Here’s one thing the association community knows isn’t true: If you build it, they will come. Ha! Only in your dreams.
No matter what committee members or surveys say, you can’t count on members coming to use anything you build, whether it’s an online community, Slack channel, or membership app. But with persuasive marketing campaigns, when you build it, they will come.
Marketing Tactics for Membership App Launches That Drive Adoption
Before launching a membership app, understand what you’re up against. What would prevent members from downloading it? Why would they abandon it after downloading? Don’t worry if you don’t have the answers, we do. And we’re sharing marketing tactics that will help you overcome the obstacles standing in the way of app adoption.
The challenges a membership app must overcome at launch
Here’s why it's difficult to get some members interested in a new app.
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App fatigue📱
Americans have an average of 80 apps installed on their phones. When faced with the option to download another, members wonder whether they’d use it or if it’d just take up space.
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Unclear value🏅
Communicating value is an ongoing marketing challenge. You must convince members the app is valuable enough to deserve a place on their home screen. From the outset, explain how they’ll benefit from using it so they’re motivated to download and explore it.
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App ghost town 👻
If members feel like they’re all alone in the app, they’ll leave and not return.
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Abandonment ❌
Out of 80 apps on their phones, people only use 9 per day and 30 per month. Even if you get members to download your app, 56% of apps get uninstalled in a week.
The goal is to entice members to make your app part of their routine. It becomes where they turn first for industry news, networking, and whatever else they need during the workday.
Marketing strategies that build engagement beyond the download of your association’s membership app
These marketing strategies encourage members to download, explore, and regularly use your membership app.
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Build a critical mass of initial users
New restaurants have soft openings. A few nights before the doors open to the public, family, friends, and suppliers are invited to practice runs. Plan a soft opening for your app. Invite a pilot group of users who represent every member segment, for example, people from different:
- Generations
- Career stages
- Industry roles
- Membership tenure
- Levels of association activity
Design an onboarding campaign that introduces the pilot group to the app’s features. Via direct messaging, individually guide them to the features that will deliver the most value to each of them. Encourage them to complete their profile and interact with others.
Collect use cases (testimonials) from the pilot group about how the app helped them achieve specific goals.
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Demonstrate app value
Marketing messages must show how the app is worth your members’ time. Describe what makes your app different from other apps members use to get news, socialize, find work, research, etc.
Explain how the app helps members do their jobs. Be specific. Use examples from the pilot group.
Never just mention an app feature. Always describe the impact the feature made on a pilot user. Explain how the app addresses the pain points of different member segments. Use testimonials from the pilot group about time saved, connections made, and knowledge gained.
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Explain how to personalize the membership experience
With quick videos, show members how to tailor the app to their interests.
- Select content for their newsfeed
- Choose the type of push notifications they want to receive
- Create message groups
- Select online discussion forums
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Position the membership app as the first stop
Take app fatigue out of the equation. Promote the membership app as a one-stop shop that replaces multiple apps. Describe everything a member can do in one visit to the app.
If an industry competitor has a mobile presence, demonstrate your app’s unique features vs. theirs.
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Prevent abandonment with an app onboarding campaign
Habits don’t develop unless you continue to prompt members to return to the app and use it repeatedly for several months. Every few weeks, highlight an app feature (and benefit) so they have a reason to return. Share stories in your app’s newsfeed, email newsletters, and social posts about how members are getting value from the app.
Describe how members have integrated the app into their daily routine. Share video tutorials on how to take advantage of the app to accomplish common goals or solve typical work issues. During the first several months, make sure staff or volunteers are available to quickly respond to any requests for assistance.
App marketing tactics for specific member audiences
Share quick-start guides for member segments with specific interests or goals.
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First-year members 🙋
Your membership app is an essential element in the new member onboarding campaign. Find out about the new member’s membership goals, for example, meeting others or accessing resources to help them on the job. In automated onboarding campaigns, tailor the messaging to highlight the app features that deliver immediate membership value.
Encourage volunteer membership ambassadors to welcome new members via app messaging. They can use the app to set up a meeting, share resources, and offer advice on the next best steps for achieving the new member’s goals.
Use push notifications for staff check-ins with new members throughout their first year of membership.
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Inactive members 💻
Use app messaging to learn more about inactive members, for example, their current interests and membership/career goals. Explain why you’re asking: you want them to get more membership ROI.
Connect what you learn with low-effort, high-value actions they can take with the app to help them achieve those goals. Explain how to personalize the app to their interests.
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Early career members 👩💻
Promote the app to younger members as a career advancement tool. Highlight networking opportunities on the app, such as your online community, directory, and virtual meetups.
Show them how to personalize their newsfeed so they stay in the know. Promote on-demand microcredentialing programs and microlearning opportunities that will help them acquire new skills. Remind them about your job board and career resources and tell them how to set up job alerts. Help them find and connect with members who could serve as unofficial mentors.
Within the first 90 days of downloading an app, 71% of app users abandon it. App marketing never ends. Continually remind members how useful your app (and association) is on the job, so your app isn’t merely an icon on their home screen, but a valuable part of their professional toolkit. For more ideas, check out our guide on launching an association mobile app.
