November 14, 2023   |   Vol. 22   |   Issue 11
By Jana Darling, MGI Vice President, Account Services

Just 6 weeks left to increase your membership numbers for 2023.

The end of year is quickly coming into view. How confident are you that you’ll hit your year-end membership goals? If you’ve already hit your membership goal or feel very confident in your numbers, congrats! If you find yourself worried about where you’ll end the year and thinking it’s too late to make an impact, there is hope! Below are a few tips to help you get more paid members in the final six weeks of the year, and best of all, they are all tactics you can get to market in under two weeks.

1. Re-engage Lapsed Members. Hit your lowest-hanging fruit first. Your previous members are likely to be the easiest, and most likely, to join. Sometimes all they need is just one more reminder or ask. Below are three great tactics for reinstating your lapsed members:
   1. Telemarketing. From our years of data in our Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, we know that “Forgetting to Renew” is always one of the top 3 reasons for not renewing. We also know that many associations rely solely on email for their renewal efforts, so why not reach these lapsed members through a personal touch?
   2. Ringless Voicemail. This new tactic is growing in popularity, and it’s no surprise why. It’s a relatively inexpensive and quick touch to reach your lapsed members in another channel.
   3. Paid Social Media Advertising. Consider a custom audience campaign targeting only your lapsed members with a special offer to rejoin.
2. Timely Special Offer Emails to Bump Your Recruitment Numbers. We’re quickly approaching Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Shopping during this period is no longer just about buying holiday presents, but a much larger market where people have come to expect the best offers, including from their professional associations. From our 2023 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report we know that “Dues Discount for First Year Members” is noted as the 3rd most used recruitment offer and the 2nd most effective offer for new member recruitment. So, what better time to test that out than on the days known for a good deal? A few tips to help your message and offer stand out during this busy email season:
   1. Best Offer of the Year. The market expects the best deals during this time, so put your best foot forward with an offer that is highly desired by your audience and not something they’ve seen many times throughout the year.
   2. Stand Out from the Crowd. We all know that our inboxes fill up this time of year, so you want to make sure your email stands out. Consider warming up the audience to be on the lookout for the deal with teasers, and make sure to use a "Friendly From" that your audience will recognize in their inbox.
   3. Create Urgency. And lastly, give a limited time window for your offer.
3. Stay in Front of Your Website Visitors with Retargeting. The decision to join often takes more than just one visit to a website. Retargeting helps to keep your association in front of warm prospects who are familiar with your association: They’ve been on your site but have not yet taken the final step to join. This is a campaign you can get up and running quickly, and likely with immediate results.

Hopefully, this was the reminder you needed that it’s not too late to make an impact on your year-end numbers. The most important thing is to get started now! If you need ideas or help deciding what may work for your organization, contact me at jdarling@marketinggeneral.com or 703-706-0349.