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From the moment your members join your association, they’re deciding if they’ll stay or if they’ll go. Here’s how to create a new member onboarding experience that makes your members love your organization right away and stay around for the long haul.
The first interactions with your association make a long-lasting impression on a new member. Those first connections provide the foundation for you to build a relationship that continues for years to come. That’s why the new member onboarding process is so important.
The importance of new member onboarding
Your new members will begin forming their opinions about the value of your association the minute they hit the “join” button on your member form. It will impact their member experience and their decision to renew when the time comes. So, providing a great new member onboarding experience is a critical part of member retention.
What goes into a great new member onboarding experience?
A great new member onboarding experience makes new members feel welcome and connected with your association right from the start. It reinforces the member value your association provides them. The goal? To inspire them to engage with your organization and stay engaged long-term.
A great new member onboarding process includes welcoming new members. But it goes further to start providing them with immediate value so that they know their time and money aren’t going to waste.
4 ways to provide a great new member onboarding experience
Here are four ways to create a new member onboarding experience that makes a great impression on new members.
1. Say thank you.
Thanking new members for joining your association can go a long way toward making them feel welcome right off the bat. At the very least, be sure to provide a “thank you” confirmation page and auto-email once they sign up online to acknowledge their new membership.
But why stop there? Some other ideas for thanking new members:
- Send a personal email or hand-written note (or even take a moment to call) to thank each new member for joining your organization.
- Send a new member “welcome” gift. This could include a logo item from your organization, or maybe a book or a professionally printed copy of a key resource that your organization provides its members.
- List new members in your email newsletter under a “Welcome new members!” heading to make them feel appreciated.
- Ask a member of the membership committee or board of directors to reach out to say thanks and see how they can help provide resources, knowledge, or ideas.
2. Send a “welcome” email series.
Following your “thank you,” send a “welcome” email series that explains your association and its benefits. Some tips:
- Start simply. Sending too much information right away can be a turnoff to new members. Start simply by thanking them again for their membership. Let them know you’ll be sending more communications soon with additional information about their new membership. Give them a short, simple list of what they can expect next and where to go for information. For example:
- List what communications they can expect to receive from you and how often they’ll receive those communications.
- Ask to be added to their “safe sender” list, so they won’t miss any updates from you.
- Direct them to online resources, such as your calendar of events, career center, or online community.
- Make sure they know who to contact at your organization or where to go online if they have questions or would like to give feedback about their member experience.
- Be clear.
When you need new members to do something, be sure to state clearly what you need them to do and why. For example, if you need new members to complete an online community profile or set up their communications preferences, send them an email communication specifically about that action. Give them a link and ask them exactly what you need them to do. Let them know why you’re asking them to take the action. For example, “Setting up your communications preferences will ensure we send you information the way you want to receive it, so you won’t miss an update or a member benefit.” - Invite them to join in.
Get new members involved right away by asking them to connect with your organization and other members. For example, invite new members to a discussion forum for new members in your online community. Also, include a footer in your onboarding emails that lets members know how to stay in contact with your organization, such as customer support contact information and social media icons.
3. Get personal.
Whether it’s in emails or on your website, personalization is a great way for your new members to feel connected to the community. This will set them up for greater engagement in the future.
For example, any time that you can, present your members with content specific to their needs and interests. Mention why the member joined or how the member has engaged with your organization so far. You’ll win them over by showing you understand them and you’re working to deliver value to them.
4. Ask for feedback.
About two or three months after you’ve onboarded new members, send them a short member satisfaction survey to ask about their experience so far. Asking key questions will help you to determine how happy they are as new members and what you might be able to do to improve the new member experience. For example, ask things like:
- How do you rate your member experience so far?
- What have you found most helpful in your first months of membership with the organization?
- How connected do you feel with the association?
- What makes you feel most connected with the association? What makes you feel least connected with the association?
- What would make your member experience better?
