Recruiting new members is an ongoing endeavor as members may leave due to various reasons such as retirement, job change, layoffs, or business closure. To maintain a steady flow of new members, associations must adopt new strategies and tactics instead of relying on past recruitment methods. By implementing these six member recruitment tactics, associations can experience faster growth in membership while improving the experience for existing members.
Content is still king
Rather than focusing solely on membership benefits and promotions, develop content that helps build relationships with potential members. Identify and research the different segments of your target membership market, and create content that addresses their specific needs and challenges. By providing valuable content, you establish yourself as a reliable source of information, which can convert website visitors into prospects and ultimately into new members. If you have a members-only section of your website provide a trial membership that converts into a full membership after the trial period is over.
Provide membership benefits that matter
Offer new members attractive incentives, such as special discounts or exclusive access to events or educational programs, which can help break down barriers to joining. Recognize and incentivize existing members who refer new members by offering them special incentives and recognition.
Make it easy to sign up for a new membership
Ensure that the process of joining is quick, intuitive, and frictionless to eliminate any barriers to membership. Test your website and blog to determine if visitors can quickly see the value of membership and how to join. Avoid lengthy forms and make the joining process as painless as possible. Consider offering budget-friendly monthly membership plans instead of annual dues.
Encourage collaboration
Constantly learn about your prospects and members’ needs, interests, and preferences to make informed decisions about the value you deliver to them. Foster collaboration and engagement among members by providing opportunities for networking, skill-building, and knowledge-sharing. You can create a profile based upon member needs and interests and use this data to market to prospective members. At the root of all associations is networking. Create a trial and allow potential members to access your online collaboration tool for a trial period.
Develop a social strategy
Develop a social media strategy that aligns with your organization’s membership and marketing strategies and the needs and interests of your prospects and members. Use social media to demonstrate the value of membership, share interesting and informative content, and provide previews of membership experiences such as events, online learning, and publications. Be personable, conversational, and responsive to differentiate yourself from other organizations and brands.
Use Business Intelligence & AI
To truly stay ahead of the game in membership recruitment, consider leveraging the power of business intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies can help you analyze data and generate insights that will inform your recruitment strategies and tactics. By analyzing member data, you can identify trends, preferences, and behaviors that will help you tailor your recruitment efforts to be more effective.
Learn and Adjust
This is a critical step in any process, especially when it comes to member recruitment for an association. It involves continuously gathering data, analyzing it, and making changes to improve the recruitment process. This approach helps associations to stay nimble and adapt to the changing needs of their target market. Develop a set of guidelines for effectively managing member data and implement a data governance strategy to ensure the accuracy of your data. Learning can come from a variety of sources, such as analytics, surveys, social media engagement, and feedback from staff and volunteers. The key is to use this information to adjust recruitment strategies, tactics, and messaging to ensure that they are effective and resonate with prospects. By regularly assessing and adjusting recruitment efforts, associations can improve their ROI, increase their membership base, and keep pace with industry trends.
About Systems Rewired
Systems Rewired is a Salesforce consulting company that specializes in associations and member-based organizations. If you are interested in speaking with a Salesforce association consultant, contact Systems Rewired today.