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The world of affinity marketing is changing every day, but one thing that has stayed consistent over time is the importance of member engagement. If you don’t have engaged, happy members, your associations will start to lapse over time. Did you know that the #1 reason association members fall away is a lack of engagement? Your members need to feel that you care about them and that they are valued parts of your organization to stay invested.
There are many ways to improve your member engagement and a variety of strategies depending on what works best for you, but today we want to share three simple membership engagement strategies every association should have in their arsenal, regardless of your customer base.
1. Get to Know your Audience
Engagement is your ticket to building a loyal member base that values your association. If your members value your association, they are more likely to stay. Retaining members costs less than attracting new members, and a highly engaged membership means your members are participating, contributing to the association, and recruiting new members through referrals. On the other hand, if engagement is low, members are not contributing meaningfully to the association. In fact, they may not even be opening emails, and they are less likely to renew their membership.
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2. A Tip for Increasing Survey Engagement Rate
When trying to collect data from members, you may find that you’re struggling with a low engagement rate. If this is the case, we recommend trying this simple wording change: instead of asking them for their input, ask them for their help. This has been shown to increase engagement by showing your members that you value what they have to offer. If a company were to approach you personally asking for your help, wouldn’t you be much more likely to give up some of your time to assist them than if you were treated as part of a passive data collecting process? People are much more willing to give their feedback when we level with them and show them that we value what they have to say.
3. Offer to Help Them Out
If you have been struggling with retention rates due to the current financial environment, don’t be afraid to reach out to your customers to address this. Something you can do for your members is offer a temporary reduced rate to help out those who may be going through a tough time financially. By reaching out and letting them know that you are here for them during this time, you will build loyalty and increase longevity within your organization.
What has been your most reliable method of engaging with your membership? Let us know what works best for your association in the comments.
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