Grievances of the 5-Minute Member (and How to Engage Them)

I admit it. I don’t have enough hours in the day. I believe in my professional association. I know it’s an important network and a resource to help me do my job better. But when it comes to making time to “engage” it falls off my plate as something that won’t kill me if it doesn’t happen today. Day after day, engagement falls to the wayside until a topic arises that I’m so passionate about that I spring into action. 

Does this sound familiar?

If your members are like me, they are busy, often away from their desks, and difficult to regularly engage. So what prevents me from being a more engaged member? Following, I’d like to share with you my 5 grievances of the “I’m too busy member” and help you learn how to engage members like me.

1) I’m really busy, and sometimes I forget things. 

I just received my third membership renewal reminder in the mail. Did I get a first? Must have flown by and gotten lost in the stack on my desk. Same thing happened last year. Hmm, maybe there is a pattern there. Yes, I should probably get better about that, but after being a member for 10+ years am I going to change?

Engaging busy members is about creating simple and specific calls to action. For example, when a member logs in to your website, remind them that their membership is going to expire soon and provide them with a link to “renew now.” As expiration draws even closer, make this message red and bold.

The result: Members renew sooner and you’ll likely discover a reduction in calls to member service with complaints that users can’t log in – as this is often a by-product of failing to renew on time.

2) My inbox runneth over, so be careful what you e-mail me. 

In an average day, I receive 200+ e-mails. I scan each quickly, looking for my action items. Those with easy responses, get quick responses. E-mails that need more time then get prioritized… what won’t kill me today.

Messages that aren’t relevant to me—well those are a huge waste of my time. Do it too often and you’ll end up on my spam list.

Since the adoption of e-mail communications, many associations have taken the shotgun approach to e-mail. As more departments started sending out e-mails, we became firing squad. Now it’s time to take a step back and do the following: 

1) evaluate if e-mail is really the right communications medium for the message;

2) eliminate the departmental silos and make sure that there is a cohesive e-mail communications plan; and

3) use what you already know about your members to tailor their communications based on what’s most relevant to them.

The result: Members pay attention to your communication because it is relevant to them, important, quick and to the point, delivered in a way they appreciate.

3) I need what you have, but don’t make me hunt for it. 

I’m working on a project. If I need a quick answer, I turn to Google. But if I’m trying to interpret thousands of search results into an actual action plan, then I need you and my fellow members.

Only you can provide me with connections between pieces of information, resources to act, and the experiences of others to save me time and money. I come to you with hopeful eyes, eagerly scanning your website for the answers I need. I scan, I scan, I search, I grumble. I don’t have time to not find what I need.

Give users multiple ways to find what they need. This means not only intuitive navigation and effective search, but also topical browse options and content recommendations of related resources. It’s not enough to be a content provider – to continue to compete (and thrive) associations need to add more value to content by providing context, examples, use cases, and member contributions.

For more on this topic Request our Content Presentation Strategy Planning Guide.

4) I want your support – when, where, and how I need it. 

I’ve fully embraced the non-traditional workspace. I have a standing desk with no chair. I’m never at my desk, but always connected by my iPhone and iPad. This gives me more freedom and enables me to connect in more ways. So why can I still not connect with you? The bottom line is, if I can’t read what you send me on my portable devices, you miss a big opportunity to connect with me.

Associations already understand that mobile is important, but are challenged with where to start. The critical first steps to appropriately leveraging mobile are to:

•        Review your audiences and prioritize them
•       Understand what content and resources they need most often
•       Consider when, where, and with what device they are likely to access these resources

For a sample, request our Mobile Planning Guide.

5) My participation isn’t premeditated. 

How often do I go to your website thinking, “Hmm, I want to participate in a discussion today. I’ll go to the discussion area of my association website?”

Don’t force me to go out of my way to be social. I’m most likely to engage around a topic that is already top of mind.

Members rarely come to your website with the intention to engage with you. Instead, we must provide visitors with clear calls to participate. That means offering opportunities to rate and review content, placing discussions in line with relevant content, offering related house and paid advertising, and spotlighting members with similar interests. 

By making the user’s participation a natural part of the experience, we get more users to engage with us more often.

Have your own tips to engage the 5-minute member? Share them with me!

Alex Mouw, CAE is the Senior Consultant, Strategic Web Solutions at Results Direct. Learn how to maximize your member engagement through your organization’s website by contacting Alex at alex@resultsdirect.com