2015–2016 AWARD WINNING IDEAS Website Content/260_ClubAchievement...2015-2016 Membership...

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AWARD WINNING IDEASN A T I O N A L C L U B A C H I E V E M E N T C O M P E T I T I O N W I N N I N G E N T R I E S

MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

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2015-2016 Membership Development - American Advertising Federation Omaha

Background

Built on a strong foundation of tradition and expertise, our American Advertising

Federation Omaha club is more than 100 years old. Our club, the AAF Omaha, is one of the

oldest clubs in the AAF organization nationwide. AAF Omaha has a strong influence in the

Nebraska legislature - it is the unifying voice and tireless advocate for the rights of advertisers in

the Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa metropolitan areas.

This year, in light of the budgeting challenges all companies are having which often

means cutting memberships in industry organizations, the membership committee decided on a

four-fold attack to maintain membership. First, we re-engineered our event survey to try to

capture more visitor information. Then we followed up with visitors and non members via email

and phone calls [Exhibit A].

Second, we set up a Google Doc database of non-renewing members from 3-6 months

old. Google Doc allowed the whole committee to have access to the database. Each non-

renewing member was assigned to a membership committee person for follow up [Exhibit B].

Third, we also used our full board for our Reactivation plan. Board members took

responsibility for calling people they knew to remind them of member benefits and invite non

renewing members to join them at an AAF event. This networking approach brought a number of

past members back to AAF Omaha [Exhibit C].

The fourth action we took was to involve all our members in the recruiting of new

members by rewarding referrals with our new Back Scratcher promotion. The membership

committee provided durable, white, 15 inch back scratchers with our AAF Omaha name on them

and offered a free back scratcher to any one referring a new member to the club. The motto –

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“You scratch our back; we will scratch yours”. We were able to follow up with a number of new

ad agencies that were unaware of AAF Omaha benefits. [Exhibit D] We also added a fun feature

to our luncheons and events to keep our members updated with our membership progress – a

huge standing cardboard thermometer displayed at meetings and in our newsletter. [Exhibit E].

We also worked on a redesign of the club brochure after we noticed the current brochure

didn’t emphasize the Values and Benefits of belonging. We started by surveying the Board with

two simple questions – why are you a member of AAF Omaha? And what to you are the main

benefits to membership? Then we took that information and incorporated these positives of

membership into a new marketing piece. The idea is to reinforce the value of an AAF Omaha

membership and show how it benefits professionals and students in the industry. No other local

organization provides the education, networking and public service benefits at such a reasonable

cost – so we want to share our strengths [Exhibit F].

The membership committee also put a Thank You program in place. After designing a

simple thank you note card, we put together a ½ sheet flyer of coming events to insert in the

thank you card. We send a handwritten note with the flyer to new members that join. This

encourages them to attend events and become active in the club. [Exhibit G].

AAF Omaha’s goal for membership this year is 200 members. The club not only focused

on recruiting new members, but also retaining current members to achieve this goal.

Objectives

1) Increase member and non-member participation at events

2) Work at increasing percent of members renewing

3) Task Board Members with increasing their role in recruiting new members

4) Focus on recruiting new members, and involving all members in the recruiting process

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5) Serve as an advocate for member satisfaction and market the benefits of an AAF Omaha

membership to non-members

Overall Strategies

1) Retain current members and recruit new members by targeting specific key contacts in

the industry

2) Emphasize the benefits of an AAF Omaha membership

3) Use special events, educational programs and after hours events as membership

recruitment tools

4) Continue to make new agencies aware of AAF Omaha

5) Conduct a membership survey on the perceived value of an AAF Omaha membership

and overall satisfaction

6) Encourage word-of-mouth referrals utilizing AAF advocates and testimonials

Strategy 1 –Retain current members and recruit new members by targeting specific key

contacts in the industry.

Target Audience: AAF Omaha Members and Prospective Members.

Tactics:

This year, the Membership Committee used a targeted approach to recruit new members.

A prospective agency list was built from local agencies that are not yet members of AAF Omaha

as well as a list of current members who could be leveraged to gain additional members at their

company or friends in the industry.

The concept was to approach non-member agencies via phone call, using specially

written scripts for a consistent message [Exhibit H]. We approached the conversation with a “did

you know there is a local organization that…” and once we got their attention we provided

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valuable information about AAF Omaha, following up to invite the agency to a future event that

caught their attention. On the current member side, we used the call as a checkup to make sure

members were satisfied and then asking for help to spread the word among friends and co-

workers. Through phone calls and emails [EXHIBIT C], the Membership Committee encouraged

event attendance and offered to answer questions and/or provide additional information for

current and prospective members. The goal was to start a conversation within these organizations

about the benefits of AAF Omaha and generate interest in becoming a member or inviting

friends and co-workers to become a member.

Although the membership committee felt they had a pretty strong plan in place with their

more targeted approach, they knew in order to be successful they also needed the support of the

AAF Omaha Board of Directors. Since these individuals are the most invested in the

organization, the committee looked to them to increase their role in recruiting new members, as

well as help increase involvement and attendance at AAF Omaha events. The committee wanted

to stress that membership is everyone’s job.

Strategy 2 –Emphasize the benefits of an AAF Omaha membership.

Target Audience: AAF Omaha Members, Prospective Members, Industry Students

Tactics:

In today’s busy and ever-changing world it’s no surprise that people are being pulled in a

variety of directions. The Membership Committee made a point to ask for input and feedback on

AAF Omaha again this year through a survey to both members and non-members. [Exhibit I and

J] The survey yielded a positive response with 82 participants and provided insight into the club

and what members and non-members value as well as identified areas of opportunity for

improvement. The results [EXHIBIT K] were summarized and distributed to the Board of

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Directors with the goal of using the information to improve the club within each committee.

Club improvements that AAF Omaha made as a result of last year’s membership survey included

updating the AdMuse eNewsletter template, and received compliments by 2016 survey-takers.

The Membership committee continues to promote networking opportunities, luncheon

speakers and professional development opportunities as the top membership features identified

by both members and non-members who were surveyed. The committee also recognized that

budgets are tight, and the pressure and competition for individuals’ time are only increasing.

With this in mind, AAF Omaha wanted to take every opportunity they could to remind members,

and educate prospective members of the benefits and value they receive by being a member of

AAF Omaha. We highlighted the affordability of an AAF membership by beginning the process

of redesigning the membership brochure with a more benefit orientated approach to justify

membership cost [Exhibit F]. We also instituted a new idea to include the cost of ten event

tickets in the cost of membership. The goal is to encourage new and renewing members to save

10% on the cost of event lunches. It also encourages attendance at events since they are already

paid for [Exhibit L].

Strategy 3 – Use special events, educational programs and after-hours events as a

membership recruitment tool.


Tactics:

This year, the Membership Committee made an extra effort to target members and

prospective members who are already interested in AAF Omaha, and who already attend events

regularly or occasionally. AAF Omaha events were the perfect way to reach this audience and to

remind members and prospective members of the benefits of membership. A member of the

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Membership Committee was scheduled to speak briefly at each event about membership benefits

and features, as well as remind people there is special member pricing for events. Attendees were

also invited to bring friends and co-workers to future events, and perhaps join to share the

benefits of becoming a member.

The Membership Committee also worked with the Programs Committee to not only

remind luncheon participants of the savings on a membership with the purchase of a luncheon,

but also the date, time and topic of upcoming events.

As a follow up to each event, Membership Committee members reached out to non-

member event attendees to encourage future attendance, gain feedback and share the benefits of

membership once again [Exhibit M].

Strategy 4 – Collect leads outside of AAF Omaha events.

Target Audience: Prospective Members, Industry Students

Tactics:

In addition to promoting AAF Omaha membership at events and other programs, the

Membership Committee brainstormed additional ways to reach prospective members. Through a

sponsorship and partnership with Omaha Advertising X!, a local marketing workshop [EXHIBIT

N], AAF Omaha was able to reach prospects who may not have heard about AAF Omaha

membership benefits before. The club was able to staff a booth display and gathered leads by

hosting a giveaway. A handful of current members were also in attendance to help spread the

word about the benefits of membership in AAF Omaha.

AAF Omaha board members were also used as a resource and encouraged to be positive

ambassadors for AAF Omaha at outside events and in conversations with friends and co-workers

within the advertising industry.

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Another way the committee reached non-members was by showcasing new members on

the AAF website and Facebook page [EXHIBIT O]. By having members share the content, AAF

Omaha was able to reach prospective members who may not have heard about the club or may

not have considered membership previously.

Strategy 5 – Encourage word-of-mouth referrals utilizing AAF advocates and testimonials.


Tactics:

As the Membership Committee reviewed the member/non-member survey results, they

determined that the forum for networking and sharing ideas among new and seasoned

professionals with mutual interests was the greatest benefit as well as a key differentiator for

AAF Omaha, and a top reason to join. The committee resolved to spread that message to current

and prospective members by gathering member testimonials and encouraging current members

to act as advocates for the club.

In addition to testimonials, the club featured new and current AAF Omaha members,

recent event recaps, and Membership Committee articles in the monthly eNewsletter, AdMuse,

[EXHIBIT P] to create excitement and encourage content sharing among members and non-

members.

The AAF Omaha membership committee utilized event emails to garner interest in AAF

functions to increase attendance, and get new people to events (then we could invite them to

join!) [Exhibit Q]. We encouraged the Board of Directors as well as all members to engage non-

members in conversation about the benefits and affordability of joining AAF Omaha.

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Results:

1.) Involvement – We see lots of interest in our events and luncheons this year. Our

efforts to increase participation yielded good results. Our special events sold out, and

we filled our luncheons with members and non-members. AdBites luncheon attendance

averaged 97 attendees and is a 5% increase from last year.

2.) Retention – Our internal calling and email follow up with renewing members, as

well as our Board of Directors active participation has allowed AAF Omaha to bring a

large number of expiring and late renewing members back to our club. We continue to

work toward retaining our members in a challenging economic environment.

3.) The Reactivation Program we started by utilizing Board of Director members to call

non-renewing people brought a number of 6-12 month non-renewing members back to

our club. Fifteen members were renewed as a direct result of this program.

4.) Recruitment – We were very successful at our goal to attract new members this

year. Our focus on new member recruitment worked very well, and we increased our

new member roster by 18%. Rewarding current members with back scratchers for

referring new people worked well.

5.) Our additional marketing tools such as AAF Omaha thank you notes, the design of

our benefit –rich brochure, and additional scripts and letters to targeted companies had

a positive effect on reaching our membership goals.

6.) We have worked hard and are pleased to announce that we successfully reached our

membership 2015 – 2016 goal of 200 members.

2016 AAF Omaha Membership Survey - Non-Member Version

1. Which of the following factors are important to you when considering AAF Membership? Check all thatapply

Quality luncheon speakers

Professional development opportunities

Fun social events

Networking/making business contacts

Promoting own business

Communications/AdMuse Newsletter

Cost of monthly AdBites luncheon

Cost of membership

Supporting legislative issues


2. What factors influence your monthly event attendance? Check all that apply

Meeting length

Program variety

Opportunity for member interaction

Club news, announcements, etc.

Luncheon meal price

Location

Others going from your organization

Schedule conflicts

Other (please specify)

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3. What would entice you to come to more events? Check all that apply.

More daytime events

More eventing events

If my employer would cover more costs

More education events

More networking events

More social events



4. Which of the following AAF Omaha expense items does your employer pay for? Check all that apply.

Membership dues

Monthly AdBites luncheon

ADDY Entry fees

Seminars/Conferences

Social/Special events

My employer does not cover any AAF expenses

I'm self-employed


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5. What was your favorite event this year? (luncheon, special event, etc.)


6. What was your least favorite event this year? (luncheon, special event, etc.)


7. What luncheon or professional development topics would you be interested in if they were offered?


8. What sections of AdMuse (AAF Omaha's Newsletter) do you read regularly? Check all that apply.

Upcoming events

New member listing

Member birthdays

Member profile

News

I don't read AdMuse

I don't receive AdMuse

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9. What would you like to see in AdMuse that's not currently included? Please share any feedback on howwe can improve the eNewsletter.


10. What primary area of advertising/marketing are you employed in?

Academics

Advertising Agency

Direct mail

Graphic design

In-house marketing department

Magazine

Media buying

Materials/Product supplier

Newspaper

Non-profit organization

Outdoor advertising

Public relations

Television/Cable

Student



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11. What is your position/primary area of responsibility?

Account service

Administration

Advertising

Design

Marketing

Media planner

Middle management

President/CEO/Owner

Public relations

Retired

Sales/Business development

Senior Managagement/Director

Student

Teacher/Iinstructor

Writing



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12. Have you ever been a member of AAF Omaha? If yes, how many years were you involved?

1-3

4-6

7-10

11-15

16+

Never been a member


13. How did you first hear about AAF?

Coworker referral

Friend referral

Employer

College

Email

Social media

Trade show


14. How many years have you been in your current position?

0-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

21-25

26+

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15. What is your age?

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-64

65+


16. What's your gender?

Male

Female


17. Please give us the names of one or two people you think would benefit from knowing about AAFOmaha. Include contact information if available.


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18. Thank you for participating in our survey. Please click the submit button below to complete the survey.Enter your name in the space provided if you'd like to be entered in a drawing for a free membership.

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1. Which of the following factors are important to you when considering AAF Membership? Check all thatapply

Quality luncheon speakers

Professional development opportunities

Fun social events

Networking/making business contacts

Promoting own business

Communications/AdMuse Newsletter

Cost of monthly AdBites luncheon

Cost of membership

Supporting legislative issues


2. What factors influence your monthly event attendance? Check all that apply

Meeting length

Program variety

Opportunity for member interaction

Club news, announcements, etc.

Luncheon meal price

Location

Others going from your organization

Schedule conflicts


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