Many organizations have trouble pulling the trigger for large initiatives because they want assurance that the ROI will be worth the manpower and money it will take to launch. They want assurance that their staff won’t be overwhelmed and that their tech team has the bandwidth to provide support. While these are valid concerns, our advice when it comes to contemplating mobile is simple – don’t overthink it. Trust us, your members want an app.
Whether personally or professionally, there’s a million reasons people use apps today. Your members are among those people. And we know your future members are as well.
Alexa Kade, Clowder’s Director of Client Success, knows that fear of failure can sometimes interfere with fact-based decision making. She notes, "Ninety-five percent of our clients are concerned their members won’t use the app. Yet market data is overwhelming that they will not just use it, but they are demanding it."
She enjoys watching the fears abate as time and time again, members of her clients download launched apps and begin engaging with their association like never before.
Think about why people become members of your organization in the first place. They value educational resources, industry news, networking, connection to their community and attending events. So that begs the question, why wouldn’t you have a mobile app? Why wouldn’t you make these benefits as accessible and convenient as possible? Why allow barriers of access such as inconvenient web and email to negatively affect engagement? Fun fact: The average text message open rate is 98% while the average email open rate is only 20%. People respond and interact well when you reach them in their preferred channel.
So again, don’t overthink it. Your members use apps. YOU use apps! With the right membership app, your association can much better attract, engage and retain happy members. It’s as simple as that.