Growing your membership base without a strong retention strategy is like pouring water into a bucket with a hole. These 24 strategies will help you keep your members engaged and reduce churn.

If you’ve successfully launched a membership site, your next priority should be crafting a robust retention strategy.

While membership programs are highly coveted by many business owners, their success isn’t guaranteed. To ensure your membership site remains profitable, it’s crucial to develop strategies that encourage long-term commitment from your members.

We consulted several membership site experts, including Isis Brianna Woods and Katherine Kanrahan, to uncover the most effective strategies for retaining members.

Why Membership Retention Strategies Are Crucial

On average, retaining an existing member costs significantly less than acquiring a new one. According to Userpilot, the average customer acquisition cost for ecommerce businesses hovers around $70, with B2B and SaaS industries seeing figures in the thousands.

Given the high cost of acquiring new members, customer churn can quickly turn your membership site into a financial burden rather than a profitable venture.

A healthy churn rate is around 5%, but anything approaching 20% is concerning. If you’re constantly replacing 20% of your members each month just to maintain your numbers, growth becomes unsustainable.

This is why having effective membership retention strategies is essential for the long-term health of your business.

The Value of Membership Programs

Despite the challenges of member retention, membership programs remain attractive because they offer three key benefits:

1. Connection: People seek meaningful connections, and your community can provide that.
2. Low Barrier to Entry: Offering access to valuable content and community at a lower monthly fee is less intimidating than high-ticket programs, especially during economic uncertainty.
3. Skill Development: As more people engage in side hustles or gig work to supplement their income, membership sites that offer skill development resources will continue to grow in popularity.

Every day, more business owners are launching membership sites either as a new revenue stream or to complement their existing offerings.

Technology companies have also recognized this trend. In a 2020 survey of senior finance executives, over 50% of respondents indicated that at least 40% of their organizations’ revenues were generated through recurring, subscription-based models (CFO).

Amanda Schonberg, a successful creator, shares her perspective: “Memberships are more effective than one-off courses because they allow me to check in with my students regularly and witness their growth.” Amanda’s membership community generated five times more revenue than her previous four years combined. “I could teach the way I wanted, on my own schedule, and it really paid off,” she says.

Businesses are increasingly adopting membership models, and consumers are becoming more familiar with this approach. Don’t wait to incorporate membership offerings into your digital product lineup.

Now that you understand the value of membership programs, let’s explore how to keep your members engaged.

Understanding What Your Members Want and Preventing Attrition

The key to building a thriving community is understanding what your members want.

The simplest way to do this? Ask them.

Isis Woods explains that just as you would stop answering calls from a friend who only talks about themselves, members will lose interest if you don’t consider their needs and preferences.

To maintain an engaged community, you must actively seek feedback from your members. Ask them what they need, what challenges they’re facing, and what topics they want more of in your community.

You can gather this feedback through various methods, including:

• Posting questions in your community space
• Conducting surveys
• Organizing live events
• Hosting one-on-one calls
• Monitoring member activity

Paying attention to your audience’s needs and desires is key to fostering a strong, loyal community.

24 Strategies to Retain Members and Reduce Churn

If you want to keep your existing members while also winning over new ones, here are 24 strategies you can implement:

Regularly Connect with Members: Show your members that they’re more than just a number by regularly engaging with them. For example, challenge new members to share their goals in the community forum and follow up on their progress after a few weeks. Demonstrating that you’re listening and ready to help can significantly improve retention.

Build a Resource Library: Katherine Kanrahan emphasizes the importance of a resource library, where all past content is easily accessible to both new and existing members. This ensures that your members always have access to valuable resources, reinforcing the value of their membership.

Create Exclusive Content: Offering exclusive content through your membership site adds value and encourages members to stay. Whether it’s early access to new courses, private coaching sessions, or special downloads, exclusive content makes your community more appealing.

Diversify Content with Expert Highlights: Bring in guest experts to provide fresh perspectives and valuable insights. This not only benefits your members but also keeps the content dynamic and engaging.

Provide the Transformation Members Want: Ensure that your membership site meets your members’ goals. Whether it’s education, coaching, or community, clearly communicate the benefits of your offerings.

Map the Member Journey: Understanding your members’ journey allows you to tailor content and features to their needs at each stage. This prevents overloading them with unnecessary content and helps increase retention.

Celebrate Membership Milestones: Recognize and celebrate your members’ milestones, such as anniversaries or achievements. This fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty within your community.

Highlight Member Success with Case Studies: Sharing success stories from other members can inspire and motivate your community. It shows that your membership program delivers real results.

Offer Referral Incentives: Encourage your members to refer others by offering incentives like discounts, exclusive access, or bonus points. This not only brings in new members but also rewards your loyal supporters.

Change Membership Terms for Longer Commitments: Introduce annual membership options to encourage longer commitments. Longer terms give members more time to engage with your community and see results, which can improve retention.

Set Up Regular Meetings with Members: Schedule one-on-one meetings with members to gain insights into their needs and address any concerns. Even if you can’t meet with everyone, connecting with a few can provide valuable feedback.

Regularly Refresh Your Content: Keep your content up-to-date to maintain engagement. Update facts, refresh visuals, address common questions, and optimize for SEO to ensure your content remains relevant and valuable.

Contact Members When They Cancel: Reach out to members who cancel to understand their reasons for leaving. This can provide valuable insights into potential issues within your community.

Continue to Show Up as the Leader: Members often join because of the founder’s influence. Regularly participate in your community to maintain that connection and keep members engaged.