What Strategies Can Associations Use To Retain Members?

No matter what kind of association you have, member retention is probably one of the areas you’re most focused on. That’s because strong membership is a vital part of growth and sustainability for associations around the world. However, retaining members isn’t always easy. There are a lot of competing demands for time, and people may move on if they don’t feel like they’re getting enough value from your association.

Choosing diverse strategies and options can attract and retain members. A mobile app is one of these strategies, but it’s not the only one that can work for you. Here are a few of the best ways you can retain members for your association, so it can stay strong and viable for the future.

Personalized Engagement

Your association should strive to create personalized experiences for its members. Tailoring communications, event invitations, and resources based on members’ interests and engagement history can help enhance their sense of belonging and value within your association.

Continuous Learning Opportunities

Offering ongoing educational resources, workshops, and webinars relevant to your members’ professional development fosters engagement. You can utilize mobile apps to deliver these resources conveniently, too, and that lets members access content on-the-go and at their own pace.

Networking & Community Building

Having networking opportunities is crucial for member retention. When you organize networking events, discussion forums, and mentorship programs,you give your members plenty of options to interact with each other.

Recognition & Rewards

Acknowledging members’ contributions and achievements strengthens their sense of belonging. When you implement recognition programs, awards, and exclusive benefits for active members you can integrate a rewards system within a mobile app and let members earn points for engagement activities.

Seamless Event Management

Hosting events and conferences tailored to members’ interests is a vital part of engagement with any association, and you want to make sure your members can move through registration, agenda viewing, session feedback, and networking as easily as possible.

A Mobile App For Events & Conferences

Developing a mobile app dedicated to events and conferences is a strategic move for your association to enhance member engagement and retention. Knowing what to include in your app is a big part of your event member retention strategy. Consider some of these main options.

• Event Agenda and Personalized Schedules: Allow members to view event agendas, create personalized schedules, and receive reminders about sessions and activities they’re interested in.
• Networking Tools: Incorporate features like attendee profiles, messaging capabilities, and matchmaking algorithms to increase networking and connections among members.
• Interactive Maps and Floor Plans: Provide interactive maps and floor plans of event venues to help attendees navigate seamlessly and locate sessions, exhibitors, and amenities.
• Session Feedback and Surveys: Help attendees provide feedback on sessions and overall event experiences through surveys and feedback forms, so your association can gather valuable insights for future improvements.
• Live Polls and Q&A: Foster audience engagement during sessions by integrating live polling and Q&A functionalities, and let attendees interact with speakers and contribute to discussions.
• Exhibitor and Sponsor Information: Showcase exhibitor profiles, product/service information, and sponsor details to enhance visibility and engagement for event sponsors and exhibitors.
• Push Notifications and Updates: Send notifications and updates about event changes, announcements, and important information to keep attendees informed and engaged throughout the event.

You Can Make Member Retention Easier

Your association can use a lot of different strategies to retain members, ranging from personalized engagement to advocacy efforts. Additionally, investing in a mobile app tailored to events and conferences can really enhance member engagement, streamline event management, and create a sense of community among members. When you combine these approaches, you can create a stronger association your members want to be a part of for the long term.