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Article Membership 2 min read

Daily Buzz: Do’s and Don’ts to Keep Members Happy

Satisfied members are vital to the success of your association. Here’s how to keep them happy. Also: asking attendees the right kinds of questions.

Heads up: this content is over 5 years old, so some information may be out of date.

Keeping members happy is a top priority for every association, but knowing what they want can sometimes be a mystery. The Web Scribble blog outlines key do’s and don’ts  (opens in a new tab) that can be the difference between a satisfied and an unsatisfied member:

Do ask members what they want. “If your association is trying to enhance your member satisfaction, but you’re unsure where to start, asking the right questions is always a great way to get the answers you’re looking for,” says Audra Hopkins in the post.

Don’t make member surveys irrelevant or time-consuming. A lengthy questionnaire won’t incentivize people to answer.

Do encourage year-round communication. “Not only does open communication show members that you care about their needs, it also gives you a direct connection to engage and connect with members any time you’d like,” Hopkins says.

Don’t speak and not listen. Communication with members should never be one-sided. “Take their thoughts into consideration, keep track of what they’re saying, and assure them your association is working its best to make sure everything is taken care of,” Hopkins says.

Formulate Your Attendee Survey Carefully

Attendee feedback is an important part of the meeting-planning cycle, but if you’re not asking the right questions, you won’t get the kinds of answers that can help improve future events.

Every word matters when developing a survey—as does the type of question asked. “If you don’t pick carefully, you could create either a biased or meaningless survey,” says Caroline Howard in a post on the Cvent blog  (opens in a new tab). Be it an open-ended, multiple-choice, or scaled question, take time to shape how you ask guests for feedback to get data that can make future meetings better.

Other Links of Note

Need more time? The Eventsforce blog highlights eight time-management practices that every planner should use  (opens in a new tab).

LinkedIn relaunched Company Pages with features that make it easier for brands to engage with new audiences. The HubSpot blog explains  (opens in a new tab).

Keep essential team members feeling valued with these three strategies  (opens in a new tab), from Entrepreneur.

(marchmeena29/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Tags: #Member Engagement #member satisfaction #Membership

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