What does coffee have to do with keeping your members around for the long haul? It might be more than you think.
Consider your local Starbucks. How many times do you pass by only to see a long line of cars in the drive-through? And it’s not just during the morning commute. It’s All. Day. Long.
Aside from delicious coffee, what’s the attraction? You guessed it — the rewards! We love the satisfaction of seeing the star count increase and working toward “free” items.
So, what can your association learn about member loyalty from a coffee chain? Here are three key ideas:
Gamify engagement.
One of Starbucks’ biggest draws is the Starbucks Rewards program. Members of this program can earn points for every dollar spent. As you reach higher point thresholds (as you spend more money with more frequent trips), the “perks” (no pun intended) get better.
The takeaway: Gamification and rewards are a great way to keep your members around, too. Building a plan to reward and encourage members to participate in your organization’s activities can get them more involved and more likely to stick around.
For example, develop badges or allow members to earn prizes (think gift cards, swag) to reward them for racking up time, asking questions, or providing relevant answers in your online community. (Tip: Prizes are also a great way to clear out your organization’s swag closet!)
Get personal.
The Starbucks Rewards program gathers a huge amount of data on customer spending and preferences. This allows Starbucks to personalize the customer experience based on each customer’s unique preferences and habits. Using artificial intelligence, Starbucks can suggest new food or drink choices.
They can also personalize marketing communications with offers and discounts based on what they know about each customer’s preferences and visit frequency. (No, it’s not just a coincidence that you’re getting offers for extra points if you purchase 5 vanilla sweet cream cold brews in a week. Good data = good personalization.)
All of this creates a tailored experience for the customer to keep them coming back for more.
Providing a personalized experience can do the same for your member loyalty. Start by collecting data in a modern association management software (AMS) system like Nimble AMS. Nimble AMS allows you to:
Collect member data in a single centralized location. Put easy-to-use, artificial intelligence (AI) tools to work to do things like suggesting products and programs based on member interests and past activities. You can even use AI to predict behavior, such as which members are at the highest risk of non-renewal, so you can reach out to save them before they leave.
Set up personalized, automated emails for everything from membership renewals to alerts about upcoming events. Utilize member data to add offers and discounts based on membership level, past activities, and more.
Set up automated touchpoints on members’ birthdays and membership anniversaries. These are simple but effective ways to show members just how much you value them.
While there are many differences between coffee chains and membership organizations, one thing is consistent across any organization with customers: Modern technology is the foundation for providing great service and personalized experiences. T
The right AMS can help you manage every aspect of your association so you can keep your members happy and engaged – just as popular coffee chains do.
