College of Association Marketing

Membership Marketing

April 16, 2010

Agenda

Coffee and networking 8:30 - 9:15Introduction, goals and expectations 9:15 - 9:30Membership Marketing: 10 Key Opportunities to Improve 9:30 - 10:30Break 10:30 - 10:45Talking to your customers 365 days/year 10:45 – 11:45Break/Lunch Service 11:45 – 12:00Brainstorming: Challenges and Solutions/Working lunch 12:00 – 1:00Data driven Membership Marketing 1:00 – 2:00Break 2:00 – 2:15Working with Your Chapters to Maintain and Grow Membership 2:15 – 3:15Final comments/conclusions 3:15 - 3:30

Introduction

• Speakers

– Maggie McGary, ASHA

– Scott Oser, Scott Oser Associates

– Kevin Whorton, Whorton Marketing & Research

– Everyone

Expectations

• Interaction• Questions answered• Challenges met• Road map moving forward• Have fun

Membership Marketing: 10 Key Opportunities

to Improve

Presenter: Kevin Whorton

Module 1:

Overview1. Survival2. Retention3. Relationship management4. Volunteer engagement5. Acquisition6. Market management7. Program development8. Database management9. Image/positioning10.Change agent

#1. Survival

• Addressing short-term economic challenges: – 2009 benchmarking studies demonstrated downturn– Median 6%-7% drops in renewals and acquisition;

20% drop in acquisition leads/inquiries– Half seeing declines, one-third same, rest increasing– What we do in our structure may depend on finances:

• 20%/80% dues/nondues or 80%/20% means membership dues=1%-6% drop

• Cumulative effect from several years: greater concern– Avoid the habit: how to reinstate lost members later?

• Coping strategies … and opportunity – We responded with smaller efforts, more ‘high touch’ with

best prospects and members – Little staff or project elimination; but 40% cut budgets

• Where are we now, and how did you fare?

Time is On Our Side

“Where the Winners Meet”

Arthur Brooks, PhD Syracuse University, SmithHanley Foundation

Association Members Make More Money

#2. Managing retention/renewal

– The key membership campaign/function– How are these managed? In program reviews …

• Personalization lacking or done awkwardly• Batch lots/no personalization, no variable copy• Many add-ons: PAC, foundation, demographics• Eliminating/deferring steps improves performance

– Basic goal: cut through clutter/generate sale• Best packages often a cover letter and ‘invoice’• Treat as mix of reminder and accounting process• Use multi-media: email up-front, phone late• More timely online renewals and better recapture• Generally a 90/60/30/0/-30 day, 5-contact

sequence helps

Best practices: renewal/reinstatement

– As with most marketing, other vehicles carry weight of reminding of benefits:• Emails, publications that are cultivational in

nature• Peer to peer and/or staff phone calls • This takes pressure off the renewal to do more

than it needs to

– Data management helps• Postal hygiene on a regular basis (NCOA &

Address Service requests)• Leading with email allows bouncebacks to be

flagged

– "Closed loop" measures exposure, impact, outcomes

Why People Drop Memberships* Didn't receive expected value to justify cost of dues

(56%) #2 Change in career focus (26%), professional interest

(20%), job (17%), location (9%) #3 Dissatisfaction with performance (21%), ineffective

representation (17%) #4 Employer stopped paying for dues (18%) #5 Insufficient local programs (17%), local chapter

(10%) #6 Identity: not right for me (14%), disagree with

positions (9%), didn't feel welcomed (6%) Notes: Sometimes it really is "all about me, not about

you" and low citation for local/chapters might also mean .. good job.

Source: ASAE’s Decision to Join

#3. Relationship management – What impressions are new members forming?– Everything is new. Introductory messages are

collectively transmitted, maybe confused mass:• When events are held • How to register for meetings• How to participate in benefits

– How is contact managed?• How often do confused members call for explanations?• If they do, how much overhead are you burning?• Do they turn to each other for answers?

– Best practices in CRM• Repeated ‘touches’ early in tenure• Fast acknowledgement: donor 2nd gift declines sharply

if > 72 hours: symbolic importance

Best practices: Web/online

– Membership studies: few visits, low value– Even today, sites hinder speed, flexible updates

• Old CMS models• Design—Excess ‘creativity’ (flash animation) or

too little (minimalist/crowded navigation)• Little analytics to measure member visits, frequency • User experience—“brochureware”/no engagement

– Missing focus on search engine optimization• Need metatags, frequent updating, reciprocal links,

content aggregators – Track volume of member/total web visits

• Web traffic tracking: hits to unique user sessions• Measure real frequency, sections visited, survey them• Segment/detail logs, landing page visits

#4. Member engagement

Critical function to maintain or increase Builds and defines our community Gives us access to SMEs/expertise Ensures we have right tone Provides voice for and to members Creates leadership “farm team”

Also some limitations Representation: active members typical member Allocating appropriate levels of resources/attention Balancing quantity vs. quality Ensuring support to ensure strong catalyst role

Metrics: % participate, desired turnover/retention Attitudes of others .. Why don’t they volunteer or

otherwise engage? (pent-up demand/indifference)

Volunteers: Best practices/perspectives

• Decision to Volunteer – Primary reasons for engagement:

volunteers and leaders (governance)– Echoed the ‘give to get’ mentality

demonstrated by Decision to Join– Emphasizes effective recognition

• Volunteer needs – Recognition: rank-and-file members may draw

wrong inferences• Too narrow conveys impression of a ‘club.’• “Same people are always mentioned”

– Broaden scope of profiles/testimonials– Leverage enthusiasm to recruit/MGAM

Volunteering and Referrals

• Would recommend membership to others (Reichheld’s The Ultimate Question): – Promoters (9 or 10): 43%– Passive (7 or 8): 31%– Detractor (lower): 26%

• Volunteering– 30% have done so, past twelve months– 7% in governance, 8% in committees, 16%

in ad hoc (submit/review papers, serve on panel)

• Avoid risk of doing nothing– Typically driven by word of mouth: auditory vs. visual – They may find you; but less influence over perception– Mass marketing techniques support existing WOM– Use data management/merge purge to refresh non-

members who are not “leads”– Often a fallacy of the “hot lead/cold lead”

• Manage low-cost, high-effectiveness campaigns– 2 color: prudent/good performer … good stewardship– Brochures: delivery system for painless contact– Avoiding the pocket folder: spend $.60 per contact, not

$2.00 and reach more people

• Avoid killing response through process/application– Tool to close the sale, translate awareness into action

#5. Member acquisition

Application/registration process

Keys to Success: Acquisition Design • Balance needs: data collection and marketing

– Forms need to be easy to fill out– Single biggest deterrent to response: apparent difficulty

to complete– A ‘delayed response’ is often a non-response– DM lessons: reply form is #1 driver of any collateral– Can use as a handout, but most effective are:

• Prepopulated forms—easy to complete and return: conveys that it was meant for you

• Clarifies the offer—price, basis, terms & conditions: statement of ethics, references, processing fees

• Subliminally appreciated—tells them WHAT YOU WANT

• Often materials are shy, hide the offer, or speak in generalities … the reply ‘means business’

• Still critical even in the web era .. Mail drives web traffic but call to action should push website, inbound calls

Acquisition Testing

Working within constraints: federation structure, local level approvals. membership at the local level. Hard to customize. ‘Prestige’ soft sell.

Control/test packages

A

B

Metrics A B C

# Mailed 364,945 150,000 50,000

% Response 0.71% 1.23% 0.77%

Avg. Rev. $36.48 $23.73 $55.52

Rev/M $257.26 $292.99 $424.76

CPDR $1.38 $1.54 $0.93

C

Test Metrics

#6. Market management

– Membership needs to be seen as strategic• Instead of “the CRM department “• Understand market size, penetration, contribution of

individuals & segments to gross/net revenue

– Association financial models need to place membership as the key to revenue/expenses• Incremental/avg. servicing costs often not known• Lack of activity based costing distorts margin• Membership expenses often include governance,

other random costs of doing business• Some legitimate membership expenses (chapters,

research) included but not itemized

– Fuzzy tracking=poorly understood performance• Opportunity costs from low outreach/activity

Market management: diversity

• ASAE: one of 4 strategic initiatives• Major principle: need to be inclusionary

– Not a political thing, it’s driven by demographics– Our population is growing far more diverse: U.S.

Caucasian minority by 2045– Globalization implies already

• Diversity no longer code for race/ethnicity– Includes generational marketing, gender,

level/breadth of functional areas: focus on service and engagement

– To attract anyone, new members need to see people like them

– ALI example: “youth movement” (average age of 65)

Generational membership observations

• Same as with all individuals: to attract & keep, often two different methods – Underlying response dynamics haven’t changed– Young respond to offers, WOM (peers & supervisors)– Often barrier is trying something new, out of pocket– Offer satisfaction guarantees, trial offers, risk-reducers

• Coping strategies in nonprofit marketing– Wasted effort converting young donors – Now: attempts to skew younger in right ranges– Adapt programs to meet psychic needs

• Ask for time and in-kind support for advocacy, not money they don’t have

• Feed desire to have impact

– Ensure that we have right “product”• Membership=Bundle of prepaid, free, fee services• Communication of ed has to be strong to attract

prospects, building blocks for the value proposition.

– Review/evaluate/strengthen member services• Importance and effectiveness• Compare relative value contribution• Guide resource allocations• Sunset review/revitalizing declining services• Assortment management: paradox of choice.

– Analysis should finances/margin, competition

#7. Program development

* potential golden handcuff xxx: potential core/sunsetNote: member usage, perceptions = distinction between potential and actual

Small Trade Association: core benefits• RSA Convention • RSA Trade Show• IMPACT seminars• RSA University• Consumer promotions/Local Marketing Toolkit*• Pepsi program• Promotions packet• RSA magazine• RSA Today monthly newsletter• RSA Section regional meetings• Information on www.rollerskating.org• RSA worker's comp insurance* • RSA liability/property insurance* • Music licensing discount programs* • Group purchasing programs* • RSA products

“Golden Handcuffs”

Affinity Programs

Core Services

Program Categories

Illustration of benefits mix: Rollerskating Assn.

Programs/benefits management

Importance of research

– Secondary & primary (quant. & qualitative)– Surveys, personal interviews, “lit review”

• Needs to provide answers to key questions– What your audience cares about most/least– Tangible benefits/intangibles (culture, image)– Contribution of each service to overall value – Communications preferences– Behavior: what/how much use, read, visit?

• Focus on both members and non-members– Non-members have opinions too– 80% retention=20% each year new (if lucky!) – Non-member population often includes former

members, others with meaningful exposure

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

University

Local Marketing Toolkit

Group purchasing programs

Consumer promotions

IMPACT seminars

worker's comp insurance

Music licensing discount programs

Section regional meetings

Information on web site

Promotions packet

Products

Liability/property insurance

Trade Show

Pepsi program

Monthly newsletter

Convention

Magazine

Excellent

Good

RSA program performance: user satisfaction

RED=Affinity programs

#8. Database management– Central database: liability or untapped resource?

• Central repository for correct information … – #1 factor in DM readability, how we treat your name– Key to relationship management

• Data mining potential– Pattern recognition opportunities for queries, reports,

‘what if’ projections• Link touches, purchases, participation to outcomes:

– Renewals, reinstatement, conversions, upsells• Contact management

– Facilitate CRM, special touches new/‘at risk’ members• Necessary capabilities/tactics

– Training in computers/database – Downloads into better tools: (MS SQL, SAS)– Sometimes, change in AMS/other software

#9. Image/positioning

• Positioning: how you define your place in a competitive space– “What you are in the minds of your audience”– Combining logical and emotional appeals– Aggregate community values/perceptions– Clustering and segmenting external audiences

in terms of their beliefs and needs

• Illustration of tools on following page– Measurement of beliefs, absolute and relative

to competition

Image/positioning illustration

• Positioning: how you define your place in a competitive space– “What you are in the minds of your audience”– Combining logical and emotional appeals– Aggregate community values/perceptions– Clustering and segmenting external audiences

in terms of their beliefs and needs

• Illustration of tools on following page– Measurement of beliefs, absolute and relative

to competition

#10. Be a change agent

• Short-term/long-term structure/needs– Membership must be productive in today’s environment

& structure … while preparing for a better future

– Often evolve organically, unlikely to be optimal– Ways to determine and document potential:

• Benchmarking: compare to others, key metrics: – Proportion who use a specific service– Ratio of member to non-member attendees– Ratio of attendees to total members– Typical financial performance for events– Usage and finance of major member benefits– Satisfaction & importance measures

• Consultants: structured evaluation – ASAE > 550 Consultant Council members

Tie membership to the bigger picture

7 Measures of SuccessCommitment to purpose– Customer service culture– Alignment of products/services with missionCommitment to analysis & feedback– Data driven strategies– Dialogue and engagement– CEO as broker of ideasCommitment to Action– Organizational adaptability– Alliance building– Focus on areas where we have direct impact:

changing our industry or profession– Mass change represents the changes of many

single people and companies

Module 2

Talking to Your Customers 365 Days of the Year

Presenter: Scott Oser

Agenda

• About You!• Case Study-Tech Council of MD• Q&A

About You!• Retention

– How?– How often?– Who?

• Member communication– How?– How often?– Who?

• Tracking– How?– What?

Case Study: Tech Council of MD

• About TCM– Brief History of Organization– Staff Size– Membership Categories– Membership Numbers and Trends

Case Study: Tech Council of MD

• Past Membership Retention Strategy– Anniversary date renewal– 2 renewal notices

• 1 phone call• 1 invoice by direct mail

– 3 Months after expiration before ceasing benefits

– All retention handled by Part-time Membership coordinator

Case Study: Tech Council of MD• Results of past strategy

– Membership was disorganized– Members didn’t receive any consistent

communication targeted to them– Revenue was being given away because benefits

were being received without cash in hand– Members were being trained that there really was no

penalty for renewing late

– Membership retention was a concern!….and an opportunity!

Case Study: Tech Council of MD

• 3 Step Process– Talk to key staff and volunteers– Review past materials, past results and

processes– Review financial, technical and human

resources

Case Study: Tech Council of MD• New Retention and Communication

Process Goals– 365 Day Communication Strategy– Multi-media Approach– Targeted communication– Outreach to members when not asking for

money– More interpersonal communication – No free membership benefits due to process

Case Study: Tech Council of MDNew\Renewed Membership Process Time Line (Example)– Weekly new\renewal welcome call: due by June 10 (Executive

Directors)– 4 weeks of joining\renewing welcome email: July 2 (Membership

Manager)– 90 days new\renewed of joining handwritten check in letter:

September 2 (Executive Directors)– 6 month new\renewed check in call: December 2 (Membership

Manager)– 120 day check in call: February 2 (Membership Manager)– 90 day invoice letter: March 2 (Finance)– 90 day follow up invoice email: March 9 (Membership Manager)– 30 day final notice call: May 30 (Executive Directors)– 30 day final notice email: May 30 (Finance)– 30 day post expire letter\email script: June 30 (Membership

Manager)– 60 day post expire call script: July 31 (Executive Directors)

90 Day Renewal Letter

Case Study: Tech Council of MD

Hi (first name),

This is ******* calling from the Tech Council of Maryland. I am calling to remind you that your membership in Tech Council of Maryland expires this month and we have yet to receive your renewal payment. Are you planning on renewing your membership? If so you need to do that immediately so you continue receiving all of the benefits that we provide to you as a member. We have already put a final invoice in the mail to you that you can use to renew. If you don’t want to wait for that you can always go to our website at www.techcouncilmd.com and renew your membership online. Of course I am willing to take a credit card over the phone if that is easier for you.

***If someone says they aren’t renewing ask them why***

30 Day Renewal Script

Expire Letter

Sample Invoice

Dear (first name),

My name is Todd Hayes and I am the Member Relations Manager for the Tech Council of Maryland. According to our records, your membership dues are 30 days past due. To reinstate your membership and continue to enjoy the many benefits of the Tech Council of Maryland renew today!

You may renew online, by going to this link https://techcouncilmd.com/members/renew.php, or send in the original invoice with payment. For your convenience I have also attached a copy of the invoice with this email.

Through the support and services that we provide to our rapidly growing 500 member companies, TCM is the vital contributor to the growth and success of the Mid-Atlantic region’s technology businesses. We have grown to become the largest Technology Association in the region with thousands of member contacts and participation.

With your renewal and the support of members like you, it gives TCM the opportunity to provide value-added programs and quality services to the membership.  In turn, this helps them grow and be more compatible in the marketplace!

We are also very excited about the variety of opportunities for you to network, further your professional development, and expand your business portfolio.  We are getting our volunteer committees refocused, and are offering a number of industry specific committees to provide you and/or members of your staff the opportunity for a peer-network group to gather information and share ideas.  These industry specific committees include telecommunications, capital formation, government contracting, human resources, general counsel and many more; and are offered as a member-only benefit.

I am confident that the unique benefits that we provide have proven to be valuable to you multiple times over the last 12 months.  If you do not renew immediately, they will no longer be available to you.  Renew now!

We look forward to your renewal and support of TCM and the tech community.

Sincerely,

Todd Hayes 

Todd HayesMember Relations Manager

Post-expire Email

Case Study: Tech Council of MD

Weekly welcome call script

Hi (first name),

This is (Your Name) calling from Division, a Division of the Tech Council of Maryland. I wanted to be the first person to welcome you as a member of our association.

I am the Title and it is my job to make sure that membership in Tech Council membership meets all of your expectations. If at any time you do not feel we are focused on serving your needs do not hesitate to give me a call.

I also wanted to personally invite you to attend our next event. It is being held (fill in here).

Do you have any immediate questions or concerns that I can help with? ***If yes, answer them. If no, “thank you again for joining and I hope to meet you soon.****

90 Day Check-up

Case Study: Tech Council of MD• The Good News

•Membership retention has increased from 74% to 79%

•70% pay by their renewal date•30% pay ahead of time •Members have given positive feedback

regarding the constant contact of their needs

– “Thank you for the handwritten letter, it’s nice to know you care about more than just my money.”

– “My  membership in TCM is very valuable and I appreciate your call to make sure everything is going well. If I need anything in the future I know who to contact.”

– “I am very happy with our membership. You guys are doing all the right things, like this phone call to make sure we are happy with TCM. Thanks for checking in.”

Case Study: Tech Council of MD• Lessons Learned

– Membership is everyone’s job– Strong processes and procedures help

everyone– Targeting messages to audiences helps

retention– Multi-channel marketing is critical– Communication must be regular but not

always about money-driven transactions.

Module 3:

Brainstorming: Challenges & Solutions

Brainstorming: Challenges & Solutions

• Goal—Assist others in the room with the challenges they want solved today!

• Activity– Work in groups– Table-mates present sample or challenge for

which they want input– All individuals at table provide ideas and

thoughts that will help with the issue presented

– Time limit: 10 minutes per volunteer– Upon completion of initial items presented

proceed to additional challenges– Switch tables after 45 minutes

Data Driven Membership Marketing

Presenter: Kevin Whorton

Module 4:

A. Database marketing: goals & definition

• Right Message, Right Time, Right People• Often we miss those key points

– DM metrics: what drives effectiveness• 60% audience, 30% offer, 10% format• Often surprising to people who anguish over single words

– Other impediments:• Marketing (as a discipline) dominated by agency mindsets• Branding is often an logo, image-driven thing• Insufficient focus on message and tailoring by audience• Our internal review process may be uneducated• We unwittingly design materials in an over-expensive

manner• Lack of tracking means less focus on results• Insufficient formal/informal research means less alignment

with real need

Getting the Most of Your AMS

“Looking Under the Hood:” Data ExportsActual database

structure • Provided in

response to request for data dictionary and glossary

• Many systems are poorly documented

• IT’s role is to maintain at a reasonable cost

• Mission-critical, just not best environment for data mining

Why Data Mining/DB Marketing Is CriticalIn many associations our programs are: • Often ruled by perceptions

– Anecdotal evidence of success=ok– Quality judged by design/copy, not audience,

usage, results • Metrics are often flawed/insufficient

– Poor measures of share of market, mind or wallet

– Sales tracking rates low– Weak/no early warning systems

• Data mining addresses all of these– ASAE recognized

“Data Driven Decision Making” as one of the 7 Measures

B. Defining your business model: statistics

• Essential: know where money comes from/drive value– What is the source of member value?

• Need activity based costing within your system

– Typically we know facts such as … • $2.3 million revenue; 9 staff; $2.15 million expenses• $150k contribution to reserves; 575 company members• Avg. dues $1,800; 750 attended 2008 AM; avg. reg $595

– We could extrapolate: 45% dues, 19% registration

– But we don’t automatically know (needs some effort): • How diversified are you really?• What % of companies participate & do so regularly?• What is the net margin of your primary activities

(membership, events, etc.)? • What is a member worth (now and long-term value)?• What is your penetration today and how has it changed?

Planning activities within the business model

– With some key figures, you can plan & project ROI for meaningful marketing activities

– Conference example• Major event requires 2 FTEs and 400k hard costs• Exhibits/sponsorships of $200k, margin of $100k (18%)

– What are the marketing implications?• Every new “butt in seat” might net $450 more … ten more

might boost it by almost 5%!• If 750 attendees come from 250 companies (200 members)

you have:– Potential membership conversion opportunities– Gains from relationship building– Potential gains through clever meeting location choices– Opportunities for group pricing schemes, tie-ins– Linking attendance gains to exhibit/sponsorship rates

Define what business you are in

• We just used finances to illustrate business model– But often this is living in the past: financial

performance is seen as a “lagging indicator”– Even usage reflects what we have trained our

audiences to expect and receive– Familiarity breeds respect: members say they prefer

what they’re used to seeing us deliver– Needs assessments research often=program

evaluations• Try to employ a more strategic, future-oriented focus

– Visioning: where do we want to be– How to reach out to new ‘untrained’ member/customers– Link to/align with focus– Don’t confuse this with ‘strategic planning’

• Ideally this process feeds a systematic marketing plan

B. Managing frequency of contact

Efforts MEAN MEDIAN

DM acquisition

4.5 3.4

DM house file 9.6 7.9

DM other 5.8 2.1

TM active 1.0 0.4

TM lapsed 1.3 0.4

Email 13.1 6.0

Total 35.3 20.1

• Benchmarking study of 70 nonprofits/associations.– Average # of contacts/campaigns per year showed

programs were managing median of 20 efforts– Associations far less likely to use TM, direct mail

acquisition, much more likely to use email

– These were often high-scale programs– Frequent changes to improve ROI;

constant tweaking. – Repetition is key to recognition.– Over-contacting reduces results.– Key operational question:

How much is enough?Often we don’t do enough

Marketing programs: what is your target ROI?

Sources of First Exposure

Word of mouth from others 46.4%

Direct mail campaigns 10.5%

Attendance at events 16.4%

Advertising/publicity 5.2%

Web site visits: search engines

11.0%

Other venues/ sources 10.5%

Recruitment Channels #1 #2

Direct mail 19% 14%

Electronic (email/Web) 21% 32%

Direct/personal sales by staff

17% 21%

Recruitment by members 35% 22%

Other methods 9% 11%

• Benchmarking study of 137 associations.– Membership programs

• Mean retention of 85%; median 2,600 total members• Acquired 300 members past year• Average dues revenue/member of $264, LTV of $2,200

– Membership acquisition performance• Median 3.0 campaigns, 2.3% response rate, 1100 contacts

per campaign• Median $50,000 membership marketing budget ($30k acq)• Median $95 CPA; mail $2, sales $55 cost per contact

C. Managing specific channels• Most efficient method of targeted communication

– Supplements advertising, web: indirect communications– Repository for knowledge for current users/customers– Vehicle for introducing outside world—non-members,

customers, employees of members

• Best applications– Personalized letters/forms, first-person dialogue– Repetitive/frequent communication, sequencing– Campaigns with measured effectiveness/tests & control– “Push media:” drives to other channels (call/web)

• Key errors/weaknesses: – Under personalization: postcards, ‘junk’ formats– Forgetting that ‘less is more’ – Over-spending on inefficient production/design– Artificially constraining the external audience’s size

Specific channel: telephone• Effective, often most overlooked/underused method

– Very effective when managed systematically– High cost per contact but low cost per acquisition/sale– High-touch sales tool: ‘when we care, we call’– Highly intrusive (can be a good thing)—cuts thru clutter

• Best applications– Reinstating lapsed and slow-renewing members – Late-cycle conference promotion to close the deal– Quick polling to measure attitudes/real-time issues

• Key errors: – Insufficient volume/frequency of use– Using amateurs: volunteer ‘calling trees’ work well on a

high level for small numbers of people – Passive scripting: trying to tone down the appeal– Total outsourcing: inadequate screening/monitoring

Specific channel: web• “Home” for the association—central to image

– Repository for knowledge for current users/customers

– Vehicle for introducing outside world—non-members, customers, employees of members

• Best applications– Costless dissemination of information– Discrimination by user class: filters/password areas– Facilitating transactions: vehicle for registrations,

joining, profile updates– Reciprocal links to other sites

• Key errors: – Over-control of content/too-insular focus– Poor/static content management/difficult updates– Insufficiently engaging, poor overly sales focused

Specific channel: email• Most cost-effective targeted communication

– Supplement to mail when it can be used– Easy design/administration– Crowded field: commonly understood best practices

• Best applications– Customized content for a specific event– Ability to test/modify in real time– Easiest vehicle for response– Natural integration with web: short & enticing

• Key errors: – Poor integration with mail, sometimes phone– Overuse leads to high opt-out rates– Insufficient audience management– Insufficient personalization– Institutional feel: over use of graphics

Specific channel: social media

• Key vehicle to connect people with little face to face contact– Not only the young, but also people in diverse

locations– Increasingly meeting the promise of distance

learning, e-newsletters– Systematic adaptation of your methods to cut costs

AND increase value in key areas … education, communication, and now networking

• Best applications– Encouraging SIGs, affinity groups through Facebook, Linkedin,

etc.

• Key errors: – Trying to create/imprint your own over organic ones– Forcing formality/control over self-forming communities

Combining channels: IMC

• Integrated marketing communications has been a primary driver in commercial marketing past 25 years– Don Schultz, Northwestern University/Kellogg School– Disciplined, outcomes focused approach

• Allocating resources based on return per channel• Modeling actual behavioral response:

synergies/sequence

– Basically helping to make marketing more DM-like• You develop a logic within your program• Codify it into your normal marketing plan• Contact sequences designed to raise awareness/close sales• Example: broad based advertising, mail, teaser offers to

encourage email signup, e-marketing then telephone • And simple adjust level of effort and expenditures by

quality of prospect/member/customer• Not all are equal value, why spend identical levels of effort?

Effective measurement: developing solid metrics

– Source coding – Metrics/targets – Defined expectations

Defining/Managing/Creating to Metrics

Recent listserv discussion/illustration: how do you project/track success?

• Meetings oriented example Aggregate plans, traffic report, actual response data, and evaluations Provides audience size, known (tracked) response, inferred response Paint the entire picture: how many registrations do you expect; how

many do you attain? What is your ROI overall and by channel? How would/should this drive your budget size, allocation decisions?

Effort Audience Resp rate Regist. Gr. Rev. Cost

Mail I: Week 18 2,000 1.00% 20 $11,900 $3,000 Email I: Week 16 7,980 0.50% 40 $23,800 $100 Mail II: Week 13 1,940 2.50% 49 $29,155 $3,000 Email II: Week 10 8,000 0.50% 40 $23,800 $100 Email III: Week 7 8,000 0.50% 40 $29,000 $100 Overall: 27,920 NA 189 $117,655 $6,300

Key Areas of Inquiry

1. Member life cycle: join, engagement, attrition 2. Basic item/campaign profitabilty3. Market testing/feasibility assessment4. Campaign success measures/assessing channel

impact5. Cross-selling/conversion rates/indicators6. Measuring member and customer value7. Event analysis: frequency/stability of purchase/actions8. Response modeling: linear regression/ANOVA9. Assessing price sensitivity/willingness to pay10.Basic segment analysis: descriptive cross-tabulations11.Audience cluster analysis:

psychographics/demographics12.Exception reporting/early warning for defection

- My Basic Approach1. Define goals: specific applications and lessons to

learn2. Assess data resources: current/past databases,

research report, new primary collection3. Download AMS data, reconfigure, transform, clean,

and load into SAS 4. Begin running queries: share preliminary results5. Expand the discovery process into

spreadsheets, narrative reports6. Refine goals/identify new hypotheses7. Complement existing data with newly-

collected, share with AMS8. Apply to marketing tests,

segmentation, personalization9. Continue process in traditional cycle

- SAS: Basic BI/Data-Mining Tool

Easy to use tool:

• Import data• Run cross-

tabulations, correlations

• Data-step programs to merge data

• Easy queries: • Customer,

member analysis

• $1600/year software license

Effective offers/pricing: critical one of the “4 P’s”

• The ‘offer’ generally refers to how you describe and price the product– Example: membership (insert bundle here), 15-for-12

months, $149 (off $165 list price), act by October 31

• Variable offers – Encourage trial and adoption, reward loyalty– Incentives for early response: early bird or early renewal

• Price discrimination– Economic term for the practice of pricing according to

ability/willingness to pay• Think: scaled dues in trade associations• Student, new member, recent graduate pricing• Might mean “pricing on the fly” (temperature sensitive

Coke machines)• In associations, optional pay-in programs: voluntary

contributions to a PAC, special advocacy fund, participation (personal & company) in fundraising programs

D. Marketing tactics: effective messaging

• Key points in your messaging– Conversational language, conveying simplicity to

convince, complexity to address diverse needs– First person voice, declarative statements … good

writing often resembles good speaking• “Made to Stick” principles

– Checklist/scorecard for successful ideas (messages)– Is it simple?– Is it unexpected?– Is it concrete?– Is it credible?– Is it emotional?– Does it tell a story?

• “If you say three things, you don’t say anything.”

Effective positioning: becoming understandable

• Take an objective approach to identify sources of confusion; address these in your messaging– ASAE Decision to Join study helps demonstrate– Primary demand vs. secondary demand: how we feel

about associations affects decision to belong to yours– Many people don’t know what an association is …

some are ‘joiners’ and others are not– Effective membership marketing requires explaining

what you get out of it, what you have to put in• Not an uncommon problem

– Example previous page: large international charity– Large donor base driven by emotional appeals– “Project Catalog” sought to present program examples,

both fundraising & education– In membership, mix of promotion & ‘user manuals’

Example: Membership/donor marketing

– Key elements to convey value and overcome key objections

– Create a simple vehicle to process transactions from supporters

– Rarely a vehicle for raising awareness• Key marketing goals:

1. Convey desire to have an individual join2. Articulate the value 3. Describe initiatives4. Provide sufficient information for a decision (yes or

no)

– Donor appeals are very similar to membership: included examples that are better documented

– Examples of testing & general DM economics

• Professional association: short history of existence#1 slowly growing: reinstatement acquisition #2 strong competition: ACA, state chapters #3 low penetration: 6k members/80k universe#4 dissatisfied with past creative: garish, no

brand#5 external: decent awareness: web, 3x/yr mail#6 strategy: very concerned with growth,

business model#7 sectors: strong with students, tougher with

practice#8 future: expect product diversification,

membership needs new techniques

Example: Association member marketing

AMHCA Program Description

– Membership marketing program• Splashy, joint publication-membership offer

– Replaced with combo 15-for-12, $15 discount• All mail, no integration or e-acquisition

– 0.45% acquisition, 1.1% lapsed reinstatement • Campaign economics

– 30,000 to 45,000 pieces, $0.52 cost per contact– Drawn from rented/downloaded state licensure lists – Nonprofit Standard postage, licensure (free) lists

• Kept ongoing creative minimal – Initial tests inconclusive– Limited leeway on changing offers– Temptation to “change it up” periodically

Make the Most of Your Tools

Case studies: • PPAI: Data cubes quantify value

of membership each renewal cycle– Numeric benefits, FedEx, other

affinity programs

• TMA: Years of effective use of in-house network’s MS SQL – Drives county level education

& membership development

• NDIA: Using BI/AMS/e-marketing – Doubled revenue/membership

Module 5

Unlocking the Power of Social Media

Presenter: Maggie McGary

Unlocking the Power of Social Media

•What does “listening” mean and why is it important?•Tactics for identifying potential members and retaining current members •How much time/effort does it take and is it worth it?•Q & A

Social Media Resources

•Socialfish helps associations and non-profits make the most out of social media. Their website features a great blog, free whitepapers about social media specific to associations and some good case studies. (www.socialfish.org)•Association Social Media Wiki is a comprehensive listing of associations and how they’re using social media. (http://associationsocialmedia.com)•Alltop Association Management is a listing of “all the top” blogs about associations, many of which focus on social media. (http://association-management.alltop.com/)•Engage365 is a good resource to learn about using social media in conjunction with events. It features an online community and frequent free webinar offerings. (http://engage365.org/)•Delcor’s Social Media Sweet Spot is a live weekly webcast for association professionals aiming to harness the power of social media. (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/delcor-social-media-sweet-spot)•Association Chat is a weekly Twitter chat for the association community. It takes place at 2 p.m. every Tuesday. (http://associationchat.com/)

Closing Comments/Questions

Scott Oser, Scott Oser Associates:301-279-0468 scott@scottoserassociates.com

Kevin Whorton, Whorton Marketing & Research:301-312-8938 info@kwhorton.com

Calendar of Future Seminars: www.associationseminar.com

LinkedIn Group: College of Association Marketing

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!!