3 Things Alumni Associations Can Learn From Magazine Publishers

In a parallel universe, I am sometimes hired by magazine publishers as a copywriter for subscriber acquisition and retention packages. While this in no way shape or form makes me an expert on such things, it has given me some insight into the various tactics that magazine publishers use to gain new subscribers and retain current customers*. Here are three strategies used by magazines that Alumni Associations should also consider when it comes to marketing to current and potential members.

Repetition – Think back to the last time you had a magazine subscription about to expire. How many mail pieces and reminders did you receive alerting you to the fact that your subscription was going to expire? Some publications start the barrage as many as six months before your subscription expires. This adds up to a lot of mail pieces and a good amount of money. But these savvy publishers are not doing this because they have some vendetta against trees. They’re doing it because it works. It is a proven fact in the direct marketing world that repetition drives recognition, which drives response. Quit after just one message? No way!

Now maybe you can’t sell internally the need and the budget required to send multiple direct mail reminders to current members or solicitations to prospects. That’s o.k. Repetition can work just as well when used across different channels, for instance, a direct mail piece followed up with an email. Just make sure you’re giving yourself more than one chance to succeed with every campaign you do.

Premiums – You’ve no doubt seen the offers that some magazines make. Subscribe today and get a free gym bag that you’ll never use. Or, get the complete guide to underwater basket weaving FREE with your paid subscription. While these may seem like trivial offers, they are all just a function of stacking the cool, and raising the perceived value of subscribing. This isn’t done out of goodwill, or the hope that people at the gym will see the magazine name on your new gym bag and go subscribe themselves. It’s done because it generates response and increases conversion by a factor of more than the cost of the premium. Pure and simple.

So what can Alumni Associations offer in exchange for renewing membership or joining? The possibilities are endless. Maybe a special edition t-shirt with the school logo. Maybe a limited edition print or personalized photo. If at all possible, offer something they can’t get anywhere else that has a perceived value that’s higher than the price of your membership.

Enlist Outside Expertise – A large percentage of people working at magazines are writers and designers. But what is surprising is that most publications go outside of their own staff when designing creative for mail pieces or writing copy for them. The reason is that sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. Meaning, you are so connected to the product (magazine…or…alumni association membership) that you lose sight of the true value proposition and cannot communicate it as effectively as someone from the outside looking in can.

Maybe hiring outside designers and copywriters isn’t feasible for every campaign. But try it at least once a year and see if you don’t get a unique take on what you have to offer as an alumni association, and an increase in response to go along with it.

Anyway, I hope these three tips have given you some new ideas and something to think about for your next campaign.

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*Please Note: I’m fully aware that some magazines are losing subscribers left and right, and some have even gone out of business. But I firmly believe its not for a lack of skill in communicating their message and squeezing everything they can out of their marketing. The broad availability of content online has simply changed people’s reading habits. Many people, as is their inherent right, simply don’t wish to pay good money for something they can have for free.