MEMBERSHIP GROWTH: Conventional and Non-conventional Strategies

By Jeanne Sheehy

One association goal that usually remains constant is membership growth and retention. Even strong organizations constantly look for ways to increase their member base, extend the reach of their services, and retain valued members. There are many elements that come into play affecting an association’s ability not only to grow but to retain the members they have. Below are some traditional and not-so-traditional approaches to this issue.

Research

Ideally, if time and money were not an issue, then original research would be a regular component of any member growth and retention initiative. Focus groups and surveys can reveal what’s on members’ minds, what kind of target prospects are out there and what they are looking for in an association, and what’s happening in the industry or profession that could play a part.

But realistically, not many organizations have the time, money, and resources to put together a full scale research project. So, if you’re in a small association or simply have a small budget, then go gorilla and become a detective for a few days. First, find out what research already exists. You’d be amazed at the amount of information you can gather from existing surveys from conferences or meetings, or research from third-party firms. 

Another tactic is to make a few calls to members, ex-members, prospective members, and find out what’s going on with them, the industry, and their thoughts on the association. You may even want to think outside the box a bit and call a competitive association or a prospect in a field or category that the association has never reached before. It doesn’t take much time and effort to make a few calls and dig. This will give you the base information necessary to create your growth and retention programs.

Corporate Support

Reaching out to corporations for funding is often a primary source of revenue for an association, but those strategic relationships can be leveraged for membership growth as well. Look at your current sponsorship menu and include a group of corporate memberships as part of it. For example, a certain level of corporate sponsorship could provide discounts to conferences and free membership for the corporation’s employees, thereby bringing new blood to events and the association as a whole. Plus, you can gain heightened visibility to a variety of networks within these large organizations.

Working with companies on their internal networks offers another opportunity for membership growth.  If they have groups or communities that meet about subject matter relevant to your association, then use your contact to get in front of them with your services—maybe it’s a free program for them to attend with a member discount as an incentive to join.

Word of Mouth Promotion

There has been a lot of “buzz” about word of mouth marketing (WOMM), and the strategy does have some teeth to it. It’s a creative and economical way to get the message out about the benefits and existence of your association. WOMM is defined as activities that companies undertake to generate personal recommendations as well as referrals for brand names, products, and services.

A WOMM promotion may consist of targeting your power members to spread the word about the association. You can provide them with tools to catch the attention of those around them spurring discussion about a meeting, a member benefit, or the association in general. Marketers also use publicity techniques as well as viral marketing methods to achieve behavioral responses to spreading the word.

There are many resources available for this tactic, such as the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (www.womma.org) and Buzz marketing (www.buzzmarketing.com).

Targeted Programming

Don’t forget to take a step back and look at your programs. How well are they doing? Do they need a face lift or do they need to retire? Are there programs that can be put online to increase your reach, decrease expenses, and better target your audience? Are your membership recruitment efforts reflected in your programming?

Every program brings a subtle opportunity to promote the benefits of your association, reinforce your value to members, and entice prospective members to join. Make sure that your marketing communications, program development, and membership teams work together to fully leverage the content and marketing strategy.

Back to Basics

Sometimes associations get swept up in new ideas and forget that the old ones are still valid. Marketing strategy is built on long-tested approaches to human behavior. Your membership growth and retention may need only an integrated plan with measurable results to track your progress. Revisit your materials, communications plan, advertising, promotion, messaging etc., and build a new annual marketing plan with membership growth and retention as one of your major goals.

When the environment gets out control, you need to take a deep breath, weather it, and start again. However the outside elements affect your membership, you can be prepared by listening to your staff and members, making sure you’re getting the right data consistently to track your efforts, and mixing the old with the new to build a successful future.