(Brief) Case Studies
For an even briefer look at my work experience: Download Resume | View LinkedIn
End-of-Year Membership Push at SHRM
The Challenge: In 2021, the challenge at SHRM was the same as it has been for years: increasing the number of new members. However, as the leading association for HR professionals, membership numbers were already high, so year-over-year growth goals were ambitious. By October, we were entering slower holiday months, the potential member pool was running dry, and we still needed almost 25,000 new members by the end of the calendar year. That is more than 2,000 members a week!
The Solution: First, I launched a content strategy based on four core HR values: workplace culture, DE&I, mental health at work, and retaining talent. These values were communicated via a new email nurture, paid advertising, and direct mail pieces. Next, I tied the values messaging into an incentive-based marketing campaign by offering new members a SHRM-branded bento box as a thank you gift for joining. The bento box told our audience in a creative and meaningful way that the core values were all part of a larger mission and that the member benefits “stacked up” – literally!
The Result: Thanks to the bento box promotion, the goal of 305,302 members was met by Christmas and we eked out more than 307,000 members by New Year’s Eve. While the membership numbers for the new year would reset once the ball dropped in Times Square, thousands of members would enter 2022 with the best HR resources available and a well-portioned lunch.
I can help meet and exceed your membership goals. Let’s get to it.
Troop Membership Renewal at The Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta
The Challenge: Girls are more likely to become Girl Scouts if there is an existing troop they can join. That’s why it was vital for Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta to have returning troops renew their membership as early as possible. However, even offered a discount for early renewal, troops still waited right up to the deadline. To increase new membership, old troops needed to renew early.
The Solution: If a discount wasn’t enough to incentivize early renewal, then I had to develop and promote a more enticing offer. And what is more enticing than s’mores? Combining one the classic Girl Scout activities with the launch of new STEM badges, I developed the World’s Tallest S’more challenge. Troops could only attempt to break the Guinness World Record (100cm) if they renewed early. Plus, they’d be able to compete against other troops for the extra challenge. I marketed this challenge through email marketing, organic and boosted social media posts, and PR efforts to generate local buzz.
The Result: The campaign was a huge success! The 2017 renewal season was the highest it had been in five years and meeting our stretch goal of 11,400 Girl Scouts. Also, other Girl Scout councils around the country borrow the idea, too, it worked so well. Sadly, no troop was able to beat the world record. But the participants learned a valuable lesson about the structural integrity of toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate. You can even watch some video of the event here.
Need a fresh approach to your content? I’m here to help.
Growing Workshop Revenue at The Writer’s Center
The Challenge: While The Writer's Center (TWC) offered more than 400 in-person writing workshops every year. Their standard workshop was eight weeks long and cost $360 to participate. Unfortunately, almost half of all workshops ended up being canceled due to low enrollment (workshops needed a minimum of eight participants to run). When workshops were canceled, full refunds were offered. TWC had to increase workshop participation in order to meet their revenue goals.
The Solution: The first thing I did was analyze historical registration data to see which types of writing workshops were most likely to run, by genre, duration, cost, and day of delivery. I then conducted a survey to find out what our customers wanted from classes at TWC. Many novice writers were intimidated by the workshop-style format of the classes and were looking for more of a "classroom" environment. From these findings, I developed a low cost introductory workshop series called The Elements of Fiction, which consisted of 6 one-day classes. And in order to bolster registration, I promoted the series with a bundle pricing strategy during TWC's 35th anniversary year through email, social media, and distribution of our workshop and event guide.
The Result: All six workshops in The Elements of Fiction series sold out. Many of them had to move from an average-sized meeting room to the building's auditorium to accommodate 80-100 beginning writers. As a result, TWC increased its annual enrollment revenue by 20% in FY2013. And even better, the series brought hundreds of new writer's into TWC's ecosystem to take more classes in the future.