How Your Association Can Create More Member-Focused Email Content

Feel like your email campaigns aren’t hitting home with members like they used to? If so, it’s time to shift your focus on those you’re trying to engage with.Emails are quite a large part of any person’s day. With the average professional spending 11 hours per workweek reading and responding to emails, things can get a bit overwhelming in one email inbox alone. Your association needs to be aware of this and create email content that will give members their time and effort’s worth of value.

But for many associations, member needs get pushed to the wayside when creating email campaigns. It can be easy to shift all of your focus onto open rates, subject line brainstorming, and optimal scheduling while forgetting about the part that truly matters- your members. In order to get back to your roots of member-focused email content, you may need a little boost. That’s why we’re here to show you 4 ways you can bring your association’s email content back around to engaging, satisfying, and exciting your membership. With our tips, you’ll be the first thing members want to read when they sift through their inbox each morning.

1. Give members more choices

Want to make sure members feel like they’re in control of the emails they receive? Then you’ll want to give them some options. Creating email campaigns that allow members to opt-in and opt-out at their choosing is a great way to give them more control over the content they receive. While many associations may feel like this is a death sentence for engagement rates, it’s actually quite the opposite. With the choice to engage in content, you’ll know that those interacting with your email campaigns are genuinely doing so out of pure interest.You can also give members the option to choose what type of content they receive in their inbox. Which brings us to our next tip…

2. Tailor made email campaigns

Your members crave personal attention and to be heard. They want to know they association they’re supporting is one that cares about their wants, needs, and interests. So, show them you can provide all of this to them by providing customizable email subscriptions. This can be done a few different ways. You can have members choose a subscription style when they sign up for email notifications. Or, you can have them weigh in on what they like and dislike content wise about the email updates you send them. Whether you decide to build up customized campaigns before or during the email process is up to you. You also can allow for custom campaigns any way you’d like. We suggest setting up different categories for members to select from. Things like advocacy, association updates, professional resources, current industry news, and more can help members select what truly resonates with them. 3. Deliver more than the competition.

‍Is your association one of many in its industry? If so, you’ll want to scope out the competition and see how your email content can provide more to come out on top. The average email open rate across all industries is just 16.19%. That’s right, among all of the emails members receive, they’re barely opening a quarter of them. Now, let’s think about just in your industry- how can you make sure yours are the emails being opened amongst your competition?

In order to come out on top, you’ll need the inside scoop from members. What are they enjoying in other emails that they aren’t finding in yours? What content in your emails would they like to see more of? What really intrigues them enough to open and engage with email content? If you really want to get all of this information in your hands to strengthen your own email campaigns, member surveys are your friend. Politely ask members to share their opinions and thoughts through a well put together survey and see how you can deliver better email content than those you compete with.

4. Use a genuine email address

Is your association that uses a no-reply address to set and send out email campaigns? Then you could be digging your own open rate grave. Using a real email address to send out emails to members just makes you more approachable. Email recipients can see exactly who and where this content is coming from without the mystery of a no reply email address. They can also reply and get in touch with your association, cutting out any further steps and making communication a breeze for both ends.

Using an email address that links right to someone from your association or a general contact email address, you’ll show members you want them to get in contact with you to deepen that connection. Turn your association’s email content towards the interests of members and you’ll have no problem increasing open rates and overall engagement.