Forecasting Membership Levels

UK membership expert Sue Froggatt has put together an excellent report on forecasting membership levels. If you are interesting in understanding the statistics that will enable you to better track and manage your membership statistics please click here for more information.

Free Online Membership Statistics Calculator

I've been working with LCubed (a fabulous web development company) to develop a free web-based tool that enables membership organisations to work out their membership statistics (retention rate, growth rate, average tenure).  We've just gone live and I'd love to hear your feedback. Here is the link:
http://www.membershipcalculator.com/

Social network usage

E-Marketer has reported on a new study called the Consumer Internet Barometer that looks at who is using social networking sites. Interestingly, nearly 1/2 of women visit social networking sites compared to 37.6% of men. Not surprisingly, it also found that a greater percentage of younger people were regular users of online social networks. Click here to read more.

The biggest competitor to most associations ...

Many associations claim that "keeping members up-to-date" is one of their major member benefits. However we live in a world where information is already at our fingertips. This means that the biggest competitor to these associations is Google.

The biggest benefit of Google is also its biggest problem - there is simply so much information. One search can return a million results. Therefore it is those who are able to harness google to enhance their member benefits who are able to stay one step ahead.

Savvy associations are using tools such as Google Alerts. Through Google Alerts you can be notified on a daily basis of any new information related to the search phrases you have entered. I have about 24 different active alerts. The Alerts let you know about new content from news, blogs and websites.

By using these alerts you can ensure you are the first to hear news as it hits the web - and therefore the first to tell your members about it. You become a clearing-house for information by collecting and reviewing incoming information and keeping members up-to-date only with items of interest to them ... a massive benefit in today's time poor society!

Membership Marketing Benchmarking Final Report now available

Tony Rossell has released his Membership Marketing Benchmarking Final Report (you need to register on the site to get a copy). This is a US report so the findings need to be considered within the context of the US market.

There are a number of interesting findings and the entire report is worth a read. Those I found more interesting were:

• Direct mail was by far the most popular method of recruiting new members at 46% - with those who market predominately via direct mail more likely to have renewal rates of over 80%.
• The first year dues discount is the more effective recruitment incentive.
• Highly personal new member integration programs has a direct impact on retention.

They have a range of other research reports available on the website as well.

New research on the effectiveness of sponsorship

The Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey research has been released and showed that 64% of consumers "completely" or "somewhat" trust sponsorship as a form of advertising. This is the fastest growing in trust as it is up from 49% only two years ago. Sponsorship was ranked ahead of traditional, mobile and digital advertising. The only medium ahead of sponsorship was brand Web sites (70% found trustworthy). Inerestingly 70% of people trusted opinions they read online. The basic result - that consumers trust real friends and virtual strangers the most. How does this impact on your marketing?

What you need to know to deliver tangiable member value

Want to understand what services your members want? Then don't ask the question "what services should our association provide?". The most common response to that question is either a blank look or "I don't know".

By asking that question you waste a valuable opportunity to discover what services your members really need.When undertaking membership research you need to find out what worries your members.

You need to discover those issues that keep them up at night and what problems are at the top of their priority list. Once you understand the challenges your members are facing you can then devise products and services that will assist your members to alleviate those problems. In this way you can ensure you are delivering real value.

You will also find that different segments of your membership are facing different challenges. So when you undertake research be sure to identify the segment specific challenges to enable you to tailor your membership value proposition.

Know your membership statistics

If you want to decrease your marketing costs and increase the effectiveness of your membership marketing then it is worth taking a look at your membership statistics. A quick analysis of your growth and retention rates can give you an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your member recruitment and retention processes and enable you to take targeted action. I've written an article to give you an overview of the key statistics you need to know and how to work them out ... read more.

The Decision to Join Research

The Decision to Join research from the ASAE is well worth a read. For those who don't have time to read the entire report then click here to read a summary I've compiled. Everyone involved in membership should read this.