--- title: "Friday Buzz: Make Hybrid Membership Work for You" id: "25945" type: "post" slug: "friday-buzz-make-hybrid-membership-work-for-you" published_at: "2014-11-07T18:24:37+00:00" modified_at: "2014-11-07T18:24:37+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/07/friday-buzz-make-hybrid-membership-work-for-you/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/07/friday-buzz-make-hybrid-membership-work-for-you.md" excerpt: "An association-membership firm offers tips to move beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all approach. Also: what nonprofit marketers should know about Google's new Inbox platform." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "hybrid models" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Friday Buzz: Make Hybrid Membership Work for You You know that the one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for your members anymore. But “going hybrid”—offering different types of membership to different types of members—isn’t as simple as making the decision and going with it. Over at Silverbear’s blog, [the company breaks down the considerations (opens in a new tab)](http://www.silverbear.com/Insight/Blog/hybrid-membership-models.aspx) you need to make when looking into such a model. It requires a lot of analysis—of your membership (and what they’re comfortable with), of your market share, of what other associations are doing, of your pricing—and taking into account all of those things when making a decision. “Understanding your membership base is vital if you’re planning on introducing hybrid membership models. It’s not good enough to simply roll out a few different subscription options—you need to fully understand who your members are and what they value, so you can create appropriate models,” the company states. Then, of course, after you make the decision, you have to manage it and communicate it. [Check out Silverbear’s blog for more tips (opens in a new tab)](http://www.silverbear.com/Insight/Blog/hybrid-membership-models.aspx) . ### Learn to Love Inbox > Tips from [@johnhaydon (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/johnhaydon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > on new Google Inbox app and email marketing » [http://t.co/oan2GJ8Aez (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/oan2GJ8Aez) > [best one? “Create useful content”] [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Elizabeth Engel (@ewengel) [November 7, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/ewengel/status/530700448991543296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **If you’ve been using** Google’s new reinvention of its Gmail platform, [an invite-only system called Inbox (opens in a new tab)](http://www.google.com/inbox/) , you’ll know that it’s *really* great for end users. (I have an invite. It’s epic.) One group it’s not so great for is email marketers—which happens to include many association pros. But don’t feel like you’re totally missing out. Nonprofit-marketing expert John Haydon outlines the considerations you should keep in mind‚ including how to optimize your messages so that they show up as best they can in the new format. One tip worth heeding: Don’t use the shift as an excuse to tell your users what to do. “Email is personal. Everyone has a different way of processing theirs,” [Haydon writes on his blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.johnhaydon.com/google-inbox-app-email-marketing/) . “Don’t waste your time sending an email telling your subscribers how to make sure they don’t miss your email. The best way to do that is to offer value in your email, which you should have done regardless of [I]nbox.” ### Other good reads **Wanna hear a smart guy talk technology? We know one.** Reggie Henry, ASAE’s CIO, recently made an appearance on Aptify’s Association Mavens podcast. [Listen in and hear something brilliant (opens in a new tab)](http://associationmavens.com/2014/11/06/technology-trends-and-associations-an-interview-with-reggie-henry-of-the-american-society-of-association-executives/) . **Working remotely?** Don’t get sucked into the bad parts of the experience by staying at home all day. *Lifehacker*‘s Whitson Gordon [has some tips for keeping telecommuting fresh (opens in a new tab)](http://lifehacker.com/how-to-beat-inertia-and-get-out-more-often-when-you-wor-1655128954) . **It’s not all about you.** Socious blogger Katie Bapple warns about focusing too much on yourself [when managing an online community (opens in a new tab)](http://info.socious.com/bid/73021/It-s-Not-All-About-You-Is-Company-Centric-Communication-Hurting-Your-Online-Community-Engagement) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#hybrid models](https://associationsnow.com/tag/hybrid-models/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F11%2F07%2Ffriday-buzz-make-hybrid-membership-work-for-you%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !