Studies show that associations are reaping the benefits of their pandemic-era innovations through significant gains in membership. However, there is a downward trend in the number of associations that identify as “innovative,” which could forewarn problems retaining that membership in the future.

To boost retention and cultivate a thriving member community, get creative with the topics you cover, events you host, and even the way you connect with users. Part of doing this is having a robust, engaging online presence. You’ll establish multiple touchpoints with members that keep your association at the top of their minds, and you’ll have an online platform to share all the innovative ideas and strategies you’re using.

In this guide, we’ll explore how you can enhance your association’s online brand and communications to forge deeper relationships with members. Let’s begin.

Identify and target your audience.

First, you’ll need to identify and learn about your target audience. The best association management software providers will simplify this process by offering secure data analytics and reporting tools to help you collect, organize, and analyze member insights.

With software, the steps to recognizing and researching your target audience will look something like this:

1. Collect and organize data. Compile member data from applications, surveys, event attendance, and engagement with past online communications. Make sure data is accurate, free of duplicates, and consistently formatted in your database.
2. Analyze member behavior. Next, analyze this data to identify trends and preferences, such as the communication channels or types of content members like most. Review and implement any constructive suggestions from surveys (e.g., “I’d like to receive newsletters more often”).
3. Create member segments and personas. Group members based on shared characteristics like demographics, interests, or preferred communication channels. For each segment, create a persona to help you visualize those members. These personas are fictional people who embody key characteristics of that audience and serve as reference points for when you are creating personalized messages.
4. Develop targeted strategies. Create content that resonates with each member persona, such as tailored educational articles, emails, discussion prompts, social media posts, meeting topics, and more. Experiment with a variety of media and formats to see what best engages your audience.

Understanding your audience is key to using your financial and staffing resources wisely. Making data-driven decisions protects your assets and investments, increasing the chance that the new strategies you implement will help the organization reach its goals and yield a positive ROI.

Optimize the web experience.

Once you have a deeper understanding of what members want from their online experiences with your association, it’s time to ensure those experiences are positive and streamlined. Positive web experiences motivate members to continue engaging, stay on your website longer, share content, and refer friends or colleagues—all things that will grow your organization’s online presence and influence. 

To enhance your website for users, your association should:

• Create helpful content. Blog posts, videos, presentations, discussion topics, and more should be timely and relevant to your members. For example, an association for writers might create content centered around AI, the risks it presents to jobs in that field, and how to get ahead of the curve by using the technology effectively. Address newsworthy events or pain points within your profession, and add your organization's unique perspective and expertise. 
• Consider search engine optimization (SEO). SEO involves publishing high-quality content and technically maintaining your website to encourage your web pages to rank in organic search results. As Nexus Marketing’s guide to SEO for associations explains, SEO can offer a high ROI, drive long-term results and brand awareness, and result in more thoughtful and strategic websites. To get started, develop a keyword strategy centered around words and phrases related to your organization and create quality content containing those keywords.
• Ensure the site is navigable and accessible. Your website should be simple to use and navigate. The site should load quickly, and all buttons, widgets, and links must function and lead to the proper pages. Confirm that your navigation menu features all of your top pages and popular member resources. Follow accessibility guidelines so all members can access the website, regardless of ability. 

Having an easy-to-use website is also a good way to mitigate digital fatigue, or mental exhaustion caused by repeated exposure to digital communications. Digital fatigue can lead to disengaged, uninterested members. On the other hand, positive user experiences offer personalized and fresh content that excites burned-out members and generally lowers the barrier to entry for engaging with your association.

Offer exclusive digital resources.

94% of American consumers say that they would take advantage of an exclusive offer that’s not available to the general public. What’s more, not having access to exclusive perks or resources can activate a fear of missing out which motivates non-members to take the necessary steps to gain access.

This is why promoting exclusive resources and benefits can boost the appeal of engaging with your online community. Current members will want to explore and take advantage of perks only they have access to, and potential members will be enticed by the possibility of enjoying them. Here are a few examples of exclusive resources that could encourage more online engagement:

• An exclusive content library that hosts research papers, industry reports, best practice guides, templates, downloadable resources, and more.
• Online courses and certifications developed by experts at your association to enhance members’ skills and knowledge.
• Member-only communities where members are encouraged to connect, network, seek advice, and share experiences.
• Special discounts on merchandise or events.
• Early registration privileges for high-demand association events.

Fonteva recommends using a comprehensive membership management tool to oversee these exclusive offers. For example, you’ll need to set up a member portal, community spaces, a learning management system, and flexible discounts. Rather than choosing several different tools that may or may not integrate with your CMS to manage these offerings, rely on just one association management solution.

Analyze data, iterate, and improve.

The only way to measure your strategy’s success and further improve your online presence is with data analytics. Based on your specific goals for your online community, consider tracking performance metrics like:

• Website traffic
• Average session duration and number of pages viewed per website visit
• SEO metrics like organic search traffic and keyword rankings
• Social media engagement such as likes, shares, comments, and follower growth
• Email engagement like open and click-through rate
• Content views or downloads
• Member login frequency
• Participation during virtual events
• Membership renewals or new enrollments

Track and analyze these metrics within your association management system (AMS) to connect the new strategies to specific outcomes. Ideally, your AMS should offer customizable dashboards and reports you can use to get an overview of your campaigns’ performance to iterate and improve along the way. This way, you’ll boost the likelihood that you reach your goals.

Robust digital marketing strategies, exclusive resources, and members-only spaces help to strengthen your association’s online presence—but they can offer so much more. Your association will foster a sense of community that binds its members to your organization, forming long-lasting professional relationships founded on trust, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration.