Work Better, Not Harder

Business networking groups are in a unique position to grow their subscriber list exponentially faster than many other organizations. This also means they're in a fine position to benefit from providing useful and interesting content to their subscribers. Unfortunately this opportunity is often wasted. A networking group will benefit from building a mailing list and sending out a regular newsletter because: It reminds subscribers of upcoming meetings and agendas. It encourages non-members to attend as guests. It can market the benefits of membership to non-members. It’s a way of staying top-of-mind within the association’s community. It provides a way to promote and seek sponsors for big events, like annual fundraisers. Creating valuable content is relatively easy. On top of all this, associations can make use of a private list to communicate with members about members-only information. Photo by JodiWomack / Flickr Click to Tweet this Article

Networking groups usually get their work done by volunteer members, and those roles change frequently, so maintaining a consistent list building process is a challenge. Here are some simple recommendations to make sure you don't lose focus on this key membership building strategy. Growing your list means growing your membership. Have a sign-up form on your group’s website or blog. This is a must! Make list building a regular part of every meeting.  Here are some ways to do that so members can easily take turns. Use technology and do it ‘live’. Bring up the sign-up form on someone’s phone or tablet and pass it to visitors to enter their email address. At a point in each meeting, direct visitors to pull out their phones and guide them to your website to sign themselves up. Collect business cards and have one person enter the email addresses during or after the meeting. Don’t forget to get new members to sign themselves up , or do it for them. Read this blog post f...

Members of networking groups and their target market (potential members, subscribers) will have something in common, like an industry or sector, and will usually either work in it or serve it as a supplier. This means that anything pertaining to that common topic will be relevant . Relevant is good, but you will also want to be useful and interesting . Here are some content ideas for business networking groups – most are adaptable to other such organizations. Content for your subscribers (target market): industry specific or community news and upcoming events informational articles, perhaps written by members, but not necessarily useful online resources; book recommendations Content pertaining to your association: next meeting details and agenda regular meeting schedule; future dates, locations member spotlights and current news past meeting recap action items for members upcoming special events by the association and by its members membership call to action; bene...

photo by HowardLake Any of the reputable bulk email service providers (ESPs) will expect you to have received permission to email your subscribers. In many cases, this requirement can be satisfied by having a public sign-up form . Of course, this isn't an option for organizations sending private messages to a membership list. Just because someone has agreed to become a member, paying or free, doesn't mean you have permission to email them - unless you have asked for it during the membership process . Granted, this may seem like overkill. Generally, when someone becomes a member, they'll expect to receive some email communication. But the problem likely won't arise from your members. It'll come when you (wisely) decide to use a bulk ESP to communicate with them. That is when it will be important to be able to demonstrate that you have permission. While you might be asked to provide proof of permission for all subscribers, being able to show a process that ...