It might be a new year, but this is old news: Membership matters. And in 2019, membership programs might matter more than ever before.

“Attendance is not keeping pace with population growth,” says Colleen Dilenschneider on the Know Your Own Bone blog. “If yours is an organization dependent upon any earned or contributed revenue at all, then long-term solvency may depend on how well your organization is able to adapt to today’s rapidly changing world.”

Of the many challenges involved in membership, Dilenschneider says that expenses are beginning to outpace revenues, particularly for cultural organizations. That means organizations need to find a way to maximize support from membership programs—including strategies that drive people to join in the first place.

But that might be easier than you think. In an open-ended study that asked more than 124,000 people the top three things they could do to support an organization’s mission, the number-one answer was to become a member.

“Joining an organization by way of membership is the best thing that people in the U.S. believe they can do to support an organization’s mission—even more than making a donation!” Dilenschneider says. “This finding in itself should be enough to encourage leaders to take a hard look at membership programs and prioritize support for them.”

How to Approach Personalization Without AI

You’re welcome: we just made you a list of New Year’s #marketing resolutions. Heed advice from Higher Logic’s VP of Marketing, Marina Devalia, to get your strategy in shape for #2019. https://t.co/aSILy9nHxC

— Higher Logic (@HigherLogic) January 2, 2019

As marketing continues to evolve, it’s important to stay up to date on current trends. According to the Higher Logic blog, personalization is still one of the big ones. Although artificial intelligence plays a big role in personalization, the marketing world hasn’t fully adopted machine learning—which means the extent of personalization relies on your team.

“Personalization starts with your data—what type of data you have, where you compile it, and where you put it to use,” says Marina Devalia in the post. Instead of reaching out directly to members, Devalia recommends starting with obtaining behavioral information. “You want your audience to show you what they want by where they’re clicking, so you can use that to further refine their content and create a personalized experience.” Then, integrate the data into a system that allows your team to easily access and review insights.

Other Links of Note

Leadership’s new normal is dealing with constant change rather than linear growth. Velvet Chainsaw explains how to adapt.

Wellness experiences are more popular than ever. EventMarketer shows how health-focused activities are making their way into meetings.

As digital workplaces evolve, here are the shifts they may face in 2019, from CMSWire.

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