{"id":1437,"date":"2025-02-05T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/how-to-promote-membership-benefits-and-attract-supporters\/"},"modified":"2025-05-28T08:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T12:31:13","slug":"how-to-promote-membership-benefits-and-attract-supporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/how-to-promote-membership-benefits-and-attract-supporters\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Promote Membership Benefits and Attract Supporters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Membership directors and association marketers face a common challenge: getting members to see the full value of what they\u2019re paying for. The benefits might be there, but if they\u2019re not communicated well, your association could struggle with stagnant growth and declining engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Promoting your benefits and creating a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/blog\/roe-the-metric-that-matters-in-2024\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">positive experience<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is key to attracting new members and keeping the ones you already have. To help, we\u2019ll look at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gettingattention.org\/membership-marketing-ideas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">practical membership marketing ideas<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to make benefits a bigger part of your communication strategy. And remember, promoting them isn\u2019t something you can check off your to-do list\u2014it\u2019s an ongoing process.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create your membership value proposition.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RH-Nexus-Getting-Attenion-Membership-Value-Proposition-Design.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10470 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RH-Nexus-Getting-Attenion-Membership-Value-Proposition-Design.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"395\" height=\"395\" \/><\/a>Your membership value proposition essentially answers the question: &#8220;Why should someone join your organization?&#8221; It\u2019s a clear and compelling statement that outlines the unique benefits members get by joining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In simpler terms, think of it as your <\/span><b>sales pitch for membership<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It highlights what makes a membership special, useful, or better than other options. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>What benefits do members get?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (e.g., discounts, exclusive content, networking opportunities)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>What problems does the membership solve? <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(e.g., access to expertise, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/blog\/education-value-propositions-pricing-for-associations-x-results-at-hand\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">educational resources<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or a supportive community)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>What unique experiences do members gain when compared to similar associations?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (e.g., early access to events, VIP treatment, or a sense of belonging to a cause)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good membership value proposition is easy to understand, resonates with your target audience, and differentiates your association from other organizations with similar offerings. It makes them think, &#8220;Wow! This is worth my time and money!&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To create one, consider your audience and how you can offer benefits they can\u2019t get anywhere else. Conduct member research by <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/blog\/event-feedback-surveys-how-to-conduct-post-event-evaluation\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sending surveys<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or forming focus groups, so you can better understand people\u2019s motivations behind joining your program. Use this feedback as a foundation for your marketing strategy, focusing your outreach on the most important benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advertise your events and membership page on Google.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the world\u2019s most popular search engine, Google empowers associations to reach more potential members. Thanks to advanced audience targeting capabilities, you can reach a highly targeted audience actively searching for events and programs like yours. Google Ads appear above the organic (AKA unpaid) search results for relevant keywords.\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Getting-Attention-Results-at-Hand-How-To-Promote-Membership-Benefits-and-Attract-Supporters-SERP-Example.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10468 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Getting-Attention-Results-at-Hand-How-To-Promote-Membership-Benefits-and-Attract-Supporters-SERP-Example.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"439\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well-written ads targeting keywords related to your association can attract potential members who would be great additions to your community. Plus, registered 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible for $10,000 worth of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ad credits to spend on Google Ads.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gettingattention.org\/google-ad-grant-requirements\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting Attention\u2019s Google Ad Grant requirements page<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> explains that to qualify for this program, you need a strong website, too. You should own the domain it\u2019s hosted on, protect user data with secure sockets layers (SSL) certification, offer a positive user experience, and create valuable and mission-related content.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting started with Google Ads<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To drive results with your Google Ads, use these strategies:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Optimize your landing pages.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Each ad will drive users to a specific page, such as your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/member-engagement-app\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">membership<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/event-registration\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">event registration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> page. Prepare these pages to convert visitors into members by making them mobile-friendly, load quickly, and have clear calls to action (e.g., \u201cJoin Today\u201d). Ensure each landing page highlights benefits like discounts, exclusive resources, and networking opportunities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Craft compelling ad copy. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highlight the most enticing benefits of joining your organization in your ad text, such as exclusive resources, networking opportunities, or special events. Use action-oriented language like &#8220;Unlock Your Benefits&#8221; or &#8220;Connect with [Industry Experts]&#8221; to make it clear what the user will gain by clicking on your ad.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Choose relevant keywords.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to research terms that align with your organization\u2019s mission, audience interests, and membership goals. For example, if you&#8217;re a professional or trade association, target keywords like &#8220;Join [Professional Association]&#8221; or &#8220;[Profession\/Interest] networking opportunities&#8221; to attract users searching for organizations like yours.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Retarget visitors.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> While the Google Ad Grant doesn\u2019t cover retargeting, you can still use paid ads to retarget users who visited your membership or event page but didn\u2019t convert. For example, you can create ads that remind visitors of exclusive member benefits, upcoming events, or a limited-time incentive to join, encouraging them to take the next step.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If eligible, apply for the Google Ad Grant. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nonprofitssource.com\/google-grant-application\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nonprofits Source<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> explains that you\u2019ll need to register for Google for Nonprofits first and then complete the Google Ad Grant application, which can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. In the meantime, develop strong web pages that emphasize the value of joining your association to get started immediately once you\u2019re accepted into the program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While an effective marketing strategy, advertising on Google can be time-intensive. You\u2019ll need to conduct plenty of research on keywords and spend time crafting well-written ads that encourage clicks. That\u2019s why many organizations outsource the work to a professional agency.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create a referral program.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RH-Nexus-Getting-Attention-Referral-Program.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-10471\" src=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RH-Nexus-Getting-Attention-Referral-Program.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"356\" height=\"356\" \/><\/a>Empower your current members to share their positive experiences and promote your organization by creating a referral program. Offer tangible rewards to members who successfully refer others, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discounts on membership dues<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free or extended membership terms (e.g., one free month for every successful referral)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Branded <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.bonfire.com\/the-best-fundraising-products-to-sell\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">products<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (e.g., t-shirts, mugs, notebooks)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Early or exclusive access to premium events or webinars<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discounts or perks from partner organizations or businesses<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simplify the referral process by providing a dedicated referral link members can send to their networks. To inspire others to get involved, publicly celebrate top referrers in your newsletters or on social media.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be active on social media.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social media is a powerful tool for showcasing benefits to both current <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prospective members. Focus your efforts on the platforms where your target audience is most active\u2014for instance, LinkedIn for professionals or Instagram for younger demographics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To keep your audience informed and engaged, consistently post about member benefits, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/blog\/how-to-leverage-storytelling-to-boost-membership-acquisition\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">success stories<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and upcoming events. Build an active community by responding to comments, answering questions, and using polls to spark conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To amplify your reach, consider investing in targeted ads to push posts about the value of joining to non-members. You might also partner with industry influencers or encourage active members to post about their experiences to recruit new members from their networks. However you improve your social media presence, being active will help build a loyal community.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consistently communicate with current members.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RH-Nexus-Getting-Attention-Consistent-Communication.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-10473\" src=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RH-Nexus-Getting-Attention-Consistent-Communication.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"370\" height=\"370\" \/><\/a>Once you\u2019ve recruited members, you want them to stick around. Regular updates, personalized messages, and benefit reminders help build loyalty and ensure members remain actively involved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider sending a monthly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gettingattention.org\/nonprofit-email-marketing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email newsletter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to spotlight new or existing benefits and upcoming events. You might even have a member spotlight section where you showcase members making the most of their benefits. Leverage your association\u2019s email software to segment supporters and tailor emails based on interests and past involvement. For instance, someone who attended your last networking event may be interested in your next one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After events, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/blog\/how-to-leverage-event-content-for-your-blog-4-ideas\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">create blog posts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> highlighting key content such as takeaways, speaker insights, or attendee feedback. Sharing this content not only adds value for members who missed the event but also reminds them of the benefits of staying involved.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Membership growth begins with action. Start by focusing on just one strategy from this guide\u2014whether it&#8217;s optimizing your Google Ads, creating a referral program, or sharing member testimonials on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Small, consistent efforts can lead to significant results. Show your members the value of your association today, and watch your<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> community thrive tomorrow.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Author Bio &#8211; Jessica King<\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RH-Getting-Attention-Blog-Author-Photo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-10465\" src=\"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/RH-Getting-Attention-Blog-Author-Photo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"270\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jessica King is the business lead at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gettingattention.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting Attention<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where she helps nonprofits get the Google Ad Grant and manage it effectively to get the most from it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prior to her work at Getting Attention, Jessica worked at nonprofits and in higher ed, where she focused on communication and digital marketing. Most recently, she worked in search engine optimization in the mission-driven sector.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jessica holds a master&#8217;s degree in communication from Virginia Tech. In her free time, she reads, cooks a new recipe, or hangs out with her cats, Benny and Olive.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Membership directors and association marketers face a common challenge: getting members to see the full value of what they\u2019re paying for. The benefits might be there, but if they\u2019re not communicated well, your association could struggle with stagnant growth and declining engagement. Promoting your benefits and creating a positive experience is key to attracting new [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1437"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4346,"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1437\/revisions\/4346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/appnet-dev.com\/resultsathand\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}