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Having successfully repositioned the BMF’s brand strategy with ‘Building Excellence’, CMDi was asked to implement and action key priorities within it, including the need to deepen engagement through personalisation with our growing membership base.John Newcomb, BMF CEO |
For years, the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) has been the backbone of the building materials supply industry offering unrivalled support to builders’ merchants and related services across the UK. But although their membership numbers were growing, engagement in their services simply wasn’t high enough.
Recognising the need for specialist strategic advice, the BMF turned to CMDi.
One of the key pillars of the BMF’s brand strategy programme (also developed by CMDi), was the requirement for the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) to develop a deep segmentation programme, to enable the organisation to improve its targeting of merchant members, as well as prospects. The objective was to increase member closeness and engagement, improve take-up of services and therefore overall value of membership.
CMDi’s Managing Director, Dianne Lucas says “Interestingly, for most membership organisations, it’s often the organisation’s ‘purpose’ that drives a member’s ‘reason to join’, but it’s the active take-up of services that ensures lock-in and retention”. Whilst the BMF had grown its numbers significantly, with only 26% actively engaging, it was vulnerable to members questioning relevance and therefore the value of belonging.
Also, like many membership organisations, the BMF had a ‘one size fits all’ approach to member marketing, with some segmentation in place to support ‘product categories’, forums and events. The recently purchased CRM system provided the software platform for automating tailored communication and services to different member types, but needed to be tailored with a robust personalisation strategy first. CMDi were engaged to develop the strategy and customisation programme to maximise investment in the new system and deliver the required personalisation of the BMF’s membership experience.
The CMDi programme identified different member types with similar needs. Relevant BMF services were bundled together and matched to each member segment and an automated marketing programme set up and implemented through the Regional Managers deploying the CRM system.
John Newcomb, BMF CEO, says “Project Excellence represents considerable investment by the BMF in a cutting-edge approach to member engagement through a combination of research, strategy, communications and CRM implementation.”
No more ‘one size fits all’ membership
Different BMF members need different support. Plumbing & Heating merchants need uniquely tailored services focused on supporting their specific category. Unengaged merchants who don’t have time to wade through everything need only core services. And even engaged members need help identifying what we can do to drive their business (or sector) forward, while national brands need personal management support for their more complex needs.
Communications
New communication packages were tailored to each of our six membership group types. Information about how BMF membership can grow their business is clearer, more relevant, and more efficiently delivered. Rich content is supported by motivational quotes from BMF member advocates and business leaders, all built on the truth that ‘the more you use your BMF membership the better it gets’.
CMDi’s Managing Director, Dianne Lucas says “We’re proud to have been a part of the team that has developed this transformational approach to member closeness for the BMF. It supports the BMF’s commitment to building excellence for each individual member and for the sector.”
Managing a more personal approach
CRM tools have been developed to ensure regional managers are better able to individualise the services BMF provides and each Regional Manager will be proactively working with members to help them build excellence into every aspect of their business.
As BMF CEO John Newcomb observed, “The result will be a more robust BMF based on member closeness, and a future-proofed building materials supply sector comprised of excellent merchants.”
Dianne Lucas MD, CMDi concludes “We’re finding that many membership organisations are facing the challenge of how to deepen engagement through personalisation strategies right now. Whilst many are doing a great job, some are simply leaping in without a proper strategy or deep enough consideration of a segmentation approach, leading to problems later down the line. Our approach is based on robust research and strategic thinking, applied to a practical implementation process. Personalisation with the right strategy will undoubtedly transform the uptake of an organisation’s services, increase relevance and revenue, whilst optimising retention rates.”
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CMDi’s segmentation strategy has made BMF member communications more personalised and relevant by addressing the unique needs of each targeted member group with exactly the right solutions to support their journey to ‘excellence’.John Newcomb, BMF CEO |
To request a presentation of the full case study please contact dlucas@cmdi.co.uk