So now you have selected a social platform with engagement metrics and have an AMS which can provide similar functions and you are finally able to run reports… what next? For the first time associations can really start identifying and recognizing members who have contributed in non-financial ways. This is also an opportunity to encourage engagement by providing true recognition.
For example, each month you could feature your top three most valuable members in a page of your printed magazine publication. Similar to how ASAE features a “day in the life” of a member and/or features industry blogs, why not feature/highlight your most engaged members? Another opportunity is to assign threshold values for engagement levels i.e. 200 to 400 points equals a Bronze level of engagement. 401 to 500 is silver etc. you can then feature people who have recently broken into a new level of engagement for the first time. For example, at what level might you give away the prestigious lapel pin which recognizes industry contributions?
Not all recognition has to be online. Consider assigning digital ribbons or taking advantage of social badging opportunities from your social platform. For example, if you view my profile on the www.SNAMA.org website, you’ll see how digital ribbons have been incorporated to provide a new type of recognition: www.snama.org/andysteggles
Think of other more typical ways in which you can recognize and thank members: Perhaps present a certificate to the different members at your annual conference or have a new award for the year’s most valuable member etc? Roy Snell from the Corporate Compliance association recently introduced CE credits for blogs which met specific criteria.
Think about the possibilities of utilizing such measuring techniques and how you could utilize the results to recognize and reward members. We already know from books such as ASAE’s “Decision to Join” that the more engaged our members are, the more they are likely to renew – ultimately improving retention and the bottom line.
How are you going to encourage engagement within your organization?