In today’s turbulent political and economic environment, acquiring and retaining members presents many challenges. However, if the process is conducted in a systematic and strategic manner, you simply can’t fail.
1. Gather personal details
The key to recruiting new members is to build a high level of qualified prospects. Prospective members include non-members who contact your organisation, attend your events or purchase your products or services. With their permission, you should send every prospect membership marketing collateral and place them into your contact management system, appropriately flagged as a member prospect.
To ensure the success of this strategy, a high-quality customer relationship management (CRM) system is required and staff need to be competent in areas of service, and in their ability to sell the benefits of joining your organisation.
2. Follow through
In corporate terms, the process of conducting follow-through campaigns is called ‘mining the sales funnel’. Depending on the size and type of your organisation, this involves a series of strategic actions designed to influence and persuade prospects to become members.
Mail, email, telephone, social media, newsletters and events can all be used to conduct your follow-through campaigns.
3. Member retention
Acquiring new members consumes time, energy and money. After members have been acquired, it’s important to remember that the investments will go to waste if effort isn’t put into retaining them.
One way to do this is to implement a ‘keep in touch’ program. Assign new members a mentor, invite them to events, chart their progress on your CRM and ensure they are utilising their membership benefits, otherwise you will probably lose them.
4. Engage with members
There are many tools that organisations can utilise when engaging with their members, including email, newsletters, websites (you could have a members-only section), forums, webinars and social media. Whichever mediums you use, your approach needs to be systematic. Mediums that encourage member participation and feedback are great because they allow for two-way communication, allowing your organisation to gauge how a particular article, campaign or event was received. Just be wary not to spam members with constant information from your organisation.
5. Maintain excellent service
It only takes one bad experience to lose a member. Everyone in your organisation who comes into contact with members should be trained in all aspects of service, communication and complaints management. Teamwork skills are also important as staff who don’t deal with members support those who do, meaning the quality of internal service is just as important as the quality of external service.
6. Conduct member surveys
Conducting surveys will give your organisation a snapshot of where it stands in the eyes of your members. It will also give every member the chance to be heard. Be sure to acknowledge the points raised in the survey and to thank those who responded. Remember, you are not a great organisation because you say you are, but because your members say you are.
7. Use your tools effectively
Your organisation’s CRM can also be
used as a member relationship management tool. Share information, keep everything up-to-date and chart your member activities, including how much they spend with your organisation.
8. Offer first-class events
Events are a chance to showcase your organisation and its work, and to remind people why they are members. Ensure members receive value when they attend events, and that speakers and activities offered are of a high standard.
9. Strategise
Plan your renewal strategies and start your renewal program early. When sending out renewal letters or emails, it is important to tell your members what you did for them this year and what you will be doing for them next year – make it a no brainer for them to want to renew.
Combining the above strategies into a seamless, twelve-month plan will help your organisation acquire more members and successfully retain those you have in order to build a more sustainable organisation.