Jeff Lerner: Ways To Increase Member Retention
In the world of membership-based organizations, it can be difficult to ensure that you have a healthy and active membership. It's not just about getting members in the door - it's about keeping them there! The key is to provide them with an experience that they want to repeat again and again. Jeff Lerner, who is the founder of Entre Institute, has some of the best ways to increase member retention that I have ever come across. In this article, we will see some of the key points Jeff Lerner makes on how to retain members and what you might do to improve your own program.
First, create an experience. While this may seem obvious, it is important enough to be stated here. An organization must provide experiences for its members; they should not be led by the hand through events or meetings like students in high school (unless, of course, your organization is providing education via training). Your experience should revolve around programming where people can connect with each other and grow.
For example, if you offer a Toastmasters club, bring in a member to give a speech and perform various exercises where people can practice and get feedback. Secondly, be part of the experience. It is important that your members feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves; they must be involved with the activities you provide for them. The more opportunities you can provide for interaction, the better. If this means offering workshops or hosting contests, so be it. Next, ensure that people feel like they are making friends. To obtain extra details please visit Jeff Lerner review.
People enjoy social experiences, and most forms of entertainment revolve around relationships (even television shows typically have some sort of relationship drama). If your organization allows opportunities for people to connect with each other, by all means, take advantage of it! Next is to track everything. If you are not already doing this, now is the time to start tracking membership data. Jeff Lerner suggests organizations should provide member cards or account numbers so that they can track every interaction with their members.
This will allow you to better understand what events your members are attending and how frequently they engage with your organization. If you have a technology-based business, utilize programs like Mailchimp to contact members about upcoming events or contests. Also, ask for feedback. The best way to learn is by asking for feedback from your members. By soliciting their opinions on how things could be improved, you will gain insight into what needs work and what works well (and maybe even some new ideas that you hadn't considered). Next, be transparent.
This is a good practice for any organization but particularly if your members are paying a fee to be part of something. Let them know what the money they pay is going towards and how it will help your organization. If people feel like their membership fees (or dues or anything else you call them) are not being put to good use, they may just take their leave. Lastly, offer more than one way to engage with your organization. Jeff Lerner points out that most organizations provide more than one way for their members to engage with the organization, such as member events and webinars/podcasts/open houses/contests etc. more ways an organization provides members to engage will lead to more retention.