How Technology’s Past and Present Will Affect Future Member Experiences

A recent episode of the Member Engagement Show podcast featured a discussion on how technology, or the lack of it, shapes the member experiences associations provide. There’s also a fascinating look into the future! 

The episode’s guest was Jim Catts, co-founder and CTO at Rhythm Software.   

Jim has worked with associations for 20+ years, helping them build management systems, but also helping them leverage the technologies that are available and make sense for better member engagement.   

The Way We Were  

Communication between associations and their members used to be manual and physical.   

It started with a paper membership form you’d put your credit card info on and snail mail. Members would get a physical membership card and maybe a printed membership directory. Once a year, they might attend an event, which was also a very manual affair. You’d talk to someone on the phone, and they’d hopefully get your info right and sign you up for the right thing. Learning opportunities were also in-person and conducted the same way.   

The cost of creating and delivering content was high and limiting.  

When creating and delivering content has a high cost, it happens infrequently. And it happens generically where the same content goes out to everybody.  

Associations could only have a push relationship with members where they were deciding what content members would get, and how, and when.   

Then Came This Thing Called Email  

Jim remembers his first interaction with associations was as an exhibitor at ASAE.  

We were trying to convince associations they ought to be using this new thing called email to communicate with their members. And we were excited because email represented a new channel to create content efficiently and cheaply.  

Email represented a bidirectional communication channel with members, allowed associations to reach out more frequently, and to target members with specific content. It represented an incremental improvement to the relationship between member and association.   

But if email represented incremental improvement, the dynamic web represented a paradigm shift. Members could generate their own content and communicate with each other on low-friction, real-time channels.  

Where We Are Today  

Jim says if before, associations were operating like broadcast TV stations, today they’re operating more like streaming services. Content has been digitized and is available on-demand. And the content that’s being suggested to you is based on your preferences and patterns.  

Now the relationship is both push and pull. There’s two-way interactions with members. The channels like chat or list serves that arose out of the email era evolved into things like moderated communities. Those in-person-only learning opportunities became online educational content. The really high performers are using mobile apps to provide members benefits wherever they are.   

But the reason people join hasn’t changed.  

• People want access to a community of peers.  
• They want access to relevant information.  
• They want access to credentialing. 

What does Jim think is fundamentally different?  

We used to talk to associations about their technology strategy as if it’s something separate from how they deliver on those values to their members. You can’t make that separation anymore. Your technology strategy now is your strategy, and technology is fundamental to delivering that value.  

What the Future Holds for Association Member Experiences  

Jim believes there’s still a lot to be done in the area of personalization and tracking member behavior in order to suggest content to them that’s highly relevant.  

I see associations now who are starting to view their members more like a digital subscriber. Push them at recommendations, but then let them select into other areas of content that are more applicable and interesting to them.  

But what about VR? While Jim, as a technologist, finds it intriguing and is watching it closely, he warns that it takes time (a lot of time) for a new platform like VR to reach meaningful adoption. The “network effect” is when a platform gains enough traction to become revolutionary. Jim points out the PC was first available in 1977 but took 30 years to hit 70% adoption in U.S. households. The first “internet” networks were in the 60s, but it wasn’t until 2007 that 70% of U.S. adults said they actually used the internet. You’d think the pandemic might have accelerated VR adoption, but it didn’t. Only 2% of households worldwide have a VR device.  

If you’re sitting there wondering if your members are going to be coming to you in the 2020s asking for VR content, that’s doubtful. Maybe the 2030s or 2040s.   

What Associations Should Be Doing Now to Prepare for the Future  

• Be personal.  
• Give your members a menu of options.  
• Understand the attention span and competition for attention is fierce, so make content bite-sized and attention-getting with a chance to move to deeper content.  
• Continue to be aspirational and promote how they help the world and their community.  
• Give members quick and actionable ways to make a difference, do good, and become involved. Don’t just ask them to do something, facilitate it.  
• Be intelligent. Associations can learn from traditional media, who had to learn to observe behavior and customize experiences. There’s a long way to go in tracking behavior across systems. 

To listen to the full episode, click here.  

Beth Arritt

Association Strategist

Beth’s marketing experience encompasses more than twenty-five years of marketing strategy and member/customer engagement in various industries, including puzzles and games, training, education and aviation.

In addition to marketing, Beth has worked in event management and web development, wearing a variety of hats in different positions. She has also been an adjunct professor of marketing at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

Beth received a Bachelor of Science degree in Merchandising from James Madison University, a Certificate in Event Management from The George Washington University, and a Masters of Business Administration/Marketing from the University of Phoenix. She has earned numerous awards for her marketing, including two Top Digital Marketer of the Year awards.

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