Introduction
With the technological advances of recent times, Membership organisations face a set of new challenges but also opportunities when it comes to engaging with their members. Whether it’s a professional association, a non-for-profit, or a community-driven group, understanding member needs and designing personalised experiences can significantly enhance engagement and satisfaction.
A Digital Strategy workshop focused on building member personas can be pivotal in meeting the different types of members needs and elevating their experience.
Why Digital Strategy is Key for Membership Organisations
Membership organisations main performance indicator is their ability to deliver value to their members.
Professional development, advocacy, networking opportunities and discounts on products and services are some of the benefits of having a membership. It used to be the norm that membership organisations could just attract members because of the social proof and their credentials but the landscape has shifted and the member expectations have escalated. Members now expect seamless, personalised experiences delivered to them by leading digital platforms.
A Digital Strategy workshop provides an excellent opportunity for membership organisations to step back and revisit their approach to digital transformation. By identifying key areas for improvement, setting clear objectives, and leveraging member personas, organisations can better serve their membership and come closer to their evolving expectations.
Understanding Your Members Through Personas
A successful digital strategy is built on the deep understanding of your members’ needs, behaviours, and motivations. This is where personas come into play. Personas are fictional representations of your key member segments, based on data, insights, and real-world interactions. They help you humanise your audience and focus on meeting their specific needs.
Some Persona Examples:
- Early Career Professionals: Individuals looking to network, access learning opportunities, and advance their careers.
- Established Professionals: Members interested in advocacy, or leadership positions.
- Corporate Members: Companies or organisations that join for group benefits, visibility, and sponsorship opportunities.
- Lapsed Members: Those who used to be active members but for various reasons have not renewed their membership.
Running a Digital Strategy Workshop for Membership Organisations
A digital strategy workshop tailored to membership organisations should focus on addressing the unique needs of your members. Here’s how to structure such a workshop:
- Set Clear Objectives: What do you want to achieve with your digital strategy? Is it to recruit new members, increase member engagement, improve the onboarding experience, or introduce new digital services?
- Identify Member Segments and Personas: Define the different types of members in your organisation. Create detailed personas that represent each segment.
- Evaluate Current Digital Touchpoints: Map out the touchpoints your members have with your organisation. These can be your website, member portal, emails or your magazine. Assess how these can be improved to serve each persona.
- Develop Digital Solutions: Based on the personas and touchpoints, brainstorm digital initiatives that will improve the member experience. This could be a personalised member dashboard, personalised content or a tailored event (e.g. webinar).
- Create a Roadmap: As a workshop output, consolidate the ideas you gained into a clear digital roadmap. This should include both tactical and strategic actions coupled together with measurable KPIs.
The Impact of Personalization in Member Engagement
Incorporating personas into your digital strategy allows you to deliver more relevant and personalised experiences to your members. For example, if your “Early Career Professional” persona prefers quick access to learning resources they can find the latest resources in their personalised portal. Meanwhile, “Established Professionals” may appreciate opportunities for mentorship which can be highlighted in their personalised landing pages.
By catering to these preferences, you enhance the member experience, increase member satisfaction and in turn the very much important aspect of member retention.
Conclusion
For membership organisations, embracing a digital strategy is no longer a nice to have but a necessity. A digital strategy workshop to define and map out member personas can help your organisation better understand and serve its members. The workshop output will position you to increase engagement, promote loyalty, and provide ongoing value.
Discover Digital is an award-winning Digital Agency with a core focus on Digital Strategy, Digital Marketing, UX Design, Solutions Architecture and CMS and CRM Integrations. Get in touch at [email protected]
Leave A Comment