How a Year-Round Membership App Delivers More Value Than Event Apps

Members want to take full advantage of their benefits, but life gets in the way. However, a year-round membership app is always within their reach and within sight on their home screen—a constant reminder of the membership value waiting for them inside. This valuable membership perk works as a daily retention tool for your association.

Why Members Prefer a Year-Round Membership App to an Event App

An event app has a member’s attention for a few days at a conference, but it loses its purpose once they get home. Reclaiming their attention with emails is a struggle amidst the noise of their inbox. A year-round membership app is a more reliable option since members depend on it in these six ways for ongoing career and business support.

#1 Build a network and find their community

Make it easy for all members to pick up their phone and find a friend, not just the ones who can afford to attend your conferences. Members join associations primarily to develop a professional network, that’s what the research shows.

A year-round membership app is a relationship-building and communications hub where members:

• Find someone in the member directory.
• Direct message another member to schedule a virtual coffee.
• Participate in a group chat to coordinate an online meetup.
• Interact with your association by asking staff questions, responding to polls, submitting feedback, and sharing opinions.

With app messaging, members keep their association conversations in one centralized place, minimizing the number of texts and emails on their phone.

When members have a few minutes, they tap into the collective wisdom of your online community to get advice, ask for recommendations, or share their experience.

They also use the app to participate in online roundtables and discussion groups, along with other networking and educational programs.

#2 Learn new skills and acquire new knowledge

Continuing education and credentialing programs are the secondary reason members join associations, per that same Marketing General Inc. (MGI) research.

A membership app is an online learning and training hub where members:

• Attend a live webinar or watch a webinar or session recording during their lunch break.
• Take an on-demand online course, doing one microlearning module at a time during breaks.
• Study prep materials for a certification exam.
• Watch an instructional video that helps them solve a problem at work.

With an app, members don’t have to wait to get back to the office to register for an upcoming educational program. The app is conveniently handy when they have a small pocket of time.

#3 Stay informed

The third reason members join associations is to have access to current and specialized industry information. Encourage members to customize app content by selecting topics of interest.

The members of the American Baseball Coaches Association customize their app newsfeeds, which might explain the 25% increase in member retention after their year-round membership app launched.

Members appreciate newsfeeds that deliver stories about:

• Supply chain issues
• Legislative updates and regulatory changes
• Mergers and acquisitions
• New hires and promotions

Fill the newsfeed with articles, videos, and podcast episodes tailored to member interests. Allow them to set up customized push notifications, for example, breaking industry news on specific topics, like the notifications they receive from media sites.

#4 Carry an office in their pocket

Find out what type of workplace resources members need on the job. For example, members who don’t work in an office appreciate:

• Contract, receipt, and change order templates
• Federal, state, and local compliance requirements
• Regulations and standards since printed information is a pain to carry around and goes out of date quickly

Members easily purchase research reports and other publications right from the app.

#5 Get help advancing in their career

• Dedicate a section of your app to a career center. Early-career members especially need resources that help them prepare for interviews, create resumes and LinkedIn profiles, and network effectively.
  
  
• Members want to use an app to browse your job board for open positions, internships, and apprenticeships. Encourage them to set up job board notifications about relevant positions.
  
  
• Offer self-assessments that help members identify their skills gaps. In the results, recommend courses or micro credentialing programs that teach the skills they lack
  
  
• Display a variety of career pathways that show typical progressions in your industry. Align them with learning pathways that link to specific online courses and credentialing programs.
  
  
• Feature video interviews with members in a range of positions and career stages about their career journey and typical work day. Record video plant or facility tours for the career hub too.
  
  
• Share information about your association’s mentoring program with a sign-up form or link.
  
  
• Because volunteering is a career development opportunity, create a volunteering hub or link to the volunteering page on your website. Highlight opportunities with a range of time requirements from committee service to ad hoc tasks that are a onetime commitment or require little time, like facilitating an online chat room or welcoming a new member.

#6 Generate leads and win new business 

With a membership app in their pocket, members can show their certifications and awards to prospective clients.

An app offers many marketing opportunities for supplier members, such as:

• Buyer’s guide
• Advertising
• Sponsored content
• Sponsored polls

With a year-round app, the association community and its collective resources are available to members year-round, not just a few days during a conference.

Find out how your association and members can get a greater return on your membership app in our Ultimate Guide to Mobile Engagement.