Focus on the most important benefits instead of trying to cover all of them? Easy!
This is our best advice for communicating the value of joining your organization to potential members, using your number one member benefit as the center.
According to the 2015 Marketing General Membership Marketing Benchmarking report, the number one reason for joining an organization is the networking opportunities (23% over access to specialized information being 12%). That being said, it only makes sense to focus much of your membership marketing efforts on your networking opportunities*. Show potential members what they will get most out of their membership.
Sometimes, talking about networking can get stale. This is your chance to innovate. One of AH’s core values is Innovation and we are always trying new ways to communicate the benefits of being an AH client partner. Even for us, the word “networking” is sometimes replaced with phrases like “contribute to your community,” “build relationships,” and “collaborate with your peers.” Your organization should do the same when it comes to your number one member benefit (assuming it is networking).
*First, you should do a little research and find out from your current members, what is in fact, their number one benefit. You can do this through surveys, focus groups, direct calls, and social media polls.
Now that you’ve come up with some new ways to talk about networking, you should find new ways to convey the message.
Here at AH, we have a fully equipped digital media department so we like to use videos as an innovative way to convey just how much an organization’s membership means to its members.
For example, The American Society of Transplantation (AST) uses this video as a way to show, first hand from real members, what AST membership does for their careers. This is exciting and moving and gets the point across without using a lot of terminology; it’s all in the conversation.
Another example from an AH client partner is the Association of Medical Media (AMM). This video is relaying the same message as the AST’s (the benefit of membership) through members’ words, not text on screen.
These videos are sending a strong message of membership value without going into detail with all the bits and pieces that make up the full benefits package. They also give you real life examples to relate to as someone in the same field.
So when you’re executing your membership marketing tactics for your organization, think about these two key points:
- Focus on your top one or two member benefits to really drive home the value of joining.
- Be innovative with your delivery; think outside the box.
