Professional Groups Lag In Technology Use, Members Say

There’s an urgent message for professional groups in the new survey from Community Brands — embrace technology or die.

The study, conducted by Edge Research, shows that member loyalty is driven by technology, apparently including email platforms. And most members feel they are ahead of the technology curve.

But only 26% believe their organization is excellent in its technology use. And the groups themselves admit that they are behind in some areas. The survey sample includes 1,000 members of professional membership organizations and 400 representatives of those groups. 

The study shows that associations have invested in technology — up to a point. 

Email marketing platforms are used by 76%. Second is association management software or CRM, which is utilized by 66%. Next are event-related tools (64%), webcast/webinar tools (60%) and mobile apps (52%).

Of the groups that rate themselves as most prepared, 77% include an email platform in their technology stack. And the percentage is 76% for all respondents.

In contrast, 63% of the most-prepared entities use an association management solution, or CRM, versus 66% overall. 

The bad news is that only 25% plan to increase their technology investments in the future. They are hampered by questions about ROI, and the ability to affect the member experience. They also worry about integration and member usage, the study says.

On the member side, half are very satisfied with their organizations in general. And while that’s not high, those individuals are influenced by technology use — of those, 73% view their group as an early adopter, and 89% give them an excellent tech rating.

Of the members polled, 64% know about emails and/or e-newsletters being offered. But only 53% say they are interested in connecting in this way 

Still, the only channel that scores higher in either category is websites or member portals — 59% know about websites, and 57% want to engage on them.

As for devices, 57% want to engage via laptops, and 49% on desktop computers. In addition, 60% want to use smartphones, 40% tablets and 24% smart TV 

Of the Millennials surveyed, 74% say technology plays a major role in their lives, compared with 65% of Gen Xers and 52% of Baby Boomers. Tiny percentages in each group says it plays a small role.

Overall, 40% feel they are ahead of the curve, and 23% say they are early adopters. Another 23% rate themselves as average, and 13% as laggards. Millennials are more likely to be advanced than Gen Xers or Boomers.

Personalized content is valued by 69%. That includes news, of course, as well as events, jobs, based on past activity. Millennials are especially open to this kind of input.

Moreover, members feel extremely connected to their groups when they receive personalized content. Yet 30% of the groups say they are laggards when it comes to personalization.

 

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