In part 1 of our 3-part series on how to use inbound marketing to boost member acquisition, we explored what inbound marketing is, the benefits, and an introduction to how it can be used to drive member acquisition. If you haven’t read this article yet, take a look here.

In part 2, we will explore the first four inbound marketing channels we recommend, with some practical examples of how you could implement them within your existing marketing strategy. Plus some examples of membership clients we have worked with to show you the power of inbound at work.

Don’t forget, we have also merged the information from all three articles into a helpful guide with all of our tips on inbound marketing to increase member acquisition, which you can download here.

Member acquisition inbound marketing channels

Below we have explored the first four of the most effective inbound methods for member acquisition where we have seen impressive results first-hand with our membership clients. This will help you to identify which ones are the most appropriate for your organisation.

Content marketing

This is a mammoth topic and includes any form of content including blogs, articles, journals, best practice guides, whitepapers, industry standards, educational content, research, video, landing pages, surveys, FAQs, infographics, images and much more.

Content is applicable at every stage of your member journey, and the key is to create engaging and relevant content that will appeal to your potential members.

Examples of content marketing tactics for a membership organisation could include an FAQ section on your website with helpful self-service content for potential and existing members (more on how self-service can improve the member experience), to an industry journal to position your organisation as a thought leader withing your industry, and much more!

The other area of content we have seen many organisations utilising is Continuing Professional Development (CPD) content. This of course depends on the type of organisation you are. But this can offer a valuable additional benefit for your potential members and could be a deciding factor between you and a competing organisation.

Remember, whatever content you create, needs to be relevant, timely and engaging.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

By definition, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or web page from search engines. And with 68% of online experiences beginning with a search engine, this is a vital inbound tool in your marketing toolkit.

SEO will help potential members learn about your organisation when searching online for specific research, stats, qualifications, compliance information, standards and more. By providing and optimising this type of content you will be visible in search engines, and therefore driving more of your target traffic to your website.

There are many technical aspects to a great SEO strategy, and we have covered many of these in our recent guides – website optimisation guide for membership organisations and SEO success guide for membership organisations.

Events

We know the last year or so, events have looked rather different, with 94% of membership organisations transitioning their face-to-face events to virtual/hybrid options (MemberWise). Some organisations may choose to keep to this method of delivery post Covid, but there is no denying that events can play a useful inbound marketing role for member acquisition.

Many organisations we have worked with use events such as webinars and thought leadership seminars as member acquisition tools. These are a great tactic as they give you the flexibility to highlight your expertise in a topic that is of interest to your prospective members driving your position as an expert in your field, whilst allowing you to generate prospective new member data that you can use within your marketing automation system. Nicely linking to another element of your inbound toolkit.

Online communities also offer a great member acquisition event tactic. Over the last year 2 years we have seen a 12% increase in the number of membership organisations offering online member communities (MemberWise). This can be a great tool in your member acquisition strategy as if your community is of value to a potential member, it could be one of the reasons they choose to join to access it. This is also true for other events you run as member only events. If these offer real value to your members, it could be another deciding factor for your potential members and therefore well worth allocating resource to.

One point to note is that MemberWise’s Membership Excellence conference, which was postponed in spring 2020, is now going ahead on 7 October. There is clearly a demand given that a large number of the tickets have been purchased already and all the exhibition spaces have been sold.

Email marketing

Email marketing as a channel is one everyone is familiar with. And with 66% of customers making a purchase as a direct result of an email marketing message (HubSpot), we know it can be effective too.

When it comes to using email for inbound marketing, it is all about utilising email to be personal, timely, and relevant. Gone are the mass email marketing campaigns to a non-segmented and poor-quality data list. Your other interlinked inbound tactics such as content and advertising can be used here to drive superior quality data that you can then nurture using targeted and relevant automated email workflows to engage them to the point of joining and beyond.

Best practice email marketing should be adhered to including non large header images, using appropriate personalisation, include CTAs near the top of your email and sharing relevant content. A/B testing is also a terrific way of testing various aspects of your emails to see what engages your readers the most.

To find out our remaining recommended inbound channels and tips for utilising them, watch out for article 3 coming soon!

The proof is in the numbers

Hopefully by now you are an inbound marketing convert and can see the value it could bring to your organisation. But do not just take our word for it. Here are some stats from real life membership organisation clients who have used inbound marketing.

Inbound marketing support

We know creating and implementing an effective inbound marketing growth strategy can be a challenge, which is why we are here to help. We have supported many membership organisations with our inbound marketing continuous improvement services helping to increase member acquisition, retention, and drive growth. Get in touch today to see how we can support your organisation.

To read the full guide on how to use inbound marketing for member acquisition, visit our website where you can download your copy.

Granite 5 specialise in supporting membership organisations to harness their digital footprint to increase member acquisition and retention.

Cathrine Evans
Cathrine EvansMarketing Manager, Granite 5