4 Creative Ways to Promote Your Membership Incentive Program

Membership incentives are the rewards or benefits that your organization’s members receive for being part of the program. While most of these incentive programs give members exclusive discounts at certain retailers, they can also offer more tailored perks. To create an effective program that encourages them to renew their memberships, donate to fundraisers, and remain active in your organization, it’s essential to connect with members regularly and craft a program that appeals to them.

However, members must be aware of your membership incentive program for it to boost retention and engagement. We’ll explore four top tips for promoting your incentive program, starting with how to develop innovative digital marketing strategies.

Leverage digital marketing.

As Allegiance Group’s guide to digital marketing explains, this term refers to “the practice of promoting a product, service, or cause through online channels like social media, email, and search engines.” For nonprofits, associations, and other mission-driven organizations, the primary purpose of these efforts is to further their mission and spread awareness of their offerings. 

Promoting your incentive program in social media posts and email campaigns will help you reach your online audience. To make your content stand out, consider these more innovative digital strategies:

• Influencer partnerships: Partner with influencers in your association’s space and ask them to promote your membership incentive program on their social media platforms, podcasts, YouTube channels, or other platforms. Provide any graphics, videos, and copy you want them to share to ensure accuracy and make it easier for them. Remember that these deals are typically paid, and costs can vary depending on the influencer’s follower count. 

• Social media challenges: Challenges and competitions are a great way to inspire urgency and build demand around a product. To apply this concept to your program, create a challenge that is relevant to your organization. For example, a hospital association might organize a health and wellness challenge or a healthy recipe contest. Foster friendly competition by offering a prize to the winner (for instance, you could give a free gold tier member card to the participant whose post gets the most likes).
  

• Interactive media: Leverage interactive features like polls and quizzes on your website or in social media posts. These can motivate more users to interact with your content while helping you gather feedback or teaching them about your program. Create a series of quiz questions related to your mission and award member cards to those with the highest scores. Or, set up polls that ask what members want to get out of the program.

If your organization wants to level up its marketing efforts, consider working with professionals. Partnering with a marketing agency can help your organization expand its reach to more supporters. The seasoned professionals at these organizations bring years of expertise, connections in the marketing space, and new perspectives to the table. 

Take a collaborative approach.

Your program will only incentivize members to renew and actively participate if the benefits appeal to them. To ensure that the program aligns with members’ interests and preferences, ask them to get involved in the process of creating or updating your program. 

There are many benefits to this approach. First, you can rest assured that members will enjoy the benefits you offer. You’ll also be able to draw attention to the program by asking for suggestions, allowing you to promote the program as being “designed by members, for members.”

To gather members’ ideas and feedback, set up a form on your membership website. Ask about what kinds of perks or benefits would be most valuable to them—for example, would they prefer discounts at local businesses or free merchandise from your organization? Share links to the survey across various communication channels and explain that their responses have the power to shape the perks in your membership incentive program.

Offer exclusive opportunities.

In addition to financial incentives like discounts, your program can also give members access to exclusive events. For example, the American Heart Association offers discounts and priority registration to important conferences in the space.

There are a few ways to promote these events and opportunities, including:

• Sending exclusive invitations. Invite members to events and make it clear that you’re reaching out to them first. To highlight the value of an early invite, let members know if the event or opportunity is very prestigious or typically sells out early. Make sure to tailor these communications to each member so the opportunity appeals to them.

• Create a dedicated landing page. Make sure your website has a place that lists all of the perks and exclusive offerings included in your program. This can be a great resource to share in marketing campaigns or to refer curious members to. The page should be updated regularly to reflect the current benefits included in the incentive program.

• Leveraging fear of missing out. Convey the value of the opportunity and convince members that they won’t want to skip it. For example, if they don’t attend the conference, they may miss hearing from a famous or influential figure in the industry. 

To make these efforts more effective, use strategies like segmentation to divide your audience into subgroups based on shared characteristics. This way, you can target your messages to those who are most likely to engage with them. You might create segments based on members’ interests and share about the opportunities they’ll want to participate in.

Spread the word during events.

Take advantage of the energy and excitement during your organization's next event and spread the word about your incentive program. For example, you could announce the launch of your membership program at a member appreciation event. After all, eCardWidget recommends holding events like appreciation dinners or awards ceremonies to bring members together and show them your gratitude. What better time to let members know about new perks than when you’ve gathered them in one place to appreciate them?

Whether you’re promoting the program at a member appreciation lunch or a fundraiser, here are some ways to spread the word about incentives at your events:

• Set up a dedicated information booth with promotional posters, brochures, and visuals about the program.

• Feature signage around the event directing people to the information booth or your website.

• Hold Q&A sessions to demo the program and answer members’ questions. 

• Organize a raffle or giveaway with a membership incentive card as the prize. 

Remember to follow up with current or prospective members who expressed interest in the program during the event. Ask for their contact information and reach out after with details about joining the program and links to relevant landing pages or sign-up forms.

Member incentive programs are one of the best ways to reward your members and inspire them to return year after year. To ensure your program aligns with changing member preferences, be sure to collect members’ feedback on the program regularly. This way, you’ll provide tailored benefits that make members feel valued, appreciated, and excited to renew their membership.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KACEY CRAWFORD

Vice President, Digital Strategy

Kacey joined Pursuant in July of 2021, and she brings a wealth of expertise in both nonprofit and agency strategy and leadership. In her role as Vice President of Digital Strategy, Kacey will lead Pursuant’s digital practice and serve as the senior strategist, in partnership with client strategy teams, to bring best-in-class digital offerings. With a breadth and depth of experience spanning over 20 years, at organizations like Sierra Club, CDR Fundraising Group, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and others, Kacey is dedicated to the ever-evolving digital transformation and true channel integration needed to drive meaningful constituent experiences, greater loyalty, and mission-focused growth for Pursuant’s valued clients.