Institute of Internal Communication
The Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC) helps Internal Communications professionals thrive and progress in their careers, supporting them in creating better workplaces and helping their organisations succeed.
Joining the IoIC gives members access to a wide variety of benefits from professional recognition, learning & development programmes, exclusive content and advice, access to dedicated specialist communities and events, and the opportunity to influence the profession.
The Challenge
When the IoIC approached ReadyMembership, they were grappling with a worrying drop in retention rates, which had declined after five years of steady growth.
Membership surveys revealed a two-fold challenge: members were frustrated by the difficulty in finding relevant content and services on the website, and they were increasingly drawn to alternative free online resources, which resonated with their aspirations.
“Members didn’t feel that IoIC benefits were essential to their daily mission of helping their colleagues and organisations thrive - an emotional disconnect that was a major challenge for us in retaining members, expanding services, and continuing growth,” says Jennifer Sproul, Chief Executive of IoIC.
Despite knowing that their membership benefits were best in class, the IoIC team was hindered by outdated, disconnected systems. Behind the scenes, they were overwhelmed with administrative tasks, unable to focus on strategic initiatives, and steadily losing their loyal member base.
The IoIC recognised that to succeed, they needed to revitalise their value proposition and align it to their members' career aspirations. To deliver their vision they needed a digital platform that would give them a single view of all their data and provide a superior member experience.
“Our HQ team only has 8 people - every week hours of the team’s time were taken up with manual admin and moving data. How could I free up my team’s time and headspace to develop new content and member resources?”
The approach - putting members first
As part of this reframing exercise, the IoIC team had already laid the groundwork for digital transformation by remapping their membership categories and aligning them with their careers profession map -a resource that had existed as a separate entity since 2016.
The team used their redesignation work as the starting point for developing a new online self-assessment tool with the ReadyMembership team. This captures new members' career history, experiences, and interests when joining the IOIC. They can also select topics of preference - determining the content the member sees when they are logged into the website.
The new members area, MyIoIC, allows members to update preferences and personal information at any time. It displays resources, events, and training tailored to their expertise level, incentivising them to make the most of their membership benefits and continue advancing in their careers.
Optimising content & user experience
A comprehensive audit of over 800 pieces of content has enabled the team to create a structured information architecture and content management plan for the new website. It also informed the UX and design of the new Knowledge Hub - a fully searchable online directory, which staff can easily curate using tags. The team can also target relevant content to members by creating filters in the platform.
As a unified member experience platform with ready-to-go features, ReadyMembership immediately freed up the team’s time by automating processes and providing member self-service tools. With all interactions captured on each member record the IOIC team has also gained deeper insights into their members.
This has allowed them to focus on creating the resources, services and better experiences for their members.
We saw our membership grow by 52% after moving to ReadyMembership. My team now has the insights and time to develop resources & training our members will love.
Benefits and results
Since its launch in July 2022, the IoIC website has undergone a dramatic transformation from an underused platform with a poor user experience into a vibrant showcase for the brand. The shift to ReadyMembership has delivered outstanding results. In 2023:
- Membership sign-ups surged by 25%
- Retention rates increased by 10%
- Website visits increased by 83%
- Member logins increased by 58%
One member noted, "Just wanted to say how good the new site looks. Completely recognisable, but really clean, clear, and intuitive."
The Knowledge Hub has proven to be a game-changer, with 80% of IoIC members citing it as their favourite area of the website.
Integrating website activity, event bookings, and purchases into the CRM has provided deeper insights into member behaviour, enabling the team to develop truly personalised communications and freeing them up to deliver new resources and services.
New member benefits and services
In the 12 months following the launch of their new website the time saved by the IOIC team has allowed them to deliver 10 new services, a supplier directory, a fast-track coaching programme, 43 online events, new member training and much more. ReadyMembership integration with Discourse has given members access to a thriving online community.
The IOIC website is now optimised to support internal communications professionals throughout their careers through a superior user experience. For the IOIC, their new platform is giving them the insights, tools and time to do more for their members and deliver future growth.
