Despite the numerous forms of communication that have popped up over the last decade, email is still high on the list of ways to contact your members. However, as you’ve probably experienced yourself, members receive an overwhelming number of emails from brands, other associations, colleagues, etc. In order to ensure your members actually read your emails, you must be strategic and thoughtful.
Personalize your messaging.
Take a look at your data and target communication to specific members. Have a group of millennials? Maybe they don’t need to be invited to the webinar on retirement. The more members see emails that don’t apply to them, the more likely they are to delete it before even opening it.
Talk to your members about preferences.
Survey your members on how often they would like to receive emails. A good rule of thumb is somewhere between weekly and monthly, however, asking your members is a better place to start. Depending on your demographic, the majority might prefer more or less often.
Quality over quantity.
Take the time to plan out the upcoming month’s communications. Are you sending constant reminders about something? Take the time to craft something compelling the first time that will capture their attention and find other ways to remind them of the upcoming webinar or advocacy project. Newsletters are also a good place to repeat anything that was already sent out. It can be used as a one-stop-shop for everything going on in the association at the moment.
Update the sender information.
If you are currently sending out mass emails from an email that says, “no-reply”—change it! Members are more likely to open your email if it has a staff member’s name attached to it or even just says info@.
Be cautious when onboarding a new member.
Do not overwhelm them with the first email received. Make sure to sprinkle out communications, giving them what they need when they need it.
Keep your subject short, sweet, and to the point.
Creating an interesting subject that falls between 4 and 7 words is a great way to ensure the opening of your email. This is the only thing that members have to go off of before deciding whether or not they will open it.
Being thoughtful with communications can go a long way. Improve your open rates and reach the members you actually need to reach by making a few changes to your current process. Find out how our team of experts can help you craft the perfect email to engage your members and keep them coming back for more.