The truth is that there is no stand-alone marketing channel
that can fully support membership marketing.
You may hear marketers say that they have done away with
direct mail and now only communicate with email. Or they only use inbound or content marketing
and do not send messages to prospective members through traditional outbound efforts.
But the proverb “a cord of three strands is not quickly
broken” certainly applies here. The
integration of multiple marketing channels working together produces the best
results in getting and keeping members.
Here are six marketing channels that can work together to
support a thriving membership program.
1.
Word of Mouth
– Sometime opportunities are handed to you that you can capitalize on quickly
through Word of Mouth efforts. One
client –
the American Nurses Association – used a negative comment on a national
television show to gain significant exposure and appreciation for defending
their members' professionalism through their social media word of mouth efforts. In fact, Word of Mouth and membership referrals are
consistently reported as the most productive ways to recruit new members. The
challenge is to consistently harness and motivate this people driven
channel.
2.
Inbound
Marketing – One of the fastest growing marketing channels used in
membership is Inbound Marketing. This
takes advantage of paid advertising with search engines, Facebook, LinkedIn,
and other online opportunities to present
free content or special offers to
prospects. It can even be effective in engaging
and renewing current members who may not open an email, but will respond to an
opportunity they see from you on Facebook.
Inbound marketing offers free, valuable content in exchange for the
respondent agreeing to opt-in to future communications. Those who show interest can then be followed
up with through traditional "push" marketing efforts. And because they raised their hand and demonstrated interest
in your materials, those who opt-in can respond to your other marketing efforts at five times
the rate of “cold” prospects.
3.
Direct
Mail – This channel remains one of the most effective and scalable methods
to recruit and renew members because it is easily targeted, trackable, and tactile. In fact, our 2015 Membership
Marketing Benchmarking Report highlighted that for organizations with budgets
over $5 million or those that have over 20,000 members, direct mail is the most
effective tactic for recruitment. And previous research shows that associations
with renewal rates of 80% or higher are significantly more likely than those
with lower renewal rates to say direct mail is the most effective membership
renewal channel.
4.
Email –
Once a prospect is added to the database after a lead is captured, a purchase
is made, or someone joins the association, email becomes the most commonly used
marketing channel. It makes sense
because email is fast, inexpensive, and includes links back to the website
where a sale can be completed. Email also
allows you to read the behavior of the recipient. Did the email bounce? Did the recipient open
the email? Did they click through a
specific link? There are many tips
and techniques that can help to optimize email for even better results.
5.
Telemarketing
and Telephone Sales – With Caller ID, getting through to a prospect or
members on the phone has become a more challenging task, but for a highly
qualified prospect, like a lapsed member, telemarketing is very effective. The former member may have long since stopped
reading your email or opening you mailings, but a call from another human on
the end of the phone to answer questions or encourage a decision can make a
difference. A phone calls from a peer or a
staff person can be particularly effective.
6.
Social
Media – By 2015, 91% of individual membership associations have an official
Facebook page, 87% use Twitter, 60% have a LinkedIn group, and 56% have a
YouTube channel. Clearly social media has
been almost completely integrated into associations marketing and
communications mix. This low or no cost
channel allows you to have a storefront on the main street of the
internet. The trick is to get prospects
and members to move from window shoppers into the store as buyers.
In addition to these primary membership marketing channels, there
are many others to consider including radio and TV commercials,
exhibiting, chapter initiatives, and print advertising.
Each of these channels is a marketing tool with strengths
and weaknesses. Some of these like Word
of Mouth, Inbound, and Social Media can be most effective in starting a relationship
with a prospect and getting the conversation started. Others like Email, Direct Mail, and
Telemarketing are tools that are particularly effective in closing a sale and
taking an order. But none of them can be
fully effective without the support of the others.
As you plan your membership marketing efforts,
think through how each of these channels might best be used to help accomplish
your goals.
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