Allow Members To Give You Their Data

It’s interesting to note that tech giants don’t carry out surveys in order to gather all their data from consumers. They use other techniques such as data tracking and looking into the workflows and user journeys of their consumers. Associations also need to start employing similar techniques as well as other simple ways of enabling the collection of their members' data. An easy solution is not to send another survey out as chances are that it will have a low response rate and you won’t receive the results you were after.

Survey Failure

Here at Member Evolution we have tried a survey ourselves where we sent a newsletter out to association staff and from around 700 emails sent we received responses from three people. Only three people completed the survey, which indicates the majority of people were not interested in giving data or taking the time to fill out a survey, even though there were only seven short questions, each with tick boxes. This proves that surveys are definitely not an effective way of gathering data.

Where to look for data

Tech giant Google doesn’t send out lengthy surveys to its clients, and neither should you if you want results. Tech giants and other big companies look more to data practices and tracking a person’s behaviour across a product that links back to a user’s profile. Google is then able to use the data gathered from these behaviours. Through the use of data practices Google has a huge volume of information at their fingertips and it didn’t come from surveys. Google operates on a much larger scale than your average association, but they know where to look for data.

Product Design

The products produced by Google have all been designed by strategy so that every user leaves a trail behind that is able to be tracked and followed. The idea behind a product design for an association is developing the fields and questions that will benefit your association in having insights into. A great place to gather this information is when members sign up to events, SIGs, membership and other places. Your association can gather a range of information by simply placing questions when members are required to fill in their information when purchasing a product.

Gathering Members Information

So now the question is, how can you implement new techniques into your association that will allow you to gather helpful member information, as well as reviewing the ways that you currently track data? The next step can possibly be to design for data collection and utilise your member’s behaviours. The Member Evolution’s online membership software comes with a range of instant reporting tools within the initial instant reports CRM section of a member managed website.