Many associations grow by attracting and retaining members. Encouraging membership growth requires two abilities. Firstly, an association must bring in a constant stream of new members. Secondly, an association must be able to keep those members and get them to renew their memberships. It becomes all about optimization as you increase your sign-up and renewal numbers.
Here are some successful strategies for membership growth and expansion.
Launch a Digital Marketing Campaign
Digital marketing is often the key to a brand’s success online. You can typically reach your target users through search engines, social media platforms, and email sign-ups. An association should focus on building its presence online. Build up and let people know you exist.
Learn about platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others. Be creative. Appeal to members and non-members alike, and get people interested in your brand.
Offer Exclusive Benefits with a Membership and Partner with Businesses
Exclusive perks and benefits are an optimal way to entice more sign-ups and retain current members. Partner with other organizations or businesses to offer members discount products, services, or other advantages.
For this to work, these perks must be aligned with member interests. You must understand what your members want from your association. After you fully grasp who your target member is, you can work on a packet of benefits to bring more of them to your association and foster growth.
Have High-Quality That Attracts and Keeps Members
To grow memberships, give them high-quality content released in pieces. By content, we mean blog articles, PDF eBooks, how-to guides, and more. The content should be original, accurate, and beneficial to the member.
Free content included with a membership and additional resources tied to this content will provide value. Some of this content can also demonstrate to prospective new members the value if they sign up for your association.
Keep In Touch with Members with an Email Communication Plan
You never want to give members the perception that your association has become dark on them. Keep in touch via your membership platform software. Have regular communications sent out, with timed messages based on where a member is in their membership journey.
Send birthday wishes and happy holidays. Thank them for attending events if they’ve confirmed their attendance. Send them a reminder to renew their membership when the time is appropriate. A stable relationship with members will make them feel valued, not just a number.
Send Your Members Timed Surveys Throughout the Year
You can discover information about demographics, values, needs, and personalities by soliciting member feedback. You can use this information to personalize communications. Keep in touch with members as they move through their annual journey with your association.
Surveys also allow members to share what’s working and not in their membership. As an association, it’s up to management to have an ear to the ground, listen to members, and make changes when/if needed.
Adapt to Your Members’ Interests and Fix Issues as They Come Up
No association is infallible. Associations change depending on member preferences. If you hear things repeated from different members, listen. Feedback is critical. Initiating change based on feedback is even more critical.
Listen to criticism and constantly work to improve. As you adapt, this often leads to growth for organizations. Allow members to drive honest, positive change. This sets members’ expectations of being heard.
Create a Members-Only Online Portal on Your Website
Foster engagement. Allow members to get to know one another. Encourage this by setting everyone up on an online portal with their usernames and profiles. An online portal is a members-only hub where a forum can be hosted, and private messaging is allowed.
It’s also a place to plan events, offer jobs and volunteer opportunities, share community-related information, and more. The more integrated a member feels within your association, the more likely they will want to remain a member. They may even encourage others to join.
Encourage Member Interactions, Engagement, and Action
Engage members in discussions. Support members if they contact you with inquiries or concerns. Sponsor events where members can attend and meet others. Examine ways your association’s membership can be weaponized by building a community.
Give your members a sense of belonging and community. Encourage them to bring their friends and families. By doing so, you promote growth and expansion in your association.
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