THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN THE MEMBERSHIP EXPERIENCE
One of the factors making member journey mapping so insightful is its focus on a member’s emotions during their experiences with your association. You don’t only look at what the member does—the process or experience—but also how they might feel while doing it.
Why are emotions so important to our understanding of their experience? Because, Diane said, 85 percent of what we experience is emotional and subconscious and only 15 percent is rational and conscious.
Marketers have long known and leveraged this fact, but, apparently, hoteliers haven’t. Diane asked us to recall what we feel when unpacking in a hotel room. For example, when you open the closet at some hotels, the hangers have tiny hooks at the top that hold them to a skinny closet rod. Intentionally or unintentionally, the hotel is sending a message: “Don’t even think about it, you’re not going to steal our hangers!”
When designing a member experience, such as joining or onboarding, think about the subconscious messages the member may receive and the emotions they may feel. An experience must always take into account their emotional as well as their functional needs. If you succeed in meeting both types of needs, your association is more likely to benefit from increased member attention, participation, retention, referrals, and revenue.