It’s time for a new member recruitment campaign. So, what’s the plan? Chances are, you start with a strategy that would be perfect if you had an unlimited budget, and then you whittle it down based on reality. This year more than usual, budgets are probably a little tighter based on the economy.
So, when the dust settles, what’s left in the plan? Under a limited budget, only a certain number of tactics can be employed, and naturally, you want to make sure the tactics you can afford will make an impact. But how do you measure impact – is it in terms of the number of recruitment letters you send out, or the number of new memberships you gain? Is it the number of touch points you have in the market, or the number of membership deals you are able to close?
If it’s the latter, then you probably should set aside a portion of your budget – no matter how small – to testing your creative strategy, your lists and your offer. There’s no doubt that it’s a risky proposition considering your budgetary limits, but it’s one that could dramatically increase your ROI – both in the present and the future.
A PURL campaign, such as one executed by The American Ceramic Society (ACerS), is a strategy geared more toward ROI than sheer numbers. By pinpointing a viable list of professionals and then testing the message and offer within that select group, ACerS has given itself an opportunity to gain significant traction with a group of prospects despite sending out fewer recruitment letters overall. And in future recruitment campaigns, the list has already been chosen, leaving more money in the budget to hone the message. The end result, hopefully, will be more members signing up and a stronger organization overall.
What is your approach to prioritizing your marketing budget? When it comes time to eliminate a strategy based on cost, are you thinking of the size of the net, or what eventually ends up in the net?
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