What is the first thing that we do when we need to buy a product or service? Well, for most of us that can’t conveniently run to a myriad of stores at a moment’s notice, we research or shop online. Guess what…. so do your association members. This is why you need a good reason for your member to choose your website. As this is kind of an obvious statement, just how are you going to accomplish that? Follow these simple guidelines on how to focus your member’s needs to your website.

1. Begin with a blog

A blog? How does this help focus the attention on products and services? Well, blogs open direct lines of communication. Blogs are a way to build trust and to speak intelligently about your product (uses/values/benefits). Blogs can also provide feedback regarding products, directly from the consumer. Blogs also tend to lead to higher search engine ratings. The key to success is to publish often and publish material of value.

2. Encourage contact on your website

With this said, it’s very important that if you make yourself look available to your members, that you are available. Make sure that when members communicate with you through a “Contact Us” link, that you have a back-up plan to follow up with the client.

3. Show that you have personality

Does your website look and feel like everyone else that sells in the same market as you? Well, if so… expect them to keep looking. Display something that will stand out. Be creative, be interactive, be different, be you!

4. Become an essential resource

This doesn’t mean you have to give all pertinent content away at a glance, but you can give valuable information that will keep your members coming back for more. We all love samples, and samples are what leads us to buy a larger product, right? I can give one example of this success. I recently attended a free LinkedIn seminar given by speaker Wayne Breitbarth. I found that by adding him as a friend on LinkedIn, he sends out a Sunday “snip-it” every week with an interesting fact about LinkedIn social media tools. Does he give away all of his secrets? No, of course not, but he does tell you how you can learn more about these tools by attending one of his advanced seminars. Smart, if you ask me, as he’s become very successful because of those seminars.

5. Be user friendly

Your website should be easy to navigate. Have your main menu options at a glance. Have a spotlight on feature products. Member testimonials should be very visible. Market your website in an organized fashion that keeps the client satisfied.

With these five simple strategies, you can become a first and only point of contact to drive the success of your association. Do you have a blog? Do you return your consumer’s questions? Is your site easy to navigate? If you said no to any of these, by making a few simple changes, you may be bringing in the New Year with a blast!

Did you know that you can take control of your LinkedIn company page and post updates, job opportunities, company thoughts, FAQs and perspectives? If not, here are some tips to get you started.

1. Create/Complete/Update your company page

You can’t get started until you have one, and it won’t help you if it is out of date. If you are looking to enhance your page, keep in mind that you can post images, videos and rich media content to support your on page text. You can also and build out your products and services pages.

To get started on creating your company page, login to LinkedIn, click on the Companies tab, and click Add a Company on the right hand side.

2. Build a following

This can be current employees, their friends, your friends, your customers, almost anyone. Let your employees and clients know they can follow your company on LinkedIn, just like they can on other social media outlets. To get in the mix of other companies and individuals, follow your peers, vendors, and other companies you interact with. If you want to be more direct, send an announcement to request people follow your page and provide them a few good reasons WHY.

3. Provide value-add content and interact

People and other companies are not going to follow you unless there is a strong reason to. Engaging people through job postings or company updates is a great start, but this may not create long-term interest of your target customers or clients. To do that, provide them with value-add updates that can help them and/or their business. Remember, social media is about attracting customers, but to attract customers it cannot be all about you and your business. Instead it must be about them and their needs, and how you can best fulfill them. Keep this in mind and provide helpful and value-add content to develop yourself as a thought leader and great partner for your followers, clients, and customers (potential or existing). Remember that questions are a great way to start a discussion and engage your audience. Help facilitate interaction with your company and start conversations with your followers.

4. Monitor your efforts

There is a great analytics feature to help you monitor who is visiting your page and viewing your information. This is just a straight numbers game, but to get information on who is engaging with your page, you can see this on your company profile. Pair those two pieces of information together and you should get some great insight on your company pages’ success.

Impact’s team of association management professionals are experts at establishing, maintaining, and growing social media accounts for our clients. Learn how we can help build your association’s social presence and ultimately increase your membership and engagement.

How Important Is It To Become Your Member’s Favorite Website?