Grow your Membership in 2018 with 5 key actions

Your Members are your most loyal customers. In 2018, you can implement 5 actions to grow the number of Members of your association.

Offer a top user-experience on your digital channels

Members, as customers, are spoiled by the likes of Booking.com and Amazon. They want a top user-experience when renewing their Membership, registering for an event or consuming digital content on your website.

Key action: invest in a digital platform (including website, membership management,...) and in a ‘rapid-response’ to questions by Members.

Provide relevant content

Members become Members because your association enables them to reach their professional objectives more effectively. For this, you offer unique learning and networking opportunities.

Key action: invest in the identification of the real learning needs of your target group and, next, organise effective educational activities/initiatives (be it live or online).

Offer possibilities to contribute and get visibility

Members become Members because your association is a means to increase the impact of their own work. As such, your society serves as a ‘megaphone’ for your Members.

Key action: develop an easy way for your Members to contribute with their expertise and get visibility (be it online or offline) – for example: “a 3 minutes free speech session” at your yearly event.

Communicate clearly about what you offer and the outcomes of your initiatives

What is the point of being a great association if nobody knows? You have unique educational content, expertise, networking opportunities, projects, events, … many of them seem ‘standard’ in your own perspective but they are not 'standard' for most potential Members.

Key action: invest in an updated ‘look’&’feel’ (logo, colours, letter type) and well-designed e-newsletter and website, use the communication channels your target group uses on a regular basis (be it journals, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)

Make sure you are ‘fun’ and ‘a + on my CV’ to be part of

A picture with a smiling group of peers says more than a thousand words. Nobody wants to be(come) part of a society with unhappy people.

Key action: pay attention to ‘hospitality’, ‘friendliness’ and 'experience' when developing communication and events.

Keep it cheap – get your income elsewhere

Members make the calculation when it comes to Membership fees. Hence, your Members should be monetised not exploited.

Key action: decrease the overall part of your revenue coming from Membership fees by increasing sponsorship contributions, public funding, etc,…