1. The Membership Lifecycle:
A Systematic Approach to
Membership Marketing
Presented by
Tony Rossell
Senior Vice President
Marketing General Inc. (MGI)

2. Presenter Background
Tony Rossell serves as the senior vice president of Marketing General,
Inc., in Alexandria, Virginia. A frequent writer and speaker on marketing
topics, Mr. Rossell is a contributor to publications including Associations
Now magazine, Membership Developments, and the Chicago Forum, and
he is a contributing author to two books, Membership Marketing (ASAE
2000) and Membership Essentials (ASAE 2008). He also launched the
annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report.
Mr. Rossell developed the concept he calls the “Membership Lifecycle”.
The lifecycle begins with awareness. Increased awareness facilitates new
member recruitment. Engagement strengthens member ties and improves
renewal. Finally, reinstatement seeks to restore relationships with
members and completes the cycle.

3. The Membership Lifecycle
“We tend to focus on
snapshots of isolated parts of
the system, and wonder why
our deepest problems never
seem to get solved. System
thinking is a conceptual
framework … to make the full
patterns clearer, and to help us
see how to change them
effectively.”
Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline

4. The Membership Lifecycle
We define five key membership life stages:
1. Awareness
2. Recruitment
3. Engagement
4. Renewal
5. Reinstatement

5. Free Download
Download a free copy of the full
report at:
www.MarketingGeneral.com

6. Awareness Strategy
Definition:
The process of establishing your brand in the minds of prospective
members and building your knowledge base of who they are and
how to contact them
Strategy:
1. Promote offers with “entry point” content.
2. Drive traffic to client’s web site, social media sites, blogs
and microsites.
3. Generate measurable results and leads.

7. Awareness Strategy

8. Awareness Strategy
Strategic Process Landing
Pages
Online Behavior Special Offers Online Media
Product Searches FREE Whitepaper Paid Search Web
Information FREE Trial Co-Registration Site
Searches Membership Ad Networks
Events E-Newsletter Online PR Releases
Social Media Sign Up for Alerts Article Submissions
Searches Blogs / Forum Posts Social
Educational Social Media Ads Media
Searches Sponsored Links
Product purchases Member Referral
Blog
Leads Cultivated Through
Recruitment Campaign

9. Building Awareness and
Relationship
Designed a collection
of WEF published
PPC & Content Network Ads
articles into cohesive
free content. Google gives you the ability to
display your ads based on
geography and time of day.
Landing page with no offer to join. Thank you page with “hard sell”.

10. Components of the Campaign
If the prospect has not joined
The Fulfillment Email from any of the previous
contains a link to components, a series of four
download the free content emails is sent over 2 ½ weeks.
and contains a Each email focuses on a different
membership offer. benefit of membership.

11. Awareness Microsite

12. Membership Recruitment Strategy
Definition:
The process of proactively inviting new members to join your organization
Strategy:
1. High Intensity – Consistent campaigns to targeted core market opportunities
2. Multi-Channel – Deploy mail, email, and phone using database records and
outside lists with tests of message, offer, list segments, media, and design
3. Content Driven – Offer limited high value content on web microsites to
demonstrate relevance and attract potential members
4. Analysis for Increased Efficiency – Use a testing and tracking strategy to
optimization results and define the best offer, message, lists, and media

13. Membership Recruitment Strategy
Personal
Sales
E-Mail Database
Marketing Marketing
Search Engine Multi-Channel Direct Mail
Marketing
Marketing Marketing
Online Telemarketing
Advertising
Social Media

14. Membership Recruitment Strategy

15. Membership Recruitment Strategy
“For associations with over 5,000 members, direct mail is
designated as the most effective channel for new member
recruitment.”
(2010 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, p15).

16. Membership Recruitment Strategy
As employment and consumer spending slows, manufacturing
professionals are concerned. So how can you prepare for change, build
your skills, connect with other professionals, and position yourself for
career success? See details inside...

17. Membership Engagement Strategy
Definition:
The process of moving new members from observers into users of the resources
made available by your organization.
Strategy:
1. Affirmation of Value – Welcome and benefit highlights should present
valuable resources and services.
2. Interaction – Encourage member involvement and usage of member
benefits.
3. Communicate Vision – Communicate actions on behalf of members that
benefit the entire field or industry

18. Membership Engagement Strategy
Members “who are not involved lie perilously close to
former members in the overarching assessment of ht value
they derive from associations. If former members are
thought to be dead, the uninvolved are close to comatose”
(The Decision to Join, p 4).

19. Membership Engagement Strategy
ASAE 2010 Membership – Recruitment and Retention

20. Membership Engagement Strategy
Data Analytics for one association on engagement.
– Members who attended an association meeting in the past year were
19% more likely to renew than those who did not attend a meeting.
– Members who attended four or more meetings were 30% more likely
to renew than members who never attended a meeting.
– Members who placed a product order in the past year were 28% more
likely to renew than those who had not placed an order.
– Members who upgraded their membership in the past year to a higher
level of service were 12% more likely to renew.

21. Membership Engagement Sample
Schedule
Month Audience Activity
0 New Membership Confirmation Email
1 New Mailed Welcome Kit
2 New Member Benefit Highlight #1
3 New Member Survey Email
4 New Member Benefit Highlight #2
5 New “Hot Issues” Briefing
6 New Member Benefit Highlight #3
8 New Renewal Advisory - Questions?

22. Membership Engagement Sample

23. Tiered Membership –
Growing Revenue and Engagement

24. Membership Renewal Strategy
Definition:
The process of confirming the value that has been delivered to the member over
the past year and requesting the continuance of the relationship
Strategy:
1. Renew Early and Often – Begin the renewal process in the eighth month of
membership and continue renewal attempts through month fifteen
2. Multiple Channels – Push variable renewal messages to member segments
with email, phone, and mail
3. Payment Options – Follow practices of for profits in breaking up payments

25. Membership Renewal Strategy
“Associations with overall increases in membership
over the past year, as well as those with renewal
rates higher than 80%, are more likely to attempt
more renewal contacts. . . These increases in
renewal rates appear after seven contacts.”
2010 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, page 22.

26. Membership Renewal Sample Schedule
Month Media Message
8 Email “Save Time and Money”
9 Mail/Email “Renewal Notification”
10 Mail/Email “Now is Time to Renew”
11 Mail/Email “Time is Running Out”
12 Mail/Email “Expiration Notice”
13 Mail/Email “Did You Forget?”
14 Mail/Email/Phone “I am Concerned”
15 Mail/Email “Why are You Leaving?”

27. Membership Renewal Strategy

28. Membership Renewal Strategy
“Associations with renewal rates of 80% or higher
are significantly more likely to offer EFT renewals
(14% vs. 3%) as well as installment payment plans
(55% vs. 35%). Associations with renewal rates less
than 80% are significantly more inclined to offer
multiyear renewals (54% vs. 18%).”
2010 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report, page 25.

29. Membership Renewal Sample
Multi-step,
integrated channel,
issue driven,
digitally printed,
renewal program.

30. Membership Renewal Sample

31. Membership Reinstatement Strategy
Definition:
The process of defining the where the breakdown occurred in the membership
relationship and restoring former members to a paid status
Strategy:
1. Conduct Lapsed Member Research – When members leave they highlight a
breakdown in the membership system. Conducting research to understand
why members do not continue with an organization will impact all parts of
the membership lifecycle
2. Develop Messaging – For many groups, former members are very likely to
rejoin an organization, but messaging should be different than what is
communicated to “never members”
3. Use Production Efficiency – Former members should be included as a
separate segment in recruitment efforts to take advantage of production
efficiencies

32. Membership Reinstatement Strategy
"Look not where you fell, look where you slipped.“
(African Proverb)
• Reinstatement programs test the effectiveness of your
renewal program.
• Many organizations are sitting on thousands of members
just waiting to return.

33. Awareness and Usage • Superintendents
Example of Awareness and more aware of this
Usage Chart product; more
likely to use it.
Position Region
Service Total
Board Member Superintendent DM JJC DB DL LD JC • DL region has highest
(N=682) (N=409) (N=273) (N=121) (N=108) (N=122) (N=82) (N=136) (N=113) level of awareness of this
product, but lowest level of
Policy Manual Aware 83.0% 77.8% 90.8% 80.2% 83.3% 74.6% 84.1% 87.5% 88.5%
usage. Why?
Customization Used* 68.0% 67.3% 69.0% 71.1% 64.4% 64.8% 66.7% 68.9% 71.0% • What don’t they like about
Policy Reference the product?
Aware 74.2% 61.4% 93.4% 72.7% 70.4% 76.2% 80.5% 75.7% 70.8%
Education Subscription
Service (PRESS) Used* 81.6% 72.1% 91.0% 81.8% 81.6% 89.2% 75.8% 77.7% 82.5%
Aware 70.5% 64.5% 79.5% 66.1% 65.7% 64.8% 72.0% 80.1% 73.5%
Policy Manual Update • DB region has lowest level
Used* 48.4% 47.3% 49.8% 51.3% 49.3% 49.4% 45.8% 50.5% 43.4% of awareness, but highest
level of usage!
School Board Policies Aware 55.6% 47.4% 67.8% 55.4% 47.2% 53.3% 58.5% 58.1% 61.1%
• If more members were
Online Used* 41.9% 38.6% 46.2% 39.5% 27.6% 31.8% 50.0% 52.0% 59.1% aware, usage would
Aware 48.4% 39.6% 61.5% 50.4% 43.5% 43.4% 47.6% 50.0% 54.9%
probably increase.
Administrative
Procedures Project Used* 38.5% 34.0% 42.9% 37.7% 31.9% 45.3% 43.6% 36.8% 37.1%
• Fewer than half of
E-tools for Boards and Aware 42.4% 38.1% 48.7% 42.1% 39.8% 46.7% 36.6% 46.3% 39.8%
the members even
Districts Used* 28.0% 32.1% 22.7% 44.4% 18.2% 60.0% 20.0% 14.3% 0.0% KNOW about these
products.
Aware 37.7% 29.3% 50.2% 33.9% 26.9% 41.0% 34.1% 49.3% 37.2%
PRESS Plus
Used* 44.4% 38.3% 49.6% 43.9% 34.5% 42.0% 42.9% 52.2% 42.9%
*Used =subset of Aware Green = highest percentage Red = lowest percentage

34. Questions
Tony Rossell
Senior Vice Preident
Marketing General, Inc.
Tony@Marketing General.com