Mistakes to Avoid When Launching
The difference between a successful and failed membership website launch
is preparation and testing. Taking these steps will ensure your
members’ first impressions are great.
Walk Through Your Membership Website as a Member
Members
may call you with questions about the new website and membership
system, so do a walk through and see what the members will see. Request a
password, login to the account and set up a profile. Use a regular
member’s profile for this and not your administrative profile. You can
always delete the profile later.
Go through the menu and make sure
the navigation works. Also, click on any links or buttons you have on
the website to make sure they take you to the right page. This is a
great time to sign in to a member’s only page as well.
Use the common browsers that your members and visitors will use – check your website using Chrome, Firefox and Edge.
Test the Membership Signup Process
The
last thing you want is for potential new members to have trouble
joining your organization. That’s why it’s important to test the system
before your launch.
If you’re taking credit card payments online you should sign up for a paid account to test that your payment system has been properly activated and integrated. Once you complete the process, you can always refund the payment.
Check Your Event System
Register
for an event so you have an understanding of what your event guests
will experience. If you have paid tickets, try purchasing one and then
refund your purchase.
You should also try submitting an event as a member if your organization allows for member event submissions. That way you will be able to walk your members through the process.
To
experience what your guests will experience, you should use a different
web browser than the one where you are signed in as the administrator.
Create Sample Member Directory Profiles
Have a sample directory profile created to show members how a completed
profile will represent them. If you have different profile options for
different membership levels, you should have a sample of each.
Gear Your Launch Announcement to Your Membership
You’ve
spent a lot of time and effort getting your new website ready for
launch. You may want to toot your own horn about all the great new
features your new website offers. Be careful not to overwhelm your
members with too many details about your new website.
Gear your new website announcements
towards the features that will most benefit your members. You members
will be more excited about your new website if they can clearly see how
it will benefit them.
Set Up Your Renewal Notices
Now that your members can log into their accounts and make renewal payments, it’s time to set up Renewal Notices.
Go to Labels & Membership > Membership Levels > each Membership Level > Renewal Notices. Then click on + Add Renewal/Past Due Notice.
Once complete, click Save and then repeat these steps for each membership level.
Renewal Notice Settings
- Notification type - You
can select to send either an “Upcoming renewal notice” (before the
membership expires), or a “Past due notice” (after the membership
expires).
- Send … day(s) before/after - Specify
here which day to send the notice to the member. Note that the notice
will only be sent on that actual day (-0/+1 day). Notices will not be
sent out retroactively, if the member’s membership expiration date has
already past the day, the notice will not be sent.
- Send notices to members on - Here
you can select whether the renewal notice is specific to a billing
option, or if it would be sent to all members (the default setting). The benefit of having the
renewal notices specific to a billing option is that you can provide
payment instructions specific to that billing option for your members.
Note that if you do specify a billing option (rather than sending to all
members), consider if you also want to set up additional notices for
other billing options as well. Billing options without renewal notices
set will not send members reminders to renew.
- Email title and content - The title and content of the email you want sent to the members.
Maximize Your Renewals
It is important to create your own renewal notices to maximize your renewal rates and revenue. See our article with a sample renewal notice. Here are some tips:
- Remind
your members what your organization does, what you have already
accomplished, and how their membership contributes to the cause. Remind
them of the benefits of membership, instead of focusing on penalties. If
you have exciting plans or events for the future, this is a great
opportunity to talk about that.
- Provide directions on how and
where to renew. Include the URL of the page on your website where
members can login to renew (ie. your Member Manage page). If you allow
payments by mail, provide the address where they should mail the checks
to. Make it as easy and straightforward as possible for your members to
renew.
Notices are Not Retroactive
Renewal notices
do not go out retroactively. If you have members that are past due more
than the number of days you’ve set your notices to, you can follow the
below directions to send them a group email.
- Go to MembershipWorks > Dashboard > Membership.
- Next to Display activity from at the top, set the dates to the ones you need.
- Go to the box titled Past Due and click on the box title.
- Click Email.
Get Support Along the Way
