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
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Who Are We?
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
How Do We Prioritize Retention?
MEMBER RECRUITMENT INCREASE MEMBERS MEMBERSHIP GROWTH MEMBER RETENTION
How Do We Prioritize Retention?
INCREASE SALES INCREASE RETENTION
MEMBER RECRUITMENT INCREASE MEMBERS MEMBERSHIP GROWTH MEMBER RETENTION
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
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
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
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
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.
Questions
Maggie McGary
Web & Social Media Administrator
American Occupational Therapy Association
Joshua Paul
Senior Director, Strategy & Marketing
Socious