It’s a tight market these days.  Everyone, from large organisations right through to small, Not-For-Profit associations are feeling the pinch and ensuring that your membership base doesn’t wither away is more important than ever before.  But how do you ensure that you attract and hold onto those precious members?

Every day we are inundated with adverts, emails, faxes, SMS and many other marketing communications. In fact, so many that most messages actually miss their target, even if they do add value and deliver what we are looking for.  Compare your own ‘inbox experience’ to the audience you are trying to engage with and you can safely say you’re just another voice in the crowd which is most likely being drowned out.

So how do you cut through the clutter and ensure your communications aren’t another casualty of the Monday morning inbox purge?

It comes down to choosing a communication partner who can work with you to determine the best communication method for your membership base.  That’s what it’s all about in the end.  Not how you want to send your message, but how your audience wants to receive it!

Do you really know what your members want from your association?  What is their idea of value for money when they pay their membership fees?  Is the value perceived or are there tangible services on offer?

We performed a survey of 5000 associations in 2013 and the key issue and challenge back then was that associations must provide value for money for their members and communicate relevant and timely information.  

Move along two years, the landscape for NFP’s has not changed.  It is all about engaging members via the channel that they choose and with the right information.  That is the path to membership base retention and ultimately growth.

But tools that offer multiple communication channels can be expensive, right?  Sophisticated CRM systems and web solutions often come with high price tags, making them out of reach for tight budgets.  And moving from a simple excel spreadsheet with basic contact information to an enterprise database system can be a leap to far for many NFP’s.  

Finding that solution that sits right in the middle, with the tools on hand to offer users a multi-channel approach to their communication and experts who will guide you towards better member engagement is the key to solving the problems of today’s NFP’s.

Look out for the next article which will demonstrate some real-world association examples – Associations who are creating insightful communications with their audiences. 

Want to know more?  Contact PRODOCOM on 1300 132 739 or visit http://www.prodocom.com.au/.  

PRODOCOM is a Digital Messaging Service Provider, including Mobile Applications, Email, SMS, Fax, Voice Casting, Web, Competitions and Surveys