of media.

2. Inbound Email Marketing Comes of Age​

Perhaps you have heard of “inbound marketing” where organizations offer an opt-in to their email newsletter in exchange for a downloadable document or entry into a contest?

Although this strategy has been around for a few years, don’t make the mistake of writing it off as a fad. Inbound marketing is just starting to pass those teenage years and come into full-grown maturity. Ignoring it now will put your organization behind the competition.

Using this method will enable you to follow-up with those email subscribers with other pertinent content (blog posts, video, audio, etc.) to warm them up to your association with the hope that they become a member at some point in the future. Just remember to send new email subscribers 3-5 content emails to each 1 membership or other hard pitch, since it’s important to earn their trust before asking them to purchase anything.

3. Conferences & Tradeshows Are a Mainstay​

Conferences and tradeshows related to your industry will usually allow you to connect with prospective members that are closely aligned with your mission. While it’s good to hit larger shows, don’t ignore smaller organizations like local Chambers of Commerce or business associations.

4. Direct Mail Is Divine: Membership Cards Matter

Some associations mail out a standard membership card, that is similar to a credit card, but what member needs another card to put in their wallet or purse unless it has real value? Every December, the ASPCA sends out a membership card that has something unique on the back. It offers a place for the member to write in an emergency contact for their pets, in case something should happen to their owner.

After adding that personalized information, the card becomes valuable enough to many pet owners to keep it with them wherever they go! Plus, the ASPCA includes a sticker that members can place anywhere to show their proud membership and give the association more exposure.

5. Paid Social Media Campaigns​

You can certainly use free social media to engage with existing or potential members, but if you expect it to bring in the lionshare of your new acquisitions, you will likely be disappointed.

That’s where paid social media comes in. Associations are able to use Facebook Custom Audiences to target an email list of existing or lapsed subscribers. Additionally, lookalike audiences can be created based on the profile of current members in order to find new people to whom you can serve acquisition ads.​

6. Search Engine Marketing to the Max

Even though it can be hard to get blog content ranked in search engines like Google, you can pay for ad placement on search engines. It’s called Pay-Per-Click or PPC advertising. Google offers its Adwords platform while Bing offers Bing Ads and Yahoo also offers its Gemini Advertising platform. But don’t make the mistake of “setting it and forgetting it” as Ron Popeil once said. This type of campaign resides in an active, dynamic environment where you need to make optimization tweaks weekly, if not daily.

7. Isn’t Retargeting and Remarketing Too Aggressive?

Before we answer that question, you might be glad to know that retargeting and remarketing are essentially two words that mean the same thing.

If you have some sort of online presence, then you can retarget or remarket anyone online through most digital channels and follow them around the web once they have interacted with you or your ad at least once. True, it is a more vigorous approach, but if used appropriately, it can convert members who wouldn’t otherwise join your association, since many don’t commit to becoming members immediately after their first visit.

One of the simplest ways to do this is using Adroll’s platform that will serve display ads around the web to people who have visited all or specific parts of your website. If you are already using Facebook, you can use their retargeting feature too.​

6 Reasons Members Leave Associations or Don’t Renew

There are certain things that an association can and should try to control when it comes to what they offer their members. And there are others that are outside of their control like loss of a job, illness, divorce, family crisis, etc. Since we don’t have the ability to change the latter, we will focus on the items that we do have the opportunity to change.

A Marketing General survey of 828 associations pegged the average renewal rate at between 80-83%, which can be used as a rough benchmark for your organization. There will always be members who leave regardless of how good a job we do, but our goal should be to eliminate as much membership loss that is within our control as possible.​

1. Not Enough Perceived Value

The key here is “perceived” value. If members don’t perceive a discernable benefit, then, as far as they are concerned, it doesn’t exist.

​This one can rear its ugly head in many forms. Perhaps they were unaware of all the savings and extras that go with their membership. Were they aware of the different installment options? Did they know they could lower their annual dues by taking a lower level of membership? The solution to many of these issues is to ensure good communication about all membership benefits and the tiered options that are available to them.

2. Didn’t Develop a Strong Affinity or Connection with First Year Member

Often times we offer new members an enticement to join. Knowing that they signed up based on a discount, freebie, or other special offer and didn’t continue beyond that initial membership period is important to note. It should be obvious that the organization failed to make enough of a connection and demonstrate enough value with that new member to earn their second year full-price membership dues.

It may be tempting to blame the member for this one, but don’t succumb. If you offered a student or retired rate and most didn’t stick past year one, the organization can share some of the blame in this. This is a good time to do some self-reflection and learn from those that are leaving, especially if your retention rate suddenly drops out of your normal benchmark range.​

3. Employer Stopped Paying for Membership​

While this one may also seem out of our control, we could contact the member and ask them about their new employer. Perhaps they are staying in the field but haven’t approached their new company about the association. This could open the door to discussion about how to approach and make a case to their new employer. Or perhaps they may even be open to paying for the membership out of their own pocket.

​4. They Have Left the Field or Industry

If they have chosen to leave the field, you can still follow-up to gain some perspective on what they did and didn’t like since they have no reason to lie to save face. Plus, you may find out that they know a colleague who may be interested in joining.​

5. Organization Seems Closed-Minded or Behind the Times​

Whether or not this is actually true isn’t the point. Perception is reality for most.

It might be time to re-evaluate where this is originating within the organization and work to change the tone or method that is contributing to this misperception. And if it is true that things are out-of-date or someone is closed-minded for no good strategic reason, then, by all means, make the organizational changes necessary. Otherwise this will rot away at the core of your membership and leave it hollowed out.

6. Poor or Lack of Communication​

This can happen by not clearly communicating the vision of the organization, its goals, or how well it is achieving its goals. Staff at the highest level, all the way down to front-line team members must do their part to be great communicators in their interactions with new and existing members. This is crucial and really makes a difference to the future survival of your association.​

7 Steps to Strengthen Membership Retention​

Did you know that even a 10% increase in donor retention can yield as much as a 200% increase in lifetime giving?

Sometimes a small tweak can make a large impact! Every member counts.​

1. Know & Communicate What Sets You Apart

What is the unique value that your members will continue to receive if they retain their membership long term? Clearly define those items and then demonstrate and communicate them; don’t leave it up to members to try to figure this out. They either won’t or will gloss over key items of value.

2. Seek Feedback & Survey Existing Members​

This method can help you solicit retention ideas, as well as identify why others joined, and then you can simply use that as your pitch to prospective members. You can use focus groups, email surveys, or social media monitoring to get feedback on what would help retain members who might be contemplating leaving.

3. Show Them How Their $$$ Is Making an Impact

Or ask them to tell you their story of why they are a member. What is it that truly drives their passion for the mission or cause? Use pictures and graphs on social media and email to show them visually. Make it as tangible as possible (in dollars, lives impacted, etc.) rather than hypothetical.

4. Personalize Communication Based on Segmentation​

We need to reach out early & often. This starts with the welcome email or USPS mailings that a new member receives. Following through over time to longer-term members with communication that is as fervent as what the organization did for a new member will go a long way towards emphasizing that they have worth over time, not just in the honeymoon stage.

Using reminder messaging like “since you are a member, you saved $50 this year on X” will help them recall the value your membership offers so that when renewal time comes, they don’t hesitate to renew. People often forget what you did for them last year or even last month. Remind them regularly of the many benefits they receive by being a member, especially stuff they are likely to forget or perhaps not even realize at all.

5. Gain EFT or Other Auto-Draft Payment Approval​

Morph your annual billing from opt-in to opt-out by seeking electronic or paper form approval to auto deduct their fees from your member’s bank accounts on a recurring basis. And getting their permission to use a bank account is a better option than credit or debit card, since those can lapse whenever the member gets a new, physical credit card every 3-4 years with a new expiration date.

6. Handle Complaints with Care​

And find ways to solicit them from members.

Are you really suggesting what I think you are? Yes, we are. If you know someone’s beef with the association, then at least you can try to salvage the relationship. Without knowing, you won’t find out until after they leave or don’t renew. Not to mention, they may poison other members to the point of them leaving too if they are really unhappy.

7. Begin with the End in Mind When Renewal Looms​

As Steven Covey taught us, we should act today based on the desired result of all members being retained in the future. Simply follow these 3 steps to stave off retention issues:

• Start email and mail communication about their upcoming renewal 90 days before it expires.
• If it does expire, offer them a 60-90 day grace period on their lapsed membership.
• Keep trying to win them back after expiration but give it a rest after 90 days of unreturned contact. You can always try to win them back again after some time has passed.

Ally360 Is Here to Strengthen Your Membership Marketing

If you are looking to step up your nonprofit’s membership marketing efforts or just seeking some additional guidance, the Ally360 marketing team of experts is here to help. We are a marketing firm designed to help associations and membership-related nonprofits succeed through expertise, marketing, and education, and it is our goal to make sure your organization has all the knowledge, resources, and support it needs to grow donations and memberships and further your cause through increased and enhanced exposure.​