We’ve all been there, right? Maybe you are even there right now. The powers that be have sent an important directive to you and your team. Without much detail. And with an urgent deadline. So you need to provide an impressive answer. Not just one that shows you are a subject matter expert; but one that demonstrates your strategic thinking.
So, before you move forward, you need to decide something else first: where to start? Ah, the silver bullet seems like it would be a good place to begin [and to end], right? Alas, there normally is no silver bullet. Plus, it can be difficult enough to increase membership, let alone to increase it right now. But there are a set of strategies and tactics, when utilized along with your association’s nuances, which will typically result in membership success.
This is why Marketing General Incorporated (MGI) developed the MGI Membership Lifecycle™, a five-step marketing model that segments the membership experience into successive parts by identifying the fundamental building blocks of sustainable growth. Sometimes you need to step back before you can move forward. This is where you start.
Ask just a few questions for each stage of your members’ lifecycle. It will show you exactly where staff should put more focus and take more action so you can bring more successes back to the board…
AWARENESS: when prospects first discover you
RECRUITMENT: when prospects choose to try you
ENGAGEMENT: when new members feel they belong with you
RENEWAL: when lapsing members decide whether to keep you
REINSTATEMENT: when former members agree to return to you
While this lifecycle separates the marketing process into five steps, they are by no means separate onto themselves. They can be addressed one by one, several at a time, or altogether. And remember–each one should be continually tested to ensure you are most effectively deploying your membership resources.
Regardless of the means by which you use them, these five points have proven to be effective for maximizing revenue. So you will not just be able to tell your board that your plan is strategic and tactical. By stepping back before you move forward, you should also soon be able to tell them that you have now increased membership.
[composed with special recognition for and thanks to MGI Senior Vice President Tony Rossell]
If you would like more information about the MGI Membership Lifecycle™–or about how MGI can partner with you to help increase your membership NOW–contact Rob Bergeron, CAE, at rbergeron@marketinggeneral.com or 703-706-0329.