It never starts all at once. You start to hear whispers among members, the occasional grumble, the random pursed lip. Then the calls start. The sighs when you ask a member click on a certain link. The calls you get asking where they can find that pdf you wrote about in your newsletter. The outright refusal to read your instructions on how to log in to your website. The sitting down with a member to guide them through a donations form.
If you run a membership based organization, where you’re swamped, time and resources starved, it’s easy enough to shrug your shoulders with an exasperated, “People don’t read!” or “How could he not know where that report is – it’s right there!” None of these mask the real issue. Your website isn’t doing it job. All the ranting in the world won’t hide the fact that it’s your job to make sure your website is as intuitive and user-friendly as it can be to support your organization’s mandate and goals.
Here’s a list of what irritates members the most regarding their association’s website and how to fix it.
1. Old and outdated content
Your website should demonstrate your association’s relevance to its members and to the public at large. In world where websites are updated several times daily, members have come to expect frequent news bites to keep them in the loop.
Content means more than simply reporting on what your association has been doing. Think of it like being a roving reporter, determining what your members want to hear, and then, figuring out the best way to present the information. New formats such as checklists, interviews, stories, case studies, industry news, member achievements, explainer content should be part of your repetoire.
The fix: Having a content strategy for associations should be a priority, and is key for aligning content with your organization’s goals, current resources and strengths. Start by outlining who your association caters to, determine what content is relevant for them, and create a plan for when and how such content will be developed.
Do a quick audit: What content is more than a year old on your site? Is it serving any purpose at this point? If not, get rid of it!
2. “Don’t make me click more than once!”
A member once told me that if he had to click more than once to find content, he would leave the site. At first I was taken aback, but on reflection, it outlined in very clear terms what members require of a website. They’re time-starved, looking for instant information, and often on the go. If you are asking your members to read through paragraphs of content, instead of presenting it in quick, easy to digest bites, you could be losing them.
The fix: Designing a website to be user-friendly with intuitive navigation is not an easy task. Starting off with knowing who your members are and what the need is key. In the process consider conducting an audit with heat map software which will show you where members go once they’re on your website. And invent in website usability guidance which will outline how users interact with technology, and how to intuitively place content so it’s easy to find. In usability, a website should have no more than 6 content categories.
3. “I have to log in multiple times”
This irritant gets compounded when, not only does the member have to log in multiple times to access different services, they also have to remember multiple username/password combinations. Getting access to courses, signing in to a member portal or to change your membership details should be details a member can manage themselves. If they need to call into the office, it’s a waste of time for both staff and member.
The fix: the most efficient fix is to obtain a database that is integrated to programs such as your learning management system, email or event management software. Having a website integrated with the database provides value with exclusive member-only content, allows members to access their own accounts, and also helps the association anticipate the member’s needs by tracking what services they access.
4. Your website does not reflect their needs
If your membership is multi-generational, it must cater to all of your members’ needs. The emergence of tools such as infographics or similar “snackable content” in small bites, and the use of visual tools such as Instagram, Pinterest, or even YouTube, show that people want information given to them in easily digestible formats. If all your site offers is text, when you could be offering video, or podcasts, you risk turning off your members.
Further, do the images used reflect your membership? This goes beyond using stock photos, as members want to see their actual selves reflected on your site. Websites must also follow Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements, to ensure that your site is accessible for those with disabilities.
The fix: Survey members first to determine how they want to consume your content. Every generation communicates differently, and associations must make the commitment to cater to all needs, not just to those of the majority. By surveying, you get definite information to know where to direct staff time and resources.
5. Your website is not mobile
According to Guidestar, “2014 was the tipping point for more web traffic coming from mobile than desktop computers.” This is no longer a trend, but a reality. Unfortunately, non profit websites are still trying to keep up, as 59% of non profit websites are not optimized for mobile. Google is now also altering its algorithms to favour well optimized mobile websites.
With those statistics, it is frustrating for a member when they see the desktop version of your website in their mobile device. And if the site is not optimized
(60% of mobile users expect webpages to load in 3 seconds, in other words, be optimized for mobile, or they do not return.
The fix: starting the move towards a mobile optimized website depends on ensuring that your content management software, website theme and software are mobile optimized. Failure to do so could lead to a loss of a potential member or donation.
6. You don’t know how your site is performing
You can’t know what to improve if you’re not tracking. Analytics are more of a problem for staff than members, but in the end, members feel the impact of a site that has been left as is due to a lack of feedback. Checking a website’s analytics are key to determining, in cold hard figures, what your members are responding to on your website.
The fix: Google Analytics is the industry leader in providing tools to analyze your website traffic. The code can be easily placed on your website pages, to show you how often your site is visited, what are your most and least popular pages, how long visitors stay on your site, and much more.