Even with the some places beginning to open up, many membership organizations are having issues with member retention and are having difficulty attracting new members.  We have seen a number of organizations which are having these issues and are looking to understand why and how to reverse this trend. 

It’s difficult to retain members in a pandemic environment.

Whether their members are companies or individuals, many membership organizations are having difficulty retaining members.  There are a number of factors contributing to this situations.  First, many companies, particularly small businesses are struggling just to get by, pay staff and their bills.  This means any expenses which are not deemed essential are being cut to conserve cash.  At the same time, some individual members are no longer employed so they either don’t have the money or are not willing to spend what they have on membership dues.  For individuals who are still employed, some have become reluctant to spend on memberships as they are trying to save as much as they can as evidenced by the Federal Reserve reporting the highest personal savings percentages seen in quite some time.  Further, as many in person meetings have been cancelled, some members don’t see the value in organizations without the ability to meet in person.  This means membership based organizations need to demonstrate in a very tangible way, how they add value and provide benefits that contribute to their members and success or face membership attrition. 

Start by understanding why members are not renewing.

Usually it is not only about money.  However, in these uncertain times, money can sometimes be the main issue.  Can you offer deferred payment plans or options to spread out payments such as quarterly or monthly dues billings?  These options can give members the ability to make smaller payments at a time so they don’t have to come up with their entire dues payment all at once.  Have you considered offering different levels of membership?  Offering different levels of membership with access to different levels of information, services or support can give members options to stay with the organization at a lower investment.  This also gives you the opportunity to upsell them to a higher level of membership when things improve rather than just losing them completely. 

Next determine what value your members see in your organization.

Something that you promised and delivered caused your members to join and stay with your organization.  Whether it’s networking opportunities, education, marketing assistance or some other factor, you need to understand what your members see as the value your organization provides.  Be sure you go deeper than just hearing “oh, they are nice people.”  You need to know what specifically the nice people do or say to make this organization worthwhile.  Once you know what these value factors include, you need to be sure your marketing, retention and recruitment efforts reinforce your value proposition.   What you are trying to do is create “stickiness” so you retain members rather than having to constantly look for new ones.

Maintain a database of details about your members.

The more you know about your membership, the more specific you can be in your marketing and retention efforts.  When you combine what creates value for your membership, with a benefit which is relevant to the specific member based on their profile, you have a powerful tool to keep them and get them to take advantage of more of the things your organization offers.  For example, to you offer social media solutions to help your membership with their marketing?  Do you know if members are using social media channels to engage their customers?  You may be able to leverage these two pieces of information to provide more value to your membership by helping them obtain more business or create greater satisfaction among their customers. 

Remember that it’s easier to keep your current members than to look for new ones. While it’s important to expand your member base in order to offer a broader range of support services to your members, never forget that the current membership should be your main focus.  Understanding where the value lies in being a member of your organization and delivering more of that to your members is the best way to ensure you maintain a healthy and thriving organization that will be successful for both you and your membership.

There are several things in today’s healthcare industry which organizations need to consider. By being forward thinking, innovative, and embracing change, healthcare companies can prosper and move ahead of the competition.

Perceptions of your healthcare brand impact your position in today’s competitive marketplace.

Many years ago, hospitals delivered healthcare to their local community and didn’t have to worry about the competition or consumer marketing. Today, regulation and oversight are intense and cost pressures can constrict margins. However, you can control and shape your brand image to impact your competitive position in the marketplace.

Many people or one of their family members have been treated at a hospital in the last three years. Yes, many of them went to the nearest emergency department to obtain care for a child who had an accident or a parent with a medical concern. However, quite a few drove past the closest facility to another hospital or healthcare system. One reason they selected another hospital or system is a strong brand image. Both name recognition and brand image are considered among the most valuable assets of a health system.

It’s important to strongly support your organization’s brand.

Having a healthcare brand image that resonates with patients and prospects is critical when fighting to sustain and gain market share. Whether a patient needs attention for a less serious medical problem or has a serious medical condition which requires highly specialized care, you want your organization to be the one they think of first. In addition, you want them to think of you for expertise in the particular product lines where you specialize. Whether it’s cardiac or cancer care or those profitable elective orthopedic procedures such as joint replacements, you want to be perceived as the best place around for patients to receive treatment.

There are a number of successful methods used on a regular basis to support the creation and maintenance of strong brand image for hospitals and health systems. Systems that do it well employ a systematic mix of brand building television advertising along with product line specific content to make them the first place patients think of and to establish expertise in their specialties. Today’s locally targeted cable advertising can make this strategy affordable even for small marketing budgets. The best hospitals and systems are also heavily involved in their local communities by supporting a variety of events and causes, as well as being engaged in community related efforts. The key to all your efforts is to be consistent and have a continuous presence since there are many competitors who are working diligently to steal your market share.

Do your homework to make sure your branding efforts don’t get torpedoed.

Several things can have a negative impact on the brand image of hospitals and health systems. In some cases, there are legacy issues which still haunt a hospital. This is where the intervention of a seasoned PR firm can really be helpful to defeat the remnants of past problems and clean up old perceptions for your brand.

Another thing to do is to be sure your facilities don’t look tired or dated. Patients equate old looking structures and dated interiors with poor quality care, while modern and up-to-date facilities promote a healing environment. In addition, it is important to have well-designed waiting areas to accommodate the needs of both patients and their family members. These updates can be a major boost to the image of your hospital and health system.

Investments in brand image and its impact on competitiveness are not that hard to define.

While the potential payoffs from investments in improved brand image can appear hard to define,
successful hospitals report substantial increases in patients as one measurable result. In addition, measuring key metrics such as top-of-mind awareness, image, and product line usage tend to correlate highly with increases in the number of patients.

And remember, if your organization is not actively and effectively working to improve your brand image, it’s likely you are losing ground and market share to your competition. That’s not a strategy for long-term success.

For many years, I have worked with various types of health care organizations such as home health, hospital networks, rehab centers, and physician practices to help these organizations measure the awareness and image of their brands.  While knowing if more people are familiar with your name is important, it is critical to understand what customers and prospects think about your organization in this time of increased competition and expanding service areas.

Awareness is only the first step in process.

The old adage they have to know you to use you is still true. However, in today’s highly competitive market, knowing your name is only the first step.  Consumers have so many choices when it comes to health care that it is critical to ensure your brand, along with your relevant products and services, are on their radar.  In addition, you need to understand if your brand has a positive reputation in the community and that old baggage isn’t keeping consumers away from your doors.

Consumers have many resources at their fingertips to help them gauge the performance and capabilities of health care organizations they may consider selecting.  This means it is critically important to make sure every customer or patient has a positive experience and receives excellent service since they are more likely than ever to influence friends and family.

There is a need to recognize and embrace change and continuously strive to improve.

It is simply good business to continually strive to give every customer and visitor you encounter an excellent experience. This can start by training every employee and staff member to simply acknowledge customers, consumers, caregivers, and visitors using your services. While this may seem obvious, you’d be surprised how a little human contact improves perceptions and customer satisfaction.  What is most important is having ongoing efforts to improve in all areas of performance and service.

A positive experience starts at the top.

Consumers are increasingly sophisticated when it comes to understanding the dynamics of good service.  In a wide variety of industries, consumers believe top management sets the tone for service in an organization.  In addition, consumers know that happy employees provide much better customer service.  Communication is the key.  It’s important that management engages with and listens to staff so everyone is striving to provide the best possible experience.

Finally, the only way to really know if your organization is making continuous improvements in customer service is to measure it.  Syndicated services may not really tell the whole story in terms of customer satisfaction.  In fact, I recommend hybrid research including customized quantitative surveys among your customers, patients, and prospects supported by qualitative research among similar audiences. This allows you to evaluate your competitive position in order to really understand your performance. It also provides marketing and senior management with a clear picture of how the organization is viewed and what areas need work to make the organization more competitive.