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10 Ways to Build Your Membership
We know you're busy planning your events or getting your vehicles out for the season, but don't forget that recruiting is a year-round activity. What better and easier time is there to attract prospective members?
Here's a quick list of our top 10 ideas for attracting new members. For more membership-building ideas, visit the "Build Your Membership" section of Car Club Central at http://www.hagerty.com/carclubcentral/.
- Organize local cruise nights to show other collector car owners how much fun club membership can be. Add to the enjoyment by selecting a scenic route or one with a particular destination in mind—like a lakeside park or unique restaurant with a "classic" feel. Some towns still have a drive-in restaurant or drive-in movie theatre.
- Contact local car dealers, repair shops and auto-parts businesses to see if they will allow your club to have a counter display in their store. If they agree, offer to include their company's contact information on your club website or newsletter. You may have formed a relationship that will benefit both sides.
- Consider manning a club booth at non-automotive events such as craft shows and trade fairs. Collector car owners have a variety of interests—and so do their spouses, children and friends. Your club's presence at one of those events may be a welcome reprise for a car collector.
- Host a "Free Ride Day" and offer rides in members’ vehicles to community members. Imagine the joy you can bring to others who would love to relive the cars of their youth. You never know if taking a ride with you might spark someone’s interest in collector cars and your club.
- Along the same lines, organize club visits to local shops or collections and invite non-members to join you. If you love cars, you hardly need an excuse to see more, so planning a visit to a local shop or to view a collection should be a pretty easy sell to members and non-members alike. An added bonus: when you enjoy someone else's collection—and express that to them—you're not the only one who benefits.
- People who had enough interest to join the club once are hot prospects for joining again. Use past-member lists to reach them. In some cases, you may have to show them that things they didn't like have been changed. Perhaps your club has become more active in the community or gets together on a more regular basis. Accentuate the positive—and make them feel wanted by welcoming their input.
- Buy club-logo clothing and encourage members to wear it at events and around town. It's all about branding! The more people see your club's name and logo, the more intrigued they'll be. What does your club do? Who's involved? How can I become a member? And remember this: when you wear club clothing, you represent your entire club, not just yourself.
- Host a referral contest with existing members. Give each member a few club business cards inviting potential new members to a meeting. Offer a prize to the member who recruits the most people. Sometimes all it takes is a little incentive.
- Look for ways to get an ad, interview or article in local media or in the newsletters of schools, hospitals, community organizations and businesses in your area. Are you doing something cool that non-club members would find interesting or uplifting? You don't have to be a car lover to appreciate a good deed. Sometimes the best way to build membership is to simply be a quality organization that is willing to reach out and help someone.
- To that end, consistently try to create civic goodwill in your community. Plant trees or pick up trash along roadways. Offer a small scholarship to a vocational student. Participate in parades and other civic events. Sponsor a kids' safety school, a driving clinic for teens or a safety inspection for anyone interested. Work with local schools to get youth involved; they're the future of the hobby.
How does your club attract new members? Do you have a recruiting tip you'd like to share in a future issue of this newsletter? If so, e-mail clubmarketing@hagerty.com.