Presentation Title (24 point Arial; color = white)

SHRM MN Leadership ConferenceMembership Summit

January 2013

Joyce LeMay, SPHR jlemay@bethel.edu

Karen Gureghian, SPHR karen@hrbponline.com

Note: Slides used with permission from SHRM originally shown at the National Leadership Membership summit November 2013

Agenda

• Trends in Membership Research• Membership Lifecycle• Marketing Channels• Member Prospects• Marketing Plan Design• Value Proposition• Social media• Member Engagement• Member Renewal/Reinstatement• Additional Resources

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Trends from the 2012 Membership Research

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the five key membership life stages:1. Awareness

2. Recruitment

3. Engagement

4. Renewal

5. Reinstatement

MGI Membership Lifecycle

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An Overview of Marketing Channels

Face-to-face Events

Telephone

Direct Mail

E-Mail

Social Media

Online Advertising

Marketing Channels

Search Engine Marketing

Radio

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Prospect Sources

• SHRM’s at-large members• • Your lapsed members• • Non-member attendees at your events• • Member-get-a-Member (reward current members for referrals)• • Visitors to your website• • Exhibit at state SHRM conferences or other HR/business • tradeshows• • Social media/online groups or contacts (LinkedIn, Facebook, • Twitter, etc) • • Rented Lists (book buyers, seminar attendees, etc)• • Local Universities• • Small Businesses or Associations

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Other Membership Sources

Students

• Look for student chapters to partner with or university HR

professors to engage and have HR majors participate in chapter

events.

• Good feeder pool into your chapter, and they know

other students or recent graduates!

• Good source for interns and volunteers

Small Businesses or Groups

• Reach out to local small businesses through chamber of

commerce or similar networks to attract those involved with HR

activities, even if not full-time

• Work with other local associations to co-host a meeting (ASTD,

etc)

• Offer to present to the Chamber of Commerce about HR

compliance topics applicable to small companies.

• If this is a target, remember not to address all members as HR

professionals and use terminology familiar to all

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Marketing Plan Design

• Define Market – Who do you want to talk to? Who is likely to listen?

• Establish Value Proposition – What is your benefit to them?

• Identify Offer – What enticement do you want to give?

• Create Message & Call to Action

• Develop a Budget – How much can you spend?

• Determine the Media – How are you going to reach them?

• Implement Campaign

• Build a Process to Track Responses – How did we do???

> If you aren’t tracking, you aren’t learning

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Define the Value Proposition

• Definition> What is the vision?> What is the value?> What is the connection?

• What Business is your chapter in?

Education Professional Development

Information/Knowledge Government Advocacy

Publishing Public Relations

Networking Standards & Certification

Convention & Exhibition Research

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Determine the Offer

The deal you're presenting to the prospect

• The offer can be: • “Buy one get one Free”• Introductory price of $9.95“

• The most important thing to an offer is that it be clear and concise.

• People really like free

• An offer is best when it has a deadline.

• Keep it simple: A confused mind always says "no”

What SHRM Chapters are offering now

• Discounted dues (i.e. - $25 off or free first year for SHRM members)

• Free first meeting, lunch, etc

• 15 months for the price of 12

• Drawing for large prize (iPad, etc.)

• Promotional Items10

Create Message and Call-to-Action

• Grab their attention• Speak personally – from me to you• Describe benefits and show the value to the recipient• Ask for the join –

> tell the person what you want them to do

• Create a sense of urgency• P.S. Recap the offer in a P.S.

• “Respond by <date> and get <benefit>”• “Discount good through <date>”• “Offer good while supplies last”• “First 50 people get …..”

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Using Social Media

• Reach new influencers and acquire new members through online recommendations and word of mouth -- Facebook likes, etc.

• Connect with members and non-members in your industry to• Establish your chapter as local HR thought leaders and • influencers. • Ask questions to encourage discussions and engagement.• Increase your chapter’s prestige and influence by answering

others’ questions or participating in discussions. • Promote upcoming events and membership promotions to boost

awareness, attendance and revenue• Give your chapter a personality through videos, sharing

pictures, blog postings, etc• http://www.shrm.org/Communities/VolunteerResources/Docume

nts/12MbrshpSummit_SocialMediaAudit.pdf

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Social Media Usage

How does your chapter use social media? 2012

Meeting Notifications 80.3%

Discussion Groups 69.7%

Conference Notifications 64.8%

Professional Development Events 60.6%

Share Content 49.3%

Recruit Members 46.5%

Board Meetings 13.4%

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Ideas for Welcoming New Members

• Ideas for welcoming new members• Welcome e-mail to new members• Mailed welcome letter or member kit• Membership card or certificate • Welcome phone call

• With follow up information by email• Special discounts• Announcement of new members at next chapter

meeting• New member webcast or online chat• Send link to recorded welcome video

from Chapter President

Engagement

• They Joined!! Now what??

• Cultivate a one-to-one relationship• A planned, proactive, methodical process of engaging a new

member• Remind them of how to access benefits• What is important to them? Ask them…then remember

what they told you• Have new-member “radar”• A 2-way conversation • “Rookie year”

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A Sample Renewal Series

Renewal Effort # Communication Channel

Date

1 Email 120 days before expire

2 Direct Mail 90 days before expire

3 Direct Mail 60 days before expire

4 Email 45 days before expire

5 Direct Mail 30 days before expire

6 Email Day before expire

7 Telephone Call Day of expire

8 Direct Mail 15 days after expire

9 Telephone Call 60 days after expire

10 Email Exit Survey 75 days after expire

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Non Renewal Trends from the 2012 Membership Research

Reason for Non-Renewal 2012 2011• Perceived Lack of Value 11% 24%• Employer Won’t Pay Dues 12% 15%• Too Expensive 5% 14%• Couldn’t justify ROI 11% n/a• Forgot Renewal 4% 7%• Budget Cuts/Hardship of Company 17% n/a• Lack of Engagement 14% n/a

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Reinstatement

Expires are your best prospects• How long after a member expires do you

continue to let them receive benefits? • In general, after the grace period the process is

working to reinstate the former member• Find out why they let their membership lapse• Be sensitive that they were once a member

when recruiting them back• Two-way communication in between renewal and

reinstatement

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Build a Multi-Year Plan

Action Timing Target Media Offer Budget Call to Action Deliverable

Awareness Nov 2012 Business n/a Learn more about HR

$25 Free Whitepaper PPT

Recruitment Jan 2013 Lapsed Email Free Whitepaper $300 Join by Date Email w/link

Engagement #3 Monthly New Member

Email How-to webinar for chapter website

$100 Sign up for webinar

Video, email

Renewal 10th of each month

Expiring Members

multiple Why your membership is important

Annual budget

Renew by date to continue benefits

Chart

Reinstatement Quarterly Lapsed (expired) members

multiple What you’ve been missing…article

Annual budget

Rejoin and get discount

Jpeg of article

Since volunteers turn over every year or two, continuity can only come from long-term planning. State Councils and Chapters can work together to maximize efforts and institutionalize best practices.

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FREE Marketing Resources

Visit the Direct Marketing Association website for good marketing resources at www.the-dma.org

Privacy information can be found at www.the-dma.org/privacy

Sites with good marketing tips include• Marketing Profs, www.marketingprofs.com – free newsletter• MarketingSherpa www.marketingsherpa.com – free newsletter• membershipmarketing.blogspot.com• Email Institute www.emailinstitute.com – free newsletter• Smartbrief on Social Media www.smartbrief.com – free

newsletter

Additional Information is on the VLRC – Membership sectionhttp://www.shrm.org/Communities/VolunteerResources/Pages/MembershipCLA.aspx

Free Download!!

Download a free copy of the full 2012 report at:

www.MarketingGeneral.com

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2013 Membership Webinars

February 14th

May 9th

August 1st

December 11th

All of these meetings will be Webinars- Allows for recording- Tracked in the VLRC- Viewable if you cannot make the call- Usable for training with chapters

©SHRM 2010

Membership Breakout Groups

Joyce LeMay• Arrowhead HRA• HRP-MN• Lakes Area HRA• Lake Country HRA• Northland HRA• Northstar SHRM• TCHRA• West Central MN

SHRM

Karen Gureghian• Central MN SHRM• Hiawatha Valley

SHRM• Rochester HRA• South Central SHRM• Southern MN Area

HRA• Southwest HRA• Winona SHRM

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Break Out Group Discussions

• Introductions• Share current membership successes• Share current membership concerns• Review goals for 2013• Brainstorm on membership strategies• Share contact information and make plan for

follow up

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