Using Content to grow your membership

It’s a no brainier that one of the most valuable resources you have to offer is the stellar content you provide — it’s why we bring it up so often!  But did you know that you can use the power of your content to drive membership?  Here are 5 simple rules to help you put your hard work… to work for you!

1: It starts with a title: It’s probably the first thing you type when writing an article or blog, but this is the most important thing in getting your content noticed.  Think of how someone might stumble across your page from a search.  Is your title easy to find?  Is it unique enough that it isn’t getting buried under an avalanche of similar content, yet broad enough that anyone would think to search for it in the first place?  Naming your content might seem like an easy task, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

2: That’s what tags are for! I can’t count how many times I’ve seen people try to shove in as many key words into their title as possible trying to get it to rank higher in search.  While your title should definitely contain key-words, it should also be snappy, grab peoples attention, and most of all, make since.  If you have a plethora of topics your content relates to, use tags to mark all of the desired areas of interest.  It will help to clean up your title, and also increase your search results.

3: Organization is key: Once someone is on  your site, how you organize your content is key.  Try to follow the Netflix model: keep suggesting relevant articles to read next.  Someone may stumble across your site looking for one article, then end up reading several more.  If you offer an easy organizational flow, this will keep people coming back, and maybe even signing up for membership.

4: Use your content to distinguish yourself: As an association, you aim to a higher standard than run-of-the-mill blogs.  Your information is verified, and has an overall higher caliber of writing than other sites.  The internet is flooded with misinformation, and poorly written content.  If poised properly, yours should have no problem rising to the top.

5: Give your members something to aspire to: Chances are, your members are working professionals in the field you represent.  We’ve talked a lot about targeting a younger audience, but there are more benefits to that than you may have realized.  Everyone who contributes content to your organization should feel proud that they have been published by you, and your younger members should aspire to someday be published by you, too.  Chances are, they will look forward to this more if they have exposure to the great content you are currently providing.  And as social-media conscious as “millennials” are, once they reach the point when their own content is being published by you, they will share it with their vast, ever-growing network of contacts.

These are just a few ways that you can help to grow your audience.  What methods have been successful for your association?  Comment below, and let me know!

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