The 2012 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report by Marketing General Inc. analyzes the current trends and strategies used by associations to recruit and engage new members, renew existing members and reinstate former members. This is the most comprehensive study in the membership marketing industry.
The 2012 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report surveyed more than 691 association executives to better understand the strategies and tactics they use to recruit, engage, and retain members. The report is the most exhaustive and comprehensive study in the series.
Again this year, a key feature of the report was to cross-tabulate specific marketing practices with reported membership outcomes to determine which practices support better results.
The Benchmarking Report evaluates the relative success of a variety of marketing practices and presents dozens of key findings to give association executives insight and direction to develop more effective membership marketing programs.
The 2012 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report surveyed more than 691 association executives to better understand the strategies and tactics they use to recruit, engage, and retain members. The report is the most exhaustive and comprehensive study in the series.
Again this year, a key feature of the report was to cross-tabulate specific marketing practices with reported membership outcomes to determine which practices support better results.
The Benchmarking Report evaluates the relative success of a variety of marketing practices and presents dozens of key findings to give association executives insight and direction to develop more effective membership marketing programs.
Financial Times -2010 Fund Image Summary Of FindingsDaniel Rothman
Measuring the standing and profile of 24 leading asset management companies among US financial intermediaries.
Conducted by the FT Global Research team.
Survey of Career Service Professionals: OntarioCERIC
How do Canada’s career service professionals differ across the country, in terms of their education, salary or professional development needs? CERIC has undertaken a Regional Analysis of its popular Survey of Career Service Professionals, offering a fascinating breakdown of trends in Ontario.
Click through to see the top corporate recruiting trends for Australia in 2012.
Learn more about LinkedIn Talent Solutions: http://linkd.in/1bgERGj
Subscribe to the LinkedIn Talent Blog: http://linkd.in/18yp4Cg
Follow the LinkedIn Talent Solutions page: http://linkd.in/1cNvIFT
Tweet with us: http://bit.ly/HireOnLinkedIn
Overview of survey results from the PRSA 2011 membership satisfaction survey. Survey results show that 79% of current members report that they are likely to renew their membership.
Benchmarking member & customer relationship strength.cesse2017Peter Turner
In 2016, fifteen associations participated in the first benchmark indices to better understand how relationship strength affects the ability to improve engagement withnon-US members and customers through empirical data. Over 8,000 members and customers responded. In 2017, many of those same associations plus others will add thousands of US members and customers to this database which will focus solely on US aspects of engagement.
This Engagement Index community is a collaboration between MCI and its research partner FairControl and many of these US associations as we seek answers to the most critical questions impacting reinvention:
• How strong is the current relationship with members and customers?
• What is impacting for good or bad the quality of these relationships?
• What resources deliver the most value and impact engagement the most?
• How relevant is the value proposition to the needs of members and customers?
• What levels of engagement are there and how do members and customers fit into this model?
Click through to see the top corporate recruiting trends for the U.S. in 2012.
Learn more about LinkedIn Talent Solutions: http://linkd.in/1bgERGj
Subscribe to the LinkedIn Talent Blog: http://linkd.in/18yp4Cg
Follow the LinkedIn Talent Solutions page: http://linkd.in/1cNvIFT
Tweet with us: http://bit.ly/HireOnLinkedIn
Webinar: Customer Experience Mega Trends For Financial Services.
Featuring Mike Hennessy, Vice President, IntelliResponse Systems Inc. and Bruce Temkin, Managing Partner of the Temkin Group.
Click through to see the top corporate recruiting trends for Canada in 2012.
Learn more about LinkedIn Talent Solutions: http://linkd.in/1bgERGj
Subscribe to the LinkedIn Talent Blog: http://linkd.in/18yp4Cg
Follow the LinkedIn Talent Solutions page: http://linkd.in/1cNvIFT
Tweet with us: http://bit.ly/HireOnLinkedIn
Lifecycle presentation - Erik Schonher, MGIeschonher
A systematic method for describing membership marketing provides a way to quickly identify issues and develop the appropriate tactics to overcome these issues. The Membership Lifecycle is that systematic method and this presentation covers it in detail as both a process and a diagnostic tool.
Lightning Talk #9: How UX and Data Storytelling Can Shape Policy by Mika Aldabaux singapore
How can we take UX and Data Storytelling out of the tech context and use them to change the way government behaves?
Showcasing the truth is the highest goal of data storytelling. Because the design of a chart can affect the interpretation of data in a major way, one must wield visual tools with care and deliberation. Using quantitative facts to evoke an emotional response is best achieved with the combination of UX and data storytelling.
Financial Times -2010 Fund Image Summary Of FindingsDaniel Rothman
Measuring the standing and profile of 24 leading asset management companies among US financial intermediaries.
Conducted by the FT Global Research team.
Survey of Career Service Professionals: OntarioCERIC
How do Canada’s career service professionals differ across the country, in terms of their education, salary or professional development needs? CERIC has undertaken a Regional Analysis of its popular Survey of Career Service Professionals, offering a fascinating breakdown of trends in Ontario.
Click through to see the top corporate recruiting trends for Australia in 2012.
Learn more about LinkedIn Talent Solutions: http://linkd.in/1bgERGj
Subscribe to the LinkedIn Talent Blog: http://linkd.in/18yp4Cg
Follow the LinkedIn Talent Solutions page: http://linkd.in/1cNvIFT
Tweet with us: http://bit.ly/HireOnLinkedIn
Overview of survey results from the PRSA 2011 membership satisfaction survey. Survey results show that 79% of current members report that they are likely to renew their membership.
Benchmarking member & customer relationship strength.cesse2017Peter Turner
In 2016, fifteen associations participated in the first benchmark indices to better understand how relationship strength affects the ability to improve engagement withnon-US members and customers through empirical data. Over 8,000 members and customers responded. In 2017, many of those same associations plus others will add thousands of US members and customers to this database which will focus solely on US aspects of engagement.
This Engagement Index community is a collaboration between MCI and its research partner FairControl and many of these US associations as we seek answers to the most critical questions impacting reinvention:
• How strong is the current relationship with members and customers?
• What is impacting for good or bad the quality of these relationships?
• What resources deliver the most value and impact engagement the most?
• How relevant is the value proposition to the needs of members and customers?
• What levels of engagement are there and how do members and customers fit into this model?
Click through to see the top corporate recruiting trends for the U.S. in 2012.
Learn more about LinkedIn Talent Solutions: http://linkd.in/1bgERGj
Subscribe to the LinkedIn Talent Blog: http://linkd.in/18yp4Cg
Follow the LinkedIn Talent Solutions page: http://linkd.in/1cNvIFT
Tweet with us: http://bit.ly/HireOnLinkedIn
Webinar: Customer Experience Mega Trends For Financial Services.
Featuring Mike Hennessy, Vice President, IntelliResponse Systems Inc. and Bruce Temkin, Managing Partner of the Temkin Group.
Click through to see the top corporate recruiting trends for Canada in 2012.
Learn more about LinkedIn Talent Solutions: http://linkd.in/1bgERGj
Subscribe to the LinkedIn Talent Blog: http://linkd.in/18yp4Cg
Follow the LinkedIn Talent Solutions page: http://linkd.in/1cNvIFT
Tweet with us: http://bit.ly/HireOnLinkedIn
Lifecycle presentation - Erik Schonher, MGIeschonher
A systematic method for describing membership marketing provides a way to quickly identify issues and develop the appropriate tactics to overcome these issues. The Membership Lifecycle is that systematic method and this presentation covers it in detail as both a process and a diagnostic tool.
Lightning Talk #9: How UX and Data Storytelling Can Shape Policy by Mika Aldabaux singapore
How can we take UX and Data Storytelling out of the tech context and use them to change the way government behaves?
Showcasing the truth is the highest goal of data storytelling. Because the design of a chart can affect the interpretation of data in a major way, one must wield visual tools with care and deliberation. Using quantitative facts to evoke an emotional response is best achieved with the combination of UX and data storytelling.
Succession “Losers”: What Happens to Executives Passed Over for the CEO Job?
By David F. Larcker, Stephen A. Miles, and Brian Tayan
Stanford Closer Look Series
Overview:
Shareholders pay considerable attention to the choice of executive selected as the new CEO whenever a change in leadership takes place. However, without an inside look at the leading candidates to assume the CEO role, it is difficult for shareholders to tell whether the board has made the correct choice. In this Closer Look, we examine CEO succession events among the largest 100 companies over a ten-year period to determine what happens to the executives who were not selected (i.e., the “succession losers”) and how they perform relative to those who were selected (the “succession winners”).
We ask:
• Are the executives selected for the CEO role really better than those passed over?
• What are the implications for understanding the labor market for executive talent?
• Are differences in performance due to operating conditions or quality of available talent?
• Are boards better at identifying CEO talent than other research generally suggests?
2014 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Presentation by Tony RossellTony Rossell
It is my pleasure to announce the release of the 2014 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report.
This marks the sixth year that Marketing General Incorporated (MGI) has surveyed associations to better understand what is going on in the membership market and what is working best to recruit members, engage new members, renew existing members, and reinstate former members. It also marks the highest level of association participation with 865 separate associations sharing their data.
The 2014 Report includes new questions related to social media usage, email frequency and open rates, and who pays membership dues (individuals or companies).
A free download of the full report is available from the Marketing General Incorporated website.
The results of a 2009 survey of Canadian Economic Development professionals, conducted by On Three Communication Design Inc., in partnership with the Economic Developers Association of Canada.
Presented at the Halifax State of the Economy Conference 2012
Russell Riblett from GIS Planning presented the different marketing strategies economic development organizations and community marketers employ and which methods are most effective. It included the business site location process and the sources corporate real estate professionals use, as well as how marketing has changed from the past to the present and the direction it will move in the future addressing these marketing questions:
1. What is most effective?
2. Where should you invest your marketing dollars?
3. How are site selectors making decisions?
4. What does not work anymore?
5. What does the future look like?
6. What information really matters?
7. How can you be successful?
LinkedIn Financial Services Webinar Part 2 - 6-19-12LinkedIn
High Net Worth Investors Pt. 2 - Leveraging Social Media to Reach Affluent Investors.
This deck gives insights and best practices for reaching affluent investors with social media, based on new research from LinkedIn and Cogent Research. By Marie Rice, Cogent Research and Eileen Loustau, BlackRock, Inc.
In December 2011, Channel Marketing Group solicited distributors in the construction
and industrial trades to ascertain which marketing tools they utilize and how effective
these tools are for them. Almost 200 companies responded. This report details the
findings.
For all of us in the for-profit education sector, change and uncertainty has become the status quo. Regulatory changes and deteriorating macro-economics are impacting everything from how schools recruit students to the type of programs they will be able to offer.
Recently, LeadsCouncil and CUnet conducted a survey among marketing professionals in higher education to measure and understand the full impact of these issues.
This presentation provides a review and analysis of the results from the 2011 Higher Education Marketing Survey, including:
• How budgets are being affected, and how the money is being allocated;
• How cost per enrollment is changing, and what schools plan to do about it;
• Concerns and priorities for school marketers for 2011;
• How the survey numbers compare to what we're seeing in the market as we approach the end of Q2.
The 2017 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report continues to highlight the growth and resilience for membership associations, as many more associations are reporting an increase in their membership (46%) compared to those citing a membership decline (25%). While associations are facing both external and internal challenges, successful associations are engaging members with new products and services that deliver what members want, when they want it.
Important topics covered in this edition of the report include:
· The five-year association membership growth trends.
· The biggest challenges reported in growing membership.
· The average and median renewal rates for associations.
· The top reasons for members joining.
· The top reasons for members not renewing.
· The communication methods to engage new members.
· The most popular social media used by associations.
· The number of email contacts per week and open rates.
· The frequency and amount of dues increases.
Make 2016 the Year of Learning Impact: Learn From the LeadersHuman Capital Media
Learning teams have high aspirations for their organization — 94 percent seek improvements in productivity, engagement and business agility, yet less than one-third achieve the results they desire.
How can we do better?
To answer this question, Laura Overton, founder of Towards Maturity, has been working with learning teams from companies of all sizes for over a decade. Published in November, Towards Maturity’s 2015-16 industry benchmark report — “Embracing Change” — analyzes 1.5 million data points from more than 600 organizations from around the world to identify what’s working and what isn’t. The findings not only show that the top performing 10 percent of learning organizations are three to eight times more likely to succeed in delivering business results but also highlights why.
How can we do better in 2016?
Join Laura for this webinar and learn how the top performers are:
· Winning hearts and minds of business leaders.
· Supporting the self-directed learner.
· Equipping the L&D team for success.
The Economics of the Socially Engaged Enterprise: What Separates the Leaders ...PulsePoint Group
A PulsePoint Group Study based on a survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit (Wave I - 2012) presented at Arthur W. Page Society, Spring Seminar, March 2012
A shift in organizational approach to digital over the past five years indicates that companies have become increasingly aware that they must eliminate structural barriers to realize the opportunities
Retailers remain laser-focused on improving the customer experience in every part of the store. They are improving the checkout experience, hiring more store associates and empowering managers with mobile tools. The recently released RSR store study confirms this and other trends, such as:
• 52% of retailers see high value in modern POS hardware and software
• 55% see high value in employee selling tools on the sales floor
• 43% see high value in personal scanners and self-service sales
During this webinar, Paula Rosenblum from RSR will share these and other findings from the store study and discuss how retailers can respond in order to achieve better in-store results.
Part two of the presentation will feature a deep dive into how the checkout experience affects overall store performance, honing in on all aspects of checkout, including POS, self-checkout, the queue process, impulse buying, couponing and tendering. Each aspect of the checkout experience contributes to a successful sale. If any part of the checkout experience is negative, 50% or more shoppers may opt to shop online instead.
2. What are the Trends in
Association Membership?
2012 Membership Marketing
Benchmarking Report
• Fourth Year Produced by MGI
• Over 691 Participating Associations
• Up Front Disclaimer
What not Why
Correlation not Causation
3. Research Goals
1. Gain an understanding of the membership marketing
practices of associations
2. Determine the challenges in membership marketing faced
by individual membership and trade associations
3. Define what practices they believe are most effective
4. Understand through cross tabulation with new member,
renewal and growth numbers what practices correlate
with better outcomes
4. Research Methodology
1. Survey open from January 24, 2012 to March 3,
2012 – 6 Weeks Total
2. 5,862 requests to participate
3. 11.7% response rate with 691 participating
associations (one response per association)
4. Margin of error + / - 3.7% with a 95% confidence
level
7. TOP CHALLENGES TO GROWING MEMBERSHIP
2012 2011
(N = 683) (N = 631)
Membership too diverse; difficulty meeting needs of different segments 26% N/A
Difficulty attracting and/or maintaining younger members 24% N/A
Insufficient staff 24% 16%
Perceptions of the association and/or its culture (i.e., old boy’s network, not
24% N/A
specialized enough, etc.)
Insufficient budget 21% 13%
Changing demographics of industry 18% N/A
Weak product or service offerings 18% 13%
Lack of strategy or plan 17% 11%
Competitive associations 16% N/A
Industry consolidation 14% N/A
Inadequate association management database 13% 8%
Inadequate research to understand market 10% 7%
Lack of marketing expertise 10% 7%
Market saturation 10% 9%
Difficulty in converting student memberships to regular memberships 9% N/A
Lack of integration between national and chapters 8% N/A
Misalignment of goals between board and executive staff 4% N/A
Economy 3% N/A
Poor customer service 1% N/A
Other 12% 16%
8.
9. Section 2: Membership LifecycleTM
Strategies
“What’s working in membership marketing?”
11. How does your association create brand awareness of your organization?
METHODS FOR CREATING ASSOCIATION AWARENESS
2012 2011 2010 2009
(N = 683) (N = 638) (N = 405) (N = 599)
Email 94% 71% 67% 61%
Association website 92% 87% 88% 85%
Word-of-mouth recommendations 83% 90% 91% 77%
Promotion to/at your own conferences/ conventions 79% 65% 66% 65%
Advertising in your own publications 72% 48% 56% 51%
Association-sponsored social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn) 71% 51% 56% 35%
Direct mail 69% 62% 66% 76%
Association-sponsored events 68% 57% 56% 37%
Cross-sell to non-members who buy your products or attend your conferences 61% 56% 59% 52%
Exhibiting at other conferences 61% 50% 51% 53%
Public relations 61% 40% 39% 29%
Local events/meetings 60% 53% N/A N/A
Search engines (organic) 48% 45% 47% 34%
Advertising in outside publications 47% 31% 31% 28%
Chapters 42% 38% 46% 39%
Job board 39% 24% 23% 23%
Personal sales calls 32% 25% 22% 24%
QR codes 30% N/A N/A N/A
Accreditation promotion 24% 18% 20% 14%
Telemarketing 22% 16% 18% 18%
Paid banners on other websites 21% 12% 13% 12%
Mobile apps 20% N/A N/A N/A
Search engines (paid or pay-per-click) 20% 14% 20% 8%
Radio or TV 15% 7% 5% 7%
Texting 6% N/A N/A N/A
Other 3% 4% 3% 3%
Do not know 1% 0% 0% 1%
Top three methods for creating brand awareness.
Blue: Upward trend
12. Which social media does your organization officially use?
SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS OFFICIALLY USED BY ASSOCIATIONS
2012 2011 2010
(N = 685) (N = 641) (N = 405)
Facebook 86% 91% 75%
Twitter 79% 71% 66%
LinkedIn (Public Access) 56% 53% 59%
YouTube 53% 45% 35%
Association Blog 30% 27% 30%
LinkedIn (Members Only) 30% 28% N/A
Association Listserv 22% 24% 31%
Private Association Social Network 19% 18% 17%
Flickr 15% 15% N/A
Google+ 11% N/A N/A
Wikis 8% 9% 13%
Ning/Groupsite 4% 4% 6%
Second Life 1% 2% 3%
MySpace 1% 1% 4%
None 3% 6% 8%
Other 4% 4% 6%
13. Time to Achieve 50 Million Users
1. Print Hundreds of Years
2. Radio 38 Years
3. TV 13 Years
4. Internet 4 Years
5. iPod 3 Years
6. Facebook 24 Months
7. Twitter 12 Months
8. Google+ 6 Months*
* Stephan Scherzer, CEO, VDZ - German Magazine Publishers
15. EFFECTIVENESS OF MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT MARKETING CHANNELS
Most Effective Least Effective
Marketing Channel
(N=685) (N=630)
Word-of-mouth recommendations 54% 3%
Email 37% 11%
Association website 34% 7%
Direct mail 30% 24%
Cross-sell to non-members who buy your products or attend your conferences 20% 7%
Personal sales calls 17% 7%
Promotion to/at your own conferences/conventions 16% 9%
Association-sponsored events 16% 4%
Chapters 14% 8%
Exhibiting at other conferences 10% 28%
Local events/meetings 10% 5%
Promotional incentives 8% 16%
Association-sponsored social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn) 5% 18%
Public relations 5% 11%
Telemarketing 4% 13%
Accreditation promotion 4% 4%
Advertising in your own publications 3% 17%
Advertising in outside publications 2% 25%
Search engines (organic) 2% 8%
Search engines (paid or pay-per-click) 1% 10%
Job board 1% 13%
Radio or TV 1% 11%
Paid banners on other websites -- 14%
Texting -- 5%
Other 3% 3%
16. TOP THREE MOST EFFECTIVE AND LEAST EFFECTIVE
MARKETING CHANNELS BY ASSOCIATION TYPE
Individual Membership Associations Percentage
Word-of-mouth recommendations 51%
Most Effective Email 39%
Direct mail 37%
Exhibiting at other conferences 31%
Least Effective Advertising in outside publications 23%
Direct mail 20%
Organizational/Trade Associations Percentage
Word-of-mouth recommendations 56%
Most Effective Personal sales calls 37%
Email 30%
Direct mail 34%
Least Effective Advertising in outside publications 28%
Exhibiting at other conferences 22%
17. REASONS MEMBERS JOIN ASSOCIATION
2012 2011 2010 2009
(N = 684) (N = 641) (N = 400) (N = 303)
Networking with others in the field 22% 25% 24% 22%
Access to specialized and/or current information 12% 14% 13% 23%
Advocacy 12% 10% 11% N/A
Continuing education 8% 7% 11% 5%
Learning best practices in their profession 7% 7% 9% 8%
Accreditation or certification 5% 4% 4% 2%
Discounts on products or meeting purchases 5% 5% 6% 9%
Association publications 4% 3% 6% 3%
Conferences/trade shows 4% 5% N/A N/A
Prestige of belonging to the association 4% 5% N/A N/A
Access to industry thought leaders 2% 1% N/A N/A
Advancing in their position 2% 2% 2% 4%
Members-only education 2% N/A N/A N/A
Access to career resources 1% 1% 3% 1%
Access to industry benchmark studies 1% 1% 1% N/A
Insurance (Affinity programs) 1% 1% N/A N/A
Not sure 1% 1% 2% N/A
Other 6% 8% 9% 10%
19. Which of the following communication methods do you use to help onboard
or engage new members in the association? (Check all that apply)
COMMUNICATION METHODS USED TO ONBOARD NEW MEMBERS
2012 2011 2010 2009
(N = 685) (N = 643) (N = 402) (N = 337)
Email welcome 72% 71% 72% 62%
Mailed welcome kit 64% 67% 68% 83%
Membership card or certificate 51% 51% 59% 58%
Volunteer or staff welcome phone call 29% 30% 32% 26%
In-person new-member reception or orientation 25% 23% 20% 19%
New-member introductory email series 25% 25% 27% 14%
Special discounts on purchases 24% 23% 23% 17%
Invite to chapter meeting 22% 18% 25% 23%
New-member newsletter (print or electronic) 16% 15% 20% 11%
New-member survey 16% 17% 18% 20%
New-member gift (e.g., gift card, calendar, notepad) 12% 11% -- --
Custom new-member renewal series 10% 10% 11% 7%
Telemarketing welcome phone call 10% 12% 10% 4%
New-member webinars 9% N/A N/A N/A
Early or “at-birth” renewal 4% 5% 4% 2%
No special communication 3% 2% 2% 2%
Other 3% 5% 5% 8%
20. What proportion of your members do you estimate engage with your
organization in the following areas EACH YEAR?
AREAS OF ENGAGEMENT
1%- 6%- 11%- 16%- 21%- 31%- 41%- Over
N 0% N/A
5% 10% 15% 20% 30% 40% 50% 50%
Attend your annual conference/trade show 644 1% 12% 13% 11% 12% 11% 11% 6% 10% 12%
Attend at least one of your professional development meetings 663 1% 12% 13% 10% 9% 10% 9% 6% 9% 23%
Acquire or maintain a certification with your organization 666 2% 9% 6% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 8% 57%
Attend at least one of your webinars 658 2% 15% 14% 9% 8% 6% 2% 4% 4% 36%
Purchase a non-dues product (other than previously checked) 655 2% 18% 11% 9% 8% 8% 3% 3% 6% 33%
Purchase a non-dues service (other than previously checked) 658 3% 17% 11% 9% 7% 6% 3% 4% 6% 36%
Purchase or maintain insurance through your organization 658 2% 14% 5% 3% 3% 2% 2% 1% 3% 64%
Purchase a book or directory 653 2% 19% 10% 6% 5% 5% 3% 2% 3% 46%
Participate in your public social network 666 3% 25% 21% 13% 10% 8% 5% 3% 3% 10%
Participate in your private social network 660 3% 20% 13% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 38%
Upgrade their membership 658 2% 16% 8% 6% 3% 1% 1% 2% 3% 58%
Volunteer within your organization 664 2% 32% 21% 14% 11% 7% 4% 2% 2% 7%
Donate to your association foundation or PAC 662 3% 23% 13% 6% 5% 2% 2% 1% 2% 42%
Participate in your young professional program 656 2% 16% 8% 4% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 67%
Participate in your mentoring program 661 4% 18% 5% 3% 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 66%
22. What is your overall membership renewal rate?
3%
Under 3% 2012 (N=685)
50% 3%
2% 2011 (N=643)
4% 2010 (N=403)
50% to 6%
59% 4% 2009 (N=337)
4%
7%
60% to 10%
69% 11%
7%
22%
70% to 23%
79% 21%
16%
38%
80% to 34%
89% 40%
37%
22%
90% or 23%
higher 18%
29%
3%
Not sure 2%
3%
4%
23. What is your retention rate for first year members?
Under 50% 10%
50% to 59% 13%
60% to 69% 12%
70% to 79% 19%
80% to 89% 17%
90% or higher 12%
Not sure 18%
(N=682)
24. Which of the following marketing channels do you use for membership renewals?
MARKETING CHANNELS USED FOR MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
2012 2011 2010 2009
(N = 685) (N = 644) (N = 405) (N = 333)
Email marketing 88% 88% 88% 83%
Direct mail 81% 82% 85% 91%
Staff phone calls 53% 52% 49% 56%
Peer member contacts 23% 20% 24% 31%
Telemarketing 21% 24% 23% 27%
Magazine cover wraps 17% 15% N/A N/A
Board phone calls 17% 18% 15% 28%
Social media contacts 15% 13% N/A N/A
Chapter phone calls 13% 14% 14% 15%
Fax 9% 10% 11% 17%
Employer contacts 6% 8% 7% 4%
PURL 3% N/A N/A N/A
Texting 2% N/A N/A N/A
Renewal app for mobile devices 1% N/A N/A N/A
Other 3% 3% 3% 4%
25. How many membership renewal CONTACTS (such as mailings, emails, phone calls) do
you have in your renewal series?
1%
None 2%
2%
1%
20%
1 to 3 23%
22%
21%
40%
4 to 6 44%
44%
46%
23%
7 to 9 18%
20%
19%
7%
10 to 12 7%
6%
7%
3%
13 to 15 1%
2%
2%
2%
16 to 18 1%
1%
1%
2012 (N=686)
More 2%
2% 2011 (N=642)
than 18 2%
1% 2010 (N=404)
3% 2009 (N=337)
Not sure 1%
2%
3%
26. RENEWAL RATES BY NUMBER OF RENEWAL CONTACTS
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS (N=356)
7 or more
1-6 renewal
Renewal Rate renewal
contacts
contacts
Less than 80% 49% 44%
80% or higher 51% 56%
27. When do you start the renewal effort?
Immediately after 9%
8%
welcoming 6%
10%
Prior to 6 months before 5%
6%
expiration 8%
8%
At 6 months prior to 7%
7%
expiration 5%
7%
3%
5 months prior to expiration 4%
3%
5%
9%
4 months prior to expiration 12%
14%
13%
38%
3 months prior to expiration 33%
35%
33%
16%
2 months prior to expiration 16%
15%
13%
8%
1 month prior to expiration 8%
7%
5% 2012 (N=685)
4% 2011 (N=641)
The month of expiration 3%
3%
4% 2010 (N=405)
2% 2009 (N=336)
Not sure 3%
3%
5%
28. RENEWAL RATES BY START OF RENEWAL EFFORT
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS (N=354)
Three months More than three
Renewal Rate or less prior to months prior to
expiration expiration
Less than 80% 51% 40%
80% or higher 49% 60%
29. When do you end renewal efforts (stop renewal contacts to the member)?
2%
At the month of expiration 2%
1%
2%
7%
1 month after expiration 8%
9%
9%
13%
2 months after expiration 13%
14%
13%
23%
24%
3 months after expiration 23%
21%
9%
4 months after expiration 7%
7%
13%
2%
5 months after expiration 3%
2%
Not asked in 2009
8% 2012 (N=688)
6 months after expiration 8%
8% 2011 (N=639)
Not asked in 2009
11% 2010 (N=404)
More than 6 months after 11% 2009 (N=336)
expiration 14%
Not asked in 2009
21%
We don't stop contact 22%
19%
21%
3%
Not sure 3%
3%
4%
30. RENEWAL RATES BY END OF RENEWAL EFFORT
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS (N=354)
More than three
1-3 months
Renewal Rate months after
after expiration
expiration
Less than 80% 51% 43%
80% or higher 49% 57%
31. Do you offer any of the following renewal options?
Installment renewal payments 46%
46%
(monthly, quarterly) 46%
32%
Multi-year renewals 32%
33%
26%
Renewal bill-me 28%
28%
24%
Automatic annual credit card renewal 24%
22%
22%
Lifetime membership 25%
Not asked in 2010
2012 (N=445)
22%
Early renewal discounts 21% 2011 (N=440)
19%
2010 (N=246)
Automatic Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) 15%
15%
renewals 10%
32. REASONS FOR NOT RENEWING MEMBERSHIP
2012 2011 2010 2009
(N = 687) (N = 639) (N = 400) (N = 333)
Budget cuts/economic hardship of company 17% N/A N/A N/A
Lack of engagement with the organization 14% N/A N/A N/A
Employer won’t pay or stopped paying dues 12% 15% 25% 22%
Could not justify membership costs with any significant ROI 11% N/A N/A N/A
Lack of value 11% 24% 36% 20%
Left the field, industry, or profession 8% 12% N/A N/A
Too expensive 5% 14% 11% 22%
Forgot to renew 4% 7% 6% 11%
Lack of relevance 3% N/A N/A N/A
Company closed or merged 2% 7% N/A N/A
Disappointment with the benefits/services 2% N/A N/A N/A
Moved 2% N/A N/A N/A
Retirement 2% 2% 4% 4%
Can get materials from other members/other sources 1% N/A N/A N/A
Disagree with the advocacy position in the association 1% N/A N/A N/A
Lost job 1% 3% 4% 3%
Poor customer service 1% -- 1% --
Student memberships do not convert to full memberships 1% N/A N/A N/A
Switch to competitor 1% 1% 1% --
Not sure 2% 6% 2% 4%
Other 4% 9% 12% 14%
33. BASIC ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES BY RENEWAL RATE
Less than 80% 80% or Higher
Under $50 9% 3%
$50 - $99 21% 7%
$100 - $149 15% 6%
$150 - $199 16% 10%
$200 - $299 11% 13%
$300 - $399 7% 10%
$400 - $499 2% 6%
$500 - $749 5% 7%
$750 - $999 2% 3%
$1,000 and over 3% 7%
Varies by company size 9% 29%
35. After a membership lapses or expires, how long do you continue to
contact the member to invite them to reinstate their membership?
10%
We don't contact lapsed 11%
members 10%
8%
22%
1 year after expiration 22%
24%
25%
13%
2 years after expiration 14%
15%
13%
10%
3 years after expiration 9%
6% 2012 (N=686)
6%
2011 (N=641)
5%
4 to 5 years after expiration 4%
6% 2010 (N=403)
5%
2009 (N=333)
1%
6 to 10 years after expiration 1%
1%
1%
We continue indefinitely to 31%
30%
contact lapsed members 24%
30%
5%
Not sure 5%
7%
7%
4%
Other 3%
7%
6%
36. RENEWAL RATES BY HOW LONG ASSOCIATION CONTINUES
TO CONTACT MEMBER FOR REINSTATEMENT
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS (N=305)
More than three
1-3 years after
Renewal Rate years after
expiration
expiration
Less than 80% 51% 42%
80% or higher 49% 58%
38. MEAN AMOUNT SPENT ON MEMBERSHIP
MARKETING PROGRAMS BY NUMBER OF PAID MEMBERS
More than
Up to 1,000 1,001-5,000 5,001-20,000
20,000
Acquisition* $17,643 $34,632 $101,931 $503,470
Retention** $12,711 $19,247 $52,240 $298,896
*Acquisition includes money spent on awareness, branding, and recruitment.
**Retention includes money spent on engagement/on boarding, renewals, and reinstatement or win-back.
40. What types of analysis do you use to measure the effectiveness of your membership
marketing campaigns?
Response rate analysis 49%
Source code or Keycode capture and analysis 29%
A/B split marketing tests 20%
Lifetime value analysis 16%
Computer matchback to prospect database 15%
Recency/Frequency/Monetary Amount (RFM) analysis 7%
N=667
Regression analysis 6%
None 40%
Important statistical validity information on the research methodology.
Some in the association world talk of membership as a concept as either dead or dying. But do the numbers support this contention?
There are numerous voices that claim that membership has reached the end of its useful life. Have we really reached the end of membership? The numbers from our research do not seem to support this contention.52% of respondents say membership has increased over the past year.60% of respondents say new membership acquisition has increased over the past year.36% of respondents say membership renewals have increased over the past year.
Can you relate to any of these challenges? Which is the biggest challenge for your organization?
Other Top Growth Killers include: Insufficient budget Weak product or service offerings Industry consolidationGrowth despite challenges Membership too diverse Competitive Associations Difficulty in converting student members to fully paid members
The Membership Lifecycle segments the membership experience into five consecutive stages: 1. Awareness -- when prospects first discover you. No one joins a membership organization unless they first know that you exist and have value that will help them. You also will have difficulty recruiting a new member if you cannot identify who top prospects are for membership. So the goal of the awareness stage of the lifecycle is what I call mutual awareness. On the one hand, just like any product, you need to establish share of mind with your prospective members. But in addition, you also want to gain what I call share of database. You want them to raise their hand and register on your website, accept a free whitepaper or newsletter, or attend a webinar or meeting. When they know who you are and you know who they are, you have the chance to cultivate a relationship. 2. Recruitment -- when prospects choose to join you. Membership is what marketers call a “push” product as opposed to a “pull” product. A pull product is something that is bought not sold. If you are a coffee drinker, you do not need a promotion piece to convince you to drink your coffee every morning. You seek it out. But very few people wake up in the morning saying that they need to find a membership organization to join. As a push product, membership is sold not bought. Successful membership organizations put in place a very pro-active recruitment plan as part of the lifecycle. They test, track, and analyze special offers, messages, marketing channels, and timing to convince a prospect to give membership a try by making the decision to join. 3. Engagement -- when new members feel they belong with you. The most likely member not to renew is a member in their first year. The second most likely member not to continue membership is one who has no behavioral indicators of usage or involvement with the membership. So the goal for these new members and those not taking advantage of the value provided is to generate interaction. Any type of interactive engagement, whether it is a purchase, a visit to the website, a completed survey, or a phone call to the organization correlates positively with the ultimate renewal of a member. Membership engagement is a crucial lead-in to renewal. 4. Renewal -- when lapsing members decide whether to keep you. The mind shift that is important when thinking about renewals is that you are undertaking a campaign and not managing an event. We are entering another political season. Politicians know that just sending one letter or one phone call is not a strategy that will maximize voter turnout. So they are very aggressive (some say too aggressive) in turning out the vote for themselves. In the same way, today the standard three part renewal series is no longer sufficient to maximize retention rates. A synchronized, multi-channel, high frequency, campaign is required to maximize renewal outcomes.5. Reinstatement -- when former members agree to return to you. In life there will always be bumps in the road with any relationship. It is no different with the membership relationship. However, it almost always makes more sense to try and restore an existing relationship than starting a new one. The reinstatement portion of the lifecycle is where attempts are made to understand the problem and fix it. This sometimes involves market research. As the old proverb says, “Look where you tripped, not where you fell.” It also involves ongoing outreach to highlight new opportunities and new membership options. Successful membership organizations never give up on getting members to come back.
One of the fastest growing Awareness Tools is association sponsored Social Networking sites. Does your association offer a sponsored social media application? What is your association doing in social media?
• The top social media networks officially used for association membership are: Facebook 86%, Twitter 78%, LinkedIn (Public) 55%, YouTube 55%, and LinkedIn (Private) 29%.• Associations have increased their official use of Twitter: 66% in 2010, 71% in 2011, and now 78% in 2012.• Associations have increased their official use of YouTube: 35% in 2010, 45% in 2011, and now 53% in 2012.• Associations with more than20,000 members are much more likely to use social media, 96% use Facebook, 90% use Twitter, and 70% use YouTube.• 31% of associations with more than 20,000 members have a private social network• Only 2% of the 685 responding associations do not officially do any social networking, down from 8% in 2010 and 6% in 2011. • 11% of associations are now officially using Google+.
Adoption of new communication methods is growing at an incredibly fast pace. What is your organization doing to keep up with these rapid changes? What technology are you using to stay ahead?
Consistently, WOM has come in first. This is always a surprise to me because very few people have a WOMM plan. How do you create more “Word of Mouth” for your organization?
The larger the membership size, the more likely direct mail rated as the “Most Effective” membership recruitment channel. For associations with more than 20,000 members, 49.6% say that it is the “Most Effective” membership recruitment channel. Only 15% of groups with less than 1,000 members rate direct mail as most effective.
How do these reasons compare to your organization?
Associations with membership renewal rates at or above 80% are significantly more likely to report using a mailed welcome kit, volunteer or staff welcome phone calls, and /or in-person new member receptions.
Intuitively, we all know that members using the associations services is good, but seeing the statistics to support it highlights the critical nature in the membership lifecycle of member engagement. In our 2012 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, we asked associations to tell us first whether they offered a specific program or service and then the proportion of their members that participated in it. For example, if an association had an annual conference or trade show, what proportion of the members attended? If a product or service was not offered by an organization then they were excluded from the analysis for that particular item. Overall, we had more than 650 unique associations respond to this question. What we found is that usage had a very strong correlation with many key membership statistics. Organizations that reported a higher level of usage where more likely to say that they experienced better outcomes in their membership results. With each of these behaviors, a higher proportion of membership usage correlated with an: • Increase in overall membership over the past year• Increase in overall membership over the past five years • Increase in new members over the past year• Increase in renewal rates over the past year
• The average renewal rate for individual membership organizations this past year was 78% and the average renewal rate for trade or organizational memberships was 85%. What are the renewal rates for your organization?
• The average first year member renewal rate for individual membership organizations this past year was 67% and the average first year renewal rate for trade or organizational memberships was 75%.
• Associations that have between 7 and 15 contacts in their renewal series were more likely to see their renewal rates increase over the past year (40.9% to 29.1%).
More renewal contacts appear to correlate with better renewal rates. How many renewal contacts does your association have?
• Associations that start their renewal efforts five months or more BEFORE expiration were more likely to see an increase in renewal rates over the past year (25.7% to 19.8%).Earlier renewal efforts correlate with better renewal rates. When do you start renewal efforts?
• Associations that continue renewal efforts from at least three months after a member’s expiration date and up to continuous efforts are more likely to maintain renewal rates above 80% (80.2% to 69.4%).
• Associations that offer an “early-renewal discount” were more likely to see an increase in renewal rates over the past year (24% to 19%).
How do these reasons for not renewing compare with your memberships.
Associations who say that they “continue indefinitely to contact lapsed members” are more likely to have renewal rates over 80%, have seen membership increase in the past year, have seen membership increase over the past five years, and have renewal rates increase in the past year.
In research that we just completed for a client, we found the 57% of their chapters were using Microsoft Excel as their AMS.
Answers to the question, “What types of analysis do you use to measure the effectiveness of your membership marketing campaigns?” raise lots of concerns for me. The responses reveal an alarming lack of using even the basic marketing measurement tools available. As the chart below highlights, of the 667 organizations answering the question, less than half track response rates to their marketing efforts. Only 20 percent conduct split marketing tests. And a full 40 percent use no marketing measurements at all.Why is this? In an age when we have computers on our desks and big investments in websites and databases, it seems fundamental practices that have existed for years in marketing are not being used. To quote Claude C. Hopkins, who wrote way back in 1923, from his book, Scientific Advertising: “The time has come when advertising has in some hands reached the status of a science . . . . We learn the principles and prove them by repeated tests. This is done through keyed advertising by traced returns . . . We compare one way with many others, backward and forward, and record the results. When one method invariably proves best, that method becomes a fixed principle” (NTC Business Press).An organization that does not track responses, conduct tests, understand the lifetime value of members, and understand the buying patterns of members in their database is sub-optimizing its effectiveness and the long-term growth potential.