The Power of Content Marketing: Attracting and Retaining Members
Recruiting and retaining members at the same time is a lot of work and usually requires different tactics—but not always. With content marketing, you can achieve these two goals simultaneously.
Why Content Marketing
Content marketing allows you to reach and develop relationships with a new audience of prospective members and customers while deepening relationships with your existing audience of members and customers.
You do this by providing information both audiences need to:
- Better understand an issue
- Learn about a new concept or tactic
- Solve a problem
- Do their job or run their business better
- Advance in their career
- Grow personally or professionally
With the help of content marketing, new audiences start seeing you as a reliable source of industry news and information. They turn into regular listeners, readers, viewers, or attendees as your association becomes part of their daily or weekly routine.
As you regularly prove your value, you earn their trust—and build your email list. They become warmer leads for membership or for bigger purchases, like a conference or online course.
Content marketing is a time-saver too. You can repurpose content from one channel or format to another: sharing the same content, breaking it up, simplifying it, or diving deeper into the topic.
Expand Your Audience with Traditional Content Marketing Methods
Webinars and blog posts are still popular for content marketing because—and we can vouch for this—they work.
Webinars
Webinars are an affordable (and sometimes free) way for people to get information and earn CE credits. If they’re sponsored, your association can earn revenue too.
When you host webinars regularly, your association becomes known as a reliable source of education and a community of experts. Feature different voices and opinions discussing hot topics, introducing new ideas, and sharing success stories. Meanwhile, your association can generate new member and customer leads.
The most enjoyable webinars use the chat box and breakout rooms, so attendees can interact with their peers. Some webinar hosts open the Zoom 15 minutes beforehand so attendees can show up early to network. They might also keep the meeting going 15 minutes after the webinar finishes so attendees and presenters can continue their conversations and exchange LinkedIn profile addresses.
Whatever you do, don’t waste your attendees’ time by talking too much about the association—that’s a big complaint. Share promotional information on slides and in the chat. Require speakers to stick to the program content.
Blog Posts
Many people prefer reading to watching because they’re in control of the speed. They can skim, skip, or slowly savor the content. In blog posts, you can also encourage readers to explore what you offer by linking to related content on your website.
Add a call-to-action to the end of your posts that leads the reader to a downloadable piece of content (lead magnet) or another resource. With a lead magnet, you can collect emails and data about the prospect’s (or member’s) interests.
Explore New Channels for Connecting with Your Target Audiences
We should say “relatively new” because these channels have been around for a while, but they continue to grow in popularity.
Podcasts
Nowadays, it seems like everyone has a podcast, so you have to break through the noise, but it’s worth it.
- 62% of Americans have listened to a podcast.
- 38% of Americans listen monthly—50% of people under the age of 34 and 43% of those 35-54 years old.
- 26% listen weekly to an average of eight episodes a week.
- The average age of a podcast listener is 34.
Podcasts become a habit because you can listen while exercising, doing chores, commuting, or driving around. You can even listen at a faster speed if you want to fit more episodes into your life. Best of all, they’re free, but your association can earn revenue through sponsorship.
An interview format is the most popular. You could feature speakers, authors, and industry experts, leaders, and influencers. Provide show notes on your website that include links to related blog posts, videos, or landing pages with lead magnets.
YouTube and Social Media Platforms
You never want to build a community on rented land, but if your audience is hanging out on YouTube, Reddit, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or another platform, it makes sense to have a presence there too. Share content that engages, educates, and entertains your target audiences—both prospects and members.
For example, if you want to attract the attention of Gen Z and young millennials, you could share videos that introduce different jobs in the industry and entry-level job postings. Ask what questions they have about working in your industry. Share member stories about overcoming career challenges. Provide insight into industry trends, hot topics, and what employers seek.
Influencer Marketing
Identify industry influencers on social media whose audiences align with yours. Collaborate on sponsored content, like webinars or videos, that highlight your association’s expertise. But remember, this time you’re the one sponsoring (paying) them. Partner on educational campaigns, for example, encouraging employers to invest in their employees’ professional development.
Take a Data-Informed Approach to Content Marketing
You’re more likely to achieve your membership goals if you take a data-informed approach to developing content for webinars, blog posts, videos, social media, and podcasts.
Review AMS and other behavioral data to identify topics and understand how people are engaging with your content now, such as:
- Email clicks-throughs
- Content downloads
- Event and webinar attendance
- Page and video views
- Advocacy issue participation
Use pulse polls to find out what advocacy, regulatory, workplace, career, business, and other professional challenges and interests are on your prospects and members’ minds.
If you’re starting something new, like a podcast, talk to other associations or industry partners who have one so you can learn from their mistakes and successes. Put your promotional machine in high gear if you do a pilot project, so your experiment has a fair chance.
Although membership is the goal, keep those who don’t become members in your orbit. Many employers don’t pay for membership but do pay for professional development. You can turn these leads into regular customers, attendees, or political action participants.
Review metrics to identify successful recruitment tactics. Use special links so you can track where new members come from. Ask on your membership application, “What interaction with us prompted you to join?”
Content marketing helps you strengthen your relationship with prospects and members. This type of member engagement is a leading indicator of retention success. This 5-minute video gives you a peek at MemberSuite’s Engagement Module that will allow you to track and compare your individuals and/or organizations activities. You can track activities for the following modules: Events and Sessions, Messages, Committees, Certifications and CEU. We will release additional modules and functionality throughout the next few months!