Most discussions about data analytics focus on how tools can be used to better understand members and how to influence them to be more engaged. But data analytics can be used to support the needs of members and other stakeholders directly as well. A technology approach to deliver this capability to members is known as embedded analytics. And in some cases, associations can monetize the analytics derived from data provided by their members.
Consider these scenarios:
- Benchmarking: Individuals want to compare their professional qualifications against the results of others; or Companies want to compare their offerings to averages of other companies
- Sales Support: Chapter officers want to compare the success of their chapter registration against that of other chapters
- Total Member Value: Members want to see the Return of Investment (ROI) for the dues they pay relative to benefits they receive
- Gamification: Members want to compare their percentile rank of their participation relative to other members of their cohort – with actionable steps to improve their ranking
In the examples above, there are several ways an association could deliver this information to its members – even including using email. But to provide secure access and ensure that the information is timely and accurate, it is best to deliver the user experience behind a login to a website or mobile app. Websites and mobile apps can natively display data from a variety of data sources, but unless an association is willing to make a substantial investment in custom development, a native web solution will not be able to provide the members any capabilities beyond a simple listing of comparison data. Organizations have also considered using Crystal or Microsoft SSRS reports in the past but software licensing issues made this impractical.
With a state-of-the-art data analytics tool like Nucleus, associations have a better option. They can embed visualizations with filters and analyses capabilities into their website or mobile app and make it available to their members to consume and explore. Visualizations are easy and quick to create. And because Nucleus does not charge a per-user license fee, an unlimited number of members can access the visualizations at no additional cost.
In the benchmarking example above, an association could provide access to members to view their certification score against that of other participants. Members who were willing to pay for premium access would be able to analyze how they performed in each certification competency area against that of the other participants by applying filters on the data.
Empower Chapter officers to drive registration at the annual meeting by providing them a dashboard of registration sales results compared to other chapters – instantly building friendly competition between the chapters. The officers could be allowed to explore the data further by being provided comparisons to prior year data, weeks-out registration numbers, and actual individual activity.
While we discussed Total Member Value in an earlier blog, sharing this information instantly with members can help build trust and loyalty.
The final scenario above, percentage rank, is an ideal data point to share with members and potentially in conjunction with how their score compares to that of other members. While building out a comprehensive engagement model – including data and activity blended from other systems – takes some time, once the data is ready, it is very easy to share the resulting visualization with the members in the members-only section of the website or mobile app.
The potential application of embedded visualizations in a website are endless – including intriguing opportunities to monetize the offering to members and other stakeholders. Just be careful to select a data analytics platform that has the technical underpinnings to support this type of access and does not charge per user licensing fees or the cost alone may be a deal breaker.
