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Most clubs attract new members via their website, but other online sources of members are the websites of major sporting bodies; online directories and, in some instances, social media. Ensure that your club information and contact details are up to date on these sites and that you answer any queries about new membership as quickly as possible.
The web presence of many clubs is used to attract new members, along with word of mouth, people just 'dropping in' to the club, people moving into the area and/or a club's junior program. Here are some of the strategies used by clubs who look to actively recruit members via their web presence:
Have an attractive website, especially with a welcoming home page.
Make it easy for prospective new members to contact the club, make enquiries, find out where the club trains and where its matches or events are held. These details might already be on your website, but buried so far down in menus or sub-menus that they are impossible to find,
Advertise any accreditations or certifications that your club has to demonstrate your club values.
Advertise for any particular member groups that you are looking to attract, eg 'family friendly', 'fun oriented' , 'elite competition', etc.
Often club websites have an 'About the club' link in a prominent place on their website (for instance, it might be one of the first menu items). This can lead to a separate page where you can describe your club in a little more detail.
Many clubs also have a 'Contact Us' page with relevant contact details listed. Sometimes clubs set up an email form, which can be used by website visitors to make an enquiry. You can set up this form so that people can also be specific about their query. Are they interested for themselves or their children? For multi-sport clubs (like athletics), you can ask people to fill in the types of sports they are interested in.
Look at your website from the viewpoint of a person visiting it for the first time. How easy is it to find key information about the club?
Make sure that you are listed on the websites of your major sporting bodies and that your club details are listed when someone enters your postcode or region. Here are the some example key sites:
Check to see if you can be listed on local council, regional or sports-specific online directories. Sometimes these allow you to list basic contact details and brief information about the club. One of the best ways to see what is being used by other clubs in your league or association is to search for them on a search engine and see where they are being listed.
Social media is generally not regarded as a major way to recruit members, but some clubs have reported queries coming via their public social media pages. Theses site usually provide the opportunity to list basic club contact details (such as telephone number or email address). Also, some clubs monitor the content of their social media pages to ensure that any potential new members would regard the content as being appropriate for a club that they wish to join.
Responding to queries
You need to ensure that you respond quickly to membership queries, especially via email requests. It might be a good idea to use generic email addresses...such as secretary@yourclub.org that can be accessed by someone else when, say, the secretary is away, or forwarded to personal email accounts.
Currency of Information
Wherever you have details about your club (be it contact information or a brief description of the club), it is important to ensure that these details are correct. When something does change, it is easy to forget to update all of the different places that your club details may be stored (as these details do not change very often). It may be a good idea to keep a list of where the club details are stored and check these on a semi-regular basis (say, every six months?) to ensure that they are up to date.
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