They say the U.S. economy is growing strong. They say inflation is nearly back to normal. They say consumer spending is as strong as ever. They say unemployment is at a 54-year low. The numbers certainly support the sunny picture “they” are painting. However, if you ask the average Joe or Jane on the street (AKA, your target audience), you’re more likely to hear stories of massive grocery bills, impossible housing prices, fear of layoffs, mounting credit card debt, dwindling savings and rising anxiety about finances permeating their day-to-day thoughts. In fact, 76% of Americans report that w ..read more

Tackling 12 common fears about launching a non-dues revenue program Summary: Launching any new non-dues revenue program comes with a certain amount of risk. Yet some associations are unnecessarily paralyzed by a few unfounded, yet common fears and concerns. Here are answers to 12 common fears many associations have when considering a non-dues revenue program, using  a private-labeled, discount travel platform as an example. About a 7-minute read ..read more

Summary:  Millennials and Gen Z now make up a huge part of the workforce, but they're not lining up to join membership organizations. Because they think and act so much differently than older generations, here are six specific strategies you can use to better attract and engage younger prospective members. About an 8-minute read ..read more

Summary:  Micro-moments are the brief, intent-driven moments when members turn to their devices to solve a problem. These fleeting moments present a powerful new opportunity for your membership marketing strategy, especially when you leverage your third-party discount program like Access.   About an 8-minute read.  ..read more

Summary:  Storytelling is the often-ignored element of effective member communications, yet, it’s a vital tool for connecting with the people you care about most. Here are 30 practical storytelling ideas to help you elevate your membership marketing efforts. About an 8-minute read.  ..read more

Summary: Learn about transactional and emotional loyalty, and how to earn them. Understand the importance of customer involvement, empowerment, and recognition to build emotional loyalty. Discover the science behind emotional loyalty and the key behaviors that connect businesses with customers on a deeper level. Find out how engagement and communication build loyalty. About a 6 min read ..read more

Summary: Long-term survival for membership associations, non-profit groups, and other membership organizations is not a matter of luck. Over the years, successful organizations have discovered these eight secrets that contribute to their longevity and success. About an 8-minute read.  ..read more

What do customers and members want from the relationships they have with businesses? The statistics are showing that while businesses believe one thing, their constituents are reporting quite another.   Luckily these statistics are made available by the companies that did the hard work of researching everyone's most burning questions. How has 2023 changed your relationship with your members and customers? Do you feel everything is back to “normal” (ie. the way things were before 2020)? Or does it feel like we’ve simply traded the stress of a global pandemic for the stress of inflation? D ..read more

It's 2023 the the modern traveler is evolving again. Luckily, those who are studying the travel and tourism industry are sharing their findings with the world. Travelers have big plans for 2023. Many have their sights set on international destinations, others are planning multiple trips to visit the family and friends they haven't seen in years. Perhaps most the most positive trend for the travel industry is the number of people excited to immerse themselves in local culture by supporting local shops and restaurants.  If you have members, customers or employees (basically anyone you woul ..read more

As with most companies these days, we at Access are trying to figure out how to harness the power of artificial intelligence in general – and Chat-GPT's powerful features in particular – to enhance the value of our products. (In our case, we're talking about member benefit programs, employee discount programs and white label travel platforms just to name a few ..read more