Acquiring And Converting Members And Supporters

ACQUIRING AND CONVERTING MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERSChristina J. Inge, VP of Social Media, AMA Boston, Marketing & PR Manager, NEQM

Audience Segments-Overview

Membership and cultural org’s audiences can be divided into: Current members/patrons. Core audience—those who already have a

strong personal or professional interest in the organization’s mission.

The general public, including media and students doing research on topics related to the organization’s mission.

Defining Conversion for the Membership Organization

90% or more of conversions come from your core audience—those who already have a strong personal or professional interest in your organization’s mission.

Conversion frequently follows a predictable trajectory:

Initial Awareness•Word-of-mouth•PR•Search•Advertising

Attendance-Awareness of Value (partial conversion)•Events•Workshops•Lectures

Membership (full conversion) •Professional

development•Access to membership

benefits

Measuring Search is Not the Same as Measuring Audience Interest or Engagement

Drivers of traffic to the site and patron interests are not always identical.

Patron interests are best measured not by keywords driving traffic to your site, but by top content.

Keywords Driving Traffic to Organization’s Site

Keywords that drive traffic to your site are measures of: Outreach effectiveness Brand advocate effectiveness Marketing effectiveness

Measuring keywords that drive traffic to your site can: Increase conversions from organic and

paid search Identify PR opportunities Identify key brand advocates

Top Content Data

Top content is a measure of: Patron interests PR effectiveness

Measuring top content can: Optimize marketing

spend and PR efforts Lead to the development

of high-demand, successful new programming

Addressing the Needs of Your Core Audience

Top content by traffic source = direct is an essential measure of your core audience’s interests. Never lose sight of the needs of your core

audience in the pursuit of new site traffic. Your core audience is the most likely to convert into membership, and the most likely to be current members.

Measures of PR and Print Campaign Effectiveness

Top content by traffic source = keyword = organization name is an essential measure of the interests of potential patrons responding to word of mouth, PR, or print advertising campaigns.

Such traffic could be general public or core audience.

Long-tail vs. short-tail

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Long-tail vs. Short-tail Keywords

Top content by traffic source = keyword = short-tail keywords is an essential measure of the general public’s interests.

Top content by traffic source = keyword = long-tail keywords is an essential measure of enthusiasts’ and professionals’ interests.

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Core Audience Measurement: Long-tail keyword traffic

Indicators of core audience interest in specific: Programs Publications Authors,

experts, and artists

Segmenting Your Audience and Message

Decide who you want to reach. Identify what the valuable traffic is. Does your desired reach vary seasonally (i.e.,

tourists in summer, core audience in winter)?

How big a priority is conversion vs. casual attendance?

Homing in on Essential Data

Most essential data: Top content – Traffic

source = direct: The organization’s

regular attendees and members.

Top content – Keyword = long-tail keywords Those with a

professional interest in the organization’s mission.

Audience Segmentation = Resource Optimization

Before pouring resources into marketing and PR campaigns aimed at attracting the general public, ask yourself: “How much of the organization’s revenue can be attributed to one-time attendees who have no longstanding interest in the organization’s mission? Are these attendees really worth chasing at the expense of patrons who will convert to members?”

In some cases, casual attendance by the general public is a significant (over 20%) source of revenue. In these cases, spending time identifying the general public’s motivations for visiting is worthwhile.

Normally, resources are best spent on reaching audiences who will convert, first to regular attendees, then to members.