The Communications Quandary

We deployed a survey recently for a client around the topic of communication. The organization was interested to learn what sorts of messages resonated with their members, what types of communication vehicles they preferred, and how much was too much when it came to delivering the information. One of the amazing statistics from the survey was that 75% of respondents said they read every email they received from the organization. While this is an impressive number, open rates tell a different story: the highest open rate for any particular email was about 25%.

So what does that mean? Were the respondents lying, or did they actually believe they opened everything they received? While it is possible that some respondents are playing the role of loyal supporters, the more likely scenario is that they honestly thought they opened everything they received, especially considering the circumstances. The organization did not have a consistent and transparent e-blast schedule, nor did it have a comprehensive e-newsletter to distribute to its members. In other words, it’s very likely that many members did not open some emails because they didn’t see them – and even if they honestly thought they opened everything they received, they still might have missed a considerable number of communications.

Every membership organization can take a lesson from these findings. While frequency in communications is important, so is consistency. If you send communications at the same general time (whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly or monthly), members can begin to expect a communication from you. And if they’re on the lookout for your email, the chances of them reading it go up dramatically.

Feel free to contact Mike to discuss this topic in more detail.