Why Aren't People Joining My Organization?

Maybe you’ve noticed that your membership is down lately and you’ve decided to do some investigating. Maybe your churn rate has been higher than usual, or you’re getting unfavorable feedback from customers. Whatever the reason, it’s a good time to consider some reasons why potential members aren’t joining your organization! Here are some common reasons why you’re not gaining the membership you should. 

High Pricing

Pricing is always a good place to start when you’re evaluating why people aren’t joining your organization. Check out some similar organizations and look at their pricing to see where you fall. If yours is significantly higher, you might want to reconsider your price point! 

However, if there’s a reason that your prices are so high, make sure that it’s clear from the start. People will be more willing to pay for something when they understand why it’s priced the way it is. 

Joining Is Hard 

Is your website difficult to use? Does it not render properly on mobile devices? Is your text-to-background contrast high enough? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, it’s time to do some digging on what your website looks like to an outside party. 

It’s important to look at your website as though you were a new customer; chances are, you know your website, and you know how things work and where things are located. A new user doesn’t! If you’re having trouble visualising your website with fresh eyes, enlist the help of friends or family members to take a short tour through your pages and give you some honest feedback. 

If you can’t find someone to take on this task, there are plenty of websites that will help you do some user testing for a flat fee. These can be really valuable insights and are worth considering!. 

It’s Just Not Worth It 

Similar to your prices being too high, your organization might simply just not be worth it to users. Getting enough value from an organization is an important part of the decision-making process. If users are only promised a membership card but no benefits beyond that, there’s not really a good reason for them to join. 

Need some ideas on how to add more value for your members? We just wrote about that! 

Another Organization Is Better 

Sometimes, another organization does exactly what you do, but better. Same offerings, same benefits, maybe even the same pricing. For whatever reason, though, users are choosing your competitor over you. 

There are times when there’s no good reason for this, but most of the time, you can figure out what your organization is lacking. Perhaps it’s something as concrete as their checkout process being more streamlined, or as intangible as the quality of the photos on their website. Do some snooping around your competitor’s website and try and get a feel for why users might be choosing them over you. 

Wrapping Up 

There are a lot of reasons why someone might not join your organization, even if they seem like a great fit. Some of these reasons are outside of your control, but some aren’t! Even if your organization has been up and running for years, it’s always a good time to evaluate what’s working and what’s not.