In our fast-paced digital world, keeping members engaged is more crucial than ever before. It’s not just about adapting to digital; it’s about understanding the way we connect and engage has shifted.
Engaging members now means more than regular events and emails; it’s a key strategy to drive membership growth, improve retention, and spark member referrals.
At its core, member engagement is about crafting experiences that matter to your members. It’s what turns your association from a name on a membership card into a vibrant community.
With digital tools, the advantage lies in the ability to measure engagement through data analytics, offering clear insights into member preferences and behaviours. This measurability is crucial for tailoring strategies that genuinely connect with members, making engagement efforts more effective and efficient.
Below are a few tips you can use to leverage digital tools effectively.
Member Portal: Where the Journey Begins
The member portal is your association’s digital front door, setting the stage for your member experience. Think of your member portal as the front door to everything your association offers.
Make it welcoming and easy to navigate. Highlighting key resources, personalised content, and even a friendly “start here” guide can turn a good experience into a great one.
- A Warm Welcome: Consider a “Start Here” page to orient new members, featuring a welcome video and a roadmap of first steps.
- Personalised Content: Tailor the portal experience with dynamic content, ensuring members find what they need and see what’s most relevant to them.
- Engagement Tools: Incorporate interactive elements like polls, surveys, and forums to keep members coming back.
Online Communities: Building Digital Camaraderie
Online communities have surged in popularity, offering members a platform to connect, share, and grow together.
There is an ongoing debate on where to host your online community – on social media or dedicated platforms. Each has pros and cons, but the bottom line is choosing what best fits your community’s vibe.
- Social Media Platforms: Offer immediate access to a broad audience but mix personal and professional lives, subject to unpredictable rules.
- Dedicated Community Platforms: Provides CRM integration and the ability to host digital products governed by your rules but require technical setup and investment.
No matter your chosen platform, it takes time, effort and resources to ignite your community. Your community is not another notice board for your association (you can use your website for this purpose).
A successful community has a few distinct characteristics:
- Community Feel: People in your community feel like they are part of a group united by similar values, interests or goals. They feel connected and invested in the community and its goals.
- Independent Interactions: Participants interact with each other independently, without the constant involvement of a moderator. Members feel comfortable initiating conversations and participating in discussions without needing a moderator to facilitate every interaction.
- Regularity: The interactions are regular and result in some outcomes. The community should provide a space for ongoing conversations that lead to tangible outcomes or results.
Learn more about onine communities in the Association Hub Podcast episode ‘Online Communities with Venessa Paech, Australian Community Managers‘.
Marketing Automation: Ongoing Communication
Incorporating marketing automation in your communication cycle can significantly enhance the value you deliver to your members, improve operational efficiency, and drive growth for your association— here are some examples of how you can use automation to enhance member engagement.
- Segmentation and Targeting: By using data to segment members into different groups based on behaviour, preferences, or demographics, marketing automation can deliver more targeted and relevant content. This can increase engagement rates and ensure that members receive information that’s most relevant to them.
- Automated Onboarding Process: For new members, marketing automation can deliver a series of welcome emails that guide them through the benefits of their membership, highlight key resources, and encourage engagement with the organisation. This helps in building a strong relationship from the start.
- Membership Renewal Campaigns: Automation can be used to create timely and personalised membership renewal reminders. These campaigns can start with gentle reminders and escalate to more urgent calls to action as the renewal date approaches, incorporating personalised benefits or contributions of the member to increase the likelihood of renewal.
- Feedback and Surveys: Automate the process of collecting feedback from members through surveys at different points in their membership lifecycle. This data can be invaluable in understanding member satisfaction, improving services, and tailoring future communications.
- Membership Tier Upgrades: Implement campaigns that identify members who may be interested in or benefit from higher tiers of membership based on their engagement and interaction with your content and services. Personalise these communications to highlight the advantages of upgrading.
- Referral Programs: Implement automated referral programs that encourage members to refer peers, with tracking and rewards for successful referrals. This can be a powerful way to grow your membership organically.
- Automated Retention Strategies: Identify members who may be at risk of leaving based on their engagement levels and automate personalised campaigns to re-engage them. This could include special offers, highlighting member benefits they haven’t taken advantage of, or personal outreach from a team member.
Discover more information about marketing automation in the article 10 Essential Marketing Automation Tools for your Association.
Digital Badges: Celebrating Member Achievements
Recognise and reward members with digital badges for achievements and participation.
Badges motivate members and visually signify their engagement and contributions, not only adding value to their professional profiles but also helping promote your association and its services.
- Recognition: Award badges for participation in events, completion of courses, or contributions to the community.
- Motivation: Badges serve as a visual reminder of members’ accomplishments, spurring further involvement.
- Showcase Achievements: Enable members to display their badges on profiles or social media, enhancing their professional achievements.
Learn how AUSactive team utilised digital badges to drive member engagement and brand promotion.
The journey to deep member engagement is always evolving. By embracing digital tools, associations can create meaningful experiences that meet members where they are, encouraging a vibrant, engaged community.
Ready to Level Up Your Engagement Game?
Book a consultation with us today to take your member engagement strategy to the next level. Let’s explore how digital tools can bring your community together like never before.
