Membership Marketing Summit

1.What’s working in membership marketing 2.Tactical Best Practices by Channel 3.How to Promote SHRM Membership 4.Understanding Your Value Proposition 5.Tools & Resources Available to You What We’ll Cover This Afternoon

Membership is an ongoing process…

 865 participating trade, individual, and hybrid associations  Tells what is working in membership marketing  Only benchmarking research regularly conducted to determine the current best practices for the association industry  Sixth year  FREE at Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report

2014 Benchmarking – Top Reasons for Joining an Association

Most Effective Methods for Building Brand Awareness

Recruitment – Top 3 for Individual Membership Organizations Other top methods include: Promotion to event attendees & personal sales calls

Engagement - Top Methods for Onboarding New Members

SHRM Onboarding series

Renewal Programs that Start 3 Months or More Before Expiration Have Higher Renewal Rates

Which Channels Generate the Most Membership Renewals?

What is the ONE Top Reason Members do not Renew Their Membership

1.PERSONAL COMMUNICATION WORKS - Few associations are using the “volunteer or staff welcome calls” or “mailed welcome kits” 2.LISTEN TO YOUR MEMBERS – Significantly more likely than those associations with a lower renewal rate to say they added member research. 3.START EARLY - Start Renewals 3+ Months Prior to Expiration 4.KEEP COMMUNICATING - Extend Renewal 3+ Months After Expiration 5.DIRECT MAIL WORKS - Significantly more likely than those with lower renewal rates to say direct mail is the most effective membership renewal channel (59% vs. 50%). Practices Correlating with 80% or Better Renewal Rates

MGI Experience in Testing Member Incentives 1.Discounts on 1 st -year dues work the best 2.Research reports and surveys 3.Webinars 4.Books - “The Essential HR Desk Set” 5.Free months of membership (15 months for price of 12) 6.3 rd party gift cards – Starbucks, Amazon, etc.

Best Practices

Today’s World: The total worldwide traffic will grow to nearly 207 billion s per day by the end of 2017 (The Radicati Group) Subscribers only spend seconds deciding whether or not to open your . (Litmus) 33% of recipients open based on subject line alone. (Convince & Convert via Salesforce.com)

The good news is… marketing has an ROI of 4,300% (Direct Marketing Association) Personalized s had a 29% higher open rate and 41% unique click-through rate. (Experian) s that include social sharing buttons have a 158% higher click-through rate. (GetResponse)

Best Practices: Subject Line  Character Count (25 or less)  Short (can be just 1 word) –Invitation –Your Status Pending –Can we help?  How About These Long Ones? –Paid Leave, Overtime, Health Care, Criminal Background Checks and More –Employee Appreciation Day, New FMLA Poster, Daylight Saving Time and More s with 4 to 15 characters in the subject line have the highest open rate and clickthrough rate (MailerMailer)

Best Practices: Subject Line  Urgent –2-Day Membership Sale –Your 3 Recert Credits Expire Friday  Personalize (e.g. Include your readers’ first name) –Tracy, Your Invitation  Use Actionable Words ‒ Download I-9 How-To Guide ‒ Register for Employee Conflict Chat  Avoid SPAM Triggers: Free, Cash, !!!, $, ALL CAP

Best Practices: Call to Action  Be Clear and Obvious: When you ask people to sign up for a networking event, which one is more likely to get more clicks? Click Here Submit Now Register Today

Best Practices: Call to Action  Above the Fold: Place it in the top third of your layout Remember the 3 seconds rule!

Best Practices: Pre-Header Copy

Best Practices: Design Pretty is not always better. Test using a clean and consistent template and focus on your offer and messaging.

Best Practices: Sender Which one gets the highest open rates from SHRM s? –Chantal Rotondo, SHRM –SHRM Membership Team –SHRM Test what works for you! Especially when you use someone’s name to send s, people expect you to answer their questions in a timely manner. It depends!

Best Practices: Offer & Messaging  Clear Value Proposition: –What is it that they will get? Recert credits, networking, big savings, free white paper, free webinar? Free lecture? Mentoring opportunities? –Find different ways to explain ROI: SHRM Membership is $185 a year Or $15 a month Or less than 50 cents a day Or $3.75 a week

Best Practices: Offer & Messaging  Short, Limited Time Offer –Short deadlines make people act quicker (1 day offer; 48 hour discount, registration ends tomorrow, etc)  Ask What Your Current Members Think –Why did they join? –Why did they renew? –Use their feedback for your campaigns and pitch  Use Your Own Personal Experience –Why did I join? Why do I like being part of this chapter?

CASE – Copy and Steal Everything Sign up for and learn from others in the same space

1.Decide what component to test 2.Define success 3.Send test to part of your list 4.Send the winning version to the rest of your list Best Practices: A/B Testing

Offer Testing OfferResponsesResponse RateNet Revenue $165 – $15 Discount472.38%$25,305 $170 – $10 Discount407.33%$16,297 -Choose offers to test (discounts, incentives, etc) -Number of members or revenue: $10 or $15 discount?

Best Practices: How to Measure Success Key Metrics:  Open rate  Click-through rate  Conversion rate  Unsubscribe rate Make sure to compare apples to apples! Nonprofits Marketing Benchmarks Open Rate 25.30% Clickthrough Rate 4.20% Unsubscribe Rate 0.16% (Source: Silverpop)

Let’s practice! Tell them why you’re ing right away and create urgency Tell them what’s in it for them. KISS: Keep in it short and simple Repeat the offer again Use the right person to sign this to give it a personal touch Use a simple template

How to Grow Prospective Member List: – Run a member-get-a-member promotion and offer a chance to win a giveaway to encourage referrals, such as a gift card. (Note - extra engagement may be needed for these new members.) – Encourage current members to bring a colleague for free to the next meeting –Get in touch with lapsed members, offer them an incentive to come back and join the chapter. −Reach out to local universities and create relationships with the HR professors so they can help push membership to their students

How to Grow Prospective Member List: Events and Promotions – Invite local employment attorneys to speak and have them share with their small business clients – Hold a value-driven webinar. Promote it on your website and social media. (Host a co-marketing webinar with a partner, and ask them to promote to their audience.) – Partner with other local associations for meetings and/or memberships: ASTD, World at Work, Chamber of Commerce or other local small business groups – List your upcoming events online on a local newspaper/business website calendar – Consider changing the time of an event from your standard events to attract a different audience

– Create an signup form/box. Allow your website visitors to sign up for your s (use free online form builders) – Encourage your current subscribers to share your s by including “social sharing buttons” and an “Forward-to-a-Friend” bottom. – Include a “Subscribe” link at the bottom of your s – Signature: Include a link to your sign-up page in your signature How to Grow Prospective Member List: Website and s

– LinkedIn messages. Search and message local HR professionals directly. Be professional and be personal. – Share content on your social media pages and encourage sharing How to Grow Prospective Member List: Social Media

How to Promote SHRM membership FROM SHRM: Information and Knowledge, Peace of Mind – Access to Knowledge Advisors. Seek advice for a specific situation or to validate your proposed solution to a challenge. – Samples. Policies, forms, interview questions, job descriptions. Lots to save time and utilize vetted resources. – HRWeek & HR Magazine. Making sure HR pros know what they need to know. FROM A CHAPTER: – Connections, Community. – Discussions on Local Challenges.

How to Promote SHRM membership We’ve run the numbers for you: 10 Issues of HR Magazine$70 Reading 3 of the more than 50 research reports$ Participation in 12 webcasts from other organizations$1,500 Savings by not having to pay some consultant feesYour estimate Full access to SHRM sample forms, policies, how-to guides and presentations$300 SHRM Membership Value = $ or higher You Pay Only $185 for 1 year full professional membership

Defining a Value Proposition

Understanding Your Value Proposition What is ?

Value is a Perception

“The message... is that no company can succeed today by trying to be all things to all people. It must instead find the unique value it alone can deliver to a chosen market.” Treacy and Wiersema, The Discipline of Market Leaders, page xiv

The Things You Have

FEATURE Continuing Education Programs Certification Programs Members-Only Discounts Newsletter or eNewsletters Monthly Magazine/Journal Webinars Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings

Benefits: What People Gain from the Feature

FEATUREBENEFITS Continuing Education Programs Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional Certification ProgramsValidates your capabilities Members-Only DiscountsSaves you $$$$$$$ Newsletter or eNewslettersEasy access to timely information Monthly Magazine/Journal Covers the hottest topics and trends around in your area WebinarsConvenient learning at your fingertips Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems

Avoidance: What People Don’t Want to Experience

FEATUREBENEFITSAVOIDANCE Continuing Education Programs Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional Missing out on essential knowledge for professionals Certification Programs Validates your capabilities Getting passed over for a higher position Members-Only Discounts Saves you $$$$$$$ Paying too much somewhere else! Newsletter or eNewsletters Easy access to timely information Wasting time searching for critical information Monthly Magazine/Journal Covers the hottest topics and trends around in your area Not being on top of major employer concerns Webinars Convenient learning at your fingertips Costs of travel, room and board for educational needs Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems Working in isolation on key issues that would benefit from multiple viewpoints

Emotional Drivers: Speaking to Aspirations

FEATUREBENEFITSAVOIDANCEEMOTIONAL DRIVERS Continuing Education Programs Keeps you knowledgeable and relevant as a professional Missing out on essential knowledge for professionals Gain confidence in your abilities Certification Programs Validates your capabilities Getting passed over for a higher position Becoming an authority in my field Members-Only Discounts Saves you $$$$$$$Paying too much somewhere else! Good steward of organization money Newsletter or eNewsletters Ongoing access to timely information Wasting time searching for critical information Allows you more time to spend on the things that really matter Monthly Magazine/Journal Covers the hottest topics and trends around in your area Not being on top of major employer concerns Being on the cutting edge of the profession Webinars Convenient learning at your fingertips Costs of travel, room and board for educational needs You can become an expert in a specific area Face-to-face lunches/dinners/meetings Networking with other professionals like you to discuss and solve common problems Working in isolation on key issues that would benefit from multiple viewpoints Making professional friendships that last a lifetime

Monthly Face-to-Face Meetings – You’re not alone! Dozens of professionals attend our collaborative events designed to meet, learn and grow alongside other professionals. Members Only Discounts – Exclusive savings on all your local professional networking and professional development needs, lightening the load on your company and your wallet. Putting It All Together

1.Templates: Win-back calls, Renewal Notice, Acquisition Mailing 2.Membership stats calculator, marketing budget and more 3.Free newsletter, webinars, and research from MGI Resources Available to You on the VLRC