the changing chapter member - who they are. what they want. how to get them….and keep them! it all...

The Changing Chapter Member - Who They Are. What They Want. How To Get Them….and Keep Them!

It All Starts With a Strategic Communications Plan…

CMAA LLC 2012

Member Experience. Activated.

ABOUT ME: STEPHEN READY President & CEO, VCT


Stephen Ready is President and CEO of VCT (www.ExperienceVCT.com), the leading Member Experience partner to distinguished private clubs nationwide. Stephen speaks about the future of the private club industry extensively, and provides insight, vision and best practices for long-term Member Experience Management to audiences around the world. For the past 12 years, he has helped empower VCT’s private club clients to develop and manage more personalized communications, services and benefits that continually enhance the Member Experience—for this generation and the next.

http://www.experiencevct.com/

Today’s discussion will cover…

The shift in needs and

expectations of today’s

Chapter Members

The ways in which

technology is changing

how we engage Chapter

Members

How these changes will

influence the future of

Chapters and their ongoing

success

How Chapter leaders can

adapt to meet the

changing preferences of

current and future Members

Creating a personalized

Chapter Experience that

delivers additional value…for

this generation and the next


Outline of presentation…

The Changing Chapter

Member in Review

Profiling the Future Chapter

Member

Strategic Planning Your

Way To Success

Executing Against Your

Strategic Communications

Plan

The Future Member

Experience, Enhanced

Wrap Up


ABOUT VCT: OUR MISSION


VCT’s mission is to empower Club and Chapter leadership to develop and manage more personalized communications, services and benefits that continually enhance the Member Experience - for this generation and the next.

ABOUT VCT: 360⁰ INSIGHT APPROACH


Club/Chapter

Immersion

Value Assessment

Communications

Exchange

Analyze, Activate,

Adapt


Communications ARE the Lifeblood of Your Chapter…Have you checked your pulse lately?

TODAY’S COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES


THE MEMBER EXPERIENCE: FINDING THAT SWEET SPOT

Education/ Programming

Networking/ Relationships Service

THE CHANGING CHAPTER MEMBER



UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S CHAPTER MEMBERS: CHANGING PROFILES

Not just a Club Member issue…don’t forget about Club Management!

UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S CHAPTER MEMBERS: TIME CONSTRAINTS


Increased demands in the workplace…challenges at the office keeping Members from engagement with the Chapter

Growing, busy families leading to an increased amount of activities outside of their job

ROI questioning due to economic challenges – difficulty justifying the expense of Chapter Membership and required travel for education/networking

UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S CHAPTER MEMBERS: FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS


Individuals in general are more conscious about how their money is being spent

Consumers in general are more willing to look for deals and opportunities to save money - is your Chapter taking this into consideration?

Concurrently, corporate support for Chapters has decreased - is your Chapter finding innovative ways to increase Member participation and growth?


UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S CHAPTER MEMBERS: SHIFT IN PREFERENCES


Club leaders that have “grown up” in the industry connected, content-centric, computerized, community–oriented, and always clicking

Progressive…looking to learn more, do more, be more…and want it on demand, personalized and rewarding

Due to rise in digital consumption – Chapter value proposition will be assessed (and “extracted”) online in addition to offline

Viral marketing and positive “peer” reviews will define brand value

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CHAPTERS: THE FUTURE CHAPTER MEMBER PROFILE


“The average person in 2020 will live within a web of 200-300 contacts, maintained through a variety of channels” – what does this mean for a Chapter?

The need for physical proximity will be reduced through increased digital interaction – what does this mean for Chapter conferences and events?

However, Members will desire more personal connection and will value their personal time more than ever before

Personal and business activities will mingle...this is a good thing for Chapters!

Chapters must find balance between being “present” in the digital world and being a private oasis in the physical sense

*Source: How to Prepare for the Connected Generation’s Transformation of the Consumer and Business Landscape, Tomorrow Today Blog, February 25, 2012.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CHAPTERS: A NEW SOCIAL CREATURE EMERGES

UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S CHAPTERS: RESOURCE LIMITATIONS


Increased competition for the time and money of your Chapter members has not been met with increased resources at the Chapter – thus the “battle” for mindshare and wallet share is being lost

The “clubbyness” of the Chapter still exists, however, unlike in the past it can no longer solely sustain the Chapter and grow its Membership

Chapters are in need of a “marketing mindset” and a dedicated effort to communicate effectively…

STRATEGIC MEMBER EXPERIENCE & COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING



THE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN –THE NEXT STEP

Chapters need to act more like Clubs… What separates you and your fellow Chapter Members from the Members of

your Clubs? Haven’t your needs and preference also evolved? Aren’t you deserving of an enriching, personalized Member experience?


• Personalization of communications

• Activation & Feedback Loops

• Personalization of services and benefits

• Communications Assessment

• Value & Competitive Analysis Assessment

Satisfaction Communications

EngagementRetention

STRATEGIC PLANNING: PLANNING AND ADAPTING TO CHANGE


STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING: A NEW WAY OF THINKING:

“Communication as a Service”

Reliability

Convenience

Value

Education/Entertainment


•Member surveys•Understand needs & preferences

Conduct a Communications / Member Satisfaction Assessment

•Roles & responsibilities•Existing communications inventory

Conduct an Internal Staff Communications Assessment

•Understand benchmark data•Understand the implications of effective communication for long and short-term goals

Determine Goals & Objectives

•Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats?

Create a SWOT Analysis to Share with Your Board

•Identify required mechanisms & prepare an actionable timeline

Develop a Plan and Timeline of Action

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING:

THE HIGH-LEVEL PROCESS


The communications vision is aligned with the Chapter’s overall mission. Goals and objectives are well defined, measurable, and help guide a

defined series of action plans. Audiences are specific and targeted. Messages are specific, clear, persuasive, and reflect audience values;

reinforce Chapter mission and values; and include specific calls to action to encourage activation.

Messages are consistent in the frequency of their delivery and branding, and are attractive and accessible in varied formats for maximum exposure.

Target audiences perceive messengers as credible. Tools to deliver messages are chosen for their access, availability, and

convenience to target audiences. Activities and outcomes are regularly monitored and evaluated for

purposes of accountability and continuous improvement. Management understands and supports communications as an integral

part of Chapter viability and success. Sufficient resources are dedicated to managing and improving

communications practices.

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING: DEFINING SUCCESS FACTORS


STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING: EVALUATING YOUR TOUCHPOINTS

MOBILE

• More timely Communication

• Preference based

• Transactional

• Convenient

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Initiates networking in a “virtual chapter environment”

• Additional access point for delivering valuable content

• Access point to deliver relevant information in a less invasive atmosphere

PRINT

• Mailed Newsletter: Still an option?

• Provide the choice?

• Unique/tactile reading experience

• More costly to produce

• Impact on environment

EMAIL

• Eliminates the “need factor”/builds relationships

• “Newsworthy” content/timely

• Creates convenience centers

• Drives actionable conversions

• Generates metrics

WEBSITE

• Brand identity

• Houses valuable information

• Make “transactions” (RSVP, contact staff/other members, etc.)


STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING: SWOT ANALYSIS

EXECUTING ON YOUR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN



EXECUTION: PHASE 1 EXAMPLE – FOUNDATION BUILDINGPHASE 1 [Communications Foundation: Months 1 – 6]

• Focus on laying the foundation for communication success

• Create Communications & Social Media Policies

• Define guidelines for all communication channels, including intra-departmental, Chapter-to-Member and Region-to-

Member efforts

• Establish guidelines for use of social media by Chapter, Regions and Members

• Design Communications Style Guide

• Create a uniform visual identity for Chapter’s brand

• Identify priority and upgrade all Chapter communications using style guide standards

• Create Communications Calendar

• Rank events by hierarchy of importance

• Provide Members with valuable and timely event information and educational content

• Streamline communication creation and organization process

• Determine appropriate frequency and reminder scheduling for Chapter events

• Add Website Content and Functionality

• Determine additional content and functionality to enhance and activate online Member experience

• Implement new functionality to facilitate usage of website and increased attendance of events

• Develop and add site map or search capability to decrease time needed to locate items or areas of interest

• Create and launch campaign to collect Member profile photos for online directory

• Create and launch informational/publicity campaign to coincide with improved website functionality

• Implement mobile version of site for enhanced convenience and member participation

• Chapter leadership training on implementation and use of Style Guide and Communications Calendar

• Define/Implement desired distribution schedule for Chapter-to-Member communications

• Evaluate Phase 1 execution and adjust strategy as necessary; Begin Phase 2 planning


EXECUTION: CREATING A STYLE GUIDE


EXECUTION: BUILDING YOUR DATABASE


EXECUTION: ACTIVATING YOUR DATABASE- RIGHT MESSAGE, RIGHT MEMBER


EXECUTION: CREATING AN EVENT MARKETING ACTION PLAN


EXECUTION: CREATING AN EDITORIAL CALENDAR/ROLES


EXECUTION: INSTITUTING A PRODUCTION PROCESS

Having an organized plan will lead to more effective

communications


Technology

Health/Fitness

Dining

Wine

Events

Board Dynamics

Family Fun

COMMUNICATION AS A SERVICE: EDUCATION INTERESTS = VALUE


Videos

Photos

Podcasts

Polls

Contests

Lifestyle Content

COMMUNICATION AS A SERVICE: ENTERTAINMENT = VALUE

http://www.clubnewsmaker.net/houstonianclub/e_article002341010.cfm

http://www.clubnewsmaker.net/rhcountryclub/e_article002430285.cfm


COMMUNICATION AS A SERVICE: CREATING CONVENIENCE


eMagazine Content

COMMUNICATION AS A SERVICE: PROVIDING A MULTI-CHANNEL APPROACH


COMMUNICATION AS A SERVICE: MAKING IT RELEVANT/TARGETED

THE FUTURE MEMBER EXPERIENCE…ENHANCED



Members to Chapter

•eCommunications•Website/ePublications•Social Media•Polls•Surveys•Transaction modules

•Analytics•Preferences•Direct Feedback•Spending•Conversions

•Targeted Messaging

•Improved Programming

•Memorable MomentsChapterto Members

ACTIVATION & FEEDBACK LOOPS: ANALYZE, ACTIVATE, ADAPT


CHAPTER

ACTIVATION & FEEDBACK LOOPS: THE ULTIMATE END RESULT

Final Thoughts…

In order to keep Chapter Members

engaged, your programs and education

(including your communications!) must be

relevant, personalized and targeted –

and delivered through the Member’s

preferred communications channel(s).

The new Chapter Member is a

“Connected” Member and he/she will

make up the bulk of your Chapter moving

forward.

Chapters must start planning now in

order to accommodate the needs and

expectations of today’s Members and the

next generation to come…

Strategic communications planning is

essential for introducing new programs

and services that will continuously engage

your members…for life!



INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP & EDUCATION: TAKE THE STAGE

The Floor is Yours…


Thank You!Stephen Ready617-566-7055 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

the changing chapter member - who they are. what they want. how to get them….and keep them! it all...

Documents

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vct member experience

mission member experience

member experiencefor

member experience vcts

club member issuedont

chapter leadership

personalized communications