When was the last time you used your mobile phone? Was it to search Google? Check your bank account or the weather? Adjust your thermostat at home? Check to see when your next meeting is? Or maybe you're using it right now as you read this post.
These conveniences are now habits we didn't have five years ago. Not to mention the daily monitoring of emails, notifications and texts. We depend on our smartphones every day and it's no longer just for calling.
Now think of where your association is headed in the next five years. Are you aligned with your members' daily habits? Do you communicate where they are? Does your technology and infrastructure allow members to develop daily interactions with your association from their smartphones? As mobile technology rapidly grows and transforms, it's time for associations to prepare for the next five years.
These five mobile trends will help your association develop your mobile strategy for 2018 and beyond.
Mobile Integration Is Priority #1
Fifty-two percent of users said a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with a company (Think With Google). Are you guilty of having a clunky check-out process or solely rely on paper invoicing? Your association not only is losing revenue, but your brand reputation is also taking a hit. Mobile integration should always be the top priority when planning a website redesign or demoing new technology products. Otherwise, the technology is a wasted investment.
These are the four pillars of mobile integration:
- Responsive Website and Emails
- Optimized Online User Flows
- Consistent Mobile Communications
- Year-round Mobile App Engagement
Curious to know how well your association's website stand up to our mobile test? Download our mobile integration checklist to find out.
Create a Social Media Strategy
Social media marketing, specifically advertising on mobile platforms, is the leader in generating new leads. Having a Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profile for your association is just the start of developing a social media strategy.
Key statistics:
- 12 new active mobile social media accounts are created every second, that's 1 million users per day (Social Media Today)
- 40% of users don’t like any brand pages – meaning paid advertisements are the only way to reach them (Kentico)
- People spend a total of 2 hours per day on social media sites. (AdWeek)
Before you ask for a budget increase for social media marketing, let's set up your social media strategy and review the data. First, you'll need to determine your audience and research which social media platform is best for your target market. Then set your engagement and ROI goals prior to launching your first ad campaign. Lastly, assign staff to monitor and report on the campaign daily. It's common for an ad on social media to fatigue within a week or two - to maintain a positive ROI you'll need to monitor and test often.
Mobile Video Is A Must
Let's address your first concern when you see the word video...budget restrictions. Our answer- live authentic streaming. Videos earn the highest rate of engagement on Facebook, despite only making up 3% of content. (AdWeek).
Your members want to see how their dues and funds are contributing to the advancement of the industry – what better way to show them than live and in-person. Feature a behind-the-scenes look at headquarters or have a member take over your social account for the day and showcase a "day in the life" of a your members.
Live streaming also humanizes your association and leadership. You can live stream messages from the President of the Board or sharing grassroots advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill.
View Crowdfunding and M-commerce as Revenue Streams
How many times a year do you promote your foundation or ask for donations? What if you could increase that number by five, without your marketing team having to do 5x the workload?
That is the power of social crowdfunding.
Eight out of ten crowdfunding donations are made via mobile—most of them through social media networks—combining two technologies that Millennials take to as naturally as breathing (Entrepreneur). But, to ensure your crowdfunding campaign is successful you'll need to specify your cause and how the donors contribution will directly impact said goal.
In addition to promoting on social networks, your association should consider PayPal Donations, Square and other m-commerce platforms to increase donation exposure at local events and online.
Virtual Volunteering & Mobile Mentoring
The 2017 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report states the top reason members do not renew their membership is due to 'lack of engagement with the organization.' One simple fix to this retention problem is to provide members with opportunities to engage with your association- on their own time.
Virtual volunteering and mobile mentoring are a few easy ways your members can connect with one another to provide advice, collaborate and share experiences in their relative fields. All your association needs to do is facilitate the connect and begin the conversation. The rest is up to the virtual volunteers! Vlogging, podcasts, and ghostwriting are some additional opportunities for your members to engage virtually and share their subject matter expertise with your association's membership.
There's more to these mobile trends...
This cheat sheet is just the beginning. Our 22 page e-guide, 5 Mobile Trends Your Association Must Try in 2018 provides an in-depth look at the trends above and provides tips and hacks on implementing them in your association this year.
