Native Notes

Association mobile apps are springing up in the thousands. 

We are feeling the Rhythm over here at Clowder. 

If you’re trying to wrap your head around what an engagement app is and how it works, we’re here to help put those minds at ease. We understand there’s A LOT to process. So, what exactly does engagement mean? How would it benefit your community? At Clowder, we go way beyond creating a mobile solution - we're all about connecting people, so we want to take the time to ensure all of your remaining questions about our engagement platform are answered. 

As email traffic continues to grow, one might think open rates would follow suit. The average American receives 80-100 emails per day - but who has time to open that many emails every day? This overload causes important messages to get lost, accidentally deleted, or just plain forgotten. Open rates have been on a decline over the last few years and utilizing this channel as a stand-alone communication strategy has now become outdated. Organizations should be continually evolving as ongoing technology advancements are enhancing the ways in which people are receiving information. Your members are looking for that experience. In order to increase the likelihood of your members not only staying up-to-date with your industry content, but also remaining engaged with your organization, a more efficient form of communication is what’s needed. In today’s mobile-first world and on-demand economy, it’s the usage of push notifications that help to cut through the noise of constant emailing. 

2020 was… rough to say the least. Professionals throughout all industries were thrown numerous unforeseen challenges. Association members leaned heavily on their trusted organizations for guidance and resources to help them navigate the uncertainties. There were associations that succeeded in providing the necessary value during their members’ time of need, and there were those that did not meet the moment… and people took note. When cancellations and the need to distance began to affect connectivity, it was technology that became the glue for keeping communities intact. Because of this, what 2020 should have taught associations is the importance of meeting modern technology demands.

Your organization may be kicking itself for not going mobile sooner - like pre-pandemic times sooner. Or maybe after debating whether or not it's needed, the idea of mobile has just been sitting on the back burner for awhile. Regardless of what stage you’re in, it’s important to understand what it really means to take your membership and make it mobile.

Welcome to a new monthly series where you'll hear from Clowder COO Brad LaTour. He'll speak to news within the membership and technology space, industry trends, and company insight. Enjoy!

Associations that have resisted making their membership mobile often echo the same excuses for not doing so. However recent statistics from Facebook’s user demographics and ad revenue shoot holes in these tired old adoption myths.

The coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing it's sparked around the world has put a lot in perspective for many both personally and professionally. Just as people have quickly had to change their daily habits, so have businesses, industries and membership organizations. But before we talk about what's expected in the future, let's think back to before all of this when the buzzword "digital transformation" was thrown around a lot within the association space. New web-based engagement strategies were continually being introduced as well as platforms for deploying more email. This current period of adapting however has shed light onto whether or not those transformative initiatives made have had their intended effects on members now. We know one thing to be certain - if these previous digital transformations did not include mobile, then they probably are not making the impacts that were hoped for.

We have all had to adapt, rather abruptly, to the new way of interacting – with our families, professional communities, and businesses we patronize. We have changed our daily routines and altered our consumption habits, and, in the process, mobile devices have emerged as somewhat of a lifeline keeping us connected with one another and with the goods and services we need and rely on. Here are a few stats on app usage during the pandemic.