Despite a surge in museum visitors following the pandemic, data collected by ArtNet earlier this year found that attendance rates have begun to plateau, with museums on average peaking at around 60% of their 2019 attendance levels. What’s more, membership rates have been on the decline since before COVID-19 crisis hit, and membership renewal rates persistently remain 25% lower than pre-pandemic rates.
As a result, more museums than ever are taking steps to revamp their visitor engagement strategies and membership programs, with increasing numbers choosing to switch from traditional membership models to digital membership initiatives. In addition to reducing costs and streamlining membership processes, digital membership also helps museums meet surging demand for technological efficiency and personalization, and provide patrons with a seamless, engaging member experience.
Here are 7 of the top reasons museums are choosing Digital Membership to supercharge their membership programs:
1. DRIVing ENGAGEMENT
A key benefit of Digital Membership is how it helps organizations to better connect with their patrons by driving engagement and showcasing the value of being a member. Digital Membership programs allow for easy access to a range of benefits and special offers, from interactive onsite features to on-demand push notifications and back-of-the-card text that keep members informed about new exhibitions, upcoming events, discounts, and special offers that can help drive visitation.
Ultimately, this digital approach helps boost engagement both on and offsite, making it one of the most effective ways to connect with a wide variety of audiences in today's digital landscape – and a critical means of deepening your connection with your organization’s most valuable supporters.
2. STREAMLINing FULFILLMENT
Membership fulfillment has historically been a highly manual and tedious process, relying on physical mailings and producing paper/plastic cards. To solve these problems, Digital Membership Cards offer a no-print solution that drastically reduces the time and resources required to serve membership cards, streamlining the fulfillment process and helping members receive their card and membership information in record time.
3. Saving time & money
Membership fulfillment typically requires significant staff time and resources, which is becoming less feasible amidst budgetary constraints and staff layoffs. Additionally, membership professionals are increasingly being tasked to do more with less. Making the transition to Digital Membership Cards not only saves time, but also a number of avoidable costs like production, postage, staff labor, and printing. Going digital allows art museums to devote limited funds and labor towards more strategic initiatives, like membership retention and engagement strategies.
Pro Tip: Check out Cuseum’s ROI Calculator to see how much you could save!
4. staying in touch
Whether your museum is large or small, , Digital Membership is a great way to stay in touch with your members and keep them engaged and informed. Through features like push notifications and SMS text messaging software, you can quickly and easily reach your members with important updates, offers, and announcements. With their eye-popping open & click-through rates, push notifications and SMS far outpace traditional methods like email and phone calls in effectively reaching your members.
5. Driving renewals
Digital membership cards are a powerful tool for improving renewals and retention. By leveraging digital technology, museums can deliver important renewal reminders straight to the mobile devices of their members, helping them stay on track with their membership commitments.
In addition, Digital Membership Cards provide valuable data about member activity, giving organizations a clear picture of who is using their services and when they are most active. With this information in hand, museums can implement targeted campaigns to keep members engaged and renewing year after year.
6. enabling new conveniences
With Digital Membership Cards, museums can give their visitors a convenient and contactless way to enjoy all the benefits of membership. By automating the entry process, members no longer have to worry about losing or misplacing physical cards or waiting in long lines for entry; Digital Membership will always be available at the touch of a button on any mobile device, enabling a quick and hassle-free experience for everyone involved.
Plus, with Digital Membership Cards, cultural organizations can offer members access to perks like digital tickets, referral programs, and exclusive discounts, and dynamic digital features such as interactive maps and self-guided tours. Whether through contactless entry, easy self-serve account management, instant digital card delivery, or onsite engagement, Digital Membership helps museums provide a more convenient, enjoyable member experience than ever before.
7. personalizing the member experience
Consumer expectations for digital convenience and customization have skyrocketed, and according to recent data from McKinsey & Company, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. With the cutting-edge digital communication and customization capabilities of Digital Membership, you can effectively personalize outreach, sustain your connection with members, ultimately improving the overall member experience and fostering long-term loyalty.
As the world goes digital, museums are increasingly making the transition to leading-edge software services like Digital Membership Cards, and in so doing are able to streamline fulfillment, save time and money, drive renewals and engagement, and deliver a convenient and enjoyable visitor experience.
To learn more about how these benefits – and much more – can help your museum or cultural organization thrive in a digital-first age, book a demo with Cuseum today!
