In recent years, parks and gardens have been transitioning in greater numbers to Digital Membership initiatives, a trend that can be attributed to several factors of heightened value in our digital-first world – including the desire for more efficient processes, the popularity of digital technology among consumers, and the need for greater outreach and engagement with park visitors.
At the core of this shift is the need for better service and reduced friction for members. Members are often an organization's biggest advocates, reporting significantly higher satisfaction rates than the average visitor. Additionally, the ten-year value of the average member is 4.5x greater than the average visitor.
Yet as the digital age has transformed virtually every aspect of our lives, the traditional membership process has become increasingly cumbersome and inefficient. Not only does it take valuable time and resources away from strategic work like member retention, acquisition, and engagement, but it can also be costly and slow, especially when using physical membership cards, which require time-consuming and costly production and distribution.
As a result, parks and gardens are increasingly turning to digital technologies to reduce costs and streamline membership processes. At the forefront of this transformation are Digital Membership Cards, which in addition to cost savings and convenience, allow parks and gardens to provide patrons with a seamless, engaging member experience – making them an all-around win for parks and gardens looking to stay on the cutting edge of membership fulfillment.
Here are just a few of ways you can use Digital Membership to boost your membership program:
1. DRIVE ENGAGEMENT
A key benefit of Digital Membership is how it helps organizations to better connect with their patrons by driving engagement and showcasing the value of being a member. Digital Membership programs allow for easy access to a range of benefits and special offers, from interactive onsite features to on-demand push notifications and back-of-the-card text that keep members informed about new exhibitions, upcoming events, discounts, and special offers that can help drive visitation.
Additionally, Digital Membership Cards are easily customizable, allowing organizations to tailor them according to the unique preferences, interests, or needs of individual members or member segments. Ultimately, this digital approach helps boost engagement both on and offsite, making it one of the most effective ways to connect with a wide variety of audiences in today's digital landscape – and a critical means of deepening your connection with your organization’s most valuable supporters.
2. STREAMLINE FULFILLMENT
Membership fulfillment has historically been a highly manual and tedious process, relying on physical mailings and producing paper/plastic cards. To solve these problems, Digital Membership Cards offer a no-print solution that drastically reduces the time and resources required to serve membership cards, streamlining the fulfillment process and helping members receive their card and membership information in record time.
According to Elizabeth Bowers, Communications and Guest Services Director at Anne Springs Close Greenway in Fort Mill, South Carolina, in February 2020, they had 7,100 member households. Following their switch to digital membership, they have grown to over 12,000 members! Plus, a streamlined fulfillment process means they boast a 2-day turnaround time for membership fulfillment, which has enabled them to expand their program to its greatest potential.
3. Save time & money
In the post-COVID-19 era, gardens and parks still face a number of challenges growing and maintaining their membership-based revenue streams. A recent survey by the American Public Gardens Association reported that during the pandemic, “reductions in membership sales and donations drove a decrease in contributed revenue for more than 60% of gardens.” On top of that, 1 in 4 gardens had to lay off staff. As a result, shrinking teams of membership and development professionals are tasked with ever-increasing workloads and doing more with less.
With Digital Membership Cards, fulfillment no longer requires significant staff time or resources, reducing production costs like printing, postage, and labor, and freeing up funds and resources for other essential initiatives like member retention and engagement strategies.
Pro Tip: Check out Cuseum’s ROI Calculator to see how much you could save!
4. stay in touch
Whether you manage a large park system or a small community garden, Digital Membership is a great way to stay in touch with your members and keep them engaged and informed. Through features like push notifications and SMS text messaging software, you can quickly and easily reach your members with important updates, offers, and announcements. With their eye-popping open & click-through rates, push notifications and SMS far outpace traditional methods like email and phone calls in effectively reaching your members.
Plus, consumer expectations for digital convenience and customization have skyrocketed, and according to recent data from McKinsey & Company,71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions.Thanks to the cutting-edge digital communication features, you can effectively customize outreach and sustain your connection with members, ultimately improving overall member experience and fostering loyalty.
5. Go green
Many parks and gardens have made a conscious effort to increase sustainability in their operations through environmentally-friendly initiatives, and Digital Membership can help them achieve this goal. By moving from printed membership materials to digital versions, garden managers can save valuable paper and plastic resources and dedicate more of their resources to environmental initiatives by freeing up time and funds otherwise spent on production and distribution.
Given our current climate crisis, it has never been more important for communities to come together around initiatives that promote environmental stewardship through engagement with nature. Whether we're talking about reducing excess waste or fostering appreciation of the natural world, Digital Membership offers a wide range of opportunities to affirm the commitment that parks and gardens have to conservation and sustainability while promoting conservation awareness and protecting our planet's precious ecosystems.
6. Drive renewals
Digital membership cards are a powerful tool for improving renewals and retention. By leveraging digital technology, parks and gardens can deliver important renewal reminders straight to the mobile devices of their members, helping them stay on track with their membership commitments.
In addition, Digital Membership Cards provide valuable data about member activity, giving organizations a clear picture of who is using their services and when they are most active. With this information in hand, parks and gardens can implement targeted campaigns to keep members engaged and renewing year after year. Ultimately, Digital Membership Cards offer an exciting opportunity for park and garden organizations to boost retention rates and nurture member loyalty.
7. enable new conveniences
With Digital Membership Cards, parks and gardens can give their visitors a convenient and contactless way to enjoy all the benefits of membership. By automating the entry process, members no longer have to worry about losing or misplacing physical cards or waiting in long lines for entry; Digital Membership will always be available at the touch of a button on any mobile device, enabling a quick and hassle-free experience for everyone involved.
Plus, with Digital Membership Cards, parks and gardens can offer members access to perks like digital tickets, referral programs, and exclusive discounts, and dynamic digital features such as interactive maps of park locations and self-guided tours. Not only does this allow members to access their benefits quickly and easily from any digital device. Whether through contactless entry, easy self-serve account management, instant digital card delivery, or onsite engagement, Digital Membership helps parks and gardens provide a more convenient, enjoyable member experience than ever before.
8. personalize the member experience
With the rise of digital technology, parks and gardens are increasingly adopting Digital Membership models in order to better understand their members' needs and preferences and provide them with a more personalized experience.
Digital allows parks and gardens to target relevant information and offers to individual members, as well as collect valuable data that can be used for refining outreach campaigns. Additionally, Digital Membership helps parks and gardens improve the overall visitor experience by making it easier than ever to deliver important information directly to members through back-of-the-card text and push notifications. And by providing on-demand exclusive discounts and perks to members, you can increase engagement and ensure continued support for your organization's initiatives.
As the world goes digital, parks and gardens are increasingly making the transition to leading-edge software services like Digital Membership Cards, and in so doing are able to streamline fulfillment, save time and money, drive renewals and engagement, and deliver a convenient and enjoyable visitor experience.
To learn more about how these benefits – and much more – can help your park or garden thrive in a digital-first age, book a demo with Cuseum today!