Put Your Value to the Test: Key Messages Help Get More Member Attention (and Retention)

Getting members’ attention during a crisis is different than when business is booming. It’s more important now than ever to convey the one overarching solution you have that will help the worried member. Get their attention with one key message that you can use over and over again to say why your association matters to your members right now.

Before this crisis, we called this set of key messages your member value proposition. And while it’s still important, this is when you’ll pull out one or more hyper-relevant key messages out of your already established value proposition and hone in on it or modify it for the situation.

Here are a couple real-life examples:

• UBER’s main value message: The Smartest Way to Get Around. But in this crisis, the key message altered slightly so that they can articulate the free rides, free deliveries, and their efforts to move supplies around the country. Their key message today, during this crisis, is Helping Move What Matters.
  • And even more recently: Thanks for staying in and NOT using Uber.
    
• Slack’s main value message: Be More Productive at Work with Less Effort. In this crisis, their key message could change slightly to say: Be More Productive ANYWHERE with Less Effort.
  • Slack modified their key message to: Business Continuity at Slack.

If you don’t have a value proposition, it’s time to discover yours: A unique rationale that influences your member to CHOOSE your association, another source, or no one at all.

You’re in a battle for their attention amid the clutter that faces them inside their inbox and social feed.

If you want members to pay attention, you’ll be more successful through a key message that you say over, and over, and over again. Make it short, specific, memorable, and something you actually deliver on.

Indiana REALTORS® has a value proposition but in this case decided to tap into their state’s key message “#INthis together”. A partnership between Business, Education and Industry this campaign has momentum and significant reach!

Use key messages for your leadership updates, your social posts, and on all member-facing materials. Let your key message help you stay focused and help them remember what you do that’s most relevant to them today.

Along with getting and keeping their attention, with key messages you’ll help them remember you.