When it comes to engaging new members, an effective onboarding process plays a critical role.
Of course you should welcome newcomers to your organization, but you should also start providing them value from the start so they know their choice to join was a good one. Rather than leaving new members to stumble through your site, why not enhance their experience by gently guiding them along their initial steps? Your association’s onboarding process represents a golden opportunity to highlight all that you have to offer and the many ways that you can help them take advantage of these benefits.
Read on for some essential best practices to include in your new member onboarding program.
Create a “welcome” email series.
If you try to cram every possible bit of information into a single, lengthy welcome email, it’s destined to feel overwhelming or go unread. Instead, why not establish several short messages that new members will receive incrementally after they join? Highlight the many ways you can add value for newcomers, such as organizational information, helpful resources, upcoming events, explanations regarding benefits, and the like.
Segment and personalize as much as possible.
Whether it’s in your emails or on your website, personalization is a great way for new members to feel connected to your community. This will set them up for greater engagement and retention in the future. For example, we know that people tend to join membership organizations for one key compelling reason. Identify what drove each of your new members join, and then be sure to communicate often about that important factor throughout your onboarding messaging.
Make an onboarding video.
Looking for a way to onboard new members that’s tech-savvy, easy to navigate, and reusable? A member onboarding video could be the perfect solution. Not only is video an influential revenue-generator, it also offers a great way to interact with new members and teach them all about your association. You might opt for a walkthrough video about how to utilize your association’s site, showing them how to login, where to find special content offers, and what types of benefits they can enjoy online. Or, you may decide to create a video that relates more to your association and its mission. In this type of video, you could incorporate messaging about your culture, conduct interviews with your staff and other members, and include other clever tactics to introduce them to your organization’s personality.
Publicly recognize new members.
Celebrating new members is a great way to welcome them into your community. Mention them via email blasts, in your newsletter, and through social media, too. By recognizing newcomers in this way, you’ll amplify the value of their membership and confirm that they made the right choice by joining your organization.
The warmer the welcome, the longer they’re likely to stay.
Your onboarding program sets the tone for new members, but that doesn’t mean engaging with them should stop once they’ve been around for a while. Sustain the momentum with other innovative tactics to keep your members feeling engaged, connected and valued for the long term.
For nearly 20 years, IBC has been helping associations, unions and non-profits drive member engagement with state-of-the-art strategies and innovative iMIS software solutions. To find out how we can deliver for your membership organization, please contact our helpful professionals today.
About Intuitive Business Concepts (IBC): Since 2001, IBC’s cutting-edge products, unparalleled responsiveness, and award-winning technology services have helped associations, non-profits and unions increase their operational and financial performance. Focused exclusively on and dedicated to delivering the most effective iMIS Engagement Management solutions, IBC is uniquely adept at identifying and applying the integration techniques that save membership organizations time and money. For more information about IBC, please visit the website at www.ibconcepts.com or call 443.603.0215.
