Whether you run an online membership or a non-profit, you know that member engagement is the lifeblood of any successful community. In this article, we’ll cover 24 effective membership engagement strategies for any organization.
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1. Get the welcome right
In any member organization or community, the first few touch points are the most important.
It's a human thing. Sociologically, we are wired to assess new social groups to see if we really belong there. If these are our people. If we are safe.
That's why creating incredible welcome experiences should be high on your priority list. Research shows that 74% of people expect a welcome email when they subscribe to something, and when people join membership communities they often look for a “Welcome” or “Start Here” section first. ConvertKit also reports that a new subscriber or member welcome sequence is one of their most popular.
Here are some ways to do this:
- Be as personal as possible. The research shows people expect personalization from brands. If you have a small membership, this could even be a customized welcome message. As you grow, you'll probably need to rely more on automations. But make them as personal as possible. The good news? A 2016 study found that members of communities naturally feel like it’s personalized to them!
- Set up automated emails. Even if it's just part of your welcome sequence, having automated emails the first few days of a membership can get people oriented.
- Use your software. If you're using a membership platform, you should have built-in tools to give members a set orientation. For example, we’ve built welcome checklists into each Mighty Network to help members get started.
2. Connect them to other members
Early in our research on communities, we realized the data showed the most important thing for a member to stay.
They need to make a friend.
There's an adage in community building that people come for the benefits but stay for the friendships.
If you are trying to build a membership with staying power, connect people:
- Encourage member profiles and introduction posts.
- Host virtual events where people can get to know each other.
- Build out small groups, informal hang-outs, and unstructured engagement to allow for serendipity.
- And make personal introductions wherever possible!
3. Host new member welcome events
If your membership is big enough, then your new member onboarding strategy should include dedicated events for new members. It can check the boxes for both numbers one and two above, creating a structured path for new members to dive in and make friends.
Feel free to share your vision and values, and be clear on how new members can get involved. But don't just talk at them. Give them a chance to talk to each other too.
4. Create a newsletter
Newsletters might be the oldest tool in the book for membership organizations, but they still work. And e-newsletters are having a Renaissance right now.
People still check email. It's almost one of the best ways to reach your members.
Create a regular newsletter that updates members on what's happening in your organization and provides value. It could be bi-weekly or monthly even. As long as you have a consistent touchpoint with members by email.
5. Build email sequences
Sending a newsletter is important. But most organizations send newsletters weekly at the most. It can be a lot of work to create regular, fresh newsletters–especially if you’re waiting for different writers or editors to feed in.
By building email sequences, you can get into people's inboxes on a regular basis.
Use a platform like Convertkit to automate email sequences. For example, it could look like this:
- Day 1. Welcome and what to expect; Invitation to a community
- Day 2. Invitation to introduce yourself on a community platform
- Day 3. Tips for getting the most out of your community time
- Day 4. A valuable tool for unlocking revenue
- Day 5. A replay of a webinar
The sequences can be as extensive as you want. And you can use email software to add triggers, this helps you keep sequences relevant.
The easiest way to do this is to “Tag” subscribers who click a certain link or fill in a certain form.
For example, you might have a sequence dedicated to your members who are starting a business. You might have another dedicated to businesses that are struggling.
Setting up sequences properly lets you deliver appropriate content to members with different needs–without spamming people with content that doesn’t help them. It makes a big difference for personalization.
6. Round-ups
There is so much valuable content already out there. There's nothing that says you need to create everything your members engage with.
One fantastic way to provide value for members is to round up material from around the web.
This changes your role from creator to curator.
For example, you could collect:
- Job postings
- “How to” articles
- Interviews
- Thought leadership
7. Build a membership community
One of our favorite ways to boost membership engagement is with a dedicated online community space.
Creating a dedicated membership community means getting your content to the people who need it. You can stop yelling into the void of social media, and focus on reaching your members.
We see membership communities thrive with discussion forums, virtual events, live streaming, chat and messaging, and even forums.
If you get your Community Design™ right, a membership community can thrive and even put your growth on autopilot.
8. Community app
You can take your community a step further with a dedicated community app under your brand.
It gives you the power of a community platform, with your brand in the App Store and Google Play store.
Since most of your members spend their time on their phones, a dedicated app means people can engage in community conversations, take part in events, join learning activities, and meet other members–from the comfort of their phones.
But they also get branded notifications to help them stay connected. It's a game changer for membership engagement.
9. Study your analytics
One of the awesome things about a membership platform or dedicated app is that you get membership data you can't get anywhere else.
You can see who shows up, what they spend their time doing, and how engaged they are.
Having community analytics at your fingertips is powerful.
10. Offer exclusive content
We've already talked about email content. But there are lots of other ways to make content your friend in membership engagement.
The simplest thing is usually to give people content they can't get somewhere else. This might seem like a big lift, but it might not be. Think about what your members want and need and how content can give it to them.
For example, let's say you run a community for social entrepreneurs. A webinar with an expert in funding social enterprises could be super valuable, and perhaps something they would need help finding otherwise.
Remember, the more you niche, the more valuable and relevant your content becomes to your members.
For example:
- Accessing funding (broad)
- Accessing grants for nonprofits (better)
- Accessing community grants for Michigan-based non-profits (best)
For a membership comprised of Michigan non-profits, this could be perfect! It’s an example of how niching makes your content better.
Sometimes, the most valuable content comes from thinking narrowly. Focus on what your niche needs, and don't try to compete with the generic influencers.
11. Create less mindless content
One of the biggest traps membership organizations get into is creating content for the sake of content.
People want to see content, right? Members need a firehose of stuff to read, right?
Wrong.
The problem is, the content treadmill can become a nightmare for you and your members. On your end, you may feel the constant pressure to produce–and it makes your life miserable.
But even worse, if your members are bombarded with sub-par content, they may stop opening your emails or logging onto your membership community.
Have a Big Purpose and clearly understand what you offer your Ideal Member. It’s better to spend less time on mindless content and focus your energy on creating a few pieces of high-value content.
12. Community volunteer programs
For community-based membership programs, creating volunteer opportunities can bring people in and build visibility for your organization. It could be things directly related to your organization.
Or, it could be things related to the good of the community you serve. Things like:
- Food or bottle drives
- Community clean-up programs
- Volunteering to help with a community event or festival
It’s up to you to find something that resonates with your members.
One tip, consider making a volunteer program a yearly event. It gets easier to build things year-after-year when people know an event is coming.
13. Create volunteer roles
There’s something about the most successful online membership communities that might surprise you. The hosts don’t necessarily do all the work. In fact, members love to be invited to contribute–not just in content, but with leadership roles.
We see communities with members volunteering to:
- Host an event
- Moderate content
- Lead discussions
- Teach online courses & lunch and learns
And so much more!
Your members aren’t just paying customers who need to be served endless products. Members belong. That’s the beauty of a membership organization.
And sometimes belonging means contributing.
14. Host a regular conference
A great conference is still a breath of fresh air. Members look forward to them, put them on the calendar, and prioritize them. Whether the conference is in Italy or Idaho, an excuse to travel and learn at the same time can be an awesome perk.
While creating a live or hybrid conference–let’s be honest–takes a ton of work. It can be a major payoff. And again, creating something that happens year after year can cause a snowball of value as members look forward to it and start putting it in their schedule.
15. Networking events
Networking-specific events can be hit and miss. Some people hate them and some love them–probably depending on whether they’re introverted or extroverted.
But if it works for your organization, a live or virtual networking event can be a low-lift way to bring people together and bring value. Networks build opportunities and new collaborations, and being the focal point of a great network can definitely help keep members engaged.
16. Member surveys
What better way to find out what your members want than to ask them? It’s a simple thing that can produce powerful results.
For the best insights from member surveys, keep them anonymous and avoid questions that would make it clear to you who’s answering. Keep it totally generic and you’ll learn more.
17. Member recognition
Celebrate and recognize your members. There’s nothing that gets people connected to an organization like being showcased. You could host awards. Or, just consider regular member spotlights.
Here are some cool ways to do member recognition:
- Member spotlights
- New-member introductions
- Member interviews
- Leader boards & gamification
- “Member of the month” programs
18. Social media engagement
In general, social media should not be the focal point for a member engagement strategy. It’s too fickle–you can’t control what your members see. So if you do make social media part of your membership engagement strategy, you need to learn how to make content that actually reaches your members.
Here are some ideas:
- Promoting a social post by email or in a community.
- Offering a valuable webinar or LinkedIn live that fits with your membership theme
- Showcasing your members and their accomplishments on your social media channels
19. Mentorship programs
Keeping with the theme of giving major value to members, a mentorship program can be a game-changer. If you can structure it in a way that experienced members help new or less-experienced members, it can really boost engagement. Or maybe it’s a mentorship program people pay into.
75% of executives report that mentorship has been vital for career development, and if your organization is helping them get it–you’re filling an important need.
20. Online learning opportunities
We’ve been dancing around this, but learning opportunities can be one of the best things about being in a membership community or organization. And you can offer either synchronous or asynchronous learning experiences (AKA live or pre-recorded).
Each has its own benefits, and a good online learning platform can let you do both.
- Asynchronous learning is available on-demand, fitting members’ schedules. They can take part when they’re ready.
- Synchronous learning is live instruction, with all the energy and engagement that comes with that.
A good membership platform should let you do both or either of these things. Or, you can host a live event and keep the replay up for members.
21. Member discounts
Member discounts are a proven engagement strategy. Basically, it means offering perks for belonging to your organization. There are so many organizations out there offering discounts on things like insurance, trips, or shopping.
You’d need to explore whether offering these kinds of perks works for your organization, but it can definitely boost member loyalty and retention.
22. Town halls
Virtual or live town halls are another member engagement strategy that works for almost any community. The concept is pretty simple. Let members come together in an unstructured way and share their feedback and opinions.
If you’ve built a membership culture where members feel safe to speak and share their mind, this can work really well.
23. Webinars
We’ve nodded to training and learning at different points of this list, and creating a webinar can be a part of this. Whether live or pre-recorded, a webinar should be a structured presentation that gives a ton of value to your members.
24. Private groups
Some of the best membership organizations make use of smaller groups within a larger membership. Call them what you want: chapters, subgroups, or small groups, but having divided groups within a larger membership can work magic for connection.
It can be hard to get to know people in a huge group. Scary even. We all know the feeling of walking into a room where you don’t know anyone (and everyone else always seems to know each other).
Creating smaller groups can really improve how members connect and give them a core of close friends within the larger group. These could be groups divided by interest, demographic, geography, or something else.
Conclusion
We hope these membership engagement strategies have you excited to serve your members even better. And if you want an awesome membership platform that brings together community, virtual events, chat & messaging, member profiles, and a full payment system built in–come build with Mighty!
Mighty Networks has member engagement built through it, with the features designed to help members find and connect as well as options for almost any kind of content you want to create. It’s G2's top-rated community management software.
