From police associations to horticultural societies, associations of all shapes and sizes play a vital role in fostering communities, advancing industries, and supporting individual professional growth. Still, to thrive, simply having a worthy mission isn’t enough. You need effective marketing strategies to attract new members, engage existing ones, and amplify impact.
Here are 3 helpful tips.
Create Member Spotlights
Recognizing members’ achievements really fosters a sense of community and belonging, which means happier and more engaged members. Plus, it shows potential members just how supportive your association is, making them more likely to join.
You want to:
- Keep an eye out for members doing cool stuff or achieving big milestones.
- Chat with them and gather some interesting stories or quotes.
- Write up a blog post or put together a quick video to showcase their achievements.
Say you run an engineering association. You could highlight a member who came up with a brilliant solution to a common industry problem. Write up a blog post about their journey, how they came up with the idea, and the impact it’s had.
Use Targeted Advertising
Using targeted ads really helps you reach the right people so that you’re not wasting time and money on people who aren’t interested. This is how you’ll attract new members who are genuinely interested in what you offer.
So you want to:
- Figure out who your ideal members are based on their interests and other relevant qualifiers
- Hop onto social media ad platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook.
- Create ads that speak directly to your target audience.
- Keep an eye on how your ads are doing and tweak them as needed.
Imagine you’re part of a healthcare association trying to recruit fresh grads. You could set up Facebook ads targeting recent nursing and medical school graduates. Show them testimonials from young members who’ve benefited from your association’s resources. By focusing on this specific group, you’ll make the most of your ad budget and attract the right members.
Offer Exclusive Content
Offering exclusive content means your members get something special that non-members don’t, which adds real value to their membership. This keeps them happy and coming back for more, and chances are it makes joining your association a no-brainer for newbies.
You want to:
- Figure out what kind of content your members would find most valuable.
- Create top-notch content that’s only available to your members.
- Make sure everyone knows about it by promoting it in your marketing materials.
Say you’re part of a marketing association. You could put together a killer annual industry report full of insights and trends that only your members get access to. Use it as a perk to attract new members and keep existing ones happy. It’s a win-win!
When it comes to marketing your association, you want to focus on engaging members through spotlights, often targeting ads, and offering exclusive content.