Thailand 's organization scene are quick adapters to business software like CRMs, Email Marketing Tools, and partnering left and right with tech-driven agencies. They are equipped with the best software, the best management processes and are highly innovative. However, with all these software adoptions, there is a seemingly big piece of the puzzle missing.
They’re communicating, analyzing data, and spotting trends, but they’re oftentimes not targeting membership growth as their core growth area. This can oftentimes be attributed to the fact that members crave a personalized experience, and this personalized communication can cost organizations time and effort, while also being difficult to scale up.
An organization with 100 members is relatively easy to manage and engage with, but an organization with 1000 members will find it difficult to make ever member feel special and welcome. This is where technology needs to be invested in, most especially in Thailand where tech-fluent organizations are using software, but in the wrong direction.
So let's dive in and see how organizations can scale their growth without sacrificing personalized member engagement.
Membership retention is a major issue for organizations in Thailand, people are becoming disengaged and often forgotten about due to the lack of direction and focus on members. So, if your association has seen a lack of new sign-ups or is losing members quickly, something needs to change. Members want to feel valued and like they are part of the team. They want to be informed of new events and experience VIP treatment when they become a member. Wouldn’t you?
So it has to be said that yes, Thai organizations are using tech in a highly effective way. But they are going in a less-than-optimal direction. The technology that you might be using makes your internal processes easier and even smarter, sure, but if it’s not helping you target the core needs of members, then it will have a less than ideal impact on your organization's growth.
Delivering value to members is easy, especially as Thai companies are already using the best tech. You just need to use it in the right way and find the best alternative so that it can benefit both you and your members. It doesn’t have to be time consuming or overwhelming.
Here’s a few ways how you can start tackling the issue:
With 71% of Thais now using a smartphone, apps have changed the way Thai people think and interact with businesses and engage with their surroundings. The top businesses all around the world are treating mobile apps as a key strategic initiative, as the best-in-class apps are now proving to be a huge success. And creating a membership app might just be the way to get your firm to the top.
Creating a membership app is a huge step in the right direction for Thai companies. It is a great way for the organization to keep in touch with their members. It allows you to send them messages, update them on news, purchase tickets and browse your latest events wherever they are; all in one app. This is a very powerful tool, as membership apps are definitely the way forward. Everyone is using them and milllenials love the idea of having everything on their phone at the touch of a button. So keep up.
So it is time for you to put your tech to the test and create an app that will help keep your members engaged and feel fully valued. They will believe they are fully connected to you and your business.
Hosting events and holding the information digitally for members to access is an extremely successful way to get a good ROI, while also delivering value to your members.
Having your event information and ticket registration all on one page is not only a good way to keep everything together but it makes the process a lot smoother for members and less hassle. So more are likely to actually sign up and visit your site. This could even be an idea that could be put onto your app, it makes the process even better. Members should be able to visit your member app, browse events and get tickets all in one sitting. This is extremely convenient and with the software available in Thailand, it is a new way forward as the upcoming generation now expects more convenience and ease as possible.
However, it is important to remember. The Thai consumers are impulse buyers, they don’t hesitate to buy and only want the best. Their income is rising and so are their demands, so Thai consumers want more than an event or an app; they want an experience.
Thai organizations have a major advantage when it comes to automation and communication. Due to the fact that they are so up to date with their software, they are already working towards this. However, they just need a little push in order to make sure it is being used to deliver value to members.
Thai organizations should be creating a list of each different target audience to make it a lot easier, to one, target them but also so that they can make it more personal for the members. They can then use this list to send personalized push notifications and marketing emails. Although, one thing to remember is that reaching your target audience can be challenging enough but Thailand has so many foreign companies and consumers. This means they will need to adapt and communicate to consumers in their local language to make it that little bit more personal and help you reach a larger audience.
Software can be used to help them automate their membership renewal reminders to members based on a certain amount of time before their membership expires. This is an extremely important feature to have, as most firms lose track and therefore lose out on so many renewals simply because they didn’t know. Making this manual process into an automated one so that they can keep more members renewing without lifting a finger, which is always a major win-win.
Source: StatCounter Global Stats - Social Media Market Share
Personalization is the best way to keep members engaged. They want to be receiving content that is related to them on a regular basis. One way to do this is by using social media to reach them and adding micro-content. In Thailand Facebook and YouTube seem to have the biggest number of active users with Facebook on 93% and YouTube at 91%, but with a noticeable downward shift in past months on Facebook, with Youtube climbing up slowly as faster internet packages are being served to customers in Thailand in recent years that can support higher quality video streaming and increasing demand for YouTube content searches.
So use this to your advantage and post regular videos on YouTube. Share them on Facebook and get the online conversation going, keep them active and engaged by asking questions and getting them to interact. This type of online communication could help open up the idea of an online community for your members. Somewhere they can feel a sense of togetherness and engage over personal interests. Line and Instagram are also continuing to rise with Line at 84% and Instagram at 65%.
2020 is a big year for micro and video content as 51% of Thais report watching videos on their smartphone daily and 81% at least once per week. So stick close to these and find time to make this a daily ritual. Then, if members like what they see, viewing your page every day will become a routine for them.
It is important, however, when using social media to engage members; you cannot lose focus. You have to be updated regularly, targeting the content well and doing your best to keep the conversation going. Give members a reason to stay and click on your page. Provide them with exclusive events and post events on social media, stream seminars exclusively for your followers and offer event discounts to members.
Having everything in one place is always a good idea. Using CRM is a way for you to input all your membership data into one place and it is so easy to read. You will be able to distinguish between a new and an older member targeting them with emails and event information accordingly.
Likewise, it makes the operations of the event run a lot more smoothly as it tracks things like who has paid already from who is not likely to show up. This kind of data will be invaluable to you in the future when it comes to marketing and who might need a little more attention.
A lot easier for you as a business. CRM allows everyone to edit the one file and have access to it wherever they are. It also allows for restrictions to be put on the file so if there is people you perhaps don’t feel need access to certain sensitive data, you simply restrict them. It is also so easy and very worthwhile.
Thailand is surging with technology at this moment in time. It is using technology in genius ways to transform business processes but that isn’t always a reason for members to stay with your or for new ones to sign up. 40% of consumers' purchases were digitally influenced, meaning if Thai firms do not make their online presence valuable, they could be missing a whole different market of members.
So, use your software and social media to discover more about your members, track what they like and what they don’t like. Find the analytics that can help you best personalize each member's experience and use this data to your advantage.
Create membership surveys to help find out more about what they want out of the relationship and even create one for when members decide to leave.
So, yes you might have the best software and your back-end management processes are working like clockwork. But, members want more, they want to have an experience and feel like they are in a partnership with you.
To learn more about membership software, book a demo with Glue Up today, and we'll show you how it works.
