Are you a Barack and Michelle Obama kind of person? George and Amal Clooney, maybe? Or perhaps you’re someone who’s more aligned with Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Regardless of your preferred power couple, we have one that will blow those three out of the water.
In our opinion, the ultimate power couple is none other than membership CRM combined with a marketing automation platform.
For those who thought these were the same thing, opposing tools or substitutional systems, that’s okay. Many people do. So, let’s start with clearing that up.
What’s the difference?
CRM for membership organisations stores detailed information on a member including their history, any interactions they may have had with the organisation, events they’ve attended, and subscription history. Essentially, member CRM systems provide a platform on which to engage with your membership in a meaningful way and increase member satisfaction levels.
On the other hand, marketing automation platforms allow membership organisations to track their key marketing campaigns such as email outreach and largescale communications. From drip feeding members with organisational messages to automatically sending triggered emails when a member shows an interest in something particular, marketing automation is a versatile tool that also provides detailed analytics on each campaign’s success.
A marriage made in heaven
But what if you combine the two? Well, that’s where the real magic happens. Silverbear, for example, has integrated Dotdigital, a data-driven platform for marketers, with Silverbear 365, our flagship member CRM software. In doing so, we’ve unlocked countless benefits for our customers.
To give you an idea of some of those benefits, here are our top 4:
1. See the BIGGER picture
A fully integrated membership CRM and marketing platform enables everyone in a membership organisation – at every level and across every team – to see what each other is doing. From subscription management to canvassing for new members, integrating the two supports greater consistency and prevents any overlap. For example, any marketing unsubscribes can be reflected in CRM, which improves the member experience. Likewise, uniting the two prevents the same message – or different versions of the same message – going out more than once (a move that is more likely to irritate than inspire your membership).
2. Slow or fast membership growth?
If you are embarking on a drive to secure new members, then CRM will undoubtedly play an important role. However, without marketing automation, your efforts will likely take longer. CRM is great for profiling and segmenting your members when you’ve got them – but first, you need to get them. With the two working in tandem, you’ll be able to attract new members faster.
3. Keep it consistent
If the member journey - and the experience each of your members receives at every part of that journey - is your priority, then you’ll know that what you say and how, when, and where you say it is critical. Through effectively integrating your membership CRM platform and marketing platform, you’ll be able to control your messaging in a way that’s more efficient – and on-brand.
4. Add a personal touch
With CRM, you can access rich levels of data on each of your members. With a marketing platform, you have an excellent way of delivering marketing campaigns. Unite the two and you have the ability to develop and execute highly personalised campaigns that speak directly to each and every member, which further enhances the overall member experience.
Get the best member CRM and marketing platform. Get Silverbear 365
Silverbear 365 is a membership CRM system built on Dynamics 365. It has been developed specifically to help membership organisations engage, grow and retain their members. We recently did a joint webinar with Dotdigital, to view the on-demand recording please click HERE, or for more information call our team on 01483 409409.