Eating up membership marketing ideas
Direct Marketing Association of Washington tried a very successful and clearly popular meeting idea at its recent Associations Day – transforming the lunch into a productive, practical part of the training. Each table was tasked with determining the best breakthrough marketing idea each of their associations’ marketing directors had this year, and that idea was then presented to the whole group.
Carolyn Spaw, marketing director, Urban Land Institute: Using an invitation to highest member level event to improve retention
“Our most successful method for outreach to lapsed members is the reminder of an invitation to an exclusive, high-end programming day we established, which we reserve for elite membership class and is held in conjunction with our semiannual national conferences. This includes a study tour, information session and a networking reception with top-shelf bar and hors d’oeuvres. We send a letter from our CEO as well as a formal invitation reminder. In October, we had an overwhelming response of almost 500 members in Los Angeles, and several members of lower levels even heard about the programming and upgraded on site in order to attend.”
Bill Carney, executive director, American Academy of Craniofacial Pain: Don’t forget the fax
“In the past couple of years, with the proliferation of emails and the tendency for busy people to keep their phones on voicemail, I’ve found that if you really want to get someone’s attention, send them a fax! Messages sent by fax are so rare these days that people pay more attention to them. This is particularly true for healthcare professionals and others who do not sit at a desk all day with ready and continuous access to the computer.”
Cynthia Rosso, marketing team leader, National Association of Elementary School Principals: Use a social media-driven contest to promote member recruits member
“With the slogan ‘1+1=42,000,’ we have launched a new take on the member-get-a-member campaign. A relatively low-cost and low-maintenance program uses postcards, email, social media postings, articles and ads that both send members to a web landing page where they register their commitment to participate, and also access ideas and resources to help them recruit a new member. Participating members can win one of five valuable prizes, ranging from full registration at the annual conference or a year’s dues, down to a $100 gift card, in a drawing three months later.”
Becky Rice, marketing director, Inside NGO: Speed dating for new participants, laced with board members
“The speed networking we introduced this year was a success because it gave participants a predetermined window of time to focus on networking, which is something that participant surveys showed is a very important element of any conference for the membership (largely solo and small practice attorneys). It gave newer members and first-time participants a less intimidating way to meet new colleagues, so they felt more engaged overall. By inviting board members, authors and other membership ‘dignitaries’ to participate, networking was expanded for everyone outside their ‘normal circles’ of colleagues. It became so popular, people didn’t want the session to end and requested additional time frames for speed networking at future annual meetings.”
Raylene Kershaw, Marketing General Inc: Match the membership campaign language to the member type
“The ‘Passport to Savings’ new member kit- identifying the benefits of membership, with each benefit on a page in passport format for members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has helped to reinforce the value of membership, and builds on a finding of the annual MGI marketing study that established onboarding practices have among the highest correlation with improved retention.”
Polly Karpowicz, director, American Political Science Association: Strong interest by sponsors in subsidizing new members and students
“APSA on a whim sought sponsorship for a subsidized graduate student membership to encourage students to become more familiar with the political science profession, sample the benefits of association membership, and ultimately, to encourage students to continue their membership when they enter the profession as faculty. APSA shares the cost but the student qualifies for one-year of membership under this program, and the department may sponsor an unlimited number of students.” Details: www.dmaw.org.
