What Brought 'Em Won't Keep 'Em

If you’re like other organizations, your membership strategy for the beginning of the year is focused on welcoming as many new joins as you can. But you blinked, and it’s March, so now it’s time for your team to think about how you’re going to build those relationships.

As with any new relationship, the early days are about novelty and excitement. The bad news? That won’t last forever. The good news? Intentional touchpoints keep people engaged throughout their journey. Here are three ways to keep ’em for the long haul:

1. TREAT NEW MEMBERS RIGHT

Take your new member onboarding experience seriously. The first 3 months are crucial. Define the path you want your new members to take. With Daxko Engage, you are able to create a multi-step initiative workflow with a mix of emails and tasks for your staff to lessen the load while still providing an excellent onboarding experience for your members. The New Member Engagement campaign the Engagement Solutions Team recommends has a dozen touchpoints in the first 120 days.

2. TARGET YOUR MARKETING

The “spray & pray” marketing approach is as messy as it sounds. Use Daxko Engage Group Rules to create meaningful member segments, and send a simple Initiative to that Group with a clear call to action. Fill your class and program rosters by targeting those who would potentially be interested with compelling information. For example, if you are looking to fill your 65+ Aqua Kickboxing class, be sure to target those ages 65 and older. Consider sending a separate, but similar, initiative to those who have participated in similar classes in the past.

3. DELIVER ON YOUR PROMISES

Real talk: relationships are built on trust. Are you meeting the expectations your members had when they joined? If a member joined for the community, make sure she feels like a part of one. If a member joined to become more fit, see if he’s meeting his fitness goals. Here’s some feedback from the Shames JCC on the Hudson about the “we miss you” Initiative they sent to members they hadn’t seen lately. Here’s what Lisa H. had to say: We have had great success. This initiative will help us to engage our members who have not been here for 90 days or more. I have responded to all who have reached out, and I am working on re-engaging them here at the JCC by connecting them with staff members to learn more about our adult programs, our complimentary fitness orientations, personal training and our new group exercise schedule. I even encouraged them to stop by to say “hello” the next time they are in!We like metaphors on the Engagement Solutions team, so we’ll leave you with this: In December and January, you plowed your soil and planted the seeds. Soon it’ll be spring, so you’ll need to water your garden, pluck the weeds, and tend to your budding flowers. That’s how you get your memberships to blossom.