Mastering Digital Membership Card Adoption: Proven Strategies from Industry Leaders

Whether you’re in the earliest stages of planning your Digital Membership Card launch, or seeking fresh approaches to boost engagement, you know that amplifying adoption is critical to saving your organization time and money and propelling engagement and retention to new heights. And we’re here to help! 

To empower your success, Cuseum recently hosted a webinar, “Boosting Adoption: Strategies and Tactics for Increasing Digital Membership Card Usage.” This enlightening session unpacked hands-on strategies to improve digital card installation rates and extract greater value from your membership initiatives. We had the pleasure of welcoming Kelsey Brown, Membership Manager at the Oakland Zoo, and Melissa Smith, Director of Alumni Marketing and Special Events at the University of Tennessee Alumni Association. These industry leaders generously shared their insights and successful strategies that led each of them to the remarkable achievement of a more than 70% digital card adoption rate with tens of thousands of members! 

Here, we provide a recap of the key strategies shared during the session. Dive in to glean crucial takeaways, methodologies, and lessons from these stellar organizations that have triumphed in ramping up their digital card adoption rate!


Strategies from the UT Alumni Association - A 72% Adoption Rate with 20K Members

Melissa Smith presented a multi-pronged approach:

  • Maintaining a dedicated website presence and FAQ page: Ensuring all relevant information, including help for card installation, is easily accessible.

  • Collecting updated constituent contact information: A dedicated request form on the website is crucial to gather necessary details.

  • Running targeted email campaigns: Regular mails to graduates welcome them to the Alumni Association, highlight benefits, and nudge them to download their digital alumni card.

  • Leveraging partnership platforms: Any promotion for partner platforms like Perks Connect also promotes the digital alumni card.


Insights from Oakland Zoo - A Whopping 75% Adoption Rate with 31K Members

Kelsey Brown stressed the importance of alignment with the organization's mission and regular communication:

  • Aligning with sustainability initiatives: The move to digital is easily understood as an environmentally friendly step.

  • Keeping databases clean and updated: Regular cleansing of hard-bounced email addresses helps maintain engagement levels.

  • Informing members about the digital initiative: A preliminary heads-up email prepares members for the switch to digital cards.

Linking digital cards with exclusivity and convenience: Benefits linked with digital cards, such as special entry times, make them more attractive to members.


Integration with Other Membership Initiatives

Both speakers stressed the importance of integration. Kelsey explained that the zoo sends monthly tips emails promoting animal attractions along with membership benefits like discounts at the gift shop. Melissa emphasized the power of promoting all the various benefits and programs available to cardholders, thereby motivating them to download their digital cards.


The Way Forward

The key to successful digital card adoption is a mix of tactical digital strategies, constant communication, and aligning installation reminders with other member initiatives. Utilizing the methods shared by Melissa and Kelsey will help organizations significantly increase their digital membership card usage, ensuring a seamless, engaging member experience.

A huge thank you to both Melissa and Kelsey for sharing their insightful strategies and practices!

For more tips and tactics, explore our articles on "Boosting Digital Membership Card Adoption: Tips For Cuseum Customers" and "A Simple Secret To Adoption Success: Resending Digital Membership Cards".


Want to learn more about how your organization can effectively boost digital membership card adoption? Click here to reach out to our customer success team!


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