Mobile Apps for Associations: Everything You Need to Know

It’s no secret that we not only live in a digital-first world but also a mobile-first one. The average American currently spends 5 hours and 16 minutes per day on their phone, and they use mobile apps for about 90% of that time. With all of this traffic, the global market for mobile apps is projected to reach $755 billion by 2027!

If you’re an association leader looking to engage your members more effectively, a mobile app is a great way to reach them, especially if their job causes them to spend much of their time on the go. In this guide, you’ll learn all you need to know about mobile apps for associations, including:

• Mobile Apps for Associations FAQ
• Must-Have Features of an Association Mobile App
• A Closer Look at Clowder’s Mobile App for Associations

Let’s get started by discussing what these tools are and why they’re useful for trade associations like yours.

Mobile Apps for Associations: Frequently Asked Questions

If you aren’t sure where to begin with implementing a mobile app at your association, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve answered some of the most common questions about these platforms below.

What is a mobile app for associations?

A mobile app for associations is a member engagement platform that users access from their smartphones or tablets. With this tool, members can connect with your association’s leaders and each other about networking opportunities, online learning, news, events, and more.

While any association can leverage a mobile app, they’re especially useful for trade organizations where members don’t tend to sit at a desk all day, like associations of healthcare professionals or on-site consultants. This way, your organization can reach members no matter where their work takes them.

Why should my association leverage a mobile app?

By adopting a mobile app, your association can tap into a variety of member engagement benefits, such as:

• Fostering a stronger member community. When members can connect with your association from anywhere, they’ll be motivated to participate in discussions and contribute content, which leads to a vibrant and active membership base.
• Personalizing the association experience. Members are more likely to engage with content that resonates with their professional interests. Apps that record and accommodate these preferences can increase participation in association activities.
• Allowing for continuous learning. Providing useful resources that members can access directly from their phones helps your organization meet members’ professional development needs and reinforces the value of their association membership.
• Boosting revenue generation. Mobile engagement apps offer many opportunities for your association to bring in funding through sponsor ads, resource subscriptions, event registrations, merchandise purchases, and membership renewal reminders.

Mobile apps also benefit association members by providing a convenient, accessible channel to network, stay up-to-date on their field, and take advantage of everything your organization has to offer—it’s a win-win!

How do I build a mobile app for my association?

In order from least to most effective, the most common methods of creating an association mobile app are:

• Repurposing your association’s website. While your website should already feature  a mobile-responsive design to enhance its user experience (UX), websites don’t offer the same functionalities, offline capabilities, or visibility of mobile apps.
• Creating a members-only social media group. Since many of your members likely already use Facebook and/or LinkedIn, a social media group is an accessible way to leverage an app for your association. However, these platforms provide very limited customization options, and you don’t receive third-party advertising revenue like you would on your own app.
• Building a progressive web app (PWA). PWAs combine the design of mobile-responsive websites with the offline capabilities and visibility of apps, and they’re relatively simple and cheap to develop. They tend to be slower, more memory-intensive, and less consistent in UX (due to browser differences) than native apps, though.
• Designing an app from scratch. Hiring a developer to fully encode your association’s app allows for the greatest amount of customization, but it’s also the most time- and resource-intensive option. Plus, for the product to turn out as you imagined, you have to choose the right developer to work with and give them clear instructions throughout the whole process.
• Using a generic app building tool. These platforms make creating native mobile apps easy and cost-effective for all types of organizations. But because they aren’t made with associations’ needs in mind, using them is like trimming your hair with kitchen scissors instead of hair shears—they get the job done, but the results usually aren’t as good as apps built with association-specific tools.
• Leveraging an association-specific app building platform. This is the tool designed for the job. Specialized app building platforms have all of the features your association needs to effectively engage its members through a native, customized app with no coding required!

Any mobile engagement strategy is better than none, so consider the costs and time required for each of these methods as you make your decision. However, if you have the budget and bandwidth to develop a native app, build it on a platform designed for associations (like Clowder!).

Must-Have Features of an Association Mobile App

No matter how you build your association’s mobile app, there are a few features you should make sure to include to engage members as effectively as possible. Let’s walk through each one in detail.

News Feed

A regularly updated news feed is the pulse of association member engagement. This feature keeps members updated with the latest happenings, announcements, and content relevant to their personal interests and the industry at large. It promotes regular app usage and provides a platform for instant dissemination of important information. 

Make sure the news you share can be personalized to each member so their experience using the app—and engaging with your association—is as valuable to them as possible. Additionally, set up your app so members can enable push notifications for their news feeds, as these reminders keep your association top of mind and prevent members from missing out on opportunities that may interest them.

Resource Library

In addition to time-sensitive news, dedicate a section of your app to permanent resources such as white papers, case studies, and other educational materials. Test everything you upload to ensure it’s easy to read and navigate through on a smartphone or tablet.

Besides supporting continuous learning, a robust resource library positions your association as a thought leader and go-to resource for industry insights. Within your app, members gain easy access to a wealth of information that can help them in their professional development, often leading to higher retention rates because your members perceive their memberships as more worthwhile.

Member Forums

Allow members to learn from each other by creating engaging forums in your mobile app. Forums provide a dedicated space for members to discuss topics, share knowledge, and solve problems together. 

By promoting meaningful conversations and peer-to-peer support, forums help build a supportive and interactive membership base. They also serve as a valuable knowledge resource where members can discover insights from other professionals in their field who have “been there.”

One-to-One Messaging

One-to-one messaging enables members to connect, collaborate, and network directly. This feature is crucial for building personal relationships and facilitating professional opportunities within your association’s community since it’s easy for members to reach out to each other, share opportunities, and seek advice.

Set up your app’s push notifications to also apply to this feature so members can keep their conversations going more efficiently. While some members may turn this feature off in their device’s settings, it’s still useful for engagement to have the option available.

Group & Chapter Segmentation

If your association has multiple chapters or spans a large geographic area, segmentation helps members connect with others in their area and get notifications that apply directly to them. You might also create groups within your app for specific interests or professional criteria. For example, a dentistry association might segment members based on specialty (pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, etc.).

This feature fosters micro-communities within your association, providing a personalized engagement experience. It also helps tailor communications and resources to meet the unique needs of different member segments.

Event & Conference Management

Much of your members’ experience with your association likely comes in the form of events from your annual convention to webinars to networking socials. Integrating event and conference planning into your mobile app makes management simpler on your association’s end since members can handle many of their own attendance tasks.

On the membership side, your app’s event and conference features allow members to discover, register for, and plan out their participation in association events, leading to higher attendance rates and greater satisfaction. They also offer new opportunities for networking, since members can discuss your events in advance and register for sessions that interest them all on one platform.

In-App Advertising & Sponsor Features

Your mobile app doesn’t just benefit your association and its members—it also provides a new way for corporate sponsors and exhibitors to engage with your organization. In-app advertising allows sponsors to create targeted promotions for their products, services, and opportunities to your members. These ads give your association a new non-dues revenue stream while providing value to advertisers and members who receive relevant offers tailored to their professional interests. 

Featuring corporate partners in a special section of your app can also be part of your sponsorship agreements to make them mutually beneficial. Members will be more aware of your sponsors and can plan in advance which exhibitor tables they’ll visit during events.

A Closer Look at Clowder’s Mobile App for Associations

If you’re ready to create a mobile app for your association, look no further than Clowder! As the #1 engagement solution for professional communities, our platform has everything you need to create a mobile app available for both iOS and Android. Think of Clowder as your association’s private social network.

Here are just a few of Clowder’s standout characteristics:

• A full suite of features, including everything listed above and more, which you can customize with your association’s branding.
• A command center for managing user engagement, content development, advertising, and analytics with no specialized technical skills required.
• Ongoing support, monthly client newsletters, and regular updates to help you overcome challenges and always make the most of the platform.
• Integrations with other top association software, from CRMs like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics to member management solutions like iMIS and Fonteva.

At Clowder, we’re ready to help your association succeed at mobile member engagement. But don’t just take our word for it—check out what real customers have to say about how Clowder has helped them connect associations of professionals in various industries, from corporate lawyers to auto dealers to baseball coaches!

Wrapping Up: Additional Resources on Mobile Engagement for Associations

A well-developed, user-friendly mobile app is a key tool for engaging your association’s members and encouraging them to renew their membership year after year. Use the tips and features above to start developing yours, and take special care to choose an association-specific app building platform (like Clowder) that will meet all of your needs.

For more information on association mobile apps and engagement, check out these resources:

• Improving Member Communications With a Mobile App. Learn more about how a mobile app can make your member communications more impactful.
• 6 Steps to Create a Mobile Engagement Strategy for Your Association. Discover the planning and monitoring processes behind effectively implementing a mobile app.
• How to Increase Mobile App Adoption in Your Association. Once your app is out in the world, explore tips and tricks for getting members to download and use it.