Belonging to a professional association or trade group is often the ante for anyone hoping to improve their professional status or fast-track their career. The promise of professional development, networking with like-minded peers, and exclusive access to insider industry insights are just a few of the benefits that make membership so alluring. Then, there are often added perks like access to discounts on travel, rental vehicles, or insurance, which add to the appeal.
Yet, as we uncovered in a recent study, The Benefits of Belonging: An Analysis of Membership-Based Organizations, Their Constituents, & Their Loyalty Strategies, there is a significant gap between what members initially found enticing about joining a professional organization and the experience they received. How did this disconnect happen? What must these associations and trade groups do to deliver added value to their association members more effectively?
For our report, we surveyed professional associations and trade groups, and the results revealed a lot about their priorities and challenges. When asked to rank their primary business goals in order of importance, they cited membership growth and new member acquisition as their top priority, followed by revenue and dues growth and expanding benefits to members.
Interestingly, while membership growth and new membership acquisition are their top goals, they are also their biggest challenges.
In the same survey, association members who frequently interacted with their professional association or trade group were asked to rank what was important to them regarding their membership. Overwhelmingly, members said they were looking for a broader, more personalized range of benefits. These members said that they would use their associations’ programs more frequently if they offered, in order of priority:
These findings suggest that associations should prioritize expanding benefits to members. This could help them attract new members and potentially justify increasing the cost of dues for existing members.
While not cited as the top priority on members’ lists of what they wanted most from their association memberships, our survey did reveal that members do want discounts on travel. Members said that having better travel discounts would encourage them to interact – and spend – more with their association.
When asked specifically about travel, members told us that they would book travel more frequently through their membership organization if:
Overall, 50% of members who pay to belong to an association say they are looking for more value—specifically, a better experience and better benefits from their membership. The survey findings identify a more convenient, personalized, and option-rich travel booking process to deliver that value.
The good news is that associations understand that they must deliver value and give members more opportunities to interact (and spend) to achieve their organizational goals. While some groups have already taken steps to improve, it is still apparent that their priorities are not correctly matched with their goals.
Our survey revealed that many of these associations are already planning to expand their member benefits and provide a better member experience over the next 6-12 months, including introducing reward options for travel insurance (31%), car rental (29%), live events (27%) and gift cards (27%). However, these percentages also indicate that much more still needs to be done to close the expectations gap.
Primary business goals vs. priorities were not the only disconnect uncovered in our survey. We also found a discrepancy in how these organizations were allocating spending on travel benefits.
Despite 91% of these organizations offering travel booking capabilities, most professional associations and trade groups surveyed said their spending priorities were marketing and personalization (59% said their priority for short-term investment was marketing, 35% said personalization). At the same time, 56% believe they merely offer an “okay” travel booking platform, and only 28% feel that it is on par with market expectations, as demonstrated by popular online travel agencies.
This highlights another considerable opportunity gap: prioritizing spending to improve the online booking experience and offering more travel options would bring them closer to achieving their primary business goals.
It might be smarter for these organizations to spend their money on the underlying infrastructure and partner with loyalty and travel technology providers to provide a better member experience.
Our survey revealed that 64% of members want personalized travel discounts (i.e., flights, hotels, and car rentals). However, this level of personalization requires a robust inventory portfolio with a wide range of options to satisfy different members’ needs. It also requires technology that is both intelligent and powerful enough to turn that inventory into customized offers. For smaller groups, improving their platform is an expense that is often too far out of reach. Larger associations, on the other hand, may have the financial resources but not the technical or loyalty expertise to make it happen.
Both challenges speak to the need for flexible, scalable technology to deliver a better member experience—a solution that can be deployed cost-effectively by partnering with a technology partner.
Professional associations have a significant opportunity to grow and thrive by meeting their members' needs more effectively. Our survey has shown that 90% of members interact with their favorite organizations at least monthly, and 1/3 engage more than weekly, so the potential for increased engagement and greater member satisfaction is substantial.
By delivering a better member experience through improved benefits, personalized offerings, and user-friendly platforms, professional associations can successfully attract new members, retain existing ones, and meet their growth and revenue objectives.
Are you ready to learn how building a better member experience can grow revenue for your association or trade group? Download our report or contact us here.
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