A How to Guide
How do you accurately measure member engagement?
Through outcomes such as renewals?
Or through the number of email opt-outs?
While member engagement is not new, being able to accurately measure results is.
Most associations find it difficult to measure the effectiveness of their marketing.
Most times, only small percentages of members participate and respond.
As most associations, sporting clubs and industry bodies rely on member satisfaction, it makes sense to consider a new approach to engagement. One that people will actually embrace and use.
The key factor is user acceptance.
The effectiveness of pushing out emails has a very low response rate (sub 10%).
Web sites have played their role and now engagement has become more difficult.
And marketing campaigns can take significant resources, time, effort and money.
This paper aims to help you consider how to simplify and automate your member engagement to achieve measurable performance and revenue goals.
Sample measurements:
Years as a member x Total revenue per member
Number of referrals x Sales of merchandise
Increase participation at events x Reduce membership churn
What if a new world of real-time member data could be established?
What if members could easily indicate their interests and act upon their desires?
Plus, there is the opportunity to gain new insights and analytics around membership interests.
By using digital tools, you have the potential to work with much more accurate and up to date information on member interests, influences and actions.
Moving to Digital
Your first major challenge is that your teams are busy. People are stretched and there is a backlog of initiatives still to address.
You must determine which programs to stop. Think about where you simply can’t measure any outcomes or results.
Find the digital-first leaders in your existing organisation that understand the shift that is occurring to mobile.
Find team members that are frustrated with the lack of member engagement and responsiveness.
Create new measurements for success.
You can’t stop all of your member activity of course. So, it requires a top down plan to start learning and measuring what truly matters to members.
It will take time, effort and insight. This can make all the difference in membership renewals, referrals and advocacy.
Create Your Project Team
Involve marketing, finance, product promotions and membership management to form a cross-functional team focused on member needs and desires.
Start now and learn fast.
Perform controlled experiments and execute digital surveys.
Capture feedback and learn about what members really care about.
Fundamentally, change requires executive support.
You need to make a firm decision about the change that is occurring and your desire to engage digitally with member groups.
Start with younger members. They will already be super-capable of digital engagement and appreciate the invite to do something new.
In fact, the younger generation doesn’t even read email these days.
The good news is that you do not need to impact IT.
IT likely has a full plate and so much to do anyway.
Why it works
Members have flexibility and choice through a simplified user interface that makes engagement fun.
You gain insight from real-time member feedback and actions.
This creates a more personal and relevant experience.
This is the way members want to learn, respond and show their support.
How to Go App-less: Keys to Success
Low cost to implement and manage
App-less is so much more efficient than developing a mobile app
You don’t have to impact your current IT resources and projects
People already are familiar with mobile tech and wallet activation
Design templates allow you to get started quickly
Alignment to existing resources and skills
We suggest starting with moving your member card from plastic to digital
People will appreciate you reduce waste
Digital cards are easy to understand and use
We help you get started, add lite links and start new forms of engagement
Keep it simple and build out
Digital engagement can evolve as you learn more about member interests
You can start to segment your membership base and be more personal
Digital cards communicate so much more and people like to learn via their mobiles
Activation happens quickly and members respond
Capture insights and work with live feedback
All activities are securely and privately stored and reported
Members tell you what they like and want with their fingers
You can learn, update, respond and trial new services and offers
Everything is in your control
Predictable time to go live and start learning
Our methodology gets you moving quickly via off the shelf software
Data elements are documented and easy to configure
Integration options help build out functionality and depth
The same platform evolves as you deepen your membership relationships.
