No matter how many new members you attract, retention is critical to driving growth.
How can you ensure that your members are getting the most out of their experience with your organization so they’ll stick around? Like most relationships, the key lies in effective communication. Here are some important questions to consider as you develop smart member communication strategies that create trust, drive engagement, and deliver value.
What do your members want to know from your communications?
Although communications have the potential to be a key member benefit, they often fall short. Overcome this hurdle by employing tools to determine the information needs of your members, their preferences regarding editorial content, and their favored method of receiving communications. Annual member satisfaction surveys can be revealing in this regard, as can focus groups that encourage open dialog. To gather information more quickly, consider creating a short poll or adding an email button to your online communications asking for feedback.
Who are you communicating with?
Approaching members differently is one of the best ways to boost engagement. That means you need to have the ability to segment and filter your messaging into particular groups, such as by demographics or interests. Use interactions from your community and your marketing campaigns to more accurately segment your user base to identify and deliver relevant content that will appeal to them. For example, you might rely on your newsletter to engage your members but not everyone is going to be interested in the same subject matter. Instead, tailor the stories or subject lines based on what people have shown an interest in. Highly personalized engaging experiences like these can go a long way in value creation.
What marketing channels are you using?
Another key part of your digital communications strategy should be consideration of the platforms you employ to reach your audience. Social media, for example, offers a wonderful, informal platform for showcasing your organization’s many supporters, including donors, volunteers, employees, and sponsors. When you tag supporters in your posts and photos, it has the added benefit of showing up on their friends’ news feeds. And don’t forget to think about ways that you can get more bang for the buck from your efforts. For instance, can that email content you created also be shared on community forum groups and social media channels? Whatever platforms you utilize, make sure your message is consistent. Sending conflicting communications or employing branding that isn’t uniform can do more harm than good.
Are you effectively harnessing the power of automated messaging?
We’ve all gotten those repeated marketing emails that flood our inboxes. They’re annoying, time-wasting, and they deliver a negative impression of the organizations they represent. But when it’s executed properly using the proper data and delivered with finesse, automated messaging is a powerful tool. It can get information to the right members at just the right time, increasing their engagement and driving growth. For example, you might measure engagement with your educational offerings to gauge interest. When you know which members are interested in which types of programs, you can generate automated emails about upcoming events that are suited to their individual preferences.
When it comes to creating value for constituents, communications wield a lot of power.
The key is to listen to their preferences and deliver what they need. When your members are engaged, it results in added interest and greater loyalty, and who doesn’t want that?
IBC has proven expertise in helping associations, unions, and non-profits drive member engagement. To find out how our robust iMIS software solutions can deliver value for your membership organization, please contact our helpful professionals today.
About IBC: At IBC, we have a deep understanding of the critical business needs and processes specific to associations, non-profits, and unions. We ‘get’ your culture, your goals, and what drives you, too. Focused exclusively on and dedicated to delivering the most effective AMS, LMS, and Virtual Event Solutions for our clients, we’re well-versed in identifying and applying the integration techniques that will save you time and money. Since 2001, our cutting-edge products, unparalleled responsiveness, and award-winning services have helped organizations like yours increase their operational and financial performance by leveraging best practices and proven solutions. For more information about IBC, please visit the website at www.ibconcepts.com or call 443.603.0215.
