This presentation was developed by Socious's Joshua Paul and experienced online community manager, Maggie McGary, for the 2014 ASAE Great Ideas Conference. This session focused on the reasons why building community online is the future of member retention. It detailed practical ideas that association executives can apply to their organization’s online community strategy to increase member retention.

1. Using Online Community to
Increase Member Retention
Monday, March 10, 2014
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Hashtag: #ideas14 LM4
Maggie McGary, American Occupational Therapy Association
Josh Paul, Socious

2. Welcome

3. Retention Lessons From Disney

4. Who Are We?

5. 10 Ways to Engage Members In Your Online Community | What Can Online Comm
Managers Learn From a Car Auction? | Associations: 8 Myths of Marketing Large
Nonprofits | Why Women Prefer Online Communities to Social Networking Sites
Decisions That Can Make or Break Your Online Community | How to Engage Mem
Using Your Member Database | 4 Membership Marketing Tips From 'The Social N
| Online Community SmackDown: Forums vs. Listservs | 5 Lessons for Associatio
Nonprofits from Super Bowl Commercials | 10 Practical Ways to Use a Mobile Con
App | This Week's Top Member Engagement Posts | 5 Common Pitfalls to Avoid W
Launching an Online Community | How Your Online Community Can Make Your
Conference a Success | 5 Things Software User Groups Need to Know About Onlin
Communities | 10 Tips for Better Conferences Using Mobile and Online Communi
Signs You Have Outgrown Your Online Community Platform | 10 Questions to Ask
Members Before Launching an Online Community | Are Free Membership Models
Future for Associations? | 10 Things Association Execs Need to Know About Mobi
Membership Apps | 5 Ways Associations Can Engage New Members in Their Onlin
Who Are We?

6. Today’s Discussion
• Why Does Retention Matter
• Why Members Stay Members
• Solving Member Engagement Challenges
• How to Build to Community to Increase Member
Retention
• Takeaways and Real Steps

7. How Do We Prioritize Retention?
MEMBER RECRUITMENT
INCREASE MEMBERS
MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
MEMBER RETENTION

8. How Do We Prioritize Retention?
INCREASE SALES
INCREASE RETENTION
MEMBER RECRUITMENT
INCREASE MEMBERS
MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
MEMBER RETENTION

9. Why is Member Retention Important?
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
$-
$2,000,000
$4,000,000
$6,000,000
$8,000,000
$10,000,000
$12,000,000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
13% Grow /0% Churn
Membership
Revenue
Year Year
Members: 10,000
Average dues: $300/year

10. Why is Member Retention Important?
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
$-
$2,000,000
$4,000,000
$6,000,000
$8,000,000
$10,000,000
$12,000,000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
13% Grow /0% Churn
13% Grow /10% Churn
Membership
Revenue
Year Year
Members: 10,000
Average dues: $300/year

11. Why is Member Retention Important?
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
35000
40000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
$-
$2,000,000
$4,000,000
$6,000,000
$8,000,000
$10,000,000
$12,000,000
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
13% Grow /0% Churn
13% Grow /10% Churn
13% Grow/5% Churn
Membership
Revenue
Year Year
Members: 10,000
Average dues: $300/year

12. Why Members Stay Members

13. Why Members Stay Members
To Stay Connected With
Like-Minded People

14. Recognition and
Appreciation of
Contribution

15. Tangible
Return on
Investment

16. Member
Retention
Challenges

17. How Building Community Increases
Member Retention

18. What is an Online Community?
• THE Online Community
• OUR Online Community
• AN Online Community

19. What is an Online Community?
• THE Online Community
• OUR Online Community
• AN Online Community

20. What is an Online Community?
• THE Online Community
• OUR Online Community
• AN Online Community

21. Strategic Online Community Tools
Discussions/Email
Listserv
Document &
Media Libraries
Email Engine
Content
Management &
Blogs
Event
Management
Online Store /
Virtual Products
Communities and
Subgroups
Crowdsourcing
Tools
Surveys/Polls
Aggregation &
Curation
Virtual
Membership
Games, Contests,
Badges

22. Creating a Thriving Online Community

23. How to Avoid Common Pitfalls

24. Pitfall #1
Not Having Dedicated
Community Management

25. Pitfall #2
Giving Up Exclusivity

26. Pitfall #3
Confusing Public Social
Networks and Private
Online Communities

27. Pitfall #4
Checking the Box

28. Pitfall #5
Heavy-Handed Moderation

29. Simple Framework for
Creating a Successful Private
Online Community

30. Takeaway #1
Value

31. Takeaway #2
Ongoing Engagement

32. Takeaway #3
Know Your Data

33. Takeaway #4
Test, Measure, & Adjust

34. Takeaway #5
Be Patient & Lead

35. Next Steps
1. Track your member retention rate.
2. Know your member lifetime value.
3. Be vigilant about value.
4. Research why members stay.
5. Identify challenges to retention.
6. Map challenges to your online community strategy.
7. Create a thriving private online member community.
8. Test, measure, and adjust your plan.

36. Questions
Maggie McGary
Web & Social Media Administrator
American Occupational Therapy Association
maggielmcg@gmail.com
Joshua Paul
Senior Director, Strategy & Marketing
Socious
jpaul@socious.com