Member job titles are not always the best way to gauge their interests. To get a better picture, the United Fresh Produce Association set up a customer relationship management system to track member interests based on what emails they opened, webinars they attended, and more.

The system automatically tags their records, which allows United Fresh’s membership team to retarget and take a deeper dive into the content, instead of constantly pulling lists, says Miriam Wolk, CAE, United Fresh’s vice president of member services.

How Does It Work?

In the past, United Fresh had several disparate systems. For example, members registered for a meeting on one platform and website visits were tracked on another. Having an effective system in place that integrated both its marketing and sales activity gave the membership team a way to track how members were interfacing with United Fresh because the information was all being sent to one place.

“Basically, we have a better sense of how members are choosing to interact with us,” Wolk says. Having that all information consolidated into one area gives the membership team a chance to follow up with members in a more meaningful way.

Why Is It Effective?

“It’s a timesaver for staff,” Wolk says. Instead of having to check multiple sources to get a read on members’ activity, there is a snapshot all in one place. It is also not a heavy lift technologically. “Once you get the basic architecture in place, it’s pretty seamless,” she says.

What Is the Benefit?

Members are getting information and content they are actually interested in. “It helps us provide a more tailored approach,” Wolk says, instead of throwing out emails to members hoping something will stick.

It has also helped make member prospecting more efficient. The more targeted approach has led to an increase in the download of publications and participation in webinars, too. “They get curated content that’s of interest to them, which in turn means it rises through the clutter,” she says.

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