Asking for too much too soon can sabotage any new relationship. Prospecting is no exception.
A prospective member’s journey usually begins at the introductory stage, when they become aware of your organization.
At this stage, the relationship is just forming and there is much to be learned. While it may be tempting to go straight to the membership ask, resist the temptation to do so.
That’s a little too much like saying, “Hi, nice to meet you! Would you like to go steady for the next year?” Um…no.
Whether personal or business related, there are no short cuts in relationship building. An effective recruitment strategy may help you move through the steps quickly, but you can’t skip over them.
Instead, you want to build a strategy based on the decision-making process of your target audience.
- What do they need that you can provide?
- How will your content and resources benefit them?
- What problems can you help solve?
Because people make spending decisions based on facts and feelings, it’s imperative that the recruitment strategy encompass both.
Give them a virtual show and tell experience
Prospects need to form their own opinion of you as a thought leader, subject matter expert, industry advocate or development resource center.
Lead them to specific content pieces that instantly provide benefit and value.
Automated campaigns are an efficient way to serve content that speak to the needs and wants of your target audience. Showing is more convincing them telling. Don’t just point them to your website; hand them something of value.
Lead them to the next step
As prospects click through email communications to download valuable content, they leave behind digital footprints. These footprints are trackable and actionable with marketing automation tools.
Monitoring prospect website activity reveals exactly what content prospects are most drawn to and can effectively guide the communication. Leverage lead scoring tools with automated campaigns to help prospects take their next steps, from cold to warm to hot.
Ask at the right time
Automation allows you the chance to make the ask when a prospect has engaged enough with your organization where the ask wouldn’t seem off-base.
Structure your nurture campaigns and recruitment campaigns to encourage action when key thresholds have been met, such as engaging with a certain number of messages, attending a pre-determined number of events, or visiting certain pages on your website.
In the end, prospective members join when they find value in the relationship and know that greater things lie behind the log in screen.
Download this guide today to learn more about optimizing recruitment efforts with marketing automation.
The post 3 Ways to Optimize New Member Recruitment Efforts appeared first on Informz.
