2. Membership Marketing
is just like being in a relationship
Awareness Get dressed up to go out
Recruitment Have a great pick up line
Engagement Plan amazing dates
Renewal Celebrate anniversaries
Reinstatement Know how to say sorry
3. It’s Friday night and you have plans to go to a local cocktail lounge with a
Scenario
few of your other single friends. How do you prepare?
Shave
Pick out a nice outfit
Brush your teeth
Go to the ATM
4. Scenario
You also have to practice
your pick up lines.
What will you say to
spark your prospect’s
interest?
5. Awareness … when you prepare to help your prospects discover you.
Before organizations can Who is my target audience?
begin recruiting members,
they must have clearly stated
How does my offer help them?
value propositions.
Value Propositions are Can I prove it?
statements that clearly
illustrate what you have to
Value Proposition
offer from the prospects point
of view.
6. It’s Friday night and you have plans to go to a local cocktail lounge with a
Scenario few of your other single friends. You’re getting dressed and trying to think
of a good conversation starter.
Target Audience
Attractive woman who likes to travel
Useful Offer
You have years of travel tips & advice
Proof of Value
Travel photos in your wallet
The perfect conversation starter
7. Awareness … when you prepare to help your prospects discover you.
Top 3 Questions Who are you?
Your Organization What do you have to offer?
Must Answer Why should I care?
A strong Awareness Campaign proactively answers these
questions with through multiple prospect channels.
Website “content for contact” tools
Social media channels
Online press releases
8. When you get to the local cocktail lounge, you’re immediately noticed by all
Scenario
your prospects near the bar. Now you need a plan of action!
1. Who will you approach?
2. What will you offer?
3. What will you say?
9. Recruitment … when your prospect decides to take you for a test drive.
Target Market
• Start with the prospects, meeting attendees and nonmember product
buyers in your internal record database.
Offers
• Think of creative offers that will match the prospect’s potential objections
Messaging
• Use language that very practically answers the question:
• Why should I join your organization?
Marketing Channels
• How will you send your message to your prospects?
• Email is cost effective but direct mail can break through the clutter.
Testing & Tracking
• Effective testing and tracking will tell you how to optimize the methods,
messages and channels you’re using.
10. Scenario You’re at the cocktail lounge and execute your plan of action
Target Market
• You target the most attractive woman
Offers
• You offer her a drink
Messaging
• She tells you her favorite vacation spot
was to Morocco and you share your
attractive knowledge about the world
Marketing Channels
• You two exchange phone numbers
Testing & Tracking
• And talk on the phone 3 nights a week
for the past month
You have successfully recruited
your next relationship!
11. Scenario Now it’s time to plan those amazing dates!
How will you begin to
reveal all the other
qualities that make you
a great person to be in a
relationship with?
How frequent and
extravagant does the
date need to be to
achieve success?
12. Engagement … when members want to do things with you.
• A welcome letter or phone call
• Mailing them a coupon for dollars off their next purchase
• Emailing a use of benefits survey
• Courtesy call to answer member questions
13. Engagement … when members want do things with you.
Give special attention to
your first-year members.
They are taking your organization
for a test drive so show them the
membership value that justifies
the dues they paid.
The more frequent and more
positive the interactions are with
the first-year members, the higher
the renewal rate.
14. Scenario It’s a year later and you have successfully developed a romantic relationship!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
If you have done everything right,
when you ask her to continue
on your life journey together,
she should say yes.
That all depends on if you
ask her the right way.
15. Renewal … when members decide to keep you.
This is the moment when your member evaluates the value of your organization
and if it’s worth continuing the relationship.
The most effective renewal processes are
based around multi-media channels:
An early bird reminder email – offering an
early bird discount
A direct mail notice during timed intervals
before the member expires
Reminder phone calls during the month the
member expires
16. Renewal … when members decide to keep you.
Consider more convenient payment options:
Automatic credit card renewal
Automatic electronic funds transfer (EFT)
Monthly or quarterly credit card
installment billing
17. Scenario What happens if you completely blew the anniversary date?
She never wants
to hear from you
again and all you Then ask for it!
want is another
chance?
18. Reinstatement … when former members decide to give you another chance.
This is the perfect opportunity for members
to reconsider their decision to end the Email
relationship.
The most likely member to return, is the
one who most recently left – so early
Direct
reminders are key!
Mail
Try win-back campaigns!
Since you already had an established
relationship with former members, you
have all the information necessary to Phone
communicate with them.
19. Do you have a great membership marketing idea?
Ask yourself which membership lifecycle stage it matches
… when you prepare to help your
Awareness
prospects discover you
… when your prospect decides to take
Recruitment
you for a test drive
… when members want to do
Engagement
things with you
Renewal … when members decide to keep you
… when former members decide to give
Reinstatement
you another chance
20. Questions?
Resources
Marketing General, Inc., The Five Step MGI Membership Lifecycle Marketing Model,
MGI Tipster Vol. 9-10 Issue 1-12, retrieved January 4, 2011,
http://www.marketinggeneral.com/blog/category/tipster/
