Members are the driving force behind many associations. Besides the fact that members are the main source of revenue in an association, your members make up a group of professionals with the same interests and ethics that keep your association alive. If you’re seeing a decrease in the amount of new members, let an association membership company help you create strategies to get your numbers up. Check out these eight tips on how to increase association membership.
- Make the most out of your current membership:
Create incentives for old members who recruit new members, or ask new members to bring a friend to your association’s events. Utilizing your current members is the easiest and most cost-effective way to increase your membership.
- Begin your renewal process earlier:
Remind current members to renew their membership as early as possible. Chances are, if they don’t return, it’s not that they forgot to renew their membership, so continue to remind them about membership benefits.
- Create a strong USP (Unique Selling Proposition):
Tell your audience why you are the best option for them, what you have, and how they can benefit from becoming a member. A USP is what sets you apart from your competition, and eventually becomes the backbone for what your company stands for.
- Advertise where your audience is located:
Where you advertise depends on your audience. Find out where your members or potential members are located and advertise to them. With the help of your association management company, you can generate leads to help locate potential members.
- Host events to attract professionals in your industry:
The best way to attract potential members is to create worthwhile events that include guest speakers, useful information, and compelling topics. Try to make these events “necessary” to attend by changing them every year and keeping the topics time sensitive.
- Get feedback from current members:
Speaking with current or old members about what they liked, disliked, and recommend to make your association better is an important part of increasing memberships. Consider creating an annual survey for members to take to keep you up-to-date on their opinions
- Create a sense of urgency:
Offer potential members limited time discounts, promotions or benefits if they join within a certain time.
- Give your recruitment campaign enough funding:
Investing money in your recruitment campaign will benefit your association long-term. Remember that memberships are the main source of revenue for most associations, so make the right choice by focusing enough time and energy on recruitment. Work with your association management company to see what budget works best for your association.
While these ideas make take some time and effort to plan out, they are useful steps to get you going in the right direction. Want to get association management help from the pros? Reach out to us here!