Have you ever wondered why some organizations have members who stick around for decades, while others can’t seem to keep anyone beyond the first renewal cycle? Regardless of whether you are building an online community or a SaaS membership business, the member journey map plays a significant role in the success of a membership business. Understanding every step of a member journey is like having a roadmap that guides every interaction, communication, and touchpoint with your members.
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through the process of creating effective member journey maps tailored to various membership models. Whether you’re managing a subscription-based service, a professional association, or a community-focused club, you’ll learn how to visualize and optimize every step of your members’ experience.
What is Member Journey Mapping?
Member journey mapping is the process of creating a visual representation of every experience your members have with your organization, from the moment they first hear about you until they become loyal, long-term members (or, unfortunately, decide to leave).
Imagine that you are having a distinguished guest over for dinner, a renowned musician whom you have always admired. You invited him to your house when you met him at the bar. Now, you want to create the best experience for him, so you think about every small detail, from the moment he walks into your house to when he leaves. What food he likes and dislikes, what music you should play (probably his recordings), the overall ambiance, and what gift you should prepare so you can build a relationship with him instead of just having a one-time fan encounter.
If you don’t plan carefully, the whole thing is very likely to fall apart. The same concept applies when creating a membership business.
A comprehensive member journey map helps you understand every step of creating a unique and excellent experience. It includes all touchpoints between your organization and members, from the initial awareness stage through consideration, onboarding, engagement, and renewal.
Different Membership Models Need Custom Journey Maps
The overall member journey mapping approach is similar for any type of membership business model. However, there are some nuances that should be considered to increase the effectiveness of your member journey map, such as unique characteristics, value propositions, and member expectations. What works well for a subscription box service won’t necessarily perform the same for a community organization.
- Subscription-based models – focus heavily on the renewal cycle and perceived value over time
- Community memberships – a strong emphasis on belonging and shared identity
- Tiered membership models – must clearly differentiate the experience between levels
- Freemium models – need clear pathways from free to paid membership
Understanding your specific model is crucial before you start mapping. Otherwise, you might focus on the wrong touchpoints or miss critical moments in your members’ experience.
How to Create a Member Journey Map
1. Define Your Membership Segments
Not all members are the same, and their journeys can differ significantly based on their motivations, needs, and behaviors. Having just one comprehensive map will not be able to cover everyone in your membership, and therefore, different member journey maps are needed for each segment. These segments should be based on meaningful differences in how members interact with your organization, not just demographic categories. However, you don’t need 10 or 20 membership segments, it will be overwhelming and difficult to manage.
For example, if you have an online community for stock investing, you may have three segments: beginners who wish to learn the basics of long-term stock investing, intermediate investors who want to network and exchange investment ideas, and senior investors who are interested in giving back and sharing their knowledge.
Each segment had different touchpoints, pain points, and emotional triggers that would have been impossible to capture in a single journey map.
Touchpoints —co Any interactions or contact between your members and you/your online community. E.g., when your members comment on your articles or attend a webinar
When defining your segments, focus on behavioral and motivational differences rather than just demographics. Understanding why people join and what they hope to accomplish through your membership can help you define a clear segment for creating the journey maps.
2. Map the Current State Journey
Before looking ahead to what could be, you need to document what’s actually happening now in your members’ experience. This should include mapping all major stages in the member lifecycle, from first awareness through to renewal or departure. For each stage, document every touchpoint between the members and your business, whether digital, in-person, or via communication channels.
Capture the member’s thoughts, feelings, and pain points at each stage. Using the example we mentioned, you might discover that your new members are actually anxious when they join the online community instead of feeling excited. The insight you obtain can be used to optimize your onboarding process. Also, document your current metrics and performance indicators for each stage, as these will help you measure improvement later.
This collaborative approach not only creates a more accurate map but also builds organizational alignment around the member experience, so your team can work towards a common goal. Use actual member data whenever possible, including website analytics, survey responses, and support tickets, to validate your assumptions.
3. Conduct Member Research
Member research should be performed regardless of the stage your membership business is in. Without member research, you’re simply documenting your internal assumptions about the experience, which can differ dramatically from reality. The most accurate way of understanding member sentiment is to gather their feedback.
One-on-one interviews with members at different lifecycle stages is one of the best ways to obtain valuable insights. Ask open-ended questions like “Tell me about when you first heard about our membership” or “What was your experience like when you first attended an event?”
Focus groups arranged by segment or experience level can uncover shared pain points and generate collaborative solutions. You can also conduct surveys targeted at specific touchpoints or moments to provide quantitative validation of your qualitative findings. Social media listening can give you some good and honest feedback as people always share their genuine thoughts and feelings.
4. Identify Pain Points and Moments of Truth
Every member journey has critical moments that disproportionately impact satisfaction and retention. These “moments of truth” refer to the moments when your members interact with your membership business and form an impression, which can be positive or negative. These moments of truth deserve special attention in your member journey map because they have a significant influence on the overall experience.
For instance, the very first welcome communication often sets the tone for the entire membership experience, or the first time using a core member benefit is another critical moment. If members have a poor experience in these stages, they’re unlikely to engage further regardless of other benefits. Billing or renewal interactions are also an important touchpoint as members evaluate whether your organization is worth the continued investment.
Document these critical moments prominently in your journey map, as they’ll become priority focus areas for your improvement efforts.
5. Design the Ideal Future State
All of the previous steps are to understand what the current journey state is like, so you know what to focus on and improve in order to create the ideal experience for each of your member segments.
Start by addressing the friction points you have identified in previous steps. For each pain point, brainstorm potential solutions that could remove barriers or simplify processes. Sometimes the best solutions can come from members’ feedback, as they are more likely to know what would be better or attractive to them.
Next, aim to create stronger connections between different stages of the journey, ensuring smooth transitions that maintain momentum. You can have excellent individual touchpoints but fail to connect them cohesively, and that might be the pain points you currently have. You can add new touchpoints to fill the gaps to prevent members from being abandoned.
However, communication frequency should be improved based on member preferences and behaviors. You don’t want to bombard your members with thousands of messages or emails, it will be overwhelming and annoying. Moderation is important.
Journey Mapping for Different Membership Models
Now let’s look at specific considerations for different membership models:
Subscription-Based Memberships
For subscription models, the journey map should emphasize:
- The onboarding experience and immediate value delivery
- Regular touchpoints to demonstrate ongoing value
- Pre-billing communications and transparency
- Upgrade pathways and additional service opportunities
Community-Based Memberships
Community membership businesses should focus their journey maps on:
- The sense of belonging
- Participation milestones and recognition
- Peer-to-peer connection opportunities
- Contribution and co-creation opportunities
- Community traditions and shared experiences
Tiered Membership Models
Organizations with multiple membership tiers should pay special attention to:
- Clear differentiation between tier benefits and experiences
- Upgrade pathways and triggers
- Downgrade prevention strategies
- Exclusive experiences for premium tiers
- Value reinforcement at each price point
Measuring the Success of Your Member Journey
Like any strategic initiative, your journey mapping efforts need to be measured. Some key metrics to consider include:
- Retention rates by segment
- Upgrade/downgrade patterns
- Member satisfaction scores at key touchpoints
- Member engagement rate
Summary and Conclusion
- Define Your Membership Segments
- Map the Current State Journey
- Conduct Member Research
- Identify Pain Points and Moments of Truth
- Design the Ideal Future State
Membership journey mapping is a crucial step that can dramatically improve retention, satisfaction, and lifetime member value. By taking the time to understand the unique journeys of your different member segments, you’ll discover opportunities for improvement.
Choose your membership platform carefully! Different membership site platforms have different strengths and weaknesses, so you want to pick the one that suits your membership business the most. Check out the 6 best membership site platforms and find the perfect one for your business!
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