Conversational Engagement is based on the premise that what your members have to tell you is just as important as what you have to tell your members. There are many ways to get your members to talk to you; we call them conversation starters.
The simplest way to get people talking is to ask them a question. We call this process Ask — Capture — Act
The process is best illustrated through a common scenario that we have all likely experienced. A member or customer walks into our office asking how to get the most out of their membership. We wouldn’t simply hand them a pamphlet and send them on their way. Instead, we would ask them a question, capture their answer and act to help them get what they need.
This isn't always a linear process, nor is it necessarily a single-step process. Your action may be to ask another question to learn more detail—a follow-up question—or it may be to tell them to take a course and come back to tell you how it went. It may be to get them to pay their overdue membership invoice so they have access to all of your wonderful benefits.
The key concept here is that you want to engage in an ongoing, two-way conversation with your members, where you are constantly learning more about them. And in return, you are delivering tailored assistance. That value-add translates to your members developing a stronger connection with your organization.
This all sounds wonderful, right? But marketing automation systems are not generally built for the Conversational Engagement approach. Most marketing automation tools have perfected the art of the broadcast, and at PropFuel we believe there is still a place for those one-way communications. In fact, we like to look at PropFuel as a compliment to—not a replacement for—automation systems. By adding PropFuel to your toolbox, you have the ability to facilitate, on a large scale, the Conversational Engagement process between you and your members.
You can read this excerpt as well as other Association Marketing practices that focus on two-way, individualized digital communications in the Conversational Engagement eBook. Download it here.
Ashley Wucher
Ashley Wucher is PropFuel's Director of Client Success, with 8 years of experience in association marketing and membership. Her favorite thing about working with clients is watching them become more confident in using the platform and experimenting with out-of-the-box campaign ideas that drive engagement and provide a better member experience.
Ashley graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Marketing and Communications and has a graduate degree from Michigan State University. She is currently based in Waco, Texas, with her husband, Josh, and 12-year-old Shih Tzu, Sully. In her free time, you can find Ashley at Orange Theory Fitness or listening to records from her ever-growing vinyl collection.
Favorite quote: "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Nelson Mandela