A Change in How People and Businesses Communicate
Today’s membership engagement best practices have shifted. There’s a much greater emphasis on digital communications overall, and that means acumen in the design as well as the management of websites.
Beyond websites, digital marketing requires careful focus, and whatever strategies you put together need to have optimization flexibility. That is to say: you need to be able to transition as new modes of outreach develop.
Increasing decentralization will result in a marked increase in digital engagement. You can expect increased digital commuting. Remote workers are totally changing the way businesses conduct operations. For customer engagement, management, and expansion into 2022, consider the following advice:
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- Optimize CRM Utility to Maximize Member Engagement
- Get Involved in Local Trending Causes to Build Community Awareness
- Conduct Surveys, Weigh Incentive Options to Increase Response Rates
- Offer Long-Term Members Discounts, Coupons, Etc.
- The Mobile Component: Apps, Chatbots, Optimized Online Materials
Optimize CRM Utility to Maximize Member Engagement
Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is core to many marketing outreach divisions of diverse companies, associations, and groups. It has more use than merely the acquisition and conversion of new leads. CRM can help you automate interactions with existing clientele.
You can send out emails at varying intervals in agreement with customer or member management protocols. For example, a managed service provider might send out a four-month security reminder to customers regarding the latest cyber threats they need staff to recognize. An HOA (homeowner’s association) might send out updates regarding community policies that change for whatever reason, or concerning community events.
Customers, members, leads, or whatever group of individuals you’re looking to manage can be categorized by engagement, interaction can be automated, and escalation protocols can be designed to swiftly funnel members that require an actual conversation to the right person within your association. Everybody can be put on the same page and kept there in a way which saves time and effort while maximizing engagement and fostering things like brand loyalty.
Even more notable, and perhaps valuable to many organizations, is the ability to track membership activity as a means of collecting data. When you have statistics on member activity, you’ll be more informed in how to engage them. Such statistics show when they’re most likely to respond, what engagement they’ve already had with you, and more relevant details. Read more here.
Get Involved in Local Trending Causes to Build Community Awareness
Public Relations, or PR, can be hard to manage. You don’t want to “force” your association into the limelight such that your actions seem contrived. Simultaneously, if you don’t “put yourself out there”, there’ll be no recognition whatever. Check around social media and get to know the local businesses in your town.
What community groups are there, and what are their passions? Which of these coincide with your organization? You can run marketing campaigns, assist in fundraisers, attend events with your own kiosks and provide free swag, or whatever is appropriate. Find ways of engaging the community in reference to locally trending causes. It’s good PR, and the community becomes more aware of your association.
Also, this gives members a feeling that they belong to a conscientious association, meaning they’re more likely to engage with you and the community on their own. It’s a mixture of older and newer techniques and has a positive cumulative effect.
Conduct Surveys, Weigh Incentive Options to Increase Response Rates
The nature of a survey increases engagement and can help you know both where you’re doing well, and where what you’re doing would benefit from a little TLC. Digital surveys can be sent out via email automatically using CRM. Specific surveys can be designed and sent to email lists using the incorporation of CRM. You can mail out physical surveys as well.
If you provide members incentives to complete surveys in the form of discounts, coupons, or free merchandise, that will increase engagement as well. Figure out how to fit surveys into your association’s management and put into place mechanisms that will help your business apply relevant responses.
You can even ask customers what sort of things would make them more likely to engage with you. Also, a survey can be a vehicle to solicit an honest review; incentivization will increase the likelihood of responses for such questions.
Offer Long-Term Members Discounts, Coupons, Etc.
Speaking of discounts, coupons, and other incentives, if you’re sending legacy members options in these areas, you’ll likely see some engagement.
When every third or fourth email they get is a free offer, that will make them more likely to engage with those emails. It’s worthwhile to establish a pattern of outreach in this way using whichever methods of communication work best for your business and customers.
The Mobile Component: Apps, Chatbots, Optimized Online Materials
One of the smartest things you can do to facilitate increased engagement involves utilizing mobile technology. You can design apps that incorporate games and chatbots so members can get Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) answered immediately (or so they can be sent to personnel in the appropriate department), and even build a niche community. Apps where members can communicate with one another, as well as your company, can operate as a sort of improvised social media.
Keep in mind, tech continues to trend that direction. Mobile devices are the primary way people access the web today, and if your association hasn’t factored this reality into operations, there’s a likelihood you’re severely under-performing similar associations who have.
Optimized Operation and Increased Competitive Ability
CRM optimization, getting involved in local causes, conducting surveys, incentivization of responses, offering rewards to long-term members, and taking full advantage of mobile tech represent clear ways you can increase engagement with members of your association. Altogether, these things should help you foster better digital engagement in the new year, and beyond.