Posted 03 January 2023

Join Together builds high-converting union join forms that get you more members. If a prospective member arrives at a Join Together form, they’re more likely to end up a member. Over time, this results in many more members, and much more money for the union. If the form is bad, it’ll leak potential members, resulting in a union that’s smaller - and poorer - than it might have been. So… start with the form.

Ok, so I have a great join form. What now?

Well, you want to drive more traffic to your form. Ideally high-quality traffic - people who work in jobs and industries you represent, who are at least somewhat aware of and sympathetic to the ways a union might help them.

So how do I drive this traffic?

Quite simply, you need to create as many opportunities as you can for people to click a link that lands them on your join page. Many unions — like many organisations — are a bit too shy about selling themselves. You’re doing your work, but you’re forgetting to tell people how and why they should join. Don’t be.

So, with all that in mind, here’s a helpful checklist.

How you can use your owned channels (your site, social media, emails)

• Is there a clear “join” call to action on your website?
• Is it visible, above the fold, on every page? Is it in your website footer?
• Is a “join now” call to action clearly visible on mobile?
• Is it on the profile pages/bios of all of your social media accounts?
• Post the link to your social channels regularly (organisations are often too shy about this)
• Have you pinned/featured a post about joining the union to the top of your social media accounts?
• Is the TUC’s Union Finder pointing people at your join page?
• Is the URL of your join landing page and a clear call to action (”Join us today”) on all union collateral (printed and digital)?
• On the most popular pages on your site, are there places you can weave in the “join now” call to action? For example, if you’ve got a popular page that offers some free advice, make sure people know there’s a lot of additional value if they join.
• Are all your branch websites and social media pages featuring a “join” call to action?
• If you have a union section or page on an employer’s intranet, is it clearly visible?
• Is it in everyone’s email footer? And in all of your campaign emails?
• If you’re running online campaigns (e.g. a petition), what happens when someone signs? Can you redirect them to a page with a clear “join” call to action?
• Same for webinars. If people sign up, don’t forget to make sure they see your join link several times.

How you can use other people’s channels (links on other sites, PR, media appearances)

• Do you provide tools where people can share a link to your join form?
• When you get covered in the media, do you make sure to ask the journalist to include a link to your site?
• Identify sites which might allow you to guest post. Are there relevant blogs and websites for the jobs/industries you represent?
• If you’re doing visual media (TV), can you get the URL in a backdrop?
• If you’re doing radio, can you mention the URL?
• Do you regularly post “join” links in the online communities where your members are? Are they in Slack, Discord, Whatsapp, Signal, Facebook Groups, Reddit, professional forums? Do your representatives in those communities know they’re meant to post?
• Are your campaigns set up to be shared?
• Have you done any work on your website SEO?
• Is there any content you can create that serves frequently-asked member questions? Remember to include a join link.

And remember…

You might be able to do everything on the checklist, but if your join form converts only 50% of the people it should, you’re losing out. Get in touch for a demo and chat about how Join Together can help you get more members and subs.