Rethinking Union Member Communication and Engagement

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack

For decades, union members have relied upon the timely delivery of critical information from their local chapters. The classic newsletter format carried this water for many years as its layout was succinct enough to convey multiple important topics in an easy-to-digest read. But much like other news delivery systems, newsletters have had to evolve to keep up with our increasingly digital lifestyles.

Below are some tips for union leaders on how you can keep your members informed and engaged in 2024.

Do members still want to hear from their Union?

Yes, and by a wide margin. Our survey results show that a resounding 97% of union members still want to receive their newsletter*. Rarely can one get 97% of respondents to agree on anything. So, the takeaway here is simple, keep the information flowing to you members. Regarding timing, the sweet spot for delivery frequency seems to be about every 30 days.

*2022 Union Communications Technology Survey, UnionTrack.

What content do members look for?

• Local news and updates from the union
• Union meeting and election recaps and outcomes
• Professional development opportunities
• Members helping other members
• Job opportunities

Make it readable.

It is very important to ensure that your carefully crafted message arrives intact. Having a built-in visual HTML editor specifically designed for email creation will allow you to get your newsletters created and sent faster, while ensuring cross-device compatibility.

“When people receive emails that don’t display correctly on their devices, they will most likely delete them.”

How do you get this information into your member’s hands?

It is no great secret that mass mailing is expensive. Output, envelopes, postage, and address validations add up each month. Eventually, mass mailing gets the information out to your members, but at a high cost to the local.

Email still carries the load, with an assist from text messaging.

HTML email continues to be the best option for delivery of newsletter content, but to be successful in your email delivery you need to be mindful of several factors driving success.

• Content Creation. HTML email allows a richer reading experience, but as many may have encountered, HTML email is quite limited in what its markup can achieve visually across all mail clients. Know your mail client limitations and manage expectations accordingly. Less is more.
• A Clean, Updated List. Email success begins with an up-to-date mailing list. If you membership roster is kept up-to-the-minute by employing features like member self-service updates, your mail has a much greater chance of reaching your audience’s inbox.
• Mail Delivery. Having a robust delivery system that steers your mail away from spam filters is paramount. Great email tools do all of this behind the scenes.
• Use Text Messaging to link back to the online version of the HTML email as a reminder to read later. This will increase you total opens, as many busy recipients will use that text reminder and link to go back to the original email later.

Now, Make it Engaging.

One-way communications are great for large scale information delivery, but to really start understanding and engaging with your membership, a two-way dialog is needed. Here are some strategies to increase member engagement:

• Surveys get instant feedback on members concerns and feelings on critical topics.
• Elicit subscribers to opt in to receive monthly communications.
• Use text messaging to talk to your members wherever they are.

40% of users would still like that SMS reminder.

Ideally, a single tool like UnionTrack® ENGAGE® serves as your membership management as well as your communications hub to manage all of the above tasks. ENGAGE streamlines communications workflows, reduces errors, all while keeping costs down. Give us a shout if you would like to know more.

Metrics tell the rest of the story

A robust communications tool like UnionTrack ENGAGE will give you detailed analysis of your communications flight. Detailed statistics on each peice of mail show statuses such as Sent, Delivered, Opened, and Engaged so that you know exactly who did – and who didn’t – receive and interact with your communication.

ENGAGE leverages visual analytics to help you quickly measure your communication’s performance funnel in real time.

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