Member Recruitment Archives - Rottman Creative

The Perception of Membership and Subscriptions Will Blur Together

In 2026, more people will experience your association like a subscription instead of a membership.

This shift isn’t dramatic. It doesn’t announce itself. It happens quietly, as the lines between long-term belonging and short-term access continue to blur.

The danger isn’t that associations suddenly become indistinguishable from subscription services. It’s that, from the outside, the experience begins to feel indistinguishable.

Why the Perception Is Changing

The modern professional already lives in a subscription economy.

Software. Media. Learning platforms. Tools. Services. Everything is paid for, accessed, and renewed on a recurring basis. Against that backdrop, a membership centered on these things no longer stands apart from a subscription by default. Membership is not immune to the logic of subscription-thinking.

When the primary touchpoints of membership revolve around access, the mental frame of your audience and your internal team shifts. Membership starts to resemble a product rather than a commitment.

That’s when associations begin to see more transactional joiners on the front end and more subscriber-like churn within the existing member base.

What This Means for Associations

This trend forces associations to look closely at their messaging.

When we audit new clients facing disengagement and shrinking renewal rates, we consistently find at least a 2:1 ratio of transactional to relational communication. That imbalance pushes away people seeking long-term belonging while attracting short-term subscribers who often leave the following year.

Associations cannot sustain a perception shift that places them in the same category as subscription services where prospects behave like consumers and loyalty is fragile by design.

How This Works in 2026

In 2026, scaling message volume with more transactional emails is not the answer. Returning to clear brand pillars is. The modern associations that grow are the ones reinforcing the values their most loyal, tenured members joined and stayed for.

We highlight these brand pillars with story-based, data-driven messaging campaigns that resonate with committed members. When membership is framed as identity rather than access, joins are more durable and renewals are more natural.

Short-term gains driven by subscription-minded prospects create a costly cycle of acquisition and churn: one most associations cannot afford to maintain in 2026 and beyond.

Have questions? If membership is starting to feel transactional, we can help you clarify your value, reinforce belonging, and build membership that lasts.

Let’s talk.

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AI Will Underdeliver for Associations And Overdeliver for Your Audience

Lead with Value, Not Stuff

Want Higher Renewal Rates? Stop Acting Like a Billing Department

AI Will Underdeliver for Associations And Overdeliver for Your Audience

By now AI is part of daily work for association staff and members alike. People are using it to write faster, research quicker, and reduce friction in their jobs.

AI will make many things easier. But ease does not automatically translate to growth. For associations, AI introduces a quiet risk: it will amplify existing weaknesses while simultaneously reshaping how audiences perceive your value.

AI Will Underdeliver for Associations

AI has been embraced primarily as a volume machine.

It writes more emails. Generates more posts. Produces more variations of the same message. For overstretched teams, this feels like progress. Finally, the ability to “keep up.”

But here’s the problem: AI cannot create alignment, meaning, or a coherent brand story—and without those, volume works against you.

AI is only as good as the message it’s given to amplify. And many associations are feeding it disproportionately transactional messaging: promotions, reminders, benefits lists, and calls to action rooted in “use this,” “register now,” or “don’t forget.”

When AI scales that kind of messaging, it doesn’t improve results. It trains your audience to see you as interchangeable.

Associations that already leaned too heavily on transactional communication are now doing it at scale. Volume doesn’t convert loyal members. It conditions people to evaluate you like a subscription:

Did I use it?

Was it worth it?

Can I skip this year?

These questions will become easier for prospects to answer in 2026 for any association continuing to chase metrics with volume.

AI Will Overdeliver for Your Audience

Your audience will experience AI very differently.

For them, AI reduces effort. It bypasses friction. It saves time.

Many associations still rely on slow websites, dense navigation, and content framed as a “library” you must search through to find answers. AI removes that burden. It retrieves information instantly, summarizes it, and feels helpful.

Whether or not AI is trained on your association’s expertise almost becomes irrelevant. If an answer appears quickly and feels sufficient, most people will accept it and move on. “Good enough” becomes the new standard.

This is where value perception shifts. If your association has spent years marketing itself as “access to our content,” then AI becomes a direct substitute. Why dig through your site, log in, or pay dues when a tool can surface an answer in seconds—often for free or a small monthly fee?

This results in indifference—the most dangerous outcome of all. Membership begins to feel like extra effort rather than essential support.

What Successful Associations Are Doing Differently

The associations that will win already know their true value lies in intangibles: a sense of belonging, a community of like-minded peers, and wisdom that stems from posterity.

Successful associations lead with these intangibles. They still offer content, education, and tools, but those assets support the relationship. They don’t justify the price.

When loyalty replaces ROI math, members stop asking, “Did I use this enough?” and start feeling, “This is where I belong.”

The Throughline

AI will not replace associations, but it will expose which ones trained their audience to see them as a content provider instead of a community.

AI underdelivers for associations that use it to amplify activity instead of meaning.

AI overdelivers for audiences that want faster answers with less friction.

The associations that thrive will be the ones that stop competing on access and start reinforcing identity, trust, and belonging.

In a world where information is free and abundant, membership only matters when it means something.

Need clarity? Schedule a strategy call with Rottman Creative. A short conversation can surface where your message is drifting and how to articulate your value before AI does it for you.

Let’s talk.

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Lead with Value, Not Stuff

Want Higher Renewal Rates? Stop Acting Like a Billing Department

Hit Your Membership Goals by Showing Outcomes, Not Features.

Lead with Value, Not Stuff

Many associations confuse their offerings with their value. They market benefits, discounts, access, and features — believing that if they show enough “stuff,” people will join. It works just enough to feel successful. But when renewals dip, they crank up the noise: more promotions, more reminders, more “stuff.” And the results get worse.

Your stuff isn’t your value.

The Real Reason Renewals Drop

When people join, they’re not buying access. They’re buying belief. They see something in you — a mission, a community, a story — that feels worth belonging to. The deeper value lives in connection, identity, and purpose. When marketing reduces membership to transactions, you train people to think like buyers, not believers.

Buyers ask: Is this worth it? Did I use it? What do I get?
Believers ask: What does this say about me? What am I part of?

A buyer and a believer are simply two sides of the same coin as a subscriber and a member. Subscribers transact; members belong. One pays for access. The other pays to identify with something bigger.

When your communications are rooted in transactions — benefits lists, price drops, renewal pushes — you become easy to leave. Members start treating you like another subscription: something to cancel when the budget tightens.

From Transactions to Trust

Loyalty doesn’t come from more reminders. It comes from meaning. You can’t sell someone into belonging—you have to show them they already do. Every message, event, and touchpoint should affirm that your members are part of something that reflects who they are.

That’s the difference between a subscriber and a member. Subscribers need to be convinced. Members just need to be reminded.

Why This Matters Now

Competing on benefits or information won’t work when people can find similar resources elsewhere. AI is already giving away much of what associations used to charge for. What can’t be replicated is belonging.

Your brand’s true value isn’t in what you deliver, but in how people feel when they engage with you. That feeling — the sense of identity, purpose, and shared progress — is what turns subscribers into members and renewals into a natural next step.

And it’s more important than ever that this belief isn’t just felt by your members — it’s shared by you. Your marketing, membership, and leadership teams must understand and believe in the membership experience you’re promising. If your internal mindset stays transactional, your messaging will too. When your people believe in belonging, your members will feel it.

Lead with Value

Your job isn’t to prove your worth every year (or every month). It’s to remind people of their worth within your story.

So ask yourself:

Do your messages sound like invoices or invitations?
Are you proving your features or showing shared progress?
Are you reinforcing belonging or just repeating benefits?

When you lead with value, not stuff, you stop chasing renewals. People stay because it feels right to stay.

Subscribers leave. Members stay.

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Want Higher Renewal Rates? Stop Acting Like a Billing Department

Hit Your Membership Goals by Showing Outcomes, Not Features.

Want Higher Renewal Rates? Stop Acting Like a Billing Department

Too many associations treat renewals like a billing cycle. A few reminder emails. An invoice. Maybe a final “last chance” nudge.

And then they wonder why people don’t renew.

If the only time your members hear from you is when you ask for money, they’ll stop listening. Worse… they’ll stop renewing.

Here’s the truth: Renewals aren’t about reminders.They’re about relationships.

Think Beyond the Transaction

Renewal is not a billing cycle. It’s a trust cycle.

And trust is built by showing up at the right time for the right reasons and not just when you need something. Stop acting like a vendor. Start acting like a friend. Friends check in. They show appreciation. They remember important moments. So should you.

We call this building a Renewal Roadmap, and it’s one of the most effective ways to drive long-term retention.

The 4 Touchpoints Every Association Needs

Your Renewal Roadmap should include four intentional, human-centered communications across the member journey:

Onboarding: Right after someone joins, set the tone. Show them what to expect. Give them one easy action to take. Prove that joining was a smart move.
Event Participation: If they attend something, follow up. Thank them. Share a related resource. Ask for feedback. Keep the energy going.
Content Engagement: Did they download a report? Open your newsletter? Let them know you noticed. Offer more value while it’s still top of mind.
Anniversary Milestones: A simple note to acknowledge their time as a member can go a long way. It’s a chance to say, “You matter here.”

These messages don’t have to be long. But they do need to be personal, timely, and grounded in value.

Don’t Overlook the Check Writer

Here’s a common blind spot: the person who benefits isn’t always the one who pays.

Plenty of your members enjoy your content, but someone else signs the renewal check. That person wants hard proof of value.

So give it to them.

Use your engagement tracking to build a quick value snapshot:

What events did they attend?
What content did they use?
What credits or hours did they earn?

Show the return on belonging—not just the cost of dues.

Stop Overdoing Transactional Emails

Too many associations flood their lists with event pushes, registration reminders, and dues notices without balancing those with real, value-driven communication.

In our audits, we often see a 2:1 ratio of transactional to relational emails (or worse).

That imbalance teaches members to tune you out.

Flip it.
For every invoice or event promo, send two messages that connect—thank, help, or celebrate.

Renewal doesn’t happen when someone gets a notice.
It happens when they feel seen, valued, and part of something that matters.

Let’s Build a Renewal Roadmap That Works

Move from passive reminders to active relationships. Our Renewal Roadmap strategy has helped associations consistently reach renewal rates over 85%.

Ready to Rethink Your Renewal Strategy?

Explore these next:

Or reach out now to talk about building your custom Renewal Roadmap.

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Send Less, Convert More: Your Quiet Edge in a Loud Market

5 Steps to Easier Membership Renewals

Hit Your Membership Goals by Showing Outcomes, Not Features.

You’re putting out the emails.
You’ve got ads running.
Maybe you even built a shiny new landing page.

And yet… the joins aren’t coming in like they should.

We see this all the time. Associations rolling out membership drives that check all the tactical boxes, but still fall short. Not because the team didn’t try hard. Not because the budget was too small. But because the campaign lacked one thing: relevance.

That’s the real reason most join campaigns fail.

They’re not tied to what people actually want.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

You promise “exclusive content,” “networking opportunities,” or “a seat at the table.” It sounds important. It might even be true. But it doesn’t land with the prospect. It doesn’t speak to what’s actually on their mind.

You’re solving problems they don’t feel they have. Or worse, you’re not solving anything—they can’t tell what you’re offering at all.

That’s why the message gets ignored.

People today are burned out and overloaded. They don’t have time to decode vague marketing. If it doesn’t click right away, if it doesn’t feel like it was written for them, they’re gone.

People don’t join because you exist.

They join because they believe you can help.

So if your campaign isn’t rooted in their reality—if it’s not personal, specific, and emotionally relevant—you’ve lost them before they even open the email.

Join campaigns shouldn’t be one-off events.

One email blast or Q4 push isn’t enough to move people from awareness to action. Membership decisions take time, trust, and repetition. You need a steady rhythm of campaigns that keep your value visible year-round.

Most associations run a big push in Q4, hoping to close the year strong. Nothing wrong with that. But if that’s your only play, it’s not enough.

You need ongoing efforts, at least quarterly. Each campaign should meet prospects where they are in the buying cycle—and most importantly, why they’re even considering joining in the first place.

You can’t guess. You need real stories, real data, and real-world proof that your organization is more than a pitch.

Let’s talk about what actually works.

If your join campaign isn’t converting, it’s probably missing one—or more—of these six essentials:

You need smart timing.
September through December matters. But momentum comes from starting earlier and staying consistent. The associations that win don’t scramble at year-end— they’ve been laying the groundwork all year.

You need real core components.
That means telling member stories. Offering helpful tools. And showing—clearly— how membership connects to outcomes. Not vague benefits. Tangible value. We often recommend defining three or four value “pillars” to keep the messaging sharp and repeatable.

You need better distribution.
Email isn’t dead, but it’s no longer enough. Prospects are seeing (and clicking) on LinkedIn ads, podcast spots, YouTube Shorts, and direct mail. If your campaign is only hitting the inbox, you’re missing them where they actually spend time.

You need trends content.
Position your association as a trusted voice in your space. A “Top Trends” report does two things: it proves your expertise, and it gives people a free sample of what they’d get by joining.

You need to use behavioral data, not just demographics.
Don’t just target people by job title. Target them by action. Who visited your site? Who clicked a CTA but didn’t convert? Who came to an event last year? These are your best leads. Treat them that way.

And finally—you need a clear, direct ask.

Every touchpoint should give someone something to do. Click. Register. Book a call. Don’t leave them wondering. And once they do act? Follow up. Most associations stop too soon. You can’t afford to.

Here’s the heart of it:

Stop trying to “sell membership.”
Start showing people how you solve real problems.
Stop promising “access.”
Start explaining how that access translates into growth. Into clarity. Into results.

The most effective campaigns don’t feel like sales pitches.
They feel like solutions—because that’s what they are.

At Rottman Creative, we’ve helped associations across the country turn flat campaigns into real growth. We don’t start with templates or generic benefits. We start with your people.
We get specific. We get emotional. We get results. Let’s talk.

This post is based on Section 2 of “Recruit, Renew, Reclaim Your Membership Goals” by Rottman Creative. Download the full book.

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You’re Using AI to Save Time. Your Members Are Using It to Replace You.

Send Less, Convert More: Your Quiet Edge in a Loud Market

You’re Using AI to Save Time. Your Members Are Using It to Replace You.

Let’s be honest: Associations love to talk about their “stuff.”

They say things like:
“We have so many resources.”
“We have a ton of webinars, whitepapers, toolkits.”
“We have more stuff than anyone else.”

The message? Look at all the stuff we have.

But here’s the disconnection that’s costing you: your members don’t want your stuff. They want results. They want outcomes. And if AI gives them that faster, they’ll stop coming to you for it. In fact, research shows only 16 % of associations are currently using generative AI at scale.

Members Aren’t Waiting Around Anymore

They don’t want to dig through your website. They don’t want to decode your benefits. They don’t want to read 12 promotional emails to telling them why they should care.

They want answers. They want solutions. They want clarity.

If your association makes them work for it—or costs them time—while ChatGPT, Perplexity, or some AI search assistant gives it to them instantly, you’re in trouble.

You’re Using AI to Save Time

They’re Using It to Replace You

Associations are (rightly) using AI to write emails, create content, summarize reports. But here’s the catch: most are using it just to crank out more of the same.

More transactional emails. More generic copy. More asks.

That’s not innovation. That’s noise. And it’s exactly the kind of noise your members are trying to escape.

Meanwhile, they’re using AI to:

Summarize your reports without reading them
Find targeted resources without logging in
Get answers to industry questions without ever visiting your site

In other words, they’re bypassing you.

Stop Talking About Your Stuff. Start Talking About Outcomes.

One of the biggest messaging problems we see:
Associations talk about what they offer—not what it delivers.
“Delivers” feels more active and outcome-driven.

You say:
“We have a robust online learning platform.”

But they want to know:
“Will this help me land a promotion?”
“Will this make me better at my job?”
“Will this help my business grow?”

If your messaging doesn’t answer those questions clearly and quickly, you’re just another tab to close.

Use AI for Your Members, Not at Them

AI can be an incredible tool for associations—but only if it’s used with intention.

Bad use of AI:

Spamming members with more promotional emails
Recycling website copy for yet another “networking opportunity” reminder
Auto-generating content that’s technically correct but emotionally flat

That’s the trap. Now, here’s how to use it well.

Smart use of AI:

Powering an AI chatbot to help members find the right resource, fast
Personalizing renewal campaigns based on engagement behavior
Serving up links to exactly what they’re asking for—when they ask for it

Want a real win? Build a bot that answers their question on your site in real time, instead of making them go on a scavenger hunt.

Make the Value Obvious—or Get Replaced

Here’s the bottom line: If a member has to choose between clicking through five dropdowns on your site, or typing a question into AI and getting a usable answer in seconds… they won’t choose you. For a deeper dive into how AI is already reshaping the association-story you need to tell, check out Your Association and AI: The Story You Need to Be Ready For.

Not because they don’t care about your mission. But because they’re busy.

Associations that win in the age of AI will be the ones that:

Make value accessible
Translate offerings into outcomes
Use technology to serve, not spam

Final Thought: The Goal Isn’t “More.” It’s “Clearer.”

More emails, more stuff, more content—that’s not going to bring people back.

Clarity will. Relevance will. Outcomes will.

If you’re going to use AI, make sure it serves your members first. Because if AI can explain your value faster and clearer than you can… why would they keep paying you?

Want to turn your messaging into outcomes that matter?

Let’s help you stop flooding inboxes—and start driving real engagement. Let’s Talk.

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Why the strongest event strategies in 2026 will be sharp, not broad.

2026 Will Reward the Bold

Your Post-Event Content Is a Conversion Tool. Use It Like One.

Clear Program Names Win Members: Why Simplicity Beats Cleverness

Clear Program Names Win Members: Simplicity Beats Cleverness

Associations put a lot of heart into their work. That includes naming programs. But too often, good intentions lead to names that confuse instead of connect.

When a prospect sees your program name, they should instantly know what it is. In a world of short attention spans, clarity creates confidence.

Clarity Builds Trust

When someone scans your website, emails, or flyers, they want to know:

What is this?
Is it for me?
Why should I care?

If the name answers those questions clearly, you build trust fast. Simple language helps prospects see the value. That’s the first step toward action.

Why This Happens

Program names often come from committees. Everyone wants to be creative. The result? A name that feels fun inside the organization but falls flat outside it.

Here’s the thing: You’re not naming for insiders. You’re naming for people you want to join. That means your focus should be clarity, not creativity.

How to Name a Program That Resonates

Start with the benefit. What does the program do for the member? Put that in the name.
Use everyday language. Skip acronyms and inside jokes. Write like a human.
Test it. Ask someone outside your organization: “What do you think this program offers?” If they hesitate, it needs work.
Stay on brand. Your name should match your tone—whether that’s formal, friendly, or somewhere in between.
Think about the outcome. What result does the program help members achieve? Let that drive the name.

A Quick Gut Check

Ask yourself: Could someone read this name and immediately understand what they’ll get?

If yes, you’re on the right track.

The Upside of Simplicity

Simple names help people say yes. They make your programs feel accessible, not intimidating.

And when people feel understood, they engage.

The Takeaway

Strong program names don’t try to be cute. They try to connect.

If the name builds clarity, it builds confidence. And confident prospects become committed members.

Start with clarity. The results will speak for themselves.

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Talk Small, Win Big: Workflows That Actually Convert Small Firms

How Well Do You Really Understand Your Members’ Time?

How Well Do You Really Understand Your Members’ Time?

Your members’ time is their greatest asset. To inspire members and prospects to consistently choose your association, you first have to understand how they’re investing and engaging—not just how you wish they were.

The Misconception of Member Engagement

We all carry a romanticized notion about engagement. As if members are waiting, ready and eager to commit hours each week to read email newsletters, participate in webinars, and explore new offers. But that’s not reality. Just like you’re splitting attention across competing responsibilities, your members are balancing work demands, personal obligations, family needs, and their own health and wellness. Even the smartest, best-intentioned association professionals often overestimate how invested their members can really be.

Take weekly emails as an example. Maybe your Monday morning email sees decent open rates—but is it generating real action? Or are your members opening quickly, skimming, and then instantly moving on to their first meeting of the day, never truly absorbing your message?

We’ve seen this happen before. One client discovered that their members, busy healthcare professionals, were only available on Fridays. Another association we interviewed found that engagement peaked on weekends and evenings. While Monday morning emails were once considered the best time to connect, this reality has shifted. That long-standing habit of sending emails on Mondays was actually limiting opportunities for deeper engagement.

But if you’re not continuously testing and asking the right questions, how will you ever find this out?

Too many associations are relying on data from months ago, automatically assuming what worked then will work now. But life—and work—continue to shift. People’s routines change drastically, and their availability and preferred engagement times change with it.

The Shift in How to Measure Engagement

The key question to ask is no longer, “Are members opening our emails?” It’s now about actionability and usability. Is engagement actually happening as a result of your outreach? What times, formats, and methods create true, actionable engagement—especially among the busy majority who aren’t responding to typical midday communications?

Instead of sending yet more emails into the busyness of mid-morning inboxes, ask yourself: Would evenings—after dinner, family time, and exercise routines—be more effective moments for relaxed, intentional engagement? Could Sunday night, when people’s thoughts naturally shift toward planning the week ahead, be the perfect window to connect? Finding these pockets of attention means your association can become a welcome ally.

Doing this means committing to ongoing experimentation. Test emails sent Sunday night versus Monday morning and measure what’s driving increased registration, deeper content interaction, or stronger membership renewal intent. Regularly poll your members in quick, lightweight surveys about their preferred times and channels. Segment your audience not by assumptions, but by actual behaviors—by what they’re really choosing to engage with now, in 2025, and beyond.

The Key to Member Engagement

In short, understanding your members’ limited time shouldn’t feel like guesswork or habit. The end result means respecting your members’ realities, and thoughtfully integrating your message into the times they truly have available.

At Rottman Creative, we help associations shift from noisy assumptions to impactful realities—creating outreach that fits naturally into your members’ lives. Let’s replace guesswork with targeted, intentional engagement that works in the real world. Let’s Talk >

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How to Use Brand Pillars for Better Marketing

Anatomy of an Effective Member Story That Converts

Your Prospects Need (and Actually Want) to Hear About Compliance

Your best compliance resources—webinars, guides, and timely articles—usually live behind paywalls reserved only for members or those willing to trade their email. Yet, holding everything hostage won’t attract more people; it’s actually pushing them away.

Instead of hiding your best insights, start making more of them available up front. This doesn’t mean you throw every resource out into the open. Rather, curate and share valuable content without strings attached. Let prospects clearly see that your association understands the compliance challenges they face and has the knowledge to help.

This demonstrates your expertise upfront, building trust and credibility with prospects before asking for anything in return.

But opening up content alone isn’t enough to inspire action. You need a focused follow-up strategy that matches today’s digital realities.

The Follow-Up Plan Matters (More Than You Think)

Most associations stumble after the introductory content, defaulting to generic emails and inbox clutter. To convert interested visitors into committed members, rethink that approach entirely.

Your follow-up should directly address a prospect’s individual compliance needs:

Build streamlined, easy-to-digest landing pages that clearly guide prospects to the next step.
Respond thoughtfully to actual visitor behavior with personalized, bite-sized information.
Retarget interested visitors through targeted social ads and short-form videos.

Stories From Real Members—The Human Side of Compliance

Compliance isn’t just sharing the rules to follow. You have the potential to relieve anxiety, solve problems, and make people’s work and lives better. Prospects trust real stories from actual members.

They want to know precisely how your compliance expertise makes a meaningful difference. Showcase testimonials about members who overcame compliance struggles, avoided costly mistakes, or improved their businesses with your help.

This kind of proof is powerful—it humanizes your expertise and brings tangible value into sharp focus.

Rethink Compliance, Rethink Your Growth

Attention spans are short. Patience for interruptions, lead forms, and friction are even shorter. People desperately want clear, credible information about compliance without barriers—and they’ll reward associations who provide it.

Your compliance strategy shouldn’t push prospects away by gatekeeping. Instead, openly showcase your expertise, connect the dots through personalized follow-ups, and share authentic success stories. That’s how you genuinely attract today’s discerning prospects and convert them into tomorrow’s loyal members.

At Rottman Creative, we specialize in fresh thinking, straightforward strategies, and no-nonsense messaging designed to attract, engage, and grow your membership community.

Let’s talk about turning compliance curiosity into committed members >

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How Well Do You Really Understand Your Members’ Time?

How to Use Brand Pillars for Better Marketing

How to Use Brand Pillars for Better Marketing

Your association has a lot of resources. So many, in fact, that it’s almost impossible for a prospect to quickly see how they might benefit from joining. If they can’t grasp the value of membership at a glance, they won’t join—and they probably won’t ever come back again to kick your tires.

Keep It Simple

The solution is to simplify. Determine three or four categories that all your offerings fit into. We call these categories “brand pillars” because they are the structure that holds up your entire organization. Brand pillars explain very briefly what your association offers and why it’s a good idea to sign up and pay money for it all.

Ideally, you should be able to state the essence of your organization in just a few words and bullet points that fit on one side of one page. If this sounds impossible, then this article is definitely for you.

Don’t Water Down Your Brand

What’s the alternative to brand pillars? Too much of everything. Think about Cheerios. There used to be one kind of Cheerios in a familiar yellow box. Then they kept adding and adding…and adding. The brand grew to 16 different varieties of basically the same cereal. Rather than increasing sales and brand loyalty, Cheerios experienced a decline in both areas. Their brand became watered down with too many choices, and their customers got lost in the clutter. To turn things around, Cheerios eventually moved toward a less complex brand with fewer options.

Take a lesson from Cheerios! Don’t water down your brand and your organization with too many offerings. Determine your core brand pillars. Don’t try to cover every aspect of your association in your marketing. The same goes for your communications. Don’t send so many emails that people get lost along the customer journey. Focus on one event, one report, one helpful resource.

How to Streamline

We can hear you saying, “But how can we possibly narrow our entire organization to three or four short ideas!?” It’s easier than you might think. First, listen to your members. Let them tell you what they need in surveys and focus groups. Look at your data to determine behaviors and preferences. Cut anything that’s not working. Clean up anything that can be improved. Test and track so you know exactly what works and what doesn’t.

Stop Making Noise

Your brand pillars are a bit like a resume—their job is to pique interest, get attention, and hint at your credibility as an organization. Prospects can then ask for an in-depth “interview” to learn more, meet your team, explore your offerings, and join. From there, it’s your job to nurture members one meaningful resource at a time to drive retention and renewals. You can’t—and shouldn’t—do everything at once or you’re just making noise.

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Anatomy of an Effective Member Story That Converts

The #1 Content Piece Associations Need for Effective Membership Marketing

Let’s Talk Business

Your messaging needs a day stopper, something so powerful it makes your audience stop what they’re doing, pay attention, and take action. The tired old refrain of “networking, education, and certification” just doesn’t pack enough punch in today’s busy world. A better strategy is to focus on business benefits.

Business Language is Better

Sure, people love your cause, your community, and the way you change lives for the better. But things like profit, strategy, M&A, growth, expansion, and competitive advantage are what keep them up at night—especially in a tough economy. If your marketing messages are missing this concrete business language, chances are you’re missing out on members, event attendees, and…well…revenues. See what we did there?

How to Develop Business Messaging

Use this questionnaire to evaluate your association’s resources and position them in terms of business benefits to your audience. The answers to these questions should show that your association is invaluable to the success of your members’ businesses. Ideally, they should also show just how much of a return on investment your members and event attendees get from engaging with your organization.

For each question, list specific resources, tools, services, and events that propel your audience toward growth and financial well-being. Do NOT list networking, education, or certification.

How does your association alleviate economic challenges for your members?
How do you save members from making costly mistakes?
How do you help members increase market share?
How do you help members grow and expand?
How might your organization help members reverse a decline in revenue?
List your top 3 most valuable resources. Then explain how each of these helps members drive profits.

The Things That Matter

An important takeaway is that people will always make time for things that matter. And quite often, money matters. Beyond that, you also need a human element to get attention and engage your base. Company leaders want their businesses to be successful. This is their baby and they will go above and beyond to see it thrive. Potential day stoppers you can use to tap into the human side of business include security, passion, ambition, status, prestige, pride, fear, anger, and many more. Here are a few emotionally compelling examples with a human element:

Security: Be confident you won’t have to lay off staff.

Passion: Do more good, change more lives.

Ambition: Be seen as the leader in your industry.

Anger: Legislators are making it harder for you to do business.

The Killer Combo

Any association can advertise networking, education, and certification. But if you want to gain a competitive advantage, attract more members, and boost revenues—all in support of your mission and cause—you’ll need a killer combination: business benefits plus compelling emotional appeals.

It’s time to act now

Rottman Creative can help you find and leverage your day stoppers to engage more members and prospects.

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5 Steps to Easier Membership Renewals

Your Association and AI: The Story You Need to Be Ready For

5 Steps to Easier Membership Renewals

It’s time to get fired up about membership renewals!

Easier membership renewals happen when members see your association as more than a line item that can easily be cut from the budget.

Sure, you’re up against some challenges—people are busy, money is tight, and uncertainty hangs around every corner. But you’ve also got a lot going for you—people want to connect, they’re looking for solutions to their challenges, and they see your organization as the heart and homebase of their community.

This renewal season, focus on nurturing relationships, delivering value, and communicating that value to hit your numbers and minimize lapses.

Convince the Check Writer

Often, the people using your resources and attending your events aren’t the people paying your membership dues. The check writer doesn’t experience your value firsthand. This could spell trouble in a tough economy when that same check writer is looking to make budget cuts. Do you have a way of definitively showing the value of your association to someone who deals only in facts and figures?

One way to show value is to set up member engagement tracking. This will track where members spend time on your website, how many questions they ask in your forums, which events they attend, and more. It will also give you the ability to generate a report for each member to show them exactly what they got for the membership dues in the past year.

If you suspect your members aren’t taking full advantage of your association and the report will show a lack of engagement, start there. What can you do to entice people to lean in?

Speak to Trends and Pain Points

The best way to fuel member engagement and improve that report is to make sure your editorial calendar mirrors current industry trends and pain points. In short: Stay relevant.

You might think you’re already doing this, but are you really? What are you doing to look ahead? To innovate? Can you honestly say your members should renew every year because you have new, different, and amazing offerings they can’t afford to miss out on?

Relationships vs. Transactions

Once your content is on point, consider your relationship vs. transactional messages. How often are you asking your members to do something (e.g., pay dues, attend an event) compared to sharing valuable resources with no strings attached? In addition to the message itself, you’ll need to optimize how you package and deliver it so members see it and react.

Maintain Momentum

Don’t wait until September to start showing value. You must nurture relationships starting with onboarding and continuing all year long. New members are often enthusiastic initially but need a reason to maintain momentum. Think about the last subscription you paid for—maybe a gym membership or video streaming service. At first you’re thrilled and eager, but it’s all too easy to lose interest or forget about it entirely. If your members don’t see your value, they decide not to renew long before you reach out to them in the fall.

5 Proven Steps to Fuel Renewals

Once you have a solid strategy, it’s time for action. Here are five tried-and-true ways to get attention and move people to renew.

1. Segment: Divide your audience into distinct groups based on shared characteristics or behaviors. For example, large and small enterprises. Why? Because a one-size-fits-all message is the quickest route to the spam folder.

Purpose: To tailor your messages and offers to the specific needs and interests of each group.

Implementation:

Analytics: Use detailed analytics to understand member demographics, engagement history, and preferences.
Customization: Create specialized content and offers for different segments. For example, in-depth industry reports for seasoned members and orientation resources for newer members.

2. Use Technology: Tech is your ally. It can help streamline, automate, and enhance every aspect of your renewal campaign.

Purpose: To increase efficiency and member engagement through advanced tools and platforms.

Implementation:

Automated Email Marketing: Set up drip campaigns that adjust messaging based on member behavior.
CRM Systems: Use CRM software to track member interactions and personalize communications.
Analytics Tools: Employ data analytics to monitor engagement rates and refine your strategies.
AI Personalization: Use AI to offer personalized content recommendations based on past interactions. Highlight key features dynamically to maintain member interest.

3. Humanize: People connect with people, not with faceless entities. Humanizing your campaign makes it relatable and engaging on a personal level.

Purpose: To connect with members emotionally by showcasing the human side of your organization.

Implementation:

Member Stories: Share real-life testimonials and success stories that illustrate the impact of your organization.
Engaging Tone: Use a warm, conversational tone rather than corporate jargon. Focus on community, not transactions.
Visible Faces: Highlight team members and other faces of the organization to create a personal connection.

4. Offer Unique Benefits: You must give people something really good that they need that they can’t get anywhere else. Your value proposition must be crystal clear and compelling. This is what makes members decide to renew rather than lapse.

Purpose: To communicate the unique benefits of renewing membership.

Implementation:

Articulate Benefits: Focus on key pillars like brand value, community, networking, and personal growth.
Exclusive Perks: Offer exclusive access to events, valuable resources, and special discounts.
Clear Communication: Make sure members know exactly what they’re getting by renewing.

5. Remove Barriers: Even the most compelling offer won’t work if you don’t address the obstacles standing in the way of renewal.

Purpose: To identify and mitigate potential reasons for non-renewal.

Implementation:

Feedback Loop: Conduct surveys to identify common barriers like cost, time constraints, or perceived lack of value.
Address Concerns: Proactively solve these issues by offering flexible payment plans, showcasing clear value through success stories and benefits, and providing easy access to customer support.
Flexible Options: Provide a range of membership options to cater to different needs.

Renewals don’t have to be a struggle or a year-end scramble. Keep the focus on relationships and measurable value all year long. Use proven strategies and tactics to get more from what you’re already doing. You’ll will better serve and delight your members while also pleasing the check writer who ultimately makes renewals happen.

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Your Association and AI: The Story You Need to Be Ready For

You’re Sending Too Many Transactional Emails

New Year, Old Database? You’re Going to Have Some Problems

More people quit their jobs in 2021 than in any year since 2001. While it leveled off a bit in 2022, the trend isn’t over. Some call it The Great Resignation. Others prefer The Great Reshuffle.

You can call it whatever you want. But one thing is clear: It’s likely degraded the quality of your database.

Those emails your association is sending? A huge percentage are going into a void, because so many of your brightest prospects have simply moved on. Prospect lists that may have been in peak condition in early 2020 are now antiquated, an artifact of data decay.

Oh, you say, but email forwards! Sure, emails get forwarded. Sometimes. Do you want to hinge your event on it?

How Bad is the Database Decay Problem for Associations?

Prospect databases naturally decay each year from your run-of-the-mill turnover. But the past three years have been anything but run-of-the-mill. We’ve seen estimates as high as 70% for B2B database decay rates.

Meeting planners know it’s happening. But associations? Too many haven’t opened their eyes. You know that you’re not getting the response rate you want, but you’ve chalked it up to Covid-19. And it IS related to that. But it’s related to a facet that we’re only now beginning to understand.

Some telltale signs that you have a prospect database problem:

You’re not getting the response you used to for offerings like webinars.
Your open rate has plummeted.
The only real engagement you’re getting is from members.

How to Stop Emailing Fake People and Reach New Prospects

First, you have to clean your data. Your software can help you do this.

That’s actually the easy part.

The harder part is figuring out how to engage a fresh crop of prospects. It can feel like starting over. And while that sounds daunting, it’s an opportunity.

Taking a fresh approach is how we helped a large global legal association increase their prospects by 56% between 2021 and 2022—while cutting the cost-per-prospect by nearly a third.

It’s also how we helped a large staffing association get their most conference attendees ever in 2022.

As you build your new database, we have a few tips for reaching and converting these new prospects.

Switch from content marketing to people marketing: If traditional content marketing is about volume, people marketing is about thinking like a prospect. You market to others how you want to be marketed to, and you avoid the things that annoy people. (Learn more about what it means to switch to people marketing.)

Do a content audit: With your people marketing frame of mind, look at the content you currently have, and ask yourself if it’s any good. By good, we mean does it tell a story? Does it inspire trust? Does it identify your value prospect at a glance? Ask yourself if the piece of content would be worth your time, and if not, toss it from the lead gen pile. (Learn more about the danger of wasting your prospect’s time.)

Refresh and repackage the content worth keeping: Can you create a webinar from an article that performed well on social? Build a resiliency toolkit from a series of blog posts? Develop a series of success stories from testimonials? Put together a preview of your event so that prospects understand what it’s like to actually be there?

Don’t Use That Outdated Campaign Strategy on Your New Database

There’s an old saying among gardeners: Don’t dig a fifty-cent hole for a $5 plant. In other words, don’t bother putting your expensive plant in cheap, nutrient-lacking soil.

Likewise, a fresh, clean database won’t do you any good if you put it in poor soil. It’s worth investing to make sure you are getting the most from that prospect list.

You need a branded, fully-automated, data-driven campaign. We’re talking about an intelligent, go-to-market plan that’s integrated across all touchpoints. In other words, a campaign that meets your prospects where they are, and responds to what they do.

Not sure what one of these plans looks like? Contact us and we’d be happy to show you.

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Recession or Not, Your Association Must Do These 7 Things Now

Content Marketing Must Die. And Be Reborn as People Marketing.

Why Targeting SMALL Companies is the BIG Idea You Need Now

If you’re like most associations, your member recruitment strategy probably goes something like this:

Work very hard to get the largest companies in your industry to join, because their dues are the highest.
Work even harder to get the medium-sized companies in your industry to join, because they are your reliable base.
Let the small companies just find you, because the combination of lesser dues + resources needed to serve them doesn’t always feel worth it.

We understand this approach. We also know that associations must do a delicate juggling act. You need to make your payroll to stay viable, but you’re also nonprofit, charged with representing the industry.

In other words, you’re supposed to be doing it all, but your staff lacks the time and resources. So, you adopt a triage mentality, and focus your efforts on what seems like it will produce the greatest rewards.

But what if we told you there was an easily available opportunity that didn’t make your life harder and wouldn’t add more work? One that would allow you to better represent your industry AND grab a boatload of dues-paying members?

The answer is behind door number three, where the small companies are hanging out.

We’re going to show you exactly WHY you should grab them and HOW to make it worth your while.

Why Your Association Should Actively Recruit Smalls

One of our clients is a large association in the human resources industry, with about 36,000 members, and an 88% retention rate. After some discussions about their membership goals, we helped them create a campaign that would specifically target smaller businesses in the industry.

They got more than 50 new members in a matter of two months.

Here’s what the Senior Vice President and Chief Membership Officer of the association told us the other day during our weekly check-in.

“Right now, we have so many applications coming in from new members that we can’t even process them all. And we are on course to set an all-time revenue high.”

There are so many things that are great about this. First, they have an influx of new people. New people bring new blood and new opportunities. Because the CEO of that $4 million company you just recruited might be the decision maker at a $25 million company in a few years.

You never know the energy and possibility that can come with ANY new member—and that includes one that is 10 times smaller than the largest organization on your roster.

Plus, when you have a rich blend of large, medium, AND small organizations in the mix, you’re much better able to uphold your mission of representing ALL voices in the industry.

And then there’s the most obvious thing: Smaller organizations are low-hanging fruit. No-brainer revenue. The benefits of belonging to your association far outweigh the dues for most of these smalls. You just need to take the time to articulate the right message to them.

How to Handle Smalls? Automate!

We know what you’re thinking: This all sounds good, but it takes effort to recruit smalls. And if we don’t put in the effort to retain them, they’ll leave after the first year and blow our retention rate.

We hear you, and you’re right. That is a challenge. Fortunately, there’s a great answer: Automation!

You know how we helped our HR industry association client get those 50 new members? We ran multiple digital campaigns for them throughout the year. That’s it. No heavy lifting required.

We helped them craft a targeted message. It required a modest initial investment, and then it ran itself—and it continues to run itself.

That same automation can work for onboarding and retention workflow. You probably can’t afford to hire a member representative who is solely dedicated to the smalls. But you can use modern technology to streamline the process.

Targeting small organizations allows you to grow your association, thoroughly represent the industry, and plant seeds for future growth.

We understand the challenges. But we truly believe this is one of the least-accessed, BEST opportunities right now for associations.

We’d be happy to bounce ideas around with you, and help you envision what a targeted campaign to the smalls would look like.

LET’S CONNECT

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Recession or Not, Your Association Must Do These 7 Things Now

Do You Know Your Prospects’ Biggest Fear? It’s Not What You Think.

Content Marketing Must Die. And Be Reborn as People Marketing.

Recession or Not, Your Association Must Do These 7 Things Now

Recession is an economic concept, but it’s so much a part of the popular imagination that it’s also become a behavioral one. Even the word “recession” gives people a fright.

The experts may be debating whether we are officially in a recession, but people are already thinking differently about their money and how to spend it.

This applies to associations as much as it applies to consumer spending. Because the same people who buy consumer goods also make decisions about whether to renew their company’s membership, send employees to events, and invest in training or other professional development tools.

Whether your answer to the recession question is yes, no, or maybe so doesn’t actually matter. What matters is that your association is ready to respond to people’s behavior over the coming year.

We have 7 ideas for how you can adjust and prepare for another tumultuous season.

1. Find your sense of urgency.

Many associations don’t spend time thinking seriously about the fall . . . until the fall. Yes, summer is busy, and kids are most likely not even back to school yet. We know August can be a hot and lazy month. But what if you DID start now, instead of waiting until the fall? Get out ahead of a potential economic downturn by planning your entire marketing strategy around it, instead of waiting to see what happens.

2. Use data to flag your risks.

What story is your data telling you? Are you letting it guide your efforts? For example, people often sign up for membership just to get a discount for the annual conference. But then they don’t use any of the other membership benefits. So when the budget tightens, whether because of a real or perceived economic decline, what do you think is the first to go? That membership they barely used. Identify these members at risk of dropping off, flag them in your list, and market to them specifically.

3. Prepare to compete with an election for attention.

Between now and November 8, people will be inundated with nonstop messages from political campaigns. Emails, social media posts, videos, ads, texts, phone calls: Every channel will be jammed with political messaging. How will your messages stand out? You’ll never beat politics when it comes to sheer number of communications. How will you reach prospects and members in a meaningful way?

4. Think like a prospect.

We preach this in just about every newsletter. You need to think like a prospect. The marketing techniques that drive you crazy as a consumer? Don’t do those things in your own marketing! The endless email drip campaigns. The hard sell. The blanket messages that aren’t targeted to your behavior. You can’t stand these things, and neither can prospects!

5. Figure out how to offer a “sample” of your event.

We’ve been trained by retail and entertainment giants that anything worth our time comes with a preview, whether it’s a movie trailer, book or music sample, or list of reviews. Everything worth something now offers a meaningful window into the experience or a way to test before buying. Associations must begin offering the equivalent of the movie trailer. Otherwise, prospects fear you are wasting their time.

6. Keep communication jargon-free.

Lofty language that uses a lot of words winds up saying very little. Too many associations forego clarity in their quest to sound credible and worthy. But all those staid, insider phrases just come off like clutter. Instead, write like a human, talking to humans. Use clear, short, actionable sentences. Always check your reading level, and aim for no higher than Grade 8 (Flesch-Kincaid rates this newsletter as Grade 7, in case you’re wondering).

7. Train your resilience.

Resiliency is an interesting thing. It’s a mighty force that carries people and organizations through the ups and downs. But it’s not a given. You must cultivate it. What are you building right now that will last? What are you doing right now that will enable you to bounce back when the rebound happens? If someone asked you what makes your association resilient, would you be able to answer?

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Do You Know Your Prospects’ Biggest Fear? It’s Not What You Think.

Content Marketing Must Die. And Be Reborn as People Marketing.

Do You Know Your Prospects’ Biggest Fear? It’s Not What You Think.

There’s a new fear in town. To be clear, our lives are already full of fear, thanks to two tumultuous years and a lingering feeling that the shoe is about to drop. But the generalized fear that comes with being a person these days isn’t actually what we’re talking about.

We’re talking about what your members and prospects are truly scared of when they see your marketing email, early bird offer, or social media post.

They’re afraid that you’re wasting their time. Squandering their attention. Making promises you can’t keep.

If we’ve learned anything the past few years, it’s that we don’t have to allow people trifling with our time. Plundering our calendars. Taking our attention for granted. We don’t have to put up with awkward social interactions or obligatory events. We barely even have to leave our homes and offices.

All we have to do is sit, click, and Zoom. And even then, we can probably multi-task and knock something else off our to-do list.

How Did Time Get to Be Like This?

Think about it: Do you even answer phone calls from numbers or names you don’t recognize?
Our outlook has become, “If I don’t know you or have a reason to trust you, I assume you are wasting my time.”

What has happened to cause the erosion of trust, and the fear that others are wasting our time?

The simple answer is that we’re now conditioned to regard business-related events that require real-life interaction with suspicion. Or if not suspicion, second-guessing.

This is because we have learned to accomplish so many tasks virtually. Plus, we’re busy. There’s normal busy, and then there’s, “You need to do the job of three people” busy. Many people are stuck in the latter. Time away from the office is a luxury they can’t afford.

There is a more complex answer, too. And it’s that technology, media, and retail have trained us that anything worth our time (or money) comes with a preview, a list of reviews, or a “cancel at any time” option.

Want to start watching a new series on Netflix or Hulu? Watch a preview before you commit to even 30 minutes! Want to listen to an audiobook? Listen to a 4-minute sample first, to make sure the narrator’s voice doesn’t annoy you! Want to order a new air fryer, pair of pajamas, or phone case? Read reviews so you don’t set yourself up for disappointment!

Everything worth something now offers a meaningful window into the experience or a way to test it out. Everything, that is, except the products that most associations market.

How to Combat the Fear of Wasted Time

A decade ago, or perhaps even a few years ago, your organization could count on the benefit of the doubt.

Now you have to hustle in the marketplace, competing with, well . . . just about everyone and everything.

That means you’ve got to figure out how to tell the story of your event in a way that allows prospects to get a meaningful glimpse. In other words, you need to think about how to offer the equivalent of reading the book sample or watching the movie trailer.

Posting an agenda online doesn’t count. A couple of testimonials won’t cut it either. The same-old highlights reel isn’t enough.

How will you reach a jaded, exhausted, and skeptical population? How will you connect? How will you build trust, so that prospects know you value their time enough to offer them the same kind of ability to sample the experience?

We’ve seen the marketing that most associations are currently putting into the world, and we can tell you: 99% of it is missing this element.

How will you be different? How will you provide that missing piece?

Rottman Creative can help with your marketing. You just have to trust us.

We get stellar results for associations who are willing to think and behave differently. Give us a call and let’s start a project together now!

Sign up to be inspired . . . . Or not.

See what we did there? We assumed the benefit of the doubt. It’s annoying, right? Why would you trust us? You don’t even know us.

But if you’d like to get to know us, check out this free eBook New Tech Won’t Save Your Crappy Marketing.

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Content Marketing Must Die. And Be Reborn as People Marketing.

How Not to Get Prospects to Your Association’s Event