Membership Space Blog: Insights for Effective Management

With the internet, news regarding mistakes about your organization and how issues get handled can spread rapidly.  When customer support is slow to respond, visitors and members might voice their experience on a blog or social media which can tarnish the reputation of your membership.

Even though social media is great for attracting members, it’s not the best platform for addressing problems or issues that members may have with your membership.  To avoid having that happen, consider utilizing club websites to create online communities for solving any issues in an efficient manner.  Here are a few reasons why club websites help diminish lousy customer service.

 

With an online community, your work of providing solutions reduces as people connect and help one other.  For instance, if one person has an issue with a particular feature, another person that has encountered the same situation will likely share what helped them.  This sort of networking encourages all members to become more engaged and that reduces the need for customer service.

 

Traditional client support systems such as email and phone calls only focus on helping one person at a time.  Club websites offer a place where common issues or frequently asked questions can be posted so everyone is able to view them.  As a result, you help address queries that other members may have so it eliminates the potential for an issue to develop.

Information posted online never takes a break like support teams do which means it remains accessible to members or visitors, even during holidays and weekends.  Also, it is more convenient to update a website page than it is to repeatedly have to respond to emails where the same question is being asked.  Remember, customer service can speak volumes about your organization and members expect you to respond to their needs promptly!

A forum for your membership website is not only a great way to engage members but it is better than social media in some cases.  Even so, the engagement rate of your forum may be low unless you take the time to develop it into a growing place that attracts members.  Membership management software can help you do just that and revitalize your website into a leading source for valuable information.

 

Discourse is a relatively new, mobile-friendly option that is open source and has received numerous positive reviews for how flawless it functions.  This choice is a combination of a chat room, Facebook group, and forum.  Discourse has useful features that include the capacity to send out automatic emails and a badge system that makes the forum experience more user-friendly.

Additionally, it supports instant notifications and allows you to see when members are typing a response.  The downside is that you will likely need to use different cloud hosting as the one offered with Discourse is rather expensive.

 

BuddyPress delivers a social site feel with elements like customizable member profiles, member directories, and private messaging while bbPress offers the forums.  Not only is this combination free but it has a key benefit of membership plug-ins being compatible with your existing theme.
The shortcoming with this option is that it doesn’t provide all the features of specialized forum software so other plug-ins may need to be installed.  Fortunately, there are a variety of tutorials and supporting plug-ins available for BuddyPress.

 

Xenforo is an excellent option if you seek a comprehensive forum for your membership.  With this software, your content doesn’t have to be placed on WordPress as Xenforo will host it along with your discussions.  The disadvantage is that it’s not designed to work with WordPress but it can be integrated.  When choosing membership management software, make sure you weigh each forum option and choose the one that works best for you.

Newsletters may not be as effective today as they once were since members have other alternatives that make it easier to stay informed.  Many members follow the membership website as club membership software continues to improve and provide a better experience.  Software may also help generate a newsletter that engages more members as the content in your newsletter should promote the membership website.  The following tips are a great guide towards creating a newsletter that members want to read.

 

Newsletters are often easily ignored by members if they don’t contain information that benefits them.  With club membership software, newsletters can be sent out with information that is not only relevant but actionable.  Always use a catchy subject line that attracts the attention of the member so they feel compelled to open the newsletter.

 

The second tip is to include links in the newsletter that directs the reader to the membership website.  Since newsletters may contain a limited amount of information, it may be useful to include links so readers are able to enjoy more of your content on the website.  Furthermore, links can be used to guide a reader to your forum or signup page.

 

In most cases, newsletters reach active and inactive members which means they may be used to build your membership community.  Try publishing profiles of successful members in the newsletter to encourage other members to keep using your services.

 

If you have discounts or exclusive content for members, make sure that this is distinctly highlighted in your newsletter.  Additionally, the newsletter should be used to advertise new services or products that benefit visitors and members.  Ensure the newsletter looks professional as it is a reflection of the membership website and indicates to everyone that being a member of your website is worthwhile.

Rewarding loyalty is often the key to gaining new members and retaining old ones.  Membership websites can get an advantage over their competition by offering rewards and incentives that other memberships fail to offer.  Small membership websites may not have the resources to roll out complex loyalty programs, but they can still deliver rewards that will appeal to their members.  Have you thought about what rewards are the most effective?

 

One way to reward members for loyalty is to give discounts according to how long they have been a member.  Obviously, members who have renewed their membership for many years get a better discount than a person who just signed up to be a member.  When implementing discounts, never be too aggressive as this could lead some people to question the value of your services.

Another option that should be considered for rewarding loyalty is to give members exclusive access to services or products.  Offer them access to content, software, and eBooks before releasing it to visitors.  This will make members feel as though they are getting more value out of their membership and it encourages them to remain loyal.  What else might be beneficial for members?

 

Aside from offering discounts and exclusive access, contests can be easy to run and draw a lot of attention to your membership website.  Not only will it boost your brand but it helps encourage members to be more involved online.
As you strive to gain new members and keep current ones, remember that providing value is the ultimate incentive for members to stay loyal in the future.  The way you reward members for being loyal is often a major influence in how your membership association grows.  However, long-term success is only possible if you keep delivering great value!

Almost every membership struggles with this question at some point as it is difficult to predict the future and gauge the interest of your members.  In most cases, it comes down to timing and it can be a great opportunity as you maintain traffic while generating revenue.  Have you thought about adding a subscription feature to your club websites but not quite sure when is the right time?

 

 

There are a number of indicators that signal whether the time is ideal for paid memberships or not.  The relationship you have with your members is a major factor in deciding to introduce a paid membership option on club websites.  Use a survey to rate how pleased everyone is with the website as it can help indicate if the timing is right.

If the survey results show members are not content, then a paid membership might cause current members to leave.  A survey is just one way to assess the engagement of members so also check email opening and social media sharing.  If emails are being opened frequently and content is being shared, then it may be a great time to add a new component to your website for paid memberships.

 

 

With any new venture, the amount you generate from it must meet your initial investment so a positive return on investment is the result.  Leverage yourself to be in a position to predict whether you can meet the costs associated with doing it and consider the engagement of your audience.

With most online membership websites, it’s usually easier to retain current members than to gain new ones.  However, many associations are losing an alarming number of members each year.  If your association has a membership retention problem, here is some advice on how to improve your retention rate.

 

In order to stop members from leaving, you need to understand first why they are choosing to leave.  Membership management software can be used to design exit surveys.  Add a simple survey to the opting out process, this way it uncovers why your members are leaving and leverage that to incentivize them to stay.
Some members leave associations because their employees have stopped paying for their memberships.  Others leave because they have made changes in their careers or personal lives and no longer need your services.  Very little can be done to stop such members from leaving but actions may be taken to stop the members who leave because they don’t feel valued.

 

Members who are regularly engaged by administrators tend to feel more valued and are less likely to opt out of an association.  Despite how useful a membership is to an individual, they may choose to leave if they feel like they are taken for granted.  Through membership management software, you can make members feel valued by frequently contacting them.
Reach out to members as soon as they sign up and inform them about the benefits of their membership.  Take the time to write a customized email or make a phone call so communications feel personal, not general.  Encourage members to engage on the online community and promptly deal with any complaints.  You are much more likely to retain members when they feel valued and attended to so always strive to meet their needs.  The extra effort is often noticed by members which significantly boosts your membership retention rate.

The key to getting people to join an association is effective communication through content.  In order to attract site visitors and convert them into members, you must make use of tools such as club membership software and implement content management techniques.  The first step is to identify the strategies that will help you create content that compels visitors to join your association.  What do most people look for when they visit a membership website?

 

The people that visit your website are looking to gain additional knowledge or network themselves with others that have more experience.  If you provide information that is relevant or actionable, they will most likely consider your association an authority.  Frequently, visitors are more inclined to join your association if they believe that you have proprietary knowledge on the matters that interest them.
As you seek to provide useful content, it is important to remember that a majority of visitors are not interested in reading information that is too technical.  Your content should be understood by all potential members.  Content that is excessively technical has a tendency to cause a visitor to shy away from joining your association.

 

Today, it is vital that your content portrays your association as distinct and superior in all aspects.  Show visitors how unique your association is through club membership software, webinars, and social media.  In a crowded online marketplace, standing out is an important key to success.
Readers who enjoy your content are presumably going to want more of it and you should capitalize on that desire to get them to join.  Make it an easy process for new members to sign up as a visitor may cancel if it looks like a daunting task.  Remember, a large audience leads to more prospects so distribute your content in a way that persuades people to join!

Membership websites go through many phases as more members join and the software changes.  However, the focus should be to provide as much value to members as possible whether they just joined or have been a member for several years.  If the focus isn’t on members, it could have a negative impact on membership renewals since people will look for a website that provides a better experience.  What will keep members a focal point going forward?

 

Typically, people look to membership websites to network themselves around people with similar goals and interests.  An online community is usually a common feature where members are able to interact with others.  The key benefit of this is that members build connections with other members and some of them are highly experienced so they offer valuable advice.
The online community is a feature that a number of members use at any hour to get educated on the content they want to know more about.  Another feature that membership websites need to prioritize is ensuring the website design is responsive.
You always want members to get the most up-to-date version of your website whether they use a smartphone or tablet.  Today, members use a variety of smaller devices when they are on the go to access the online community or emails.  That makes responsive design an essential feature as you never know what members might use.

 

The last feature to focus on involves the management system with regard to members’ data.  From signing in to updating data, members want to have a centralized system so they don’t have to keep entering in the same information.  Not only does this benefit the membership in managing data but it also benefits members as it frees up time for them to connect with others.

Membership associations face a variety of challenges once in a while that come along at inconvenient times in most cases.  During times of uncertainty, leaders need to step into the role of leading the association through those challenges.  It is absolutely essential for any leader to know how to tackle challenges as they materialize and address issues with club websites.
After all, that is why leaders are appointed to the association in the first place.  The more prepared a leader is, the better they can lead the association through trying times if they have experience and a plan in mind.  How can your association tackle challenges with confidence in the future?

 

One key for leaders to be great is for them to fully understand who the members are and what they expect from the membership association.  Often, members have different preferences so discover what a majority of members want and focus on that when making decisions that affect the group.  How can the association increase their chances of satisfying members?

Periodically, a membership survey must be conducted as members change or new members join the association.  Each membership association is different, but the goal of the survey is to get criteria about your members to know them well.  Information from the survey is highly useful as leaders use it when faced with difficult challenges to inspire the association and keep members satisfied.

 

Conclusions made from the survey typically make a huge impact on whether or not the association is going in the right direction.  When it comes to performance, club websites are not only measured during good times but also during times when they endure challenges.  Successful associations have leaders that effectively leverage their resources to gain an advantage so the association is always ready!

Issues with data not only present a problem for the association but it also causes members to question the quality of your association management software.  Common problems such as incomplete data, out-of-date data, and duplicate data are the direct result of not keeping data clean.  The task of keeping data clean may be a lengthy process as some associations have more than one system where data is accessed.  With data in multiple areas, it is crucial any changes or updates take effect in each area.

 

 

Technology and association management software has simplified the process of keeping data clean and up-to-date.  Set aside time daily for data to be maintained even though it may seem difficult to delegate time towards actually doing it.  That secret alone leads to quality data and ensures members have a positive experience as inaccurate or duplicate records are corrected on a regular basis.

 

Often, data issues take place when there are multiple systems like the online community and an email list.  If a change is made on a system, records on other systems should be automatically updated.  Anytime data is changed or moved, errors are less likely to happen by having one system in place to handle data being transferred or updated.  Integrate a system that handles your membership website, the online community, and emails so there’s never duplicate records.

 

 

Every year, associations want members to be more engaged with the online community and membership website.  Continuous engagement helps form a solid connection with members and it leads to additional instances when they can update their account.  Precise records of members and accurately adding new member details is an essential element for associations to be effective.  Consider these secrets for your association to always keep data clean so members stay engaged.