Email tops the list of easiest communication channels to consume, most likely to keep members engaged, and most powerful storytelling. The question is, are you using email in a manner that your members desire?

According to the Community Brands Member Loyalty study, email tops the list of easiest communication channels to consume, most likely to keep members engaged, and most powerful storytelling. Email is also the top performing communication channel across generations. These results shouldn’t be surprising, since our email is always at our fingertips.

The question is … are you using email in a manner that your members desire?

In the new Small-Staff Associations Study, 63 percent of small associations say they do not target information to their members based on communication and frequency preferences. (Yes, I just said 63 percent ignore communication and frequency preferences!).

Marketing Communication Preferences

As state, federal, and international data privacy concerns continue to mount, it’s increasingly important to respect what information your members want to receive – not only to deliver more value to your members, but also to avoid facing possible fines or being blocked by email providers.

Here are a few pointers to help you empower your members to drive email frequency.

It’s all about the frequency.

There is a fine line between communicating too little and communicating too much. According to the Community Brands Member Loyalty Study, members prefer communication at least monthly or even more frequently. Millennial and Gen X members are more likely to want frequent communication. The desire for more frequent communication also correlates with how loyal a member is. Super Members are looking for a high-touch communication strategy that makes them feel connected, while Value Seekers just want monthly or even less frequent communication.

The desire for more frequent communication also correlates with how loyal a member is.

The mighty preference center.

The key to a healthy email program is sending email that people are interested in receiving. Take out the guesswork by asking your members and prospects exactly what they want through a preference center. Make sure you have options for members when they want to change their preferences to certain content. Showcase your value in a preference center. For example, do they want to receive communications regarding conferences, education, jobs, newsletters, etc.?

Your membership management system should allow you to easily build a preference center. Your system should also track preferences within the member’s record. That way, you can easily see and respect a member’s preference. The key here is to not ignore your preference center after you’ve built it!

Marketing Preference Center

Don’t ignore unsubscribes.

When members do unsubscribe, don’t just ignore them. Your unsubscribe rates can tell you a story. If you see your opt outs increasing, dig down deep, and see what’s going on. Did you change frequency in communication or add in other areas of content? Use the unsubscribe data by tying it back to your communication and marketing plan.

When members do unsubscribe, don’t just ignore them.

Today, we can determine when and where we want conversations to occur about all the brands with which we interact. Your association shouldn’t be any different. Respect your members’ communication and frequency preferences. When your members drive email frequency, you’ll have more engagement with your communication.

While your association may be small, it still has big opportunities with enabling members to drive their email frequency.

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