The ‘why’ matters when targeting younger members

If you feel like there’s room for improvement in engaging younger people, consider these key questions.

Targeting younger members is so common that you could say it’s ubiquitous, but the reasons why are often fuzzy. Gaining traction with this group in a way that benefits both younger people and the institution requires more than good marketing and growth in the desired age group. It requires well-articulated reasons for why they are being targeted, along with a clear definition of success. Knowing what the institution hopes to accomplish makes it more measurable and provides guidance for how to home in on success.

A common reason for targeting younger members is because the customer base is aging, and younger people are needed to fill the pipeline for the future. Simply bringing in a lot of new younger members clearly won’t help the institution if they’re mostly inactive, so dig deeper with some questions to help define success:

  • How young are we targeting?
  • What business do we expect from this group?
  • When do we expect this group to start being active or profitable?

What Does the Data Say?

Are those young folks really filling the pipeline? Use your data to answer relevant questions that challenge underlying assumptions. For people who became members at your targeted ages five or 10 years ago:

 

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