How to create a digital community to retain, engage and attract members.
In the new digital era, clubs and associations must adapt and grow with current trends. It’s never been easier to reach out to your members or attract new ones at the touch of a button but creating your own digital community is key to achieving a thriving club.
What is a digital community? This is the creation of a centralised hub where members can access all your club communications, purchase membership, messaging, news, events, and support club fundraisers.
Ideally, you want your digital community to live on a club-branded mobile app. Mobile Apps are key to engaging with members. Emails to members can get lost among spam and WhatsApp messages can overload members and get lost between all the noise. App push notifications have an average open rate of 20% compared to only 2.1% with emails. Even more engaging is in-App messaging which sees a user open rate of 75% (Reckless Agency, 2021).
How to engage, retain, and attract members through a digital community?
Engage with meaningful content - Posting meaningful content such as articles, club notes, match reports, player profiles, or the team of the decade, etc to your digital community allows for greater engagement from members. Engaged members are positive and more likely to renew membership annually, attract new members to your club, and also support your club's fundraising efforts!
Post regular but give control to your members - Regular news and articles keep your members up to date with current happenings in the club to grow your retention. It is a great way to engage members, retain them, and allow for them to talk positively about your club. However, it is important not to bombard your members with information overload, much like one of WhatsApp’s flaws. Give control to your members and allow them to toggle their app push notification settings and send specific in-app messages that are only relevant to a particular group.
Offer security - Members want easier, convenient, and safer ways to pay for memberships, fundraising, events, and more. Allow for easy and secure online membership payment makes it easier for your members to renew. Online payments for fundraising make it more attractive for people to support your club. Digital security is also key to maintaining your membership base. Managing their data while giving them a secure and GDPR compliant platform will allow members to operate safer online. Spam emails and bogus websites can easily catch members out but a member's mobile app rules out any spam or hacker threat.
Don’t burden your Admin staff - As much as members play a key role in your club, your administrative volunteers are just as important. While creating a digital community for members to engage in a digital community, make it easy for admin volunteers to post news articles, manage memberships, create payment formats, and send messages to specific members.
Build your database of members - By building up your database of members and supporters, you can re-engage and target them for specific campaigns. This can be simply to spread the word of upcoming membership renewal or for large fundraisers activities.
ClubSpot’s Digital ClubHouse -
Creating your digital community couldn’t be easier with ClubSpot. Our platform allows you to create your own club mobile app, specific to your club's members. Post meaningful content, stop overloading members with information, offer a secure online presence, reduce your admin workload, grow your club revenue and build your database to re-engage and target members.
Your mobile app can be branded in your very own club colours, crest, and publish your own content. Having a mobile app in your club’s colours allows your members and supporters to connect emotionally to their local club’s digital home.
Your digital community will allow your club members to enter their own digital clubhouse at the tap of a finger no matter where they are. Grow your club's revenue and get started today.
Get in contact with us today to see how we can help your club!