As a society, the way we communicate with one another has changed significantly over the last decade. Personal computers, cell phones, tablets and social media dominate our daily lives and access to real-time news and information has become the norm. To help navigate this new territory, some clubs are adding member communication specialists to their management roster, but generally speaking, the industry has been slow to adapt.
In some ways, the situation is reminiscent of the mid 90s when the concept of membership marketing was first introduced in the club industry. Many clubs hired “marketing” staff before the goals, requirements and limitations were fully understood. Over time, those professionals formed their own networks and developed resources, but it was rough going early on.
Earlier this year, a group of member communication professionals gathered at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., to share their experiences, exchange ideas and begin developing a template for best practices in club communications. Here are three key takeaways from preliminary analysis of the data:
Make Member Communication a Priority
The chart below shows 79 percent of clubs with data in the Member Communication section of the Club Benchmarking platform place “Member Satisfaction” among their top five goals for communication, and 90 percent put “Increased Member Usage” on that list.
Member Communications Budget
Those numbers indicate that clubs do understand the importance of effective communication in keeping members engaged and satisfied, yet very few have made planning or resources a priority. About half of the clubs have a defined (written) mission or goal for member communications. Only about 30 percent have established a specific budget line item for member communications. Of those clubs, 70 percent allot less than $80,000 a year including salaries. Establishing a clear goal and providing a budget should be considered best practices for clubs that are serious about the need for effective member communication.
Consider Member Preference & Club Culture When Developing a Communication Plan
Because so many clubs identify member satisfaction as a top goal for communication, asking members what they want is a logical place to start. About 70 percent of the clubs said they do poll members about their communication preferences with more than half (52%) ask what delivery medium members prefer. Thirty percent make it a point to ask how frequently members want to hear from the club. Based on the data, about 80 percent of the clubs contact their members one or more times a week via e-mail. Information overload is more likely to turn members off than to engage them, so polling the membership to discern communication preferences should be considered a best practice.
Methods of Communication
Clubs are using many different vehicles to deliver information to their members. In this multiple choice metric, traditional vehicles such as print brochures and table tents are as commonly used as social media. Many clubs (72%) are still providing print copies of their newsletters and 63 percent offer an electronic version. Not surprisingly, most clubs communicate via website and e-mail, and nearly 60 percent are using some form of social media at this point.
Use Analytics to Measure Your Progress
With traditional communication methods such as print newsletters and club signage, it can be difficult to know whether your messages are getting through to members. A major benefit of electronic communications is the ability to track member engagement. Using tracking analytics to measure email opens and clicks or visits to specific pages on your website gives you a clear idea of what’s working and where efforts might be missing the mark. CB data shows that 65 percent of clubs are tracking email engagement and 58 percent use website analytics. Measuring member response and engagement to gauge the effectiveness of your electronic communications is a best practice.
Summary
The position of communications director is relatively new in the club industry, but its impact on efforts to attract and retain a vital membership makes it a very important addition to the management team. Professionals in this role will benefit from access to appropriate tools and resources including member communications benchmarks and the opportunity to network with their peers in the club industry.
For More Information:
DOWNLOAD SAMPLE MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS REPORT
Webinar on Member Communications
The new section on Member Communications in the Club Benchmarking platform (on the Policies & Procedures dashboard) will be the focus of a free 30-minute webinar hosted by Club Benchmarking on Thursday, July 24 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.
Teri Finan is the director of communications at Club Benchmarking. She can be reached at [email protected].