Guest Blog: How Modern Technology Can Help Improve Your Member Retention Problems
Still hazy-eyed and sluggish, you take the first sip of coffee to start your day.
Ahhh… sweet, sweet outsourced energy.
You boot up the computer, which miraculously lights up without any caffeine coursing through its circuits… unimaginable.
You open your email and are immediately bombarded with dozens of brands trying to steal a minute of your attention. They’re selling something, and you probably aren’t buying.
But wait, there’s one that jumps out!
It’s your favorite newsletter! Like a benevolent beacon cutting through the ocean of noise in your inbox, you click it right away and devour it quicker than the burning-your-tongue-but-still-worth-it-coffee in your hand.
Why?
…that is exactly what we’re getting into today. Because chances are, to most of your leads and members, your emails aren’t getting such a welcome reception.
Shouting Into The Void
There’s a phrase in marketing that rings true here: “Try to speak to everyone and you’ll speak to no one.”
You’ve been on the wrong end of this with messages that clearly were broadcast to everyone without any interest to you personally.
What happens?
You quit paying attention. You stop reading the emails. You lose interest.
In the modern economy where attention is worth more than gold, you can’t afford to burn out your audience with one-size-fits-none messaging.
Let’s Get Personal
Take a second to think about what emails you consistently open – the emails that give you that little digital dopamine drip whenever they pop into your inbox.
Undoubtedly, that brand earned your enthusiasm by doing a few things well:
- They speak to YOU. Their message resonates and probably feels like they took a peek at your private diary.
- The content is valuable. Whether it’s entertaining, informative, or just engaging, you actually get something out of it.
- They respect your time and attention. You aren’t getting pitched on a promo every day telling you to buy their newest widget. Occasionally, they’ll let you know about a sale or new product… and when they do, you’re excited to see it, even if you don’t buy!
You probably send emails to your prospects and members, too.
But let’s get really, brutally honest…
Are your members spitting their cherished cup of coffee all over the monitor in pure joy, “YEAAAH! I’ve been waiting for this!”
Probably not.
In fact, most likely they’re just deleting it. Take a look at your open rates and tell me if I’m wrong.
Put the “Custom” Back In Customer
Hope you’ve got your pocket protector and notepad ready. We’re dropping some statistics:
When it comes to tailoring your content at an individual level:
- 78% say personally relevant content from brands increases their purchase intent. (Source)
- 87% of consumers say that personally relevant branded content positively influences how they feel about a brand. (Source)
- 63% of consumers said they’d think more positively of a brand if it gave them content that was more valuable, interesting or relevant. (Source)
- People are 75% more likely to open emails that are personalized to their interests. (source)
In other words, just about everybody wants and expects you to be leveling up your marketing and speaking to their needs. And if you do, they’ll reward you for it in the form of loyalty, referrals, and positive reviews.
Next time, we’ll talk about the benefits of automation as well as the top 5 landmines you’ll definitely want to avoid.
Take Action
The first step in tailoring your content is to figure out who you’re talking to and what they want. Luckily, figuring that out is getting easier and easier. Send your members a survey. Use a free tool like Survey Monkey, Google Forms, or Typeform (personal favorite). Ask some questions to learn more about them. What are they struggling with? What are their goals? What motivates them? Take what you learn and use it to start outlining what “groups” you serve and what content you can create just for them.
***Haven’t read the first article in the series yet? Click here to read The Biggest Mistake with Member Onboarding***
Joe Kerns is the Co-Founder of Member Activator, a turnkey retention company that helps you create loyal long-term members through high-tech, high-touch personalized member onboarding. He holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise Psychology and combines his research and academic background with advanced marketing and digital communication technologies to create highly impactful customer experiences for fitness members.
Click here to take the Member Onboarding Quiz and find out how much better you could be doing with your retention program.