Member communication: Best practices for email and push notifications

Offers and exclusive discounts are only truly valuable if your members know about them and feel genuinely excited to engage. Too often, well-crafted benefits go unnoticed, lost in the digital shuffle or buried within a portal few visit regularly. This is where the member communication truly shines. Mastering the combined power of email and push notifications can transform how members perceive and value their participation.

Why invest in communicating with your members?

At its core, thoughtful communication isn’t about noisy advertising; it’s about building relationships, sparking engagement, and reminding your community that their membership is worth it. While members can always log in and browse member benefit platforms, the reality is that they’re bombarded with information daily. Making members hunt for news quickly turns a benefit into a burden. Instead, reaching out proactively, through the channels they regularly use, elevates their experience and injects delight into the routine. Read more about: Building a Successful Member-Only Discount Programme for Small Associations.

Email strategies: Creating anticipation without annoyance

Email remains the backbone of digital outreach. But for associations, it's all about quality, not quantity. The days of generic mailshots are gone. Each message should earn its place in the inbox. A successful email strategy means that every communication feels like an exclusive invitation, not another piece of digital clutter.

This is achieved by prioritising relevance over frequency. A member who receives weekly updates about tailored offers or benefits they actually want will begin to anticipate your emails, not shun them. Clever personalisation, using the member’s name, interests, or prior engagement, can transform a basic message into a valued notification that stands out from spam. For associations refining their strategy, case studies like Client Satisfaction Report 2024: how we’re delivering value for partners and guides on how to ensure a smooth membership journey are instructive.

Timing also plays a crucial role. There’s no universal cadence, but consistency matters. Some associations find success with concise weekly round-ups, while others prioritise monthly highlights laced with fresh incentives. Testing open rates and click-throughs will show when your members are most receptive, but always let the content dictate the schedule rather than the other way around. Members will develop a habit of looking out for your emails if they sense the communications are genuinely worthwhile, not simply routine admin. 

Push notifications: Instant, personal, and engaging

Push notifications bring immediacy and excitement, surfacing offers directly on a member’s device, often before they even check their inbox. Here, brevity is king. A single, enticing sentence delivered at the right moment can drive instant engagement: “Friday treat, your cinema ticket discount is waiting!” However, restraint is just as important as creativity. Notifications should be used sparingly; one every few days is often enough. Anything more and members risk feeling bombarded, which can lead them to mute notifications or disengage entirely.

What sets great push notification campaigns apart is their sense of timeliness and relevance. If you know a segment of your members prefers weekend leisure activities, send restaurant or cinema offers at the close of the working week. Grocery perks? Time it for Sunday evening or Monday, when meal planning for the week begins. Segmentation allows you to match the right message to the right member, making each notification feel personal and welcome rather than arbitrary. Discover why credit unions must act now to engage Gen Z and younger members and facilitate more effective, timely outreach. Thanks to modern mobile platforms, these alerts can be visually rich, featuring images, interactive buttons, or more information when expanded, which adds further intrigue and drives action.

Weaving a cohesive communication strategy

The lines between email and push notification strategies should blur rather than compete. Both serve the common goal of enhancing the member journey. By weaving together brilliant timing, tailored content, and an authentic, conversational tone, your communications become a highlight of membership, something anticipated, not avoided. Members are far more likely to see, appreciate, and redeem the benefits your organisation provides. Find inspiration in Parliament Hill’s 2024 Performance blog article.

The key to memorable member engagement

In the end, the secret to successful member communication is respect: respect for your members’ time, for their interests, and for the value their participation brings to your community. Use email and push notifications to celebrate that relationship, showcase tangible value, and ensure that every member feels seen and engaged. In an age of digital noise, the right message at the right time transforms a simple benefit into a memorable experience.