The Key To Ensure Your Association Excels With Engaging Members

Most associations realize that getting people’s attention is no longer enough, they must also find ways to engage with them.  Otherwise, search engines might penalize their website but it isn’t just the search engines that associations have to worry about.  A significant portion of members tend to leave associations because they feel like there isn’t enough engagement.

You shouldn’t rely solely on your membership management software to solve this problem.  You need to change the way you approach your members.  In order for your association to excel with engaging members, you must offer a personalized experience and deliver it at the right time.

 

The first step is to identify what is the right content to deliver and choosing the right place.  Often, the answer is to just talk to your members.  Ask them what their interests are and what changes they would like to see.  However, you can’t rely on this method since many members choose not to participate.

Even if they do, they may not tell you what you need to know.  But, this is a good first step in establishing some communication.  Always utilize your membership management software to help you collect and process the answers you receive.

 

If there are members that refuse to tell you what you need to know, observe their activities.  Take note of the people they talk to, the discussions they participate in, and the topic of the threads they start.  Their online behavior and habits are a good indication of what they want so use that information to personalize their experiences.

 

Obviously, it isn’t possible for all associations to give every individual a personalized experience as they lack the time or resources.  In some cases, it might be best to group members into segments based on their interests and then craft a personalized experience that targets those segments.  Many associations have embraced this concept as they know this is what customers prefer and they want to ensure most of them remain engaged well into the future!