As we move towards the end of 2020, many of us are more than ready to leave behind a year that was both personally and professionally transformative. With all of its connected controversy, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted virtually every person and organization on the planet. And, in doing so, it has produced a societal paradigm shift that continues to evolve.
What that ultimately means for businesses is still unfolding, with many of our clients wondering what’s next. Most are well into planning cycles—trying to produce meaningful strategies for the future while building in enough flexibility to address whatever comes next. This is no easy task, even for the mightiest of marketers. As such, we wanted to share a few ideas we’ve been working through with our association clients to maximize growth opportunities heading into 2021. Although these suggestions have been designed with associations in mind, they can certainly be adapted and leveraged by all marketers charged with providing meaningful direction during these disorienting times.
1. Don’t stop marketing. Studies clearly show that organizations that stay active in the marketplace during turbulent economic conditions are among the first to recover. So, find a way to do it. The real question isn’t, “Should I market?” Rather, ask yourself, “What or how should I market?”
2. Make listening your superpower. If you haven’t done so recently, it’s a good time to conduct research so you can understand the challenges your members are facing and what you can do to support them. Don’t lean too heavily on the input of board members and things you’ve heard in the past. These experiences simply do not represent all of your diverse membership needs today. Your members are seeing your conferences and meetings canceled. Many of your renewal notices are being delivered to empty offices. And many members and their companies may be under significant financial stress. You need to be visible and asking questions to understand what obstacles your members are facing now. It is the only way any organization can honestly position itself as the informed, steadfast and trusted resource that members can lean on during difficult times.
3. Earn member loyalty by demonstrating yours. Member support often makes up the majority of revenue for an association, coming in the form of dues, event participation fees, merchandise purchases and paid training. Loyal members have supported your association for years, if not decades. It is time for the association to return the favor through reduced membership fees, flexible payment plans and terms, more “free” member benefits and deeper member discounts.
This is also a message you can take to any sponsorship partners that provide third-party services or products through the association. Challenge them to come through for your members as well. The increased support for your members is not just meaningful in itself, but it also offers a great messaging/marketing opportunity to emphasize that you understand that you are all in this together.
4. Launch or reinvest in referral programs. According to GrowthZone’s 2019 Association Annual Survey, the most effective strategy for increasing membership is through referrals. So, it only makes sense to listen to and support your members to the best of your ability. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s actually one of the best ways to ensure growth and viability. If you truly work hard on behalf of your members, they will recognize that commitment and share what they’ve come to value with others. As business professionals, most members will understand and gladly participate in a referral program. Plus, by asking your current members to assist in recruiting new ones, you create an opportunity to reeducate those who may not fully understand your full benefit offering for any number of reasons. When you ask members to help communicate the perks of joining, it helps them remember why they joined in the first place.
5. Ask yourself if it’s time to evolve. In 1947, the National Retired Teachers Association was founded. Ten years later, it made the pioneering decision to expand its membership offering to all retirees. That massive market expansion created AARP. AARP evolved its offering again in 1984, lowering its membership eligibility age from 55 to 50.
Expansion isn’t typically determined by the marketing department, but marketing does hold a great deal of information related to marketing AND market opportunities. Now is absolutely the right time to take a deep dive into the data and trends and bring forward innovative ideas to address both the changes that have occurred and those that may lie ahead.
If we’ve learned anything from the challenges of 2020, it is that most professional associations have gone from a “nice to have” to a “must have” for their members. During these turbulent times, an association’s role as an information curator and educator has never been more necessary. Most associations have created dedicated pages for news and information related to COVID-19 and serve as the primary source of information for their membership. By ensuring you are evolving to meet your members’ needs, they will find a way to meet your needs as well.
If you would like to discuss any part of this blog, or have ideas of your own, please drop us a line. We would love to hear your thoughts.