How Membership Organisations can effectively engage their members
In 2023, a significant 49%* of associations reported an increase in membership. This is a promising prospect for membership organisations. But how did they do it? We are going to cover some of the key factors you should be considering when looking to engage your members effectively and begin marketing for the future.
1. Communication
Firstly, in order to retain the relationship with your members, you must remember that communication is key. There are numerous different ways in which you can do this, but as a marketing agency, we have found publications, both print and digital, to be great assets in maintaining a community feel and informing and engaging members. Our Membership Organisation Magazine highlights the ways in which we can help you and how a publication could work for you.
2. Value
Providing value is arguably the most important way to engage your members. By offering a value exchange to your audience, you are engaging them, retaining them and boosting member satisfaction and loyalty. The benefits you offer to your members need to be clear and easy to access. This is also important for potential new members, and referral benefits are also a great way of doing this.
3. Research
When deciding on the ways in which you’re going to engage your members, you need to find out how they want to receive communication from you. This can be done through regular surveys, social media polls, and even focus groups. Do not forget the power of data. For example, if you’re sending out a digital publication like we mentioned earlier, look at what content is being downloaded most. What pages on your website are being visited often? You can then begin to target the rest of your content towards that.
4. Personalisation
Personalisation is becoming a more popular tool to communicate with your members. By adding that extra level, it provides a sense of belonging to your members, which leads to member retention. Email marketing is a great way to add a personal touch by sending your members relevant offers and benefits handpicked for them.
5. Seamless Digital Experience
Number 5, last but certainly not least, digital. We are all very aware that the future is digital, and making sure your organisation is on top of that is crucial. Here at Monitor, we describe websites as digital shop windows, which are pretty important. If you want to start small, our Membership Organisations: A Guide for Attracting Gen Z and Millennials whitepaper is a great read and can help you dip your toes into the world of digital if you haven’t already.
Are you ready to start marketing now to secure your future audience? The next step is to book a free 30-minute discovery meeting with us here. Simply add a date in the diary that suits you best, and we’ll be happy to catch up.
Whilst you’re here, check out some more of our other blogs, including Top Notch Branding: How to Boost Your Business and Monitor’s Guide to Email Marketing. Our blog page features lots of informative and useful content for you, and that’s why we are the best creative marketing agency in Manchester!
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