4 easy ways to grow your association with non-dues revenue

4 Easy Ways toGrow Your AssociationWith Non-Dues Revenue

June 18, 2014

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About WebLink• SaaS company (Software as a Service), leading software

provider to business associations and chambers of commerce• Established in 1996, 60 employees, based in Indianapolis, IN• 94% customer retention rate

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About WebLink• Association Management

Software• Website Design & Develop

ment• Non-Dues Revenue Progra

ms• Partner in Your Success

Instant Commerce • iPad app for mobile commerce• Integrated credit card reader• New member sales• Event registrations• Pay open invoices

Partner Plus• WebLink handles all

marketing, sales, ad creation, ad placement and renewals• Customized ads and free

consultations with members• Opportunity for additional

website exposure and business referrals• Real-time metrics

WebLink Blog

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About Me• 6 Years experience in Local Media

Advertising• Consult on print, online

directories and SEO/SEM• 2 years at WebLink• Helped 100 association raise

$1,000,000 in 2 years• Launched non-dues website ad

campaigns in over 50 associations in last 18 months

Justin Greenwalt Business Development

ManagerWebLink International

What is Non-Dues Revenue?• Annual sponsorships• Events attendance• Event exhibitor and sponsorship fees• Website advertising• Newsletter advertising• Webinars/training• Merchandise• Print publications

Why Non-Dues Revenue?• Adds revenue to the bottom line• Keeps you relevant• Additional member benefit

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Session Agenda4 Easy Ways to Grow Your Association with Non-Dues Revenue

• Engage Members/ Market the Program• Distribution/Sales• Value Proposition to

Members• Renew the Revenue

Engage Members/Market the Program

New Member Orientation Packets

Email Marketing

Leverage Your Newsletter

Social Media

Events

Teleprospect

Strategy + Effective Execution = Greater Participation!

Distribution/Sales

Sales Campaign Planning

Non-Dues Revenue Should Fit Into Your Overall Marketing Strategy

Time Your Campaigns• Sell in cycles or on a campaign basis• Limit sales time for each initiative• Organize and save time• Generate a sense of URGENCY when

selling• Does not have to be a separate

entity

Staff Resources• Evaluate internal talent and

resources• Assign staff or trusted third

party contractor to manage the initiatives• Sales experience is a must

Selling Tactics• Listen to member needs• Get in the “know”• Understand the value of

what you’re selling• Present ROI • Close the deal

Sales Distribution Wrap Up

• Organization in your Association is key for determining: • When?• What? • Who?• How?

Value Proposition

Deliver Value to Your Members• You’ve engaged• Your staff signed them up to

participate in the program• NOW! deliver value

Value Proposition• Value • Deliver what is promised• Advertising (Print, Online,

Newsletter) • Deliver ad copy – aesthetically

pleasing • Deliver LEADS – ads have to

work• Exposure • All media and sponsorships are

done for exposure

Pricing • The perceived value must be greater than

or equal to price.• This is essential for renewals. • Repeatable revenue stream

• Print directory – pricing is reflected by distribution• Website advertising – pricing is

determined by traffic on website• E-newsletter – pricing is determined by

number of recipients and open rate

Renew the Revenue

Renew the Revenue• Make a Plan for Renewals • Growth – Renewals make year over

year revenue growth possible• Pricing – Remains the same or

incrementally increases with Value Proposition• Timing – Same time as last

year’s or last cycle’s sales campaign• Consistency – Deliver what you

promise

4 Key Ideas Revisited• Engage Members/Market the Program• Distribution/Sales• Value Proposition to Members• Renew the Revenue

Bonus: Total Inclusion

Total Inclusion• List all members AND potential members in your Business Directory• Members and prospects• Content rich business directory• Re-create the online Yellow Pages, Yelp, or Angie’s List through

your association directory

Search Engine Optimization • Major Search engines recognizes

local associations as a local, credible source for information. • The more content, the more

opportunity to be identified• Drives more traffic & makes

your association’s website more valuable

Upsell to Prospects• Leverage the appearance in the

online directory to sign new members• Some prospects will not have an

interest in membership, but will have an interest in advertising/enhanced listings• Banner ad sales to prospects• Non-members in some cases will

pay top dollar to market to your membership• I.E. Regus – short term, temporary

offices – chamber audience• Industry specific vendors – Sunbelt

Rentals for Builders’ Associations

Reward Members• Give members a higher listing

rank than non-members• Grant non-members/prospects a

line listing at the bottom of their category

Increase Member Loyalty• More traffic = more referrals derived from the

association or chamber website• More value in membership • Higher lifetime value of a member

Coming Up: 3 Questions

WebLink Recap: An Integrated Solution

• ONE web-based centralized database

• Prospects, members, non-members and all reps in same system

• Financials, events, email, committees, website, reporting

CMS Select• Simple to drag and drop

content

• Responsive website design

• Automatically adjusts for any screen

• Fully integrated database and website

3 Questions

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