At Millertech, our priority is supporting membership professionals to Solve Membership. Here are 10 actionable tips to drive member engagement.
1. Streamline your value proposition
We need to understand what truly matters to members if we are to deliver benefits that continue to exceed their expectations. To do this, you must identify exactly how they found you, why they joined and what problems you are solving for them.
An integrated membership management system will allow you to drive engagement by tracking and continuously improving the services within your offering.
2. Know your audience
Once you’ve refined your value proposition, map the demographics and behaviours of existing and prospective members. Use surveys and data analysis to understand the channels that are key to reaching this target audience.
- Which social media channels do they use?
- Do they prefer contact via welcome letters or emails?
- Would an app make engagement easier for them?
3. Develop your engagement strategy
Creating a deeper relationship with members drives loyalty and engagement so a structured approach is essential. Map out key membership journeys, identify crucial touch points and ensure every opportunity is optimised.
Construct a member engagement plan to measure and improve future activities over a one to three-year period.
Our new Member Engagement eBook can help.
4. Capture valuable member insights
Each interaction with a member can help you to understand and serve them better. It is important therefore to collect as much information around individual member behaviour as possible.
Preferences, purchases, locations and interests are all vital insights that can inform future business decision making and help provide a great experience for members.
5. Deliver a personalised experience
Members expect a tailored approach so ensure your marketing is personalised to every individual. Develop an online portal where members can log in, see their membership status, check their preferences and review each event or qualification to which they’ve signed up.
Use this to drive revenue by promoting targeted events, content and qualifications that you know will be of interest.
Our partner NetXtra can help support with this.
6. Reiterate your member benefits
The value you provide should be continually reinforced, both inside and outside your organisation. Ensure that your entire team understands what services you offer and why each is helpful. Encourage them to share this information in every enquiry they receive.
And for existing members, make certain every communication emphasises the benefits that they can receive from their subscription.
7. Review your checkout experience
With exceptional digital checkout experiences now the norm, your members will expect a seamless payment journey. Focus on simplifying every step from the initial sign up for membership, events or qualifications right through to the checkout and confirmation.
Continually survey your members to ensure this experience is keeping pace with their expectations.
Our partner ClearAccept can help solve this.
8. Refine your member recruitment strategy
Members don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. In your quest to recruit more members, you must communicate precisely why your organisation exists in a way that resonates and inspires.
To gain clarity on these key messages, survey your existing membership to discover what they value most about your proposition and learn which elements of your brand personality they connect with the most.
9. Focus on member retention
It’s always far more cost effective to retain a member than to recruit a new one, so be proactive. Analyse each digital journey that a member takes to ensure engagement at every step. Make sure that all your membership benefits are available, understood and regularly utilised.
React with reminders and offers before subscription periods come to an end rather than waiting until they have lapsed.
10. Plan for a successful digital transformation
Keep these three key elements in mind for a successful digital transformation:
People: Change your culture to a member-focused organisation
Process: Adapt your operations to efficiently deliver products and services
Technology: Make the right choices to provide a great experience for members
