8 Essential Tactics for Attracting Younger Association Members

1. Meet Them Where They Are With the Tools They Need

• Deliver expanded online options (not just because of COVID-19 but because younger people expect it)
• Create mobile-optimized content offerings so young members can engage on their smartphone
• Develop online as well as print publications
• Engage in relevant social media activity
• Provide online communities and networking tools and apps 

2. Ask Their Opinion

• Understand what younger members truly want from an association membership
• Generate surveys, both among current members and prospective members
• Create focus groups of younger potential members
• Audit what other associations are doing
• Give younger members real opportunities to get involved, making them feel valued while you gain insightful new perspectives
• Talk to experts who work with a wide range of associations

3. Develop a Member Lifecyle

• Brainstorm your different member types and place them in categories (four can be an ideal number, being sure to include one category for younger members)
• Determine what members are looking for at different stages of their career and offer those benefits
• Consider tiering your pricing so younger members can afford it (and grow with you over time)

4. Actively Invite Them In

• Show young people how membership will benefit them with a targeted marketing campaign
• Create a referral program
• Let younger members know they are needed 
• Offer young people a free opportunity to attend a virtual conference or other event, or offer a free trial period
• Connect with colleges and institutions that have relevant programs

5. Have Current Members Share Their Stories

• Create powerful testimonials from members for marketing pieces
• Post videos to social media of members speaking about how membership benefited them early in their career
• Have members explain how membership in your association differs from competing associations

6. Offer Mentorship Programs

• Enable seasoned pros to offer guidance to emerging professionals
• Create an online community with relevant areas to connect people
• Create an under-40 community to allow younger members to network
• Monitor and assess the mentoring program to evaluate its effectiveness
• Share mentoring case studies and success stories

7. Create Relevant Events and Content

• Help young members advance and grow
• Deliver career development workshops and seminars, particularly online
• Offer other career resources including, but that go beyond, a job board

8. Once You Get Them, Keep Them

• Develop a great onboarding experience for new, young members
• Offer a meaningful welcome package, including custom branded apparel that young people would want to wear
• Create a membership card to establish a tangible sense of belonging to a community
• Provide an automated renewal process to make remaining a member easier
• Use modern membership management software to understand how your members are engaging and evolve your tactics based on your findings

Brian Hershey is a YGS senior account manager. Connect with YGS to discuss how we can help you create a bigger pipeline of members.