A recent Memberwise Digital Excellence survey identified member engagement, retention, acquisition and experience as the key goals for professional membership organisations. The currency that underpins all of these is your provision of value. Going the extra mile to provide this member value is more important now than ever, as it builds a positive perception of your organisation and will not be forgotten when normality is resumed. We have assembled a checklist of questions to help you to uncover every opportunity to drive members value.
Have you established what members actually want and need?
Engage with your members to find out the benefits they value. Research competitors, study statistical reports and explore other industry’s professional membership organisations to identify potential benefits. Take a look at what members are saying within online communities and social media pages.
Have you correctly segmented your benefits?
Create a member value proposition based on appropriate demographics. Consider likely member situations and attitudes to drive member benefits. For example, if a younger marketing executive has been made redundant due to the pandemic they are especially likely to value financial help, CPD learning, and training courses.
Are you working closely with partners, sponsors and industry experts?
Restricted budgets and reduced staff may prevent you from providing additional benefits. Consider engaging and teaming up with partners, sponsors and industry experts to reduce costs of delivering further benefits. Consider partnering with an organisation who have developed eLearning content, training courses or qualifications. Provide both free and paid features within these areas to help drive both value and revenue.
Are you signposting all government support programmes?
Help your members stay abreast of official government help and support by making information prominent and easily accessible through all channels. Signpost guidance front and centre through your corporate website, within COVID-19 content hubs, through social media channels and as part of all email campaigns and online communities.
Is your member value proposition clear?
Make sure your membership proposition is prominently displayed on your website. Create a marketing strategy that clearly highlights those benefits most tailored to the current situation. CPD, online assessments, eLearning, and webinars to support members are the most obvious benefits on which to focus. Highlight the outcomes in addition to benefits. For example, attending an online webinar results in increased subject-matter knowledge and practical advice that members can use each day while also gaining CPD points. Engage with your technology provider who is likely to have expertise in optimising the experience for members.
Are you finding innovative ways to engage members?
Review the channels used to communicate with your members to ensure they are still appropriate. It was reported in January 2020 that more than 4.5 billion people now use the internet, while social media users have passed the 3.8 billion mark. Maximising your presence in the areas that have the highest visibility is vital. Consider interactive content such as live videos, webinars, and polls to drive people to your website. Whilst looking for new engagement methods, don’t ignore the older age demographic who may be less technology-focused. Retain more traditional communication channels such as telephone, text or post to also serve them with relevant valuable information.
Click here to find out how Protech’s solution can help you to drive your member value.
This article is part of our 25 page free e-book, how professional membership organisations can drive member value through the pandemic and beyond.
Learn how to:
- Adapt your value proposition to resonate with member needs
- Practically enhance your member retention
- Diversify your qualification approach to protect revenue
- Minimise the impact of event cancellation
- Ensure that your productivity levels remain high whilst working remotely
Download this free e-book now to discover actionable strategies and practical advice.
